starting out

snibble · 25-05-2007

Hi all
Like a previous poster, I have a dish on the side of my house-been here 8 years and never used it, it may have been there since house built in 1992. I think it is an original 80 cm sky mesh, guess pointed at astra 19.2. If I upload photo, would a kind person advise if my assumptions are correct and then I will see if I can put it to some use- would appreciate any advice on offer, particularly if the lnb is recognised by anyone. Having prob uploading image at mom - manage attachments ,browse, upload just gets me a blank 'done' screen - is this normal?!!
cheers
Snib

***2cvbloke*** · 25-05-2007

First off, there's a guide in the "Member's pictures" forum on how to post your pics....

As for your dish, if it's an old original sky dish, then the LNB will need to be replaced, the cable will need to be replaced too, and often in most cases, the dish may need replacing due to excessive rust (I've seen old mesh dishes where the LNB arm has dropped off as it's rusted away internally)...

dawson · 25-05-2007

or maybe the direction of the dish is moved away from the satelite. try changing the direction. I had similar problem 9 years ago and got it sorted with my nighbours daughter, she was nice and helpful.

***2cvbloke*** · 25-05-2007

Originally Posted by dawson

or maybe the direction of the dish is moved away from the satelite. try changing the direction. I had similar problem 9 years ago and got it sorted with my nighbours daughter, she was nice and helpful.

Judging by the description, they haven't even tried the dish yet, and it's unlikely that the dish will have moved from it's original Astra1 position...

snibble · 25-05-2007

thanks - was uploading too large a file hopefully now visible. Would you all think the LNB and rust mean it needs replacing ( now that you can hopefully see it! I was hoping to simply get a receiver and plug in - wishful thinking ?

***2cvbloke*** · 26-05-2007

Originally Posted by snibble

thanks - was uploading too large a file hopefully now visible. Would you all think the LNB and rust mean it needs replacing ( now that you can hopefully see it! I was hoping to simply get a receiver and plug in - wishful thinking ?

That dish actually does look serviceable, the LNB looks like an Enhanced (9.75GHz LO) type, but still needs replacing with a Universal LNB, but the cable does look old and would need replacing aswell, you could try it with an analogue box, but it may not work well, if at all!!!

To get the LNB off you'll probably need to cut the bolt holding the clamp together with a hacksaw as it looks rusted....

snibble · 26-05-2007

Merci Monsieur 2CV
good weather permitting will be out with a ladder and some rust penetrating oil tomorrow - hopefully hacksaw is a last resort- fingers crossed. Will refer to other posts for Universal LNB cost/suppliers . If the cable needs replacing I guess it needs more than Coax- higher quality??

***2cvbloke*** · 26-05-2007

Originally Posted by snibble

Merci Monsieur 2CV
good weather permitting will be out with a ladder and some rust penetrating oil tomorrow - hopefully hacksaw is a last resort- fingers crossed. Will refer to other posts for Universal LNB cost/suppliers . If the cable needs replacing I guess it needs more than Coax- higher quality??

On dishes that old, a hacksaw usually is the only option, unless the bolt snaps!!!

LNBs, well, they come in allsorts of shapes and sizes, but usually a decent 0.3dB Universal would be fine...

As for the cable, WF100 and a pair of new screw-on F connectors (unless the one on the LNB is nice & shiny) is what you'll need, aswell as some cable clips of course...

***Yeshi*** · 26-05-2007

Hack saw the bolt off.. this will make sure the holder doesnt get damaged if forcing it off..

Get an lnb swap it..

As for the cable.. if its not got any snags cuts or joints should be fine...

Ive fit a digital system using the old cable before now without any loss of signal.. Infact there was one particular one i fitted which was lay on carpet grippers.. took it off the gripper and the signal boomed in..

Ill only use the old cable on cust request.. Ie the cust above had it cable under his floor.. through air vents... few years later had the floor boards taken up and concrete poured in.. he didnt want any new holes or cable showing.

So yes it does work, all you can do is try

snibble · 26-05-2007

thanks to all for help so far - will no doubt be back with a variety of questions as I take this further. If you don't hear from me it will either be because all is working fine or I have fallen of the ladder!
One more thing- if i have to change the lnb, would it be worth going for a Single Universal Monoblock LNB such as an Inverto IDLP-40MONO? This allegedly enables me to receive content from 2 sats such as Astra and Hotbird? Does anyone use a set up like this and if so is it any harder to fit than a single sat universal?

***2cvbloke*** · 26-05-2007

Originally Posted by snibble

thanks to all for help so far - will no doubt be back with a variety of questions as I take this further. If you don't hear from me it will either be because all is working fine or I have fallen of the ladder!
One more thing- if i have to change the lnb, would it be worth going for a Single Universal Monoblock LNB such as an Inverto IDLP-40MONO? This allegedly enables me to receive content from 2 sats such as Astra and Hotbird? Does anyone use a set up like this and if so is it any harder to fit than a single sat universal?

I do hope you don't fall of a ladder!!!

As for a Monobloc, you could pop one of those on if you wished, and as the dish is already on Astra1 it shouldn't be too difficult to set up. All you need to do is put one side of the LNB into the holder and the other side to the right of the clamp (looking from the front of the dish), then it's a case of adjusting the height of the Hotbird side until you get a signal. This of course is best suited to a digital setup as I don't think there's many Analogue boxes with DiSEqC built in...

snibble · 27-05-2007

was just surprised to see 0 thanks to 2CV manin his profile so have remedied that. Excellent bank hol here for dish work- 48 hours of rain so nor going near a ladder at present. Update later when/if I have more beginner's questions.

***2cvbloke*** · 27-05-2007

Originally Posted by snibble

was just surprised to see 0 thanks to 2CV manin his profile so have remedied that. Excellent bank hol here for dish work- 48 hours of rain so nor going near a ladder at present. Update later when/if I have more beginner's questions.

I used to have a few thanks but they got wiped by a forum or server error...

But thanks for the new one!!!

I want to get my 1m channel master dish out in the yard, but there's still rubbish from the prev. occupant in the yard, which would still generate "interest" which could mean my dish would be damaged or go walkies...

snibble · 03-06-2007

all now up and running via pace apollo receiver and universal lnb. Cable was fine and dish is on 19.2e so eurosport +german stuff. Am I correct in thinking that if i wanted to get a digital receiver then this set up would be ok? and what could i get digitally without moving the dish? thanks for help so far !

***2cvbloke*** · 03-06-2007

Originally Posted by snibble

all now up and running via pace apollo receiver and universal lnb. Cable was fine and dish is on 19.2e so eurosport +german stuff. Am I correct in thinking that if i wanted to get a digital receiver then this set up would be ok? and what could i get digitally without moving the dish? thanks for help so far !

Sounds like it's working well then!!!

As for digital stuff, everything that is in the Cream coloured boxes is free-to-air (White is the analogue stuff for your Apollo) in the following address, and if you get a Technomate 1500 reciever then you can patch it to open some encrypted channels...

_http://www.lyngsat.com/astra19.html

snibble · 06-06-2007

cheers for that - useful to know what is available before another £100 goes on hardware. As wife speaks french and spanish some look interesting so may be able to get the green light, after the tennis from Roland Garros finishes on eurosport perhaps...

***2cvbloke*** · 06-06-2007

Originally Posted by snibble

cheers for that - useful to know what is available before another £100 goes on hardware. As wife speaks french and spanish some look interesting so may be able to get the green light, after the tennis from Roland Garros finishes on eurosport perhaps...

If you venture out a bit, there's also Atlantic Bird 3 at 5w that carries both analogue and digital French channels, and there's Hispasat at 30w (now pure digital) which has a lot of Spanish and portuguese, with a smattering of French, channels available...

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