LNB Lifetime ?

[BigDutchStrikesBack]

hi, someone (who sells LNB's ) mentioned to me that LNB have a limited lifetime 'in the field' and that due to conditions where i live 1.5-2 years is the best one will get ? At €150 parts n labour to replace i am questioning it !? Any thoughts ?

 

[Analoguesat]

2 or 3 years in Cyprus would be about right - dont forget the sensitive electronics bake for months on end in your summer sun and the internal local oscillators eventually drift off frequency.

I think its one of those things to be aware of and if you start having problems at the beginning of the summer get the lnb swapped out.

Here in the UK where we dont get the hot weather they last almost indefinitely.

Any thoughts ?

Learn to change your own

 

[davemurgtroyd]

Certainly in hotter climates it is recommended that lnbs are replaced every 2 years or so. They do drop off quite significantly in performance with the dish focusing solar thermal radiation on the lnb which can even melt plastic end covers in certain instances. This heat cycling does not do them much good. Here in the UK lnbs can last up to 15 years or so but this unusual.

 

[ralphmagno]

hello
i have seen lnb's go 5 to 10 years.
if the f conector is sealed with tape and the plastic cap is not cracked and no water or bugs can get in
i have seen 5 to 10 years.
the dish will rot badly by that time
ralph

 

[BigDutchStrikesBack]

min has been in position nearly 4 years so perhaps a replacement will benefit me then ?

what should i replace it with (need two feeds) and if i do myself how do i do it ?

 

[Zorba]

Its true. The Invacom quad LNB is the only one we use for getting the best out of the low frequency that 2D uses. And it doesn't seem to last more than 3 years. 2 hot summers on average. They don't break down (unless you have a lightning strike nearby) but they just fade off. Offset LNBs do last longer because of the angle of the dishes they do not have the sun reflecting straight at them.150euros supplied and fitted is about the average(or minimum) to pay a professional installer.I must admit its a good sideline for me.
I do it for a living ,not as a hobby and you do need a good sat meter to align it precisely. Its surprising how many can't get the skew right and can't get the LNB to point to the centre of the dish,and don't make a note of the focal distance before they take off the old one.
Anyway Bigdutch,if you are going to do it yourself ,get an Invacom QDF031 and make a good note of the positioning of the old one.

 

[BigDutchStrikesBack]

Looking at photos of the LNB i took in the summer, the tripod is held together by the black metal bracket then i think a grey metal arrangement clamps the lnb into the tripod ? If its a like for like replacement then i`ll give it a go, if its a case of replacement then fine adjustments with meter in hand then i`d labour it and get someone out to do the money shot Seriously, without knowing how to remove the LNB i don't know how much 'out' it could be when the new one is tightened in.

Reference another thread we can also see which ports are 'in use' ;)