What hardware do I need ?

demac

Hi all,
I've been with Sky for the last two years and have finally decided to cancel my subscription. I've obtained a Dreambox 7000s with a 120GB hard drive to replace my Pace Digibox. I'd like to pick up Astra 19 and Hotbird 13 satellites.

Will my existing dish (80cm ?) and LNB setup do or must I change these too ?

Any advise greatly appreciated.

halkar

You will be fine with your existing dish if it is already pointing to those birds on 13E and 19E.

watty

Add a motor too under 100 Euro.

demac

Thanks for the quick replies.

Obivously I'm a newbie to the satellite stuff so I apologise in advance for obvious questions.

I thought Sky Digital is via Astra 28 degrees and so my dish is pointed at it. Will I need to adjust my dish to get Astra 19 and Hotbird 13.

Thanks again.

Tony

yes you will need to adjust dish, are you sure its 80cm as most sky dishes are 60cm?

Tony

watty

Unless the dish is motorised, or has a monoblock dual horn LNB or has 2 LNBs with a switch, you can't get 13E and 19E.

Each number refers to a position on the imaginary line 22,500 miles above equator around the Earth. The 1W satellite is almost due south of east England (Greenwich is zero), and 8W satellite almost due south of Limerick.

If you lived on equator you could have a horizontal north/south pointing bar, and swinging the dish East/West would trach the arc of satellites.


Here at 45 to 55 degrees north (Limerick is about 52N), with a vertical pole, the dish points highest for a due south Satellite (5 degree to 11 degree from extreme east to extreme west of ireland).

The arm is offset, so when dish "looks" vertical the beam is actually upward about 25 degrees.

The highest upward beam is very roughly about 30 degrees. As you move east or west from your own true south the dish needs to dip.

Since Astra 19E is more West than Sky (Astra 28.2E/Eurobird28.5E), you need to move the dish about 9 degrees more west, and tilt it up slightly. Again Hotbird is another 6 degrees (approximately) more and a bit higher still.

For best signal the Up/down and East/West wants to be within 0.5 degree angle.

You won't want to do this manually if changing between a Channel on Astra 19E and Hotbird 13E !
www.satellite.ie does very nice motors. Also a GOTO X motor is actually EASIER and 10 times faster to install than a fixed dish, as long as your pole is vertical.

If the dish is 80cm / 90cm (old Sky Analog dish?) then it is fine. The Sky minidish (45cm to 65cm depending on model) is only barely big enough for Sky Digital. You want to still get a picture when it rains :-)

I have installed lots of Multiple LNB on Fixed Dish with a switch to get multiple satellite positions on one immobile dish, but alignment is a PIG. Also cost of extra LNBs, mounting brackets and switch add to more than a motor.

You'll get about 30 satellites with FTA TV and Radio with a motor and 80/90cm dish in Ireland.

demac

Thank you LurkingIcon for that detailed reply. It all seems more clear now.

I got my measuring tape out and the dimensions are as follows;

Width 73cm
Height 60cm

demac

I'm back.

I decided to go for that motor from Tony. What size dish should I go for ? The options are 80cm or 1m.

Tony

80cm is fine and also better value as the mount is included on the Andrews dish

legend99

so if you have a motorised dish do you need to do anything more than screw everything to the wall and you program everything into motor?
I.E. Does it find the satelite for you or is it that simple???

watty

You need to put your N and W location into your receivers GOTO X setup.

Point motor mount approx south, after assembling dish and moter elevations correctly for your angle north. Table with motor.

Select Hispasat on Reciever

Fine adjust motor on main pole for best Hispasat signal. Then all the satellites will work. This assumes Dish and motor elevations are correct and dish is mounted exactly "square" on the motor arm.

If you don't have GOTO X / USALS, then you select 5W as a reasonable near south Satellite and adjust on that, then fine tune on Turksat 42E


The main mount pole must be vertical to better than 1/2 degree.

demac

Thanks again gentlemen.

Order placed for 80cm Andrews dish and motor from satellite.ie.