Small dish help

**bowdie** · 21-05-2004

Hello all, I've got one of those Comag FTA 2 CI boxes, and I'd like to get back into satellite again. Trouble is, chez me runs directly north south, with the front of the house facing south. First, I thought I'd put something in the back garden - I tried a 1m triax dish with a .6 LNB and managed to get 13 and 19.2 with little hassle. Trouble is, ms.bowdie isn't going to have this huge dish in the garden, and there's really nowhere to put it.

She is cool with a small sky style dish on the front (but preferably W facing side)
of the house. So I was wondering what sort of performance I could expect. Don't want to spend daft money, but happy to chuck a few quid it's way.

I'm not really after watching anything in particular, but I miss the old RTL and SAT1's of this world. And I'd be happy with telly from more places rather than less.

I'm in Cheltenham by the way - 51.8920° N, 2.1090° W

Thanks in advance!
bowdie

**rolfw** · 21-05-2004

Ho Bowdie, welcome to the forum.

You could consider a pole mounted dish on the back of the house, possibly 90cm with a DiseqC motor, that would give you quite a few channels.

**bowdie** · 21-05-2004

Hi rolfw. We've got a proper odd garden, and there's nowhere in the garden I can get a clear view of the sky, too many trees and bushes innit.

I've already got the dish+LNB - ms.bowdie (a bit of a hippy) won't really let me start tearing up her lovely wildlife (read : overgrown) garden for a dish.

**rolfw** · 21-05-2004

No I mean actually mounted on the wall at the rear of the house, it can then look over the roof and will not be seen from the front.

***guiri*** · 21-05-2004

I think rolfw means like this:

http://img30.photobucket.com/albums/...iri/Sat/1w.jpg

The front of my house is due south in Manchester. The dish is mounted on the back of the house. Note the dish is on 1W in the photo; it's a 100 cm Channel Master and doesn't get too upset by the chimney! I originally had it fixed on hispasat, and since it worked on 1W when motorized, the installer didn't bother to move the pole.

We didn't want a huge dish on the front of the house or in the garden either.

**bowdie** · 21-05-2004

I like! The Comag already has a positioner in it (I think).
Is this sort of set up expensive to get erm... "erected"?

**rolfw** · 21-05-2004

Not really, you can do it yourself, all it takes is a little time a set of ladders and a mate to help.

**bowdie** · 22-05-2004

Would I need to get planning permission for my 1m Triax? And it gets quite windy here, would the wind load make much problems?

Sorry to keep asking dumb questions - the last time I used a dish properly was on my parent's old Uniden 8008 for astra, and back then there was only to one of them!

**Channel Hopper** · 22-05-2004

A 1m does need permission, but only of someone complains and then only really if its seen from the road.

Have a word with the neighbours first and see their reaction , tell them you would invite them round for films/footie matches they cant see elsewhere if it helps

I take it you own your own property, all rules change if you are a tenant or its a leashold.

**bowdie** · 22-05-2004

Yeah, it's our house outright. Just checked with ms.bowdie, and she's not super happy with the fixed on the back idea. Next door has a sky digi dish you see.

"Why can't you just use one of those?"

Sigh. Reckon I'll be able to get hotbird on a Zone2 dish with a good LNB?

**rolfw** · 22-05-2004

Tell her that you'd be happy with the sky minidish on the front and which credit card would she like to take the £30-£40 per month from.

seriously though, a 70cm Raven Gemini with three LNBs and a DiseqC switch would get you 28.2, 19.2 and 13East, still think it would be a lot less unsightly on the back though.

You could do the same sort of thing with a DiseqC motor as well.

**bowdie** · 22-05-2004

Heh. Telewest already take my money for their erm "output", so I don't need anything sky related. That dish looks good. She's already agreed to a dish "like Madeline and Simons" (neighbours mesh sky dish) and zone2's are what - 60cm anyway, so what's 10cm between boyfriend and girlfriend?

Actually, don't answer that!

That Raven looks like it could be a winner. I'll do some googling for prices. Are those funny little LNB arms easy to get going? They look like a nightmare.

***Rob*** · 22-05-2004

Bowdie, do you have east facing wall or are you semi-detached.
If you do have such a wall you could put your dish on that.
Of course you would only get from say 5 east round to whom knows what (all depends on what is next to your wall), but that would cover most of the best satellites.

**bowdie** · 22-05-2004

I'm a semi, with no east facing wall I'm afraid.

**bowdie** · 22-05-2004

I've gone out in the front garden with my 1m dish, and much to my neighbours amusement, spent an hour twisting, lifting, but mostly swearing.

I realise my current status won't let me attach pics, but I took a phone pic of the front of my house, with the dish recieving Astra on 19.2E

At least now people can get their heads around how/where/what I'm trying to do. Couldn't get Hotbird, gave up, I was looking too much of a wally.

http://www.lavalamp.demon.co.uk/astra19_2.jpg

Thanks for all your help so far, I just need to work out wtf I'm doing before I start ordering kit.

bowdie

**rolfw** · 22-05-2004

Bowdie, you have a house with a very low/shallow pitched roof, you could have your dish on the back wall and nobody would notice it, even with a DiseqC motor. Seems a shame to put it on the front when not necessary.

You could even have it on a pole mount on the side at the rear, then it would hardly be visible at all.

**bowdie** · 23-05-2004

I think that photo makes the roof look really odd now I look at it. But you're right. I think it's a gemini 70 on the wall toward the back for me!

Is there a knack to these multi LNB arm jobbers? And how do I work the down cable? I'm guessing there's a two/three/four coax into one thing floating around somewhere up there - but how does the box select the correct LNB for hotbird?

I've already got one .6 LNB, I'm guessing some .3's would be good for the offsets?

Thanks for all your help, anyone want a Triax 1m dish? cheep cheep.

**bowdie** · 27-05-2004

Right, just a few more stupid questions before I go off and order the kit.

1. Anyone have any idea how many degrees those little LNB arms on the G70's cover? I'm sure they'll do the 6 needed for 19.2+13, but I'm just trying to make a third sat choice!

2. Are invacom LNBs worth the extra?

3. Does anyone make brick coloured CT125 coax?

cheers!

**rolfw** · 27-05-2004

The setup in the picture pulls in 13, 19.2 and 28.2 East, quite a good combination. They're a bit fiddly to set up, but once you have the 13E locked, then all that is required is a bit of judicious bending.

Brown satellite quality cable is available (do you really need CT125?), but not many places sell it, I use it almost exclusively, but can't get it from my local wholesaler, I have to order it from one in Brighton.

The little box on the dish photo attached is a DiseqC switch, most modern receivers have this facility, apart from Sky Digiboxes.

**bowdie** · 27-05-2004

So is 13 your prime focus on that dish? I don't really need 125, I guess, it's just I've got a black 100m reel of the stuff sitting collecting dust at work. I just thought brown would be slightly more hidden on the brickwork.

Is there enough FTA stuff on 28.2 to make it worthwhile then?

**rolfw** · 27-05-2004

Yes, you have all of the BBCs, Motors TV, all of the news channels and some good radio stations.

13 East is the prime focus.

**bowdie** · 27-05-2004

Ah, I already have most of that sort of thing on smellyvest digital cable. I'm really after "weird, I don't understand this program" type TV you see.

Isn't that one of those "clear, but you need a card inserted" clear channels, like Sky used to do in the old videocrypt days?

Is there anything else I might be able to sneak onto, or should I leave it on 28, and watch for odd stuff appearing?

**rolfw** · 27-05-2004

There isn't much on 28.2 of a weird nature, the other two sats will be better.

**bowdie** · 27-05-2004

Heh. I'd quite like to see feeds too mind, even though I guess they're going to be in the 4:2:2 thing I keep reading about.

Basically, I'm a geek, I love seeing feeds, test cards, and other stuff I'm not strictly supposed to see. I'm seeing lots of odd things on Eurobird at 28.5 - reckon that could be worth a bend?

**bowdie** · 31-05-2004

Heh. Me again! I've been outside this afternoon playing.

http://www.lavalamp.demon.co.uk/compass_wall.jpg

This is me holding a compass against the wall I'd like to put the dish on.
Is this going to be ok? I can get hotbird at ground level, but as you can see from this next picture, I'm at a really odd angle (least it feels like I am)

http://www.lavalamp.demon.co.uk/hotbird.jpg

That's looking down the compass wall. I've just noticed my neighbours sky dish was cut off, but it's on the end of that pole you can see.

I wish I knew more about this!

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