My Self-Installed Fixed-Dish Multi-LNB System

[garym71]

Here are a few pictures of my setup. It's not a motorised system so it's fairly basic compared to some of the other members systems but it was my first self-installed system so it was a good learning exercise The dish went up a couple of weeks ago and the whole setup was finally completed last weekend.

These are the specifications of my system:-

• Raven Gemini 70cm Mesh Dish
• Raven Multi-LNB Holder Offset Brackets (both East & West)
• 2 x MTI Supreme 0.2db Single Output Universal LNB
• 1 x MTI Supreme 0.2db Quad Output Universal LNB
• Orbital SM1 U-Type Wall Bracket for Pole Mount Dish
• Eurostar 4x1 DiSEqC Switch
• Webro WF100 Cable

The elevation bracket on the back of the dish was originally galvanised silver in colour so I painted it dark grey to match the dish as I thought it looked much better I also modified the LNB arm by cutting a hole in the front of it so I could run the cables inside the hollow tube as opposed to them having to be taped along the outside which made the installation look much neater

The dish is centred with a single ouput LNB pointing at Astra 19.2E. The quad output LNB on the east offset bracket is pointing at Astra 28.2E, and the other single output LNB on the west offset bracket is pointing at Hotbird 13.0E.

I have both single LNBs and one of the outputs from the quad LNB going to a DiSEqC switch. The output of the switch currently goes to a Technomate TM-5400CI+ FTA Receiver. Two of the remaining outputs from the quad LNB (Astra 28.2E) go direct to a Sky+ box.

I'm getting pretty good signal level & quality results from all 3 satellites as can be seen in the attachments below.

Thanks to everyone on here who gave me help and advice when I needed it

 

[keano]

m8 I have to say well done, that is a very neat and tidy job.

I have never tried to do this but one day I might have too, because I now have 4 different size dishes on the side of the house and a even bigger one in the garden,



Cheers

 

[Robbo]

Nice setup gary.

Youv'e managed to get all the cabling neat too.

Where did you get the dish, I was looking for one of those ?

 

[rolfw]

Well done Gary, looks good.

 

[keano]

Guys the more I think about this the more I want to do it.

For one it would get the wife of my back complaining:-Nooo.


Do you think the raven 70cm could handle 28.0e, 19.0e, 13.0e and 1.0w or is 1.0w to far apart.

If so could I fit 28.0e,19.0e,16.0e,13.0e on to the raven 70cm ?

If I could do this I could remove three dishes from the side of the house and just leave the 110 televes on a motor for the living room.

Thanks in advance for any replies

 

[rolfw]

You could try Thor on the Western extreme, but you may find that the 70cm Gemini is a little too small. For 19/16/13, you need very slim LNBs.

 

[keano]

Yeah your right never going to fit a lnb between 19.0e and 13.0e.

I am looking at quad's for each one.

 

[Robbo]

Yeah your right never going to fit a lnb between 19.0e and 13.0e.

I am looking at quad's for each one.

1W, Impossible I would have thought on a 70cm in Manchester, way off the focus.

Still gary's type of setup would reduce numbers a tad though, they do 90cm version of the Raven's also. Good for 28E, 19E, and 13E, if the 70cm couldn't quite hack it in Manchester.

 

[keano]

I've got a cheap 80cm on a motor now which picks up 1.0w no probs.

I'll see if I can find a 80cm dish suitable for multi lnbs.

 

[garym71]

Youv'e managed to get all the cabling neat too.

Where did you get the dish, I was looking for one of those ?

Thanks for your comments guys

Neatness was actually one of the main priorities seeing as I have a south facing house so the only realistic option was to mount it on the front facing the street. It's why the installation is neater and took longer than it would if I'd been able to put it on the back of the house.

I initially took a gamble and went for the 70cm dish but was prepared to go to a 90cm if the signal level/quality turned out to be poor. Luckily the 70cm is doing the job really well so I will be sticking with it I am down in the south of the UK so that probably helps.

I actually got the dish from Falcon International Satallites in North London for Ј29 (inclusive of VAT) although I'm afraid I can't really recommend them to anyone because they took forever to deliver it. The ability to contact them, and their level of customer communication also leaves a lot to be desired. If you do a google for "Raven Gemini 70cm Mesh Dish" you will see quite a few UK suppliers come up so maybe better to choose someone else.

To answer the question about 13.0E, 16.0E & 19.2E on the multi LNB brackets, then even with thin LNB's it would be a no-go on the Raven LNB holders without some kind of serious modification. The centre 19.2E holder and the offset 13.0E holder on mine are physically touching each other (as are the feedhorns) so there is no way you would ever get another LNB in between them. Maybe a 90cm dish would allow the holders to be moved further apart with the focus not on the centre of the dish but still with good level/quality signals. I don't actually know so I guess it would be a case of trial and error.

 

[CROSSBONES]

Very neat and tidy install gary:-worship

Keano have you thought about the 90cm Toroidal dish?

 

[Robbo]

To answer the question about 13.0E, 16.0E & 19.2E on the multi LNB brackets, then even with thin LNB's it would be a no-go on the Raven LNB holders without some kind of serious modification. The centre 19.2E holder and the offset 13.0E holder on mine are physically touching each other (as are the feedhorns) so there is no way you would ever get another LNB in between them.

I have seen quite a few piccies of a Triax multibracket with 13E,16E and 19E on them. Looks like that the sides of the holder needs to be sliced off.
They do a quad version of the Alps too, 'Bullet nose'.

Yes, Thanks for saying where you got the dish, I was hoping it wasn't falconsat, I read the experiences of some members in another thread.
Southernsats had them, but apparently Raven is concentrating on its US market at won't be suppplying anymore 'til after crimbo.

 

[wod]

keano, think you would need the raven gemini 90cm dish or one of those wave frontier dishes for that range of satellites

or triax 90cm for 13,16, 19, 28east at a push

 

[Yorks]

Excellent installation garym71. Well done. :-righton

They do a quad version of the Alps too, 'Bullet nose'.

Don't worry about Robbo71 calling you 'Bullet nose.' He's called me far worse!

 

[bigtee]

On the Raven 90, 1w to 28e is possible with 13e as the central focus; this includes getting 13e-19e with Alps LNBs. I say this precisely because I have done this with the Raven 90 though I have now taken out the 28e since I also have a Sky dish; so currently have just 1w,7e, 13e, 16e and 19e (5 LNBs) on the Raven 90 - ground mounted too, so easy to mess about with.

I'm fairly sure I have seen twin Alps LNBs online somewhere and there may just be quads as well.

If I've got it right, I've attached a picture with the dish spotting LNBs for 7e, 13e, 16e & 19e.

Edited: also noticed recently:

_http://www.so-mm.de/product_info.php?products_id=387&language=en

 

[Robbo]

On the Raven 90, 1w to 28e is possible with 13e as the central focus; this includes getting 13e-19e with Alps LNBs. I say this precisely because I have done this with the Raven 90 though I have now taken out the 28e since I also have a Sky dish; so currently have just 1w,7e, 13e, 16e and 19e (5 LNBs) on the Raven 90 - ground mounted too, so easy to mess about with.

I'm fairly sure I have seen twin Alps LNBs online somewhere and there may just be quads as well.

If I've got it right, I've attached a picture with the dish spotting LNBs for 7e, 13e, 16e & 19e.

Edited: also noticed recently:

_http://www.so-mm.de/product_info.php?products_id=387&language=en

Excellent bigtee, actually now I remember you posting this before somewhere. I'd forgotten.

I looked up the quad alps before my earlier post, and the quad alps ARE available, but I won't call you a 'bullet nose' too.

 

[bigtee]

:-jest

 

[keano]

Cheers guys.

Its given me something to think about now, I am prepared to go just for 28.0e,19.0e and 13.0e on a smaller dish and then take a feed from the 2.4mtr dish for 7.0w.
Then I could have a 4-1 switch for these and this would feed the bedroom, conservatory, and finally the garage.

So might look at a 70cm dish, the smaller the better. Plus it might stop anyone complaining if I can take these dishes down and replace with a smaller one.

I will keep my 110cm dish near the roof top, its been there 4 years and no one is bother plus I sprayed it the same colour as the roof tiles and it blends in very well.

Thanks again

 

[A_T]

Looks very nice. How does the cable enter the house and what tools did you need to do it?

 

[garym71]

Looks very nice. How does the cable enter the house and what tools did you need to do it?

The tools I used for the job were:-

• Ladder
• Electric Cordless Drill (Hammer Action Type)
• Masonry Drill Bits
• Ratchet Socket Set
• Open-ended / Ring Spanners
• Screw Drivers
• Pliers
• Wire Cutters
• Stanley Knife
• Hammer
• Steel Ruler
• Spirit Level (for ensuring the mounting bracket is vertical)
• Angle Spirit Level (for setting the initial elevation)
• Compass (for setting the initial azimuth)
• Protractor (for setting the initial skew on the LNBs)
• Satellite Finder (for fine tuning the dish & LNB alignments)

5 cables come from the dish, 3 of which go into the DiSEqC switch on the wall (grey box mounted just behind the dish that you can see in the 4th picture) with 1 cable coming back out of it, so there are only 3 cables that actually go along the wall, down the back of the drain pipe (cable tied), and then straight into the house through a hole in the wall near the bottom of the drain pipe. I used a 400mm long, 16mm diameter masonry drill to get through the double skin wall into my living room. This size hole is sufficient enough to allow the three 7mm diameter cables to fit easily through the hole next to each other. I then used silicon sealant around the hole/cable on the outside of the wall to prevent any water ingress into the house.

To minimise any potential signal loss, I haven't used any unnecessary wall connector plates or joins in the cable. Single runs of cable come directly from the LNBs & DiSEqC switch, through the hole in the wall and then straight into the back of the satellite receivers.