[wax_trax357]

is there a way to improve my setup to get better signal strength out of my triple LNB dish? i currently have a standard 18x24 with a sat-c kit. i have some trees in the way, and I can only get 70 on my sat-a, 40 on c, and 75 on b. a touch rain kills my signal.

 

[SolidSignal]

There is a new dish coming out in a week.

It is the Gain Master from Channel Master.

It says that it will increase signal strength by 65%.

We will have stock next week. We have been taking orders for a few days.

I cant wait to test this bad boy.


Antenna dimensions: 35.3 inch x 26.2 inch, not including rim.

Heavy duty 2 inch mast wall mount.


We are selling the dish in two styles:

Dish only - That will work for you because your 18x24 lnbs will fit but you need the sat c splitter and a multiswitch 4x4, 5x8, 5x4.

Combo Pack - Dish and the three lnbs. You will need the multiswitch.


You can use multiswitch connected to the dish if it is not integrated.


Good Luck,

 

[Crash_Corrigan]

There's no guarantee that a larger dish is going to dramatically improve your reception if tree branches are in the way. Your best bet is to trim back the offending branches or to cut down the tree, assuming it is on your property. Your next best option is to relocate the dish to an unobstructed location. If you opt for the bigger dish, make sure you homeowners association allows it (its larger size may exclude it from the provisions of the FCC guidelines for DSS dishes) and make sure you can return it for a refund if it doesn't help your problem.

 

[DrDon]

Wax Trax..

A cheaper alternative, albeit gangly, is to use 3 round dishes. You can usually pick those up for $5 at a garage sale. Of course, if your 3LNB dish is one of the newer ones with the integrated LNB, that could be a little difficult. But it's far easier to maximize signal with three individual dishes than with the oval. Depends on how much work you want to put into it.


Doc

 

[wax_trax357]

Thanks for all your help.


Solid,

Since I can't cut my trees down and I do not have space to put up 3 dishs, what kind of gain should I expect?

Do you think I could get into the 90's?

 

[SolidSignal]

In my conversations with Channel Master, they say 65% of what you have now as an average increase. Therefore, on Sat A you would be at 100% (70 +(.65*70)). On sat C you would get to the low 80's. We will get our test unit soon. I will let you know what we find. By the way, the dish is alot bigger, almost 2 times the surface area.

 

[AntAltMike]

It is not a 65% "average increase". It is a 65% increase in gain across the board, which means the S/N ratio goes up by a little over two 2dB. It means that rain would have to be 65% more intense to wreak the same disruption on your signal. There is no way to convert that to "signal strength" as displayed on a receiver's internal signal strength meter.


I often install 1 meter (40") dishes for my commercial customers. They have over 300% more gain than do standard, 18" dishes. I usually use Hughes "D" and "E" series receivers in these headend installations. No more than a few transponders in these headends ever develop a so-called signal strength of 100. They go up a few points, but the so-called signal strength indicator does not begin to reflect the qualitative benefit of these more robust signals.


The Gainmaster looks to me like a good product for anyone troubled with rain fade. People living in Eastern seaboard states in the Crane Rain Model "D" region would surely appreciate 2dB of additional S/N margin, but they would do even better with separate 30" dishes if they could physically accommodate them.


I thought I saw a selling price for it somewhere on the web of under $100 without the LNBs or switch, so if you already have the LNBs and multiswitch and want to upgrade, I think it would be cheaper than scrounging aroung for three $10 specials on E-bay, ordering them one at a time and paying shipping and handling on all three if they come from different sellers.

 

[wax_trax357]

just got the Channel Master Gain Master In last night from

solidsignal.com.

(Solid - Thanks for the great service - if you read this post.)

It took awhile to put together (with my old multiswitch and lnbs)

I had to dismantle the old 18x24 and assemble the parts on the new Gain

Master. It is alot bigger.


the best is that I am getting 100 on all three sats. yes even on sat

c!!!! with all the leaves and trees I am getting better signal readings then

I did with just an 18 inch from before. I could never get over 90.

it is supposed to rain here soon!

i say "BRING IT ON".

 

[chucko]

Quote:

Originally posted by wax_trax357 just got the Channel Master Gain Master In last night from solidsignal.com. (Solid - Thanks for the great service - if you read this post.) It took awhile to put together (with my old multiswitch and lnbs) I had to dismantle the old 18x24 and assemble the parts on the new Gain Master. It is alot bigger. the best is that I am getting 100 on all three sats. yes even on sat c!!!! with all the leaves and trees I am getting better signal readings then I did with just an 18 inch from before. I could never get over 90. it is supposed to rain here soon! i say "BRING IT ON".

What were your readings before installing the new dish ?



Chucko

 

[DrDon]

Chucko..

Page up to the top of the thread. 70, 40, 75 is what he lists.


Doc

 

[AntAltMike]

2 additional dB of gain will not ordinarily increase signal strength from the 40s to 100. I frequently upgrade from 18" dishes to 24", 30" and even one meter, increasing the S/N ratio by sometimes 6dB, yet I never see that much of a numerical improvement. wax_trax357's previous dish must have been underperforming.

 

[SolidSignal]

Since we have been getting blitzed with email questions, here are the some additional Gain Master information:


The GainMaster LNB arm is pretty much exactly like the arm of any 18" dish, except a little longer. An LNB can be mounted to this arm in the standard way. Alternatively, two or 3 LNB's can be mounted using an included attachment which screws onto the LNB arm, holding the LNB's by the throat. Two standard dual LNB's plus one Sat-C kit (with a Sat-C LNB and Sat-C combiner) are necessary for the multi-sat solution. A multiswitch will be needted as well. If you have an older 18x24 dish without the integrated multiswitch, you only need the dish. Otherwise, you will need a multiswitch as well.


By-The-Way, we are testing the unit as we speak, we should be able to give more data soon (1 week).


AntAltMike,

I beleive you are right about Wax_Trax357 with regards to Sat C, however we have shipped out a few dozen of these in the last few days. I have recieved several emails (because I asked) with positive results.

 

[Tim1951]

I use an 18X24 Dish with an Eagal-Aspen integrated multiswitch with removable LNB's. Will this multiswitch LNB combo work on the gain master Dish?

 

[SolidSignal]

Channel Master says "No"

Must use a none integrated 5x4, 4x4 or 4x? multiswitch.

 

[rcliff]

Quote:

Originally posted by wax_trax357 is there a way to improve my setup to get better signal strength out of my triple LNB dish? i currently have a standard 18x24 with a sat-c kit. i have some trees in the way, and I can only get 70 on my sat-a, 40 on c, and 75 on b. a touch rain kills my signal.

You could get a phase III 18x20 dish with integrated 5x4 multiswitch. It should provide better signals than the old 18x24 with sat c kit. If the trees are the real problem, you might need a chainsaw to hack off some of those branches

 

[SolidSignal]

Actually, there is hardly any difference in gain between the 18x20 and the 18x24. We have found that the 18x20 is easier to set up. Somehow that relates back to slightly better signal.

 

[Tim1951]

Could someone who has one post some photos of the back & sides of this dish? I have many questions that could be cleared up by seeing it from all sides.


Are there mounting solutions other than wall mount? My set up uses a 3" pipe set in concrete.

 

[ericlhyman]

I get good signal strength on 101, acceptable on 110, and nothing on 119 (in seasons when tall trees are leafed out). I can't do anything about the trees as they are not on my property. A DirecTV installer told me having 2 or 3 dishes would make absolutely no difference in signal strength compared to a properly installed single elliptical dish. Is this incorrect?

 

[SolidSignal]

Sort of!

If you can move the third (119) dish - you may be able to get better signal strength!

 

[rcliff]

Quote:

Originally posted by ericlhyman I get good signal strength on 101, acceptable on 110, and nothing on 119 (in seasons when tall trees are leafed out). A DirecTV installer told me having 2 or 3 dishes would make absolutely no difference in signal strength compared to a properly installed single elliptical dish.

Very unlikely unless the dish is on the very edge of your house or property. If you can see 101 well, I would bet you could see 119 through the same hole in the trees you see 101 with a second dish positioned properly. You may have to put it on a pole on the ground if there's no suitable position on your house. I'm sure this is more than the installer wanted to do.