Black Ultra LNB - Another Convert

Lazarus

Lazarus

Retired Moderator
My Satellite Setup
80cm Motorised.
Several small Dishes.
Much else.
My Location
North York Moors
Took delivery of a Black Ultra Twin a few minutes ago.

Whacked it on my TD110 which was already pointing to (and optimised for) AB7 at 7.2W.

Checked a few of the previously detected but not locked (and appearing in Channel list as PR xxxx rather than Name Channels and most were now locked.

Did a quick fore-and aft adjustment using the long neck on the LNB and selected Network Scan.

Instead of around 100 FTA services of which only a handful were locked, I now have 227 FTA TV (including goodies like Fox Movies) of which most are locked.

Haven't time to do much more tweaking right now, but the results are clearly IMPRESSIVE :D
 
Tray bons Mon Ami!! The fore and aft adjustment I don't find to be hypercritical (though well worth refining). It's a good result though.
 
I find the focal point adjustment on borderline signals makes a big difference. That 0.4dB could be enough to get lock.
 
Can't resist playing ............... now 367 FTA TV.

Bonkers.
 
Nice result ;)

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satelliteman said:
Nice result ;)

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


Ta.

I'm going to try micro-adjusting the effective elevation sometime - there is up/downplay in the LNB arm on the TD110 if it isn't tightened up really well, so I reckon I can turn this to advantage by packing a couple of matchsticks under it.

No chance at all of adjusting the proper Elevation slide as accurately as I'd like without resorting to violence!
 
Tivù said:
Took delivery of a Black Ultra Twin a few minutes ago.

Whacked it on my TD110 which was already pointing to (and optimised for) AB7 at 7.2W.

Checked a few of the previously detected but not locked (and appearing in Channel list as PR xxxx rather than Name Channels and most were now locked.

Did a quick fore-and aft adjustment using the long neck on the LNB and selected Network Scan.

Instead of around 100 FTA services of which only a handful were locked, I now have 227 FTA TV (including goodies like Fox Movies) of which most are locked.

Haven't time to do much more tweaking right now, but the results are clearly IMPRESSIVE :D
Click to expand...

A quintessential LNB indeed. Might find a few more channels tivu come night-time - best time for me for AB7.
 
Thanks Llew - I'll have a look when it gets dark.
 
Hmm. The old matchstick ploy made it worse, so as that was effectively a small reduction in elevation, I put the arm back tight and hammered a couple of padding pieces under the levelling wedges between the front edge of the mounting slab and the actual patio.

Now got improved Quality and even more fully locked AB7 Channels.


Also now get, for the first time ever, EuroNews off Amos.



Probably the most productive day I've had since getting started with a 6 deg Monoblock on an Orbital 80cm many moons ago!
 
Getting jealous here, got tomorrow off and going to have a fiddle on the roof with the dish as I want 7west too.
 
Just as a guide (and an excuse to show off the signal strength software) here's a screen shot of Fox Movies and the relevant signal readouts using the 1M Gibertini (sans matchsticks) and a Black Ultra.
 

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Very good results considering how much further North you are from me,

I am getting 575 x fta from 7.3 east on my 100cm set up + MBC Action from Nilesat @ 7 west only getting 6 vertical transponders from 7 west since most of them migrated to Nilesat 201 'O'-red

This slot has been so difficult to get until they launched Atlantic-7 / Eutelsat-7 lets hope that Badr-7 for 26 east is as good when it launches later this year :)
 
the key will be when the bad weather arrives but excellent results non the less, regards mdt
 
Couldn't agree more, but since it seems it will never rain again in the UK, who cares??!!
 
Actually, you reminded me I had said earlier I'd go and check nighttime performance ............... just found another twenty plus Channels and now have 342 fully locked FTA TV.

Quality is up around 5 points on daytime levels.
 
Yep, it's a great LNB. I found similar results when I started using it for 28.2E in Helsinki on a 80cm dish. Suddenly channels I couldn't lock before where coming in strong.
 
I too am a Black Ultra aficionado, using both a single and a quad. The quad is very very good, but definitely inferior to the single when used for Astra 2 North Beam on my 1m50 centre feed in NW Spain. I have no experience of the twin (yet!). What I have ordered is a Technomate Gold LNB. I wonder how well it will perform compared with the Inverto. I will keep you posted on my subjective findings...

As I'm suitably equipped LNB-wise and have a Televés 1m20 off-set dish I would like to try my hand at receiving 7º W, which I suspect is rather weak at my westerly location. Could anyone recommend a strong frequency or two to start with, and how much skew I need on the Black Ultra, as compared with 28ºW. My understanding of Geometry is so wanting, I don't even know if the skew is the same direction as the Eastern satellites, or whether it's to the other side. 28ºE is at approx. 7-8 o'clock when I face the dish. Could 7ºW be, for example, at 5 o'clock? Setting the skew the wrong way, or with no skew at all could presumably mean not finding anything with such a low signal level signal .
 
I found that the Black ultra quattro dramatically outperformed a Vision quattro on a Fracarro Penta 85.
 
I don't think that the quad black ultra performs as well as the single and twin, which I'm pretty sure are about the same based on comparisons I have made with quite a few examples of each. Not played with the quads much though.


Yes, pretty sure when you get a bit of rain tivu, you'll lose 7w.
 
Hughes said:
Could 7ºW be, for example, at 5 o'clock? Setting the skew the wrong way, or with no skew at all could presumably mean not finding anything with such a low signal level signal .
Click to expand...

Yes, if the skew is 'off' you do risk not finding anything from 7°W. However, you are close to an optimised setting with no skew at all. Facing the dish my Black Ultra is set to halfway between 5 and 6 o'clock for 7°W. Not sure how much difference there'll be for the skew in our differing locations but I guess trying there will be a good starting point.
 
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