Dual satellite setup query

[thinkjim]

Hi

I have a dish pointing at Astra 19.2E to pickup German TV Stations. This is linked to a single Technomate box and has been working well for 5+ years. My question is around the best way to use/modify this setup so I can continue to receive German TV and also receive Sky or FreeSat via another set-top box?

I emailed a local installer and asked about replacing my existing dish with a single dish that has two LNBs but they came back to say they don't recommend using two LNB's on one dish as it is unreliable "if you lose one satellite, you lose both". They recommend installing an additional satellite dish; which isn't a possibility because of local planning restrictions.

The dish will be used for a single TV in the living room and it is very unlikely that we would want to watch German and UK TV at the same time (we don't use German TV that often). Excuse the naive question, but would the dish need to be adjusted/moved to point to UK satellites for UK TV (I'm not sure which these are) or is Astra 1 in a similar location in the sky? I was wondering whether I could keep the single LNB and then just somehow switch the coax inputs from a single feed between two set top boxes.

If someone could help my understanding of what is needed / what the issues are I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance

 

[william-1]

What size dish are you using for 19.2 east ?

 

[jeallen01]

In the majority of UK locations, it's perfectly possible to get both 19.2E & 28.2E on one dish as long as it's at least a 60cm, and preferably an 80cm, one - many of us do that, including myself, and so most of us would consider the advice given by your "local installer" to be "extremely suspect" (or else he doesn't know to install a 2nd LNB on an existing dish!).

In fact, as the dish is probably already pointed at 19.2E, it might not even be necessary to realign it - just add a 9 degree offset adaptor around the existing LNB body to take the 2nd LNB for 28E (although the skew would be a little different).

As far as getting Sky or Freesat:
- any "genuine" Freesat receiver should work, but you would probably want a twin-tuner one with recording facilities, so think HUMAX and the like, and that will also get you the free/non-encrypted Sky channels. That also means you will need a "twin LNB" and not the simple single one.
- However for encrypted Sky channels you need a genuine Sky receiver. For many years up to recently Sky provided only Sky+ and Sky+HD twin-tuner receivers with recording disks - and you can buy those on ebay (etc.!) for "not a lot of money". OTOH Sky don't supply those anymore and will only supply - on a rental, not purchase, basis - the new "Sky Q" receivers in various forms!


I am sure others will now proffer more detailed advice.

 

[jeallen01]

What size dish are you using for 19.2 east ?

@thinkjim
PS: and roughly where are you located?

 

[Terryl]

It would be better to use an elliptical dish rather then a standard round one, (well they are almost round) an elliptical dish has a wider receive beamwidth then the standard single satellite dish,(depending on the dish) this type of dish would give better results with higher signal strength to the two (or more) LNB's

A good elliptical can in some cases receive up to 5 satellites with the proper mounting hardware for the LNB's.

Also if you try for more then one satellite, then either the dish or the LNB's need to be skewed* correctly (for your location) to align them with the arc of the Clark belt. (location of all geosynchronous satellites)

And as stated by Jeallen01, location is all important when we try to help with dish or satellite problems, a general location would help us to find out if there would be any possible problems with what your trying to do.


*Skew or skewing, a turning of the dish or LNB's clockwise or counter clockwise from horizontal depending on location, this aligns two or more LNB's on a satellite dish for proper orientation to the satellite for that location, the skewing adjustment can be done of the LNB mount or on the dish it's self.

 

[rolfw]

As the others have said, it is a perfectly acceptable and usable setup, have done many over the years and manufacturers make brackets specially for this application. Triax do one for their TD 78/88 dish which works well.

 

[Lazarus]

As an alternative to a second LNB on a bracket, you can now get Monoblock LNBs with adjustable angular separation up to 12 deg.

 

[aceb]

I've installed a zone 2 sky dish with a standard quad LNB pointing at 28E, cable tied to one side of it is an old single output sky lnb (there's a small block of uPVC between them to give the second LNB a bit of an angle) and it receives 19E without issue even during heavy rain.

 

[Channel Hopper]

As an alternative to a second LNB on a bracket, you can now get Monoblock LNBs with adjustable angular separation up to 12 deg.

I don't think the Sky box is going to like it.

 

[Lazarus]

I don't think the Sky box is going to like it.

Good point. Well made.

 

[william-1]

Hopefully thinkjim will return soon & reply to this thread.

 

[jeallen01]

Hopefully thinkjim will return soon & reply to this thread.

Given the timing of his 1st message, we should hope to see him back sometime after 6pm or so.

 

[a33]

My question is around the best way to use/modify this setup so I can continue to receive German TV and also receive Sky or FreeSat via another set-top box?

Is it your wish to have a second set-top box?
Otherwise I would think a Technomate receiver (which type do you have?) could receive the FTA (free-to-air) signals from 28E also, and you wouldn't need an extra box.
If you want more than FTA from 28E, the box issue is more relevant. (However I'm not familiar with SKY-able boxes; but other members are.)

The dish will be used for a single TV in the living room and it is very unlikely that we would want to watch German and UK TV at the same time (we don't use German TV that often). Excuse the naive question, but would the dish need to be adjusted/moved to point to UK satellites for UK TV (I'm not sure which these are) or is Astra 1 in a similar location in the sky? I was wondering whether I could keep the single LNB and then just somehow switch the coax inputs from a single feed between two set top boxes.

For the dish there are basically two options: motorize the dish, or add an LNB (multifeed solution).
Motorizing gives the option of receiving many more satellite positions (given free 'line of sight' to them), but adds 'moving time' to switching from one satellite to another, and is a bit more precise to set up.
Multiple LNBs gives reception of only the satellites at which you are aimed, but have virtually no switching time. In that case a diseqc switch is needed, at the dish.
In both cases, with just one receiver, no other cable is needed. Your suggestion however of using one cable and switching between receivers is also possible (I prefer a "priority switch" ( = "master/slave switch") for that, but other solutions are also possible).
If you do use an extra cable, more possibilities arise, but I don't know if you want to do that.

So we do need some more info on your current setup, and of your wishes, to further advise you .

Greetz,
A33

 

[davemurgtroyd]

I don't think the Sky box is going to like it.

The adjustable I have does not have an inbuilt DiSEqC switch and has two separate outputs - so no problem for Sky HD+ boxes

 

[jeallen01]

Looks like @thinkjim has "forgotten" about us!

 

[RimaNTSS]

Looks like @thinkjim has "forgotten" about us!

At least forum activities are boosted

 

[daro2096]

Is there a reason why your current receiver for 19.2E can't also pick up 28.2E? With a DiSEqC switch you connect the 28.2E LNB to port 1 and 19.2E to port 2. You could install a 3rd LNB for 13E and connect that to port 3. If your receiver has twin tuners you install twin LNBS and use 2 DiSEqC switches wired up the same way. And you configure your receiver for DiSEqC switching on both tuners making 28.2 port 1, 19.2E port 2 and so on.

 

[Channel Hopper]

The adjustable I have does not have an inbuilt DiSEqC switch and has two separate outputs - so no problem for Sky HD+ boxes

Can you clarify your post ?