The DirecTV SL3K4NR1-03

[Vipersan]

It's funny this 01 VS, I have to use Horizontal to get Newsnet and the other feeds, even though it's modded for vertical only!

Interesting you say this Scopus ..
Theoretically H or V should yield identical results once the septum and chamber partition are removed ...
ie ..
Both Vertical and of roughly equal level ...and yet they don't..??
What you say confirms what I have found ....that there is indeed a difference in gain level ..where there should not be.
Another reason why I prefer the 03 version..
It's more predictable ..and as such more logical and understandable.
As to Newsnet being on but erratic at your location and not mine..
Nothing new there buddy...
A law unto itself is Newsnet ..
Ask anyone who's tried to receive it..
Almost as though it's on a spot beam that oscillates over the country..
rgds
VS

 

[scopus]

Interesting you say this Scopus ..
Theoretically H or V should yield identical results once the septum and chamber partition are removed ...
ie ..
Both Vertical and of roughly equal level ...and yet they don't..??
What you say confirms what I have found ....that there is indeed a difference in gain level ..where there should not be.
Another reason why I prefer the 03 version..
It's more predictable ..and as such more logical and understandable.
As to Newsnet being on but erratic at your location and not mine..
Nothing new there buddy...
A law unto itself is Newsnet ..
Ask anyone who's tried to receive it..
Almost as though it's on a spot beam that oscillates over the country..
rgds
VS

I agree with the spot beam theory. I have had the Granada feed up more than once and it booms in here something 14db on the F15, Granada land is not too far from my location, so I wonder?

 

[Vipersan]

Gonna stick with the -03 I think ..
Clear skies and still no Newsnet on the -01 this morning ..
swapped back to the 03 and Newsnet office back at 8.3db according to the 6925.
Maybe I just got a sub standard one ...but am inclined to think the 03 is superior ...at least on my dish.
rgds
VS

 

[tvinvestigations]

My lnb has arrived ...at last !

Rather than start cutting things up I'm going to try a different approach
I have a 90cm Fibo , so I'll make an ortho tube to fit into inner scaler ring in the lnb made out of copper , this will bypass the scaler rings problem , the other end of the tube will slide into the standard Fibo feed horn.

I don't have the converter as yet so I'll have to test on anything available within the existing lnb range , plus/minus 250 mhz for now.
This approach may also work for a standard offset provided you have a suitable feed horn to attach to the tube.
I also have a slab somewhere which If need be I can cut down to fit into the tube for circular polarity.

 

[tvinvestigations]

I agree with the spot beam theory. I have had the Granada feed up more than once and it booms in here something 14db on the F15, Granada land is not too far from my location, so I wonder?

Mil Ka spec has always included very tight spot beams...not sure if the commercial sats are the same.
The UFOSat series could focus a steerable spot beam on a surfaced sub , or aerial command and control a/c with great accuracy.

Maybe the Ka on 19E features something similar.

 

[scopus]

Yes, I bypassed the scalars on the LNB by using an Inverto feedhorn cut off the SoarSat LNB, seems to work quite well. It fits nicely down the throat of the SL3 01 version. I did mod the 03, but found this worse for my dish, yet VS found the opposite.
Keep us posted on the Fibo, I have a spare 90 and 1.2 to play with, plus a pukka Direct TV dish on the way...

 

[John]

hi VS and Llew been doing a bit of experiment with this unit without any mod I found I got a stronger signal with a 22mm copper connector in front of the feed I had unire sat at 94% quality and newsnet at 74% quality,since then I have done a mod on the lnb as you have but took the square bit out which is the probes and centre earth and soldered two probes in place of it I am hoping it will give more gain,waiting for the rain to stop so don't know it it will work or not.

Interesting idea , just wondering pride if you had any success with the modded probe idea before i get stuck in to modding mine.

 

[pride21]

hi john did the mod did not work very well so tried to put the part I cut from the lnb back into place,unfortunately a bit of solder shorted the transistor so I ordered another one from the states which on testing it out, only half the Ka band worked and it does not have the gain as the first lnb,I will get around to having a go again its just that I got a bit despondent with it.

 

[John]

hi john did the mod did not work very well so tried to put the part I cut from the lnb back into place,unfortunately a bit of solder shorted the transistor so I ordered another one from the states which on testing it out, only half the Ka band worked and it does not have the gain as the first lnb,I will get around to having a go again its just that I got a bit despondent with it.

Oh dear, worth a try though & thanks for trying

 

[John]

... there certainly is some variations on a theme with these units
Here is a "02" variant that seems to use the early pcb design of the "03" with circular chambers but no septum divider, just having a nice un-hindered horizontal & vertical probe if the whole unit is at 45deg.
Have you had a play with something similar VS, perhaps sawing off the original feeds and substituting with a scalar type feedhorn ?? .. i seem to remember seeing a pic somewhere of one mounted at 45deg ?

 

[Llew]

VS is away from the forum, not very well John.

However,you can glean some info on his 02 mods here (post #54 on) -

http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/threads/and-so-it-begins.159428/page-3

 

[John]

VS is away from the forum, not very well John.

However,you can glean some info on his 02 mods here (post #54 on) -

http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/threads/and-so-it-begins.159428/page-3

Ok many thanks for that Llew, & a speedy recovery to VS.

 

[scopus]

Hope you are feeling better VS.
My DirectTV dish is due in the next day or so, hopefully I will have a play on Wednesday.
It seems the Nag feed has gone, nothing in the past 4 days or so, can anybody just double check?

 

[scopus]

Nag feed is back, very strong signal too!

 

[dan rose]

How do you guys like those lnbs? Directv lnbs?

 

[Llew]

OK for experiments in KA band, often more off the dish than on while making different feedhorns or removing septums etc.

Cheap too if we didn't have to add in the carriage price and sometimes import tax from your part of the world

 

[hexah]

It has been fascinating to read and has reinforced my belief that KA band is not really suitable for domestic reception.

Current rules on importing goods from abroad are here:

https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad

 

[Archive-8]

This has just turned up, with 1 of the sup-2400

 

[scopus]

View attachment 71011

This has just turned up, with 1 of the sup-2400

That will keep you busy over Christmas....lol

 

[Archive-8]

That will keep you busy over Christmas....lol

Hope so :-) might try and strap it on the dish asap.