Tests on Invacom LNBs

geoffreys

ASBO Club Member - Persona non grata
Joined
Jun 6, 2003
Messages
306
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
80
Website
Visit site
My Satellite Setup
Famaval 2.4m dish, Invacom 0.2dB LNB (single), Pace 430N
My Location
Famagusta District, Cyprus
Had a new 2.4m dish installed yesterday, here in Cyprus. Invacom twin 0.3 dB gave signal quality reading on professional test equipment of 70%. A single output Invacom 0.3 dB gave 78% and was the one I therefore purchased. With the single I get ALL 2A/2B (north and south beams) channels with no brealking up/freezing of signals. With the twin LNB I got freezing on Channel 4, Granada Plus, and several north beam channels. We also tried a quad - reading was 68% whichever of the 4 outputs we measured. The work was carried out by a professional installer. It is of course a test comparing just one of each version of the Invacom LNBs, and may or may not be typical of what one should expect from the Invacom range. Being a cynic, though, I wonder if some installers/retailers push the more expensive versions, just like SOME push bigger size dishes than might actually be needed??

Geoff
 

Zorba

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Messages
2,201
Reaction score
7
Points
38
Age
63
My Satellite Setup
3m(28.2E),1.5m(19.2E.13E,10E),1m (4W ,7W)1m (?).diseqc 10,sky plus,VU+,telergy iptv.
Satlook nit colour + Horizon hdsm.
My Location
Limassol, Sunny Cyprus
Who installed your dish,and what make is it?The quad beats the single every time,maybe the installer got tired after spending so long on your dish,changing and realigning lnb's.

geoffreys said:
Had a new 2.4m dish installed yesterday, here in Cyprus. Invacom twin 0.3 dB gave signal quality reading on professional test equipment of 70%. A single output Invacom 0.3 dB gave 78% and was the one I therefore purchased. With the single I get ALL 2A/2B (north and south beams) channels with no brealking up/freezing of signals. With the twin LNB I got freezing on Channel 4, Granada Plus, and several north beam channels. We also tried a quad - reading was 68% whichever of the 4 outputs we measured. The work was carried out by a professional installer. It is of course a test comparing just one of each version of the Invacom LNBs, and may or may not be typical of what one should expect from the Invacom range. Being a cynic, though, I wonder if some installers/retailers push the more expensive versions, just like SOME push bigger size dishes than might actually be needed??

Geoff
 

geoffreys

ASBO Club Member - Persona non grata
Joined
Jun 6, 2003
Messages
306
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
80
Website
Visit site
My Satellite Setup
Famaval 2.4m dish, Invacom 0.2dB LNB (single), Pace 430N
My Location
Famagusta District, Cyprus
zorba said:
Who installed your dish,and what make is it?The quad beats the single every time,maybe the installer got tired after spending so long on your dish,changing and realigning lnb's.

Hi, well it was a local guy whose name I can't even pronounce, never mind spell!
I am aware of regular comments on here (and other websites) that the single
output Invacoms do not perform as well as the quad or even the twin. This is
why I thought my thread might be of interest to others. I can assure you that
tiredness was not a factor. More likely, I suspect, is variations in batches of the various models - like anything in component manufacture tolerances and performance are bound to vary within a band of limits. Bottom line is that for any particular installation it pays to try more than one LNB to achieve the best result.
I wonder if all installers are so flexible and diligent as mine was!? Just look at
the UK scenario when BBC went over to 2D; many subscribers found that shoddy installation work resulted in loss of signal and they had to have installer re-visit to sort it out.
In my situation I had been told my several SATTV retailers that to get reliable 2A/2B reception I would need to have a dish of at least 2.7m. My supplier/installer advised 2.4m would be fine - he was right and so saved me quite a bit of money.
Regards
Geoff
Cyprus
 

Zorba

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Messages
2,201
Reaction score
7
Points
38
Age
63
My Satellite Setup
3m(28.2E),1.5m(19.2E.13E,10E),1m (4W ,7W)1m (?).diseqc 10,sky plus,VU+,telergy iptv.
Satlook nit colour + Horizon hdsm.
My Location
Limassol, Sunny Cyprus
Well,its a fact that that part of Cyprus is weaker for some channels(ch4,granada plus,eurosport etc) and you have proved that the invacom is a very good lnb as it improves all the frequencies.The main reason the quad is used because it can improve the 2D frequencies better than other makes,and therefore brings in BBC and ITV(in certain areas and on certain dishes)This time last year there were no invacoms available so you would have had those problems on those channels anyway.Do you get any sort of signal on BBC1?probably not as I think a 3.8m dish is needed for your area.what make is your digibox?
 

geoffreys

ASBO Club Member - Persona non grata
Joined
Jun 6, 2003
Messages
306
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
80
Website
Visit site
My Satellite Setup
Famaval 2.4m dish, Invacom 0.2dB LNB (single), Pace 430N
My Location
Famagusta District, Cyprus
zorba said:
Well,its a fact that that part of Cyprus is weaker for some channels(ch4,granada plus,eurosport etc) and you have proved that the invacom is a very good lnb as it improves all the frequencies.The main reason the quad is used because it can improve the 2D frequencies better than other makes,and therefore brings in BBC and ITV(in certain areas and on certain dishes)This time last year there were no invacoms available so you would have had those problems on those channels anyway.Do you get any sort of signal on BBC1?probably not as I think a 3.8m dish is needed for your area.what make is your digibox?

Well I agree entirely with all that. My dish is of USA manufacture, I don't know the name of the company who made it but they are in Utah; it is a solid dish, prime focus. The digibox is a Panasonic TU-DSB30 manufactured in UK and purchased by me 4 years ago. I cannot get any 2D signals whatsoever, as you say I would need a 3.7m or 3.8 m dish for that here on the east of Cyprus. I have friends on the west end (Polis) who get most 2D channels on a 2.4m dish and same LNB and digibox. There are rumours (and maybe that is all they are) that BBC channels may revert to 2A/2B in the not too distant future - see other threads on this fringe reception website - so like many folks here I am reluctant to spend CYP3K (or thereabouts) for a larger dish capable of pulling in 2D sigs.
Best Regards
Geoff
Cyprus
 
Top