How Much To Install Extra LNB to Sly Dish and How to Boost Signal

[scrappydoo]

This goes out to any pimps who know a little about satellite installation. I just found out that the dish outside my flat is pointing at 13east. I have an Openbox and when I did the scan I realised this. My question to the Pimps out there is this: how much (roughly) would it cost to install an extra lnb (pointing at 28east) to my current dish?

The flat is on the second floor and the dish is on a wall that would need a pretty long ladder for get up there. My aversion to heights and my lack of knowledge lead me to asking this question, so please don't suggest I do it myself because heights aren't my thing.

However, any ways of boosting the signal on 13east that don't involve the possibility of getting vertigo would be appreciated.

Thanks guys.

[corporates]

This question depends on a number of factors.
Where you are in the country.
What size your current dish is?
would it be possible to fit lnb to your current dish, it may be in poor condition.

Personally i would forget this route. and go for a motor and the maximum size new dish if the old dish is small, that is if your reciever is capable of driving a diseqc motor, which i think openbox is, then get someone to install it. Will not be far off the same cost as the overheads for the installer are almost the same.


I used to have my own company, many years ago installing, and still sort out friends and myself.

Where i live, installation typically costs £80 plus. For a motor system slightly more but not much.Depends on the installer,. a local company here charges £150 for a dish install on 2nd floor.Quite ridiculous really considering i could do most of their jobs in an hour.

Bear in mind that installers will build in travelling/fuel costs and other costs, like having someone to foot ladders, or harnesses etc, so when i say ridiculous, it depends on the install really.

Regards
Corporates

[tr8.]

13e is a stong sat, if you are having trouble with that you have no chance on 28east off the same dish.
The main way to get more signal is bigger dish. boosters boost the noise as well

[corporates]

Good point TR8, boosters are no way to go.

Regards
Corporates

[scrappydoo]

This question depends on a number of factors.
Where you are in the country.
What size your current dish is?
would it be possible to fit lnb to your current dish, it may be in poor condition.

Personally i would forget this route. and go for a motor and the maximum size new dish if the old dish is small, that is if your reciever is capable of driving a diseqc motor, which i think openbox is, then get someone to install it. Will not be far off the same cost as the overheads for the installer are almost the same.


I used to have my own company, many years ago installing, and still sort out friends and myself.

Where i live, installation typically costs £80 plus. For a motor system slightly more but not much.Depends on the installer,. a local company here charges £150 for a dish install on 2nd floor.Quite ridiculous really considering i could do most of their jobs in an hour.

Bear in mind that installers will build in travelling/fuel costs and other costs, like having someone to foot ladders, or harnesses etc, so when i say ridiculous, it depends on the install really.

Regards
Corporates

Thanks for the reply, knew I'd forgotten something. I'm in Croydon. current dish is a 60cm mini dish.
I had a motor at the old place and loved it. It was ground mounted in the garden.This would be have to be mounted on a wall and i don't have the money to spend on having it installed so it is best if I use the dish that is already there. I guess I should have taken the old dish and motor from my previous place but had too much to bring with me.

i was thinking of just adding a 6 degree monoblock and settling for 19east and 13east, not bad really. Really want a cheap route, especially as I'm renting and (unlike the last place which I was at for 8 years) have no intention of staying for longer than a year and a half.

Maybe I should just kep what I have then. Totally agree that a larger dish and a motor are the way to go, if I had the money. Thanks for your help mate.

[scrappydoo]

13e is a stong sat, if you are having trouble with that you have no chance on 28east off the same dish.
The main way to get more signal is bigger dish. boosters boost the noise as well

Exactly what I've been reading mate. Bigger dish seems to be the way to go and not signal boosters. Gives me something to think about for sure.

[Detlef]

Assuming scrappydoo is in the UK, I would go for an 80cm (or sly zone 2) with LNBs for 13E, 19E and 28E feeding a 4x1 DiSEqC switch.

Main reason is that if you live in flats you will soon get the neighbours complaining if a motorised dish gets moved too often late at night.

[corporates]

That's a good consideration Detlef, but i used to live in a second floor flat and had no problems.Especially as the walls were of a stone construction and no sound resonated, Mine was a victorian terraced building though. Not a modern high rise type.

If scrappydoo is in the uk and his neighbours are ok with it (ask them first), go for slightly bigger than 80cm, it will bring in so many more channels if you do go motorised.

or a larger dish with detlefs lnb suggestion.

Great consideration if there is a noise issue, well spotted Detlef.

Regards
Corporates

[scrappydoo]

Assuming scrappydoo is in the UK, I would go for an 80cm (or sly zone 2) with LNBs for 13E, 19E and 28E feeding a 4x1 DiSEqC switch.

Main reason is that if you live in flats you will soon get the neighbours complaining if a motorised dish gets moved too often late at night.

That's why the motor was perfect in my old place, a converted house. Wouldn't want to upset the neighbours with a noisy motor and i do have a habit of being up late at night. Guess there's no harm in finding quotes for this type of job. Can anyone reccommend anyone?

[scrappydoo]

That's a good consideration Detlef, but i used to live in a second floor flat and had no problems.Especially as the walls were of a stone construction and no sound resonated, Mine was a victorian terraced building though. Not a modern high rise type.

If scrappydoo is in the uk and his neighbours are ok with it (ask them first), go for slightly bigger than 80cm, it will bring in so many more channels if you do go motorised.

or a larger dish with detlefs lnb suggestion.

Great consideration if there is a noise issue, well spotted Detlef.

Regards
Corporates

Thanks mate. The block is a purpose built, the type where you can hear...well, I'll leave what I can hear to your imagination. I think Detlef's idea is probably the way to go. Had an excellent Triax dish for many years so would probably go for that.

Great replies guys. Now I need to know a ballpark figure. Any one know any installers?

[scrappydoo]

Just buy motor and dish, £75.
Motors are not noisy any more.

I understand what you're saying but I've just moved here. Don't want to **** anyone off. Having said that I will certainly look into it, nothing to lose. I'm assuming you can get them off flea bay for that price.

[corporates]

About motors not being noisy:

It depends on the dish, the motor and the bracket and the substrate.

If you have a well installed motorised dish(diseqc type) the noise will be minimal, if th motor is of the older jack type( which your box will not drive anyway) then that is noisy, if it is similar to a jaeger 99 type of motor then it will be noisy but again your reciever will not drive this.

Your box will drive a moteck diseqc motor, or similar type, there is a darkmotor, technomate do one too. all very much the same in function.

Only difference is the gearing.

Some are metal gears, some are polypropylene, which make different sounds.Polypropylene is quiet but may be destroyed in the wind, metal is a little noisier but may also be destroyed in wind if the manufacturer has skimped on materials. I am an engineer, and my job is doing evaluations on these kind of things.

There is the darkmotor, or the newer version, personally i have the moteck and it has been great value for money.Moteck has generally been cheaper too.


If you're worried about sound resonating then get a dish that is not metal
Otherwise stick to it, size does matter. you can spend hundreds on an lnb, but a slightly bigger dish will make your £5.00 lnb work better.

Regards
Corporates

[scrappydoo]

Thanks a lot. Will look into it, but at the moment I'll stick to 13east where at least I can get most of the Sly Italia channels. It just bugs me that a few transponders don't get a signal. Will check the connections to the Openbox but at least I can still watch footy, Spurs in particular.

[corporates]

Thanks a lot. Will look into it, but at the moment I'll stick to 13east where at least I can get most of the Sly Italia channels. It just bugs me that a few transponders don't get a signal. Will check the connections to the Openbox but at least I can still watch footy, Spurs in particular.

I note you say you dont get signal on sly italia, try deleting the transponder and rescanning, works for most recievers.


regards
Corporates

[echelon]

first of all most of this has already been covered in the lnb and dish sections of this forum , including pictures of multiple setups

as for the issues brought up , the arm will need extending on the 60cm dish if using a monoblock , or change it for an 80cm or bigger dish if using a 6 degree monoblock

in any case there is no substitute for dish size so thats a priority in any case

an 80cm dish with lnb rack can easily manage from 13e to 28e , so thats 3 or 4 sats covered if using a 4 way diseqc switch

but obviously a motor + large dish is the best option , but will cost more , especially any install , if you are allowed the install

moved to the dish forum as it appears to be a dish setup issue at stake here

[scrappydoo]

Thanks Ech, always great to get advice from the guys here. As for the Sly Italia issue, will do exactly as you say Corporates....after the Barca game. Thanks again Pimps. will let you know if it works. The transponders I'm having no luck with are 12635v 29900 and 12466v 29900.

[Ghostleader]

This is my 80cm multi sat setup here:
http://i531.photobucket.com/albums/dd358/ghostleader77/PICT0015.jpg:

[scrappydoo]

Wow Ghostleader. That would suit me fine. Fancy coming round and helping me out? Seriously though, that would be perfect for me. How much did that set you back?

[oldjiver]

Just buy motor and dish, £75.
Motors are not noisy any more.
I can confirm that wheras my old piston type motor rattled round the house my new one is totally silent. I started with a fixed dish (at great expense donkeys years ago, then got a dual LNB, but ended up with a motorised. When the old one broke it cost £400 for my current 1mtr including setup. I have learned that its usually cheaper to get what you really want first time.

[Detlef]

If you'd like to list the 13E channels that you don't get we can possibly make some suggestions.

Missing channels are often due to the proximity of DECT phones and the like - these unfortunately pop up in the 1000 - 2000 MHz band that exists between an LNB and the receiver and block the Sat signal.

[satwyn]

you could do all this work on the ground on a pole and then install on the building a meter is needed for this type of install

[scrappydoo]

If you'd like to list the 13E channels that you don't get we can possibly make some suggestions.

Missing channels are often due to the proximity of DECT phones and the like - these unfortunately pop up in the 1000 - 2000 MHz band that exists between an LNB and the receiver and block the Sat signal.
Thanks, will come up with a comprehensive list later. There are a few transponders where I just don't get a signal and yet signal quality for some Sly Italia channels is 75%. I do have a cordless phone near the receiver as well as an Xbox, Will get back to yo later when I'm at home.

[Detlef]

Quick check: If the cordless phone is a DECT type (most are now) try turning the base station and phone off for a few minutes while you rescan and test the channels.

[Ghostleader]

Incorrect Skew would give you similar results on a small dish mate, satwyn is right about setting up a multi lnb bracket on the ground & then mounting the dish after you have the positioning tweaked out.

[scrappydoo]

Thanks guys. Not at home right now but will do as advised when I get back. Like the idea about mounting a dish on the ground first.

[scrappydoo]

After a busy weekend I managed to get most of the channels on 13east. A few have bee quite stubborn and I don't think I'll get them. I tried what you suggested Detlef, thanks for that but it didnt work. What did work was changing the LNB frequency on some of the transponders. Don't now if this is advisable but I'm sure one of the pimps will tell me if its not.

The upshot of it is that there are 4 transponders that I cannot seem to get:

12673V 29900
12713V 29900
12635V 29900
12466V 29900

I'm guessing its just one of those things and that I'll have to get a bigger dish if I'm to get any joy. Once again pimps thanks for your help. I have more to watch than when I started this thread.