Newbie seeks opinions

[barr6868]

Originally Posted by BGonaSTICK

I guess that could be the PCI version 3V/5V thing again :?

Mmm, not sure. :?
Electronics is not really my game (hitting things with hammers is though). ops:
Not too bad at following instructions, and putting things together, apart from the occassional off day.
Had to re-load the disk to get xp back up and running. Lost a few of the drivers and had to get a new sound card.
Not sure if its worth bothering with now, I might just fire it onto fleabay and get a couple of quid for it

[imported_Jimbo]

Ok people I think I'm nearly there... just need a little push really on the last item.

I have...

DiseqC SG2100A Motor: In hand
MTI SupremeLine Lnb: In hand
Technomate 1500+CI: Awaiting Delivery
T & K Brackets, Pole and U-Clamps: Going to Fabricate myself (before I got into IT, I was a Sheetmetal Worker/Fabricator/Welder)

Just cannot really decide on a Dish, I know there is no better way to improve the signal than a larger dish-face diameter, but as I have said before I am aiming at a 64cm Triax.

I know a lot of people say that they don't want to get ALL that's out there (and then end up upgrading to a bigger dish later) but at the moment that's the stage I'm at - four terrestrial channels to motorised dish will be heaven (I hope ).

My Location: 50.6 N, 2.4 W
(I've knocked off the rest of the decimal places to not be too house specific, is it close enough?).

I think I have a fairly Clean sweep of horizon, if the dish is mounted approx 2-3m from ground level.

Site is almost exactly south facing (according to GPS - I know they have a slightly different South though).

So... What do you think about the 64cm Triax for a 'good range' of Sat's?

I've checked the footprints, but theory is one thing - practice is another I suppose.

Cheers

Jimbo

[Analoguesat]

A 64 will be fine for the main satellite clusters of 19E, 13E plus 5W, most of the tp's on 30W, and the stronger stuff on most of the others.

Half the fun of the satellite hobby is getting the best out of the equipment you own.

Go for it - and if you want the more exotic birds at a later date you can always upgrade to a digger dish

[BGonaSTICK]

If that's as large as you want to go for now, then you shouldn't agonise over it any more

You know that an 80-90cm dish is about right for comfortable reception of most of the common satellites at your location, so you must accept that you're not going to get satellites like 16E, much of 1W etc. You will also lose reception in rain on some of the weaker transponders elsewhere, or even more in heavy rain. It sounds like that's a compromise you're prepared to make and that's cool.

As you say, you're going to be able to do a whole heap of stuff including the 'big four' - 28.2E, 19.2E, 13E and 30W.

There are many other satellites that you'll be able to view channels from, and it will be very interesting to get some reception reports from you when it's done. Setup will be even more critical for you than most. You will have to get it spot on. A reasonable signal meter would be a good investment as opposed to a really cheap one.

I had a motorised 60cm dish for a long time, and it was actually pretty good (and was indeed visually much less of an eyesore).

You could look at some better quality dishes to try and eek a little more signal, but to be honest, at that size dish face I don't think it makes a lot of difference. Only at the larger sizes can you get significant gains in performance by reducing those small flaws in the parabolic curve of the face. A cheap large dish is going to be nothing but trouble, but a good quality one is going to cost a fortune. As an ex-sheetmetal guy you'll appreciate that only too well.

Go for it. Dishes aren't that expensive, so your not making a lifelong commitment, and if you get the setup right you may get more than you expect.

One last tip - whether you get your dish over the counter or delivered by courier, check the box for damage, and the dish even more closely for any sign of defect. Reject it if it's not perfect, because you can't afford any further reduction in performance.

HTH

STICK