The results are in Andrew c120 feedhorn VS smart titanium lnb-f

[Rd100]

I received a smart titanium second addition lnb-f in the post today and tested it against a c120 Andrew feedhorn with a few c120 lnbs including single and quad invacom and inverto c120 and the results are in here they are,

The smart titanium beats the Andrew c120 feedhorn on a 1.0m Andrew dish and it does not matter if i use a invacom single or quad c120 or inverto c120 attached to it the titanium 0.2 db beats it hands down with the smart i again almost 1.5db in signal over the c120 feedhorn combination,

Next i will test it on a 1.2m andrew and 1.8m prodelin and i will test a darkgold 0.1db lnb-f

[pedro2000uk]

We did almost the same tests on the same dish a few months back (when we last had decent weather that was) C120's x Ch M feedhorn v 40mm LNBfs including a Smart Titanium .2... The Titanium beat the C120s on the feedhorn, but wasn't the No.1 lnbf...

also.. we gained about 10-20% on the feedhorn / c120s by moving it from its fixed point and the same with the lnbfs .. can't remember whether it gained with a shorter or longer focal length.. shorter I think.. the docs are at the office

3040661

[Turok]

the old smart titanium,has the better results then the 2. edition,this lnb is cheap costs only 5-6€ in germany,but very small!

[CROSSBONES]

Interested in knowing the result`s rd, thanks for sharing

[Burnham Beech]

This is great feedback, please keep it coming. What Andrews feedhorn are you using. Please quote part number.

Also when you test the 1.2m it would be good to see some practical results on the 7°w fta channels. Say what horizontal transponders you can get at what time of day in clear weather conditions.

[Rd100]

I have tried the feedhorn in all places and the smart still beats it

We did almost the same tests on the same dish a few months back (when we last had decent weather that was) C120's x Ch M feedhorn v 40mm LNBfs including a Smart Titanium .2... The Titanium beat the C120s on the feedhorn, but wasn't the No.1 lnbf...

also.. we gained about 10-20% on the feedhorn / c120s by moving it from its fixed point and the same with the lnbfs .. can't remember whether it gained with a shorter or longer focal length.. shorter I think.. the docs are at the office

3040661

[Rd100]

I have tested all the andrew ku-band feedhorns over the years and the smart still beats it and it only cost me £2.99 but i do not pay for andrew/asc products as i get the from work as we are the main importer of asc/ Andrew products in the uk and we always have bits left over from orders

This is great feedback, please keep it coming. What Andrews feedhorn are you using. Please quote part number.

Also when you test the 1.2m it would be good to see some practical results on the 7°w fta channels. Say what horizontal transponders you can get at what time of day in clear weather conditions.

[pedro2000uk]

I have tried the feed horn in all places and the smart still beats it

Yep, we improved on the outputs of the dedicated feed horn+c120s by tweaking the focal length.... but it still didn't beat the smart 40mm lnbf or the one/s that beat the smart.. I think a £3.99 Lidl .2 lnb (silvercrest) was one of the ones that beat the smart.

What lnb holder did you use, the one for the dish? and did you try modifying that focal length wise?

At the designed fixed point for the 40mm lnb holder, the LNBfs we tested would have given a certain order of performance (most still beating even the tweaked feed horn/c120s)... after we re-engineered the 40mm holder for each lnbf's best focal length beyond the normal adjustment, all the numbers went up but the order changed on which was best.

[michael01707]

I've just tried an Inverto White Tech 0.3db LNBF on a channel master 1.8m offset and it was not as good as the Ku band feedhorn with an Invacom quad. I was unable to get 11804H in light rain with the Inverto but was watchable with the feedhorn and Invacom. I would be interested in other people's results on the 1.2 and 1.8m channel master offset type dishes.

[pedro2000uk]

what satellite?

[michael01707]

Sorry, my 1.8m is fixed on 7w

[wod]

for dishes below 1.2m i don't think a feedhorn will make a difference but on the 1.8m dish then i think it would work better

rd100, was you using a spectrum meter to test them and on which satellite did you test ? 26e, 23.5e, 7w, 4w etc

because i was wondering whether to bother with the feedhorn on my 90cm andrews and just use a smart titanium lnbf instead

wouldn't the feedhorn give better rain fade as it is much larger than an lnbf ?

[pedro2000uk]

This thread is based on a 1m offset channel master c120s+feedhorn v lnbf. On that size the lnbf could be the winner just because of the small size. On dishes up to 80s we had .6 lnbfs butchered from Sky dishes doing very well beating almost all even with the oval offset scalas/feedhorns, but on larger dishes they fell down the list.

The tests can only ever be the best lnb on a particular dish.... but you have to test all on all focal lengths / fd ratios beyond the limits on the dish to keep it a decent test... you can have a real winner discarded in a box just because the optimum position is beyond the adjustment on that dish.

... and btw ..this weather is useless for such tests ... it can change too much by the time you've swapped an LNB... I think it's best to wait until we get some decent weather.

[michael01707]

The tests can only ever be the best lnb on a particular dish.... but you have to test all on all focal lengths / fd ratios beyond the limits on the dish to keep it a decent test... you can have a real winner discarded in a box just because the optimum position is beyond the adjustment on that dish.

... and btw ..this weather is useless for such tests ... it can change too much by the time you've swapped an LNB... I think it's best to wait until we get some decent weather.

This was just a quick test as I was curious from reading the posts in this thread and had a spare LNBF. I never intended it to be a controlled and precise test. The weather actually improved whilst I was playing with LNBF and the rain had stopped as I was about to finish adjusting.

[pedro2000uk]

I know... it's just a general comment that it's not really the time (if we ever get decent weather again)... I'm sure you took x y z into account.

[Rd100]

Yes i was using a spectrum analyzer and the smart lnb-f is better than the feedhorn on the 1.0m i have not had chance to test it on the 1.2m or 1.8m yet

No the feedhorn would not give better rain fade as the lnb-f is giving higher signal levels in the first place

I double checked the c120 feed vs lnb-f today and the smart lnb is still much better

for dishes below 1.2m i don't think a feedhorn will make a difference but on the 1.8m dish then i think it would work better

rd100, was you using a spectrum meter to test them and on which satellite did you test ? 26e, 23.5e, 7w, 4w etc

because i was wondering whether to bother with the feedhorn on my 90cm andrews and just use a smart titanium lnbf instead

wouldn't the feedhorn give better rain fade as it is much larger than an lnbf ?

[Rd100]

11.804 is easy received in london on a 1.2m dish if you can just about get it on a 1.8m there is some thing wrong with your set up.

I've just tried an Inverto White Tech 0.3db LNBF on a channel master 1.8m offset and it was not as good as the Ku band feedhorn with an Invacom quad. I was unable to get 11804H in light rain with the Inverto but was watchable with the feedhorn and Invacom. I would be interested in other people's results on the 1.2 and 1.8m channel master offset type dishes.

[kadnor]

Hi, Would be most grateful if you would let me know which vendor I should contact for the Smart LNB.
I am residing West London.

Many thanks for your assistance.

Best Wishes,

kadnor

[bubby-joe]

In future tests' is the prodeline 1.8 an offset or prime focus, I use an andrews commercial ku prime focus and with just an LNBF by itself the performance is terrible, it requires a feedhorn for the best performance.

[charly20]

If you use any prime focus dish, it is normal that the performance obtained with a standard and normal lnb is poor, as these are designed for offset dishes (f/d of 0.6).

PFA usually have a f/d around 0.38. That's why you need to use the feed that is designed to work with the dish you are using. If this is missing, you can use the Invacom PFA Feed; it is adjustable to a f/d range of 0.32 - 0.43.

Greets,

[gbrowne]

Did anyone ever come to a conclusion on this interesting set of tests ?

I am also finding that I get better reults frrom my 1.2m CM offset with a Smart Titanium LNBf than the official CM feedhorn and a 0.3dB Inverto white.

I find it difficult to understand how a cheapo ten quid LNBf can outperform an expensive, dish-matched feedhorn and C120 LNB.

GB.

[kamaleon]

The only way of finding out is cutting the feed off that lnbf and modding it to fit the andrews feedhorn and then see if it gets better still, or worse!

[gbrowne]

Any thoughts on exactly where to cut ?

I suppose for experimentation maybe I could maybe make a sliding sleeve to adjust length for max signal. I guess there can't be any holes in the waveguide or it won't match properly ?

[kamaleon]

Well if you try to strip the plastic case open, you'll see the lnb metallic body. I don't know which is the right place to cut it, maybe right under the feedhorn? As for your second question, I don't know. But other forum members do know that. Just wait till they get here

How are you going to fit that into the C120 interface on the CM feedhorn though?

[gbrowne]

It will depend on what I find when I start cutting. I do have access to some workshop facilities, so I'm hoping I can experiment with it to try to find a good match and then permenently attach a C120 sized flange onto it, so it can be properly bolted to the feedhorn and made weathertight for long-term use.