Considering Motorised 100cm Dish, Is 75m of cable too long?

[mapperuo]

Hi,

I did a search about cable length but I couldn't spot one where it talked about motorised dishes.

I have a 100cm dish with a Technomate motor, Sadly I cannot place it on the house and my garden faces North, So the only place that gets a full view of the satellite arc is at the end of the garden, 75 meters away from the room where I want it. I've read for these lengths WF125 cable is best but will it be able to still control the motor at 75 meters? The cable at that length is about £90 so I'd rather ask rather than just give it a try...

Thanks

 

[aceb]

If your situation allows it there is a cheaper alternative to your £90 WF125, have a look at Ebay: 160864710071 It's similar spec with a 1.25mm core but is also suitable for direct burial although bear in mind the thick PVC outer can make it awkward to work with as well as increasing the minimum bend radius. You'll also want to fit suitable F types Ebay: 130705178092 I'll let someone with practical experience say whether a motor will work OK but I've run similar lengths of decent coax and not had any issues with non motorised setups but can't be sure about current limiting over that length.

 

[mapperuo]

Oh that is much cheaper! And does that go straight in the ground? Or do you need to buy some piping to run it through?

 

[aceb]

Yes, RBS types are suitable for direct burial into soil but dont expect to be able to clip it round corners on your skirting. If it's going on a diseqc motor you'll also need to consider whether it will snag the back of the dish when it's connected to the motor. I'm using this stuff from this seller on both my dishes and noticed quite an increase in SQ readings when switching from RG6.

 

[mapperuo]

Great thank you, It'll be a straight run up to the house, Room I want it in is on the garden side thankfully.

So now, Anyone know if the motor will work from 75 meters?

Appreciated!

 

[Topper]

Great thank you, It'll be a straight run up to the house, Room I want it in is on the garden side thankfully.

So now, Anyone know if the motor will work from 75 meters?

Appreciated!

Depends what you are driving the motor with and what kind of motor

the introduction of a motor will introduce a 3db loss on top of what losses you have from the 75 mtr length

 

[mapperuo]

Depends what you are driving the motor with and what kind of motor

the introduction of a motor will introduce a 3db loss on top of what losses you have from the 75 mtr length

Hi, I have the Technomate 5402 HD box with Technomate TM-2300 motor.

 

[Llew]

Great thank you, It'll be a straight run up to the house, Room I want it in is on the garden side thankfully.

So now, Anyone know if the motor will work from 75 meters?

Appreciated!

Depends on the motor, but a Technomate TM2300 takes 350mA maximum, add the LNB current consumption - maybe 150mA (if it's in circuit during motor operation), you are using ~500mA.

At a guess, resistance of1.25mm inner cable at 75 metres won't be much more than 2 Ohms, so -

Voltage drop = current taken (500mA) x 2 Ohms = 1V.

So in the worst case, you can expect to lose 1V from a 18V supply to the motor. Assuming you aren't experiencing resistance losses through your terminations.

 

[mapperuo]

Thank you. There won't be any breaks in the length of cable, So to me 1V sounds like an okay fluctuation but then again I've never used a motor before would I be right in assuming this? Or is it a case of just trying it.

 

[Llew]

I don't use a DiSEqC motor (thank goodness), so I'll leave that to others.

 

[mapperuo]

Figure I'd update this incase someone like me wants the info.

Connected up 100 meters of the CT125 as linked above, I'm getting 98% signal on 28.2e and 67% signal on 10e which I found to be fairly weak. Thats with the motor attached. It works flawlessly, I can't notice a change in speed from the motor. I'm just blown away.. Can't wait to cut this stuff to the right length and see what I get.

 

[Llew]

Good result

 

[Lazarus]

10E is not the easiest of catches and I rather think you are getting all you ever might.

 

[mapperuo]

10E is not the easiest of catches and I rather think you are getting all you ever might.

Would suit me. The picture was flawless even at 67%.

 

[mapperuo]

Really appreciate all the advice here and the links to those cables, So pleased.

 

[Mickha]

Is it PLTV HD you're viewing on 10E? 11387 V 30000 DVB-S2 8PSK 3/4

 

[mapperuo]

Is it PLTV HD you're viewing on 10E? 11387 V 30000 DVB-S2 8PSK 3/4

No I tried to find a HD channel high on the frequencies on 10e. I think it was APTN Direct HD I tested.

 

[Mickha]

PLTV HD is quite a strong signal, and currently open, using known biss keys, if you're interested in viewing PL games.

 

[mapperuo]

PLTV HD is quite a strong signal, and currently open, using known biss keys, if you're interested in viewing PL games.

Thank you for the tip, Once I get this cable buried I'll have to start giving it a proper play. Won't lie.. Rather exciting. Nothing worse than sitting on a camp chair at the bottom of the garden in the cold.. Which is what I've resorted to recently.

 

[mapperuo]

Figure I'd add these incase anyone is researching into a simple install.. Might be of use.

It's a 2 inch diameter, 2 meter pole bolted with a patio stand to a large concrete slab we had lying around, It can barely be lifted with two guys so was ideal. Buried in the ground slightly towards the hedge to minimize wind, The hedge isn't at all in the way of the satellite arc, all in the other direction. Testing I could get 45e to 37.5w, probably try further when I'm inside and cozy warm but I'm pretty happy as is.

Cost wise:

Dish: £40
LNB: £10
Sat Tuner: £130
100m CT125: £44
Pole/Brackets/Bolts: £25
Motor: £35

Not going to be breaking barriers with it, but for someone who didn't know anything about satellites a month ago, I think I've done alright.