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Motorised Sat Dish


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Hi,

I have just spent many  happy hours reading very informative posts on satellites, dishes, channels etc. so I think !!!! [8-)] I know what I need but would just like a kind soul to confirm it before I buy.

I would like to receive the standard French channels plus the UK free ones, which if I understand correctly means I need to be able to see 3 satellites and be able to receive digital and analogue signals. I already have 1 dish which I installed  for the UK pay channels, so I would prefer a motorised dish, more than 2 or 3 more extra growths on the house, together with a single ?? universal LNB plus a dual receiver (or 2 singles ). Do I need a separate positioner or is this included in some receivers ?    

Firstly is this all I need ( other than cables connectors etc) and are my thoughts correct ? and secondly does anybody know what makes of equipment to look for and those best to avoid  ?

thanks

Paul

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If all I wanted was the standard FTA French channels I would KISS and go for a fixed analogue second dish aimed 5 degrees west. It is simple it is easy and it works. Cost Euros 36 from Birco Depot plus another 30 for bracket and cable. Downside the French will switch of Analgue at some time and not all FTA channels are yet available in Numerique/Digital .

The Euros 72 for dish, head and box Numerique had all the software installed and outputs for driving a motorised dish. The motors for automatic posioning of the antenna can be a cheap as Euro 79 but it is a whole new level of complications setting them up and the cheap set ups cannot adjust skew which is critical to BBC reception.

If you want to the French PPV set ups you can bracket the two satellite clustser with one dish and a 6 degree offset LNB.

 

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The French free to air analogue and digital channels are on one satellite, Atlantic Bird 3, so you only need to receive Astra 2 and Atlantic Bird 3. The simplest way is with two dishes and a switch from one dish to the other.

If you wish to get all of the channels available you need a digital and analogue receiver, which will be rather more expensive. Echostar and Aston offer these - I think Manhatton also make one. The Echostars used to have dual dish inputs, so you would not need a switching arrangement with one of these.  To receive the analogue channels in colour you will need a French or multi-standard TV receiver.

You could also use two receivers, with a more complex switching arrangement, whereby you could also have the French digital and analogue channels.  I bought an 80 cm dish from my local Bricomarché last year for €28, and that included an analogue receiver.

 

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Great thanks, unfortunitly there is no way MOH is going to let me put up 2 more dishes, so if I want to watch the world cup and live, I'll need to spend out on a motor with all the added complications. I will look out for Echostar etc I assume these are not makes I will find in the DIY sheds so will search the web. I have seen in Casto a dual receiver made by Optex for 199 euros which has 'DISEqC 1.0, 1.2 et Usals' which is for the motor  ???. Anybody have any experience of this model and knows of a good make of motor ?

again thanks for both your replies

Paul

 

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Why would you need another two dishes?  You already have one dish pointing to Astra 2, according to your first post, so you just need another pointing to Atlantic Bird.

Your ideal motorised system is one with a 36 volt positioner, but it's more expensive than one using diseqc.  Manhattans and Echostars can be bought with these built in.  Dishes using diseqc are slow moving and use low power using the coax lead for both signal and voltage for the motor.  You are also limited to the size of the dish, although you would only neeed an 80 cm.

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At last a hugh penny has just dropped from a very great height, If I buy a receiver with twin inputs ie Echostar, put a LNB with twin outputs on my existing dish and a new dish seeing Atlantic bird3, I have it all ??? 

Many thanks for your advice sorry it took me so long to understand.[:$]

Paul

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Yes, you only need a dish for Atlantic Bird and you can get the channels that you want.  Here's the URL for Aston and their receiver with dual lnb inputs,  analogue and digital. http://www.aston-france.com/en/products/xena2000.asp  Aston are a French company so you should be able to buy one in France.

You only need a dual LNB for Astra 2 if you have two receivers.

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Great, I'm off this afternoon to search for Aston and Echostar.

 My thought about putting a twin output LNB on my existing dish was so as to keep the feed to exisiting receiver with another feed to new receiver to duplicate the free UK channels. My thinking is based on the idea that a dual lnb input can be for lnbs on different dishes and that a universal lnb could read digital and analogue signals. Is this correct ?

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The dual LNB will allow you to watch Astra in different rooms with separate receivers.   

The universal LNB is for high and low band frequencies and not only for digital.

Good luck with your search for a receiver.  You are more likely to get the Aston in France rather than the Echostar.  If you have a problem try contacting the maker.

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[quote user="expat paul"]

Great, I'm off this afternoon to search for Aston and Echostar.

 My thought about putting a twin output LNB on my existing dish was so as to keep the feed to exisiting receiver with another feed to new receiver to duplicate the free UK channels. My thinking is based on the idea that a dual lnb input can be for lnbs on different dishes and that a universal lnb could read digital and analogue signals. Is this correct ?

[/quote]

An LNB is an LNB and will read both digital and analogue. There are two types of dual LNBs available in France. One has two heads which aim at the same place,often looks like a single LNB. The other had the heads offset by 6  degeres to enable the two main PPV French digital systems to be picked up with one dish. Make sure you buy the right one.

 

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An LNB is an LNB and will read both digital and analogue. There are two types of dual LNBs available in France. One has two heads which aim at the same place,often looks like a single LNB. The other had the heads offset by 6  degeres to enable the two main PPV French digital systems to be picked up with one dish. Make sure you buy the right one.

 

Anton, you need to understand that a dual LNB is not the same thing as a Twin LNB ... a Twin LNB  is what Expat Paul needs and he is right to say that it will feed his existing receiver plus a second one that he is about to buy. Expat Paul is also right to say that a universal LNB will read both analogue and digital signals.

Combined analogue/digital satellite receivers are quite expensive ... you can achieve exactly the same result by buying a separate analogue receiver and a free to air digital receiver.

Fit the twin LNB to your Astra 2 dish, take output one to your original receiver and take output two to the A input of a DiSEqC switch (mounted behind the dish).

Fit a second dish and universal LNB and direct it towards Atlantic Bird. Take the cable from the LNB and connect it to the B input of the DiSEqC switch.

Take a cable from the IN of the DiSEqC switch to your new digital receiver using the IN input. Then take a small loop of cable from the OUT of the digital receiver to the Input of your analogue receiver.

The original receiver will work as usual. The new digital receiver will give you all digital FTA channels off Astra 2 and AtlanticBird plus the analogue channels off AtlanticBird as well ... and only using one cable. Total outlay less than 300 euros.

 

 

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Thanks all,

 I have bought and fitted a twin output lnb which currently feeds my exisiting system only. Unfortunately I haven't yet found the dual receiver, a local tv stockist will try to find one and price it for me. I will find out on tuesday but two receivers will be easier to source as the Bricos stock both, I've not seen a  'DiSEqC switch' but then I wasn't looking for one ! I have a few weeks before the footy starts !!!![:)]  

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[quote user="Gwynydd"]

 

An LNB is an LNB and will read both digital and analogue. There are two types of dual LNBs available in France. One has two heads which aim at the same place,often looks like a single LNB. The other had the heads offset by 6  degeres to enable the two main PPV French digital systems to be picked up with one dish. Make sure you buy the right one.

 

Anton, you need to understand that a dual LNB is not the same thing as a Twin LNB ... a Twin LNB  is what Expat Paul needs and he is right to say that it will feed his existing receiver plus a second one that he is about to buy. Expat Paul is also right to say that a universal LNB will read both analogue and digital signals.

[/quote]

Sorry, but the terms are used loosely, and often interchangeably. A twin LNB is normally used for receiving two satellites from one dish, and dual and quad for one satellite to multiple receivers. Here's an example of the confusion.  "Twin output  LNB for receiving Astra Hotbird signals giving 2 independant(sic) feeds. Can be used with 2 receivers or 1 receiver with 2 tuners."

Paul is a novice, and his simplest method, albeit more expensive, is to go along the route of a combined digital and analogue receiver.  This does away with the need of any switching arrangement and allows the use of a single remote control.  I did mention in one of my posts that I bought an 80 cm dish that included an analogue receiver from Bricomarché, and he could have opted for this.

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<< Anton, you need to understand that a dual LNB is not the same thing as a Twin LNB ... a Twin LNB  is what Expat Paul needs and he is right to say that it will feed his existing receiver plus a second one that he is about to buy. Expat Paul is also right to say that a universal LNB will read both analogue and digital signals. >>

 

If you check the link below you will find that Castorama use the word twin to cover both a pair of LNBs in the same housing aimed at in the same direction and what you describe as a dual LNB. From memory Leroy Merlin use the same nomenclature.  I am quite prepared to believe they are both wrong but it does not do you much good if you pick the wrong one off the shelf

 

http://www.castorama.fr/boutique/products/products.jhtml?elementId=CastoECO0115&navAction=push&navCount=0
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 I didn't describe anything as a dual LNB.

A Dual LNB is an LNB which has 2 outputs, one output carries all the vertical channels and the other carries all the horizontal channels. It is used in distribution systems where the vertical and horizontal components are separated.

A Twin LNB also has 2 outputs but can be considered to be 2 separate LNBs and this is what you will see in the retail shops and the link that you gave correctly describes this as a Twin.

The pair of LNBs in the same housing is not called a Twin  but a Monoblock and Castorama correctly shows this. You might have been confused with the Twin version of a Monoblock ... again Castorama describe it correctly as a Monoblock with a Twin output.

Two  LNBs separated by 6 degrees on a bracket are not Twin LNBs, nor Dual LNBs, nor Monoblocks ... they are just 2 separate LNBs

When you told Expat Paul that there were 2 types of Dual LNBs available, you were giving misleading advice which is why I corrected you. I didn't mean any offence by it.

 

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While you lot are debating the finer points of Dual LNB's etc, it may or (may not) be of interest that currently Leroy Merlin are selling a satellite kit that will receive all the available French free channels and lots more on top, including Uk stuff. The kit has a single dish, three LNB's for Atlantic bird 3, Hotbird and Astra satellites. It comes with two receivers, an analogue and a satellite with full instructions, all for the princely sum of 139 euros. Seems a good deal to me!

 

 

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