[Breddy]

Hello group,


I'm posting this question here as a newbie after finding very little in the way of D* tech FAQ's. If there are some good ones you can direct me to, that would be much appreciated and probably result in fewer redundant postings from me.


In any case, I'm about to delve into DBS for the first time and am a bit undecided about where to invest the money. I definitely want a TiVo and have pretty much decided on the T-60 unit, with a second "cheapie" reciever on my bedroom TV. I don't have any desire in the near future to go HDTV, but am wondering if I should go with an elliptical / multi-sat dish nonetheless.


I live in Florida and am mainly concerned about rain fade or other losses in gain. Do the 18X20 dishes give me a little extra in that department? Are all 18X20 multi-sat dishes created equal? I hear mention of the a Phase 3 unit here, but American Satellite simple lists a "3-LNB dish" with no apparent branding (save the D* logo).


Any info is appreciated; I'll read anything I can get my mitts on.


Thanks!

 

[mhardyman]

It will help having a 3-LNB dish as it does improve the S/N ratio quite a bit. I have the 24" dish and it is a rare day when the rain can kill it compared to the 18" before.


bonus: You don't have to have HD to appreciate the extra cheannels that come with the set up as you are pointing to three birds instead of the one.

 

[Want1394]

If you don't pay much extra, I would probably go with the multisat dish just for future-proofing. The signal strength is actually very slightly less with the elliptical dish than a standard round, because the dish surface focusing the signal from one of the satellites is slightly less - not enough to worry about at all, but not a benefit as you are presuming. If you really do think "rain-fade" would be a problem, then you should get a 30" or even 39" round dish.


If you want to delve into the technology of all this (including articles on rain fade), then read some of the technical submissions here DBSForum

 

[SolidSignal]

Do a search right here on the forum.

You will find that because the tweaking is easier, some are getting better results with the new Phase III ODU dishes.


Good Luck!

 

[restart88]

I can only say that I have had better luck against rain fade with the 18" round, as opposed to the 18x24. But it could just be that I was able to do better tuning just one position than juggling 3 (as I tune the hard way - by ear). That has been true of both D* & E*. For me at least.

 

[Steve Mehs]

The 18x20" tiple LNB dishes are poping up like crazy around here, my new neighbors even have one now.

 

[sat_uplinker]

Quote:

It will help having a 3-LNB dish as it does improve the S/N ratio quite a bit. I have the 24" dish and it is a rare day when the rain can kill it compared to the 18" before.

carrier to noise ratios have nothing to do with how many LNB's are on the dish. if there is no reason to have them, (ie- you dont plan to order showtime HD, or spanish programming) dont waste your money. If gain is all you want, and only plan to use the main satellite at 101W, just the biggest dish you can fit. 1 meter dishes have lots of gain for DBS service.


bob

 

[mdryja]

I've talked with several installers in our area, and their consensus is that rather than have an oval dish, it's best to have multiple round dishes. We have a 24" round pointed into the trees, and it gets signals in the high 90's. When DirecTV starts broadcasting more HDTV content, I'm just going to have another dish put up for the second sat.

 

[SolidSignal]

We have been getting a lot of positive feedback on the Phase III dish.

The feedback consists of slightly better reception and easier installation. Here is a link to the Winegard Phase III ODU manual:

http://www.solidsignal.com/manuals/w...se_III_ODU.pdf


Good Luck!