LNB for older sky dish

OldmanMondeo

I need to replace the LNB for an older sky dish, about 10 years old. Are they all the same? What do I need to look for to make sure I get the correct one. I am replacing a single for a Quad. I have seen an 8 output unit, are these any good?

steveon

The old lnbs are different to the new models MK4 but can be converted back to fit the old dish with a legacy adaptor so long as it doesnt have the extremely skinny bar.

I include links for both the MK4 on ebay and legacy adaptor for reference only...the price here for the legacy adaptor is outrageous as they cost approx €1 here in Limerick

MK4 Quad
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Sky-Satellite-Dish-MK4-Quad-LNB-Free-Express-Delivery-/110766701997?pt=UK_ConEle_SatCableFreeview_RL&hash=item19ca35bdad

Legacy adaptor
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Sky-Legacy-Adaptor-use-Sky-MK4-LNB-Quad-Single-/330611286888?pt=UK_ConEle_SatCableFreeview_RL&hash=item4cf9f7e368

I personally dont like octo lnbs on Sky dishes but itt depends on your location in Ireland...can cause some problems here in Limerick in wet conditions.

kbell

Thats some price for the Adaptor.

Stinicker

I've ordered a few LNB's and they usually come with the old and the new fitting, order your new LNB first and it should have the old fitting, if not then order the adapter otherwise you are wasting money.

Tony

kbell wrote: »

Thats some price for the Adaptor.

Unreal, most guys I know supply them included with the lnb.

OldmanMondeo

Cheers lads, I will leave it at a quad. Looking to upgrade from a sky box to sky+. Have the cable just need the LNB and the connectors, reckon €30 should be about right.

Tony

OldmanMondeo wrote: »

Cheers lads, I will leave it at a quad. Looking to upgrade from a sky box to sky+. Have the cable just need the LNB and the connectors, reckon €30 should be about right.

30 is expensive for a sky quad

OldmanMondeo

Tony wrote: »

30 is expensive for a sky quad

Plus the few connectors I need.

prettygurrly

my parents signal keeps going on their two boxes. do you think replacing the dish will solve this? it's quite old but they have sky+ HD on one of the boxes so i'm presuming the various bits have been upgraded for this, just the actually dish is really old. what do you think?

Compton

Quad here is 9.99
http://satworld.ie/product-list.php?Sky_Freesat_LNBs-pg1-cid74.html
Cable and connectors are cheap enough..

watty

Above 4 outputs a Multiswitch is a better option. They come in 8 to 16 output versions and can have 1, 2 or 4 LNBs. Cheaper ones need Quattro LNBFs, but EMP Centauri and others can use a Sky or other Quad for at least the first LNB.

Octos are heavy, not as good and less reliable.

Satellite.ie used to do quad + adaptor.

With a larger dish (for better SNR) a multiswitch system can be expanded to over 2000 outlets!

asif2011

watty wrote: »

Above 4 outputs a Multiswitch is a better option. They come in 8 to 16 output versions and can have 1, 2 or 4 LNBs. Cheaper ones need Quattro LNBFs, but EMP Centauri and others can use a Sky or other Quad for at least the first LNB.

Octos are heavy, not as good and less reliable.

Satellite.ie used to do quad + adaptor.

With a larger dish (for better SNR) a multiswitch system can be expanded to over 2000 outlets!

Can I ask you, if you had a wavefrontier T90 could you distrubute it all over the house with a multiswitch? Just looking at them they seem to do 4 different satellites but could you distribute say 12 different satellites? Just wondering... sorry to go off-topic a bit.

Compton

There is no real need for a multiswitch, the octo LNBs are fine. If you want a proper high-end set-up then a multiswitch is for you.

Compton

asif2011 wrote: »

Can I ask you, if you had a wavefrontier T90 could you distrubute it all over the house with a multiswitch? Just looking at them they seem to do 4 different satellites but could you distribute say 12 different satellites? Just wondering... sorry to go off-topic a bit.

??

If you have 8 rooms or less than you do not need a multiswitch, you can use up to 16 satellites with octo LNBs

asif2011

shblob wrote: »

??

If you have 8 rooms or less than you do not need a multiswitch, you can use up to 16 satellites with octo LNBs

Sorry I don't understand.

If I cabled the front room, dining room, main bedroom, secondary bedroom, box room & converted attic. That's 6 rooms with 2 points per room for PVR use - that is 12 runs of cable from the multiswitch or satellite. An octo LNB wouldn't work for this example.

But let's say there was only 8 cable runs and we are using 16 x octo LNBs. I don't see how you achieve getting 16 LNBS to 8 points without using 8 x 16to1 DiSEqC switches which would be a cabling nightmare. Not unless you cascade them, which I don't know much about?

Wouldn't it be better to cable the 16 LNBs to a multiswitch setup (in the attic for example) and then from there down to the rooms?

Maybe 4 satellite multiswitches are as big as it gets, while keeping thing relatively simple, I don't know that's why I was asking...

brian_gall85

prettygurrly wrote: »

my parents signal keeps going on their two boxes. do you think replacing the dish will solve this? it's quite old but they have sky+ HD on one of the boxes so i'm presuming the various bits have been upgraded for this, just the actually dish is really old. what do you think?

We had HD fitted over 3 years ago and the only thing they did was add the second cable for the Sky+HD box. We had the same crap dish and LNB that we had fitted over 10 years ago.

I called them up the other day because my anytime and playback was giving problems. Got the usual crap about €100 for a call out and €249 for a new box.

Asked for cancellations and within 2 minutes had a free call out and half price HD for the year with no new contract.


Engineer called at 8am last Tuesday morning and had a new dish and a refurb Amstrad box fitted within an hour for nothing.

You're paying Sky for a service, let them foot the bill.

Compton

asif2011 wrote: »

Sorry I don't understand.

If I cabled the front room, dining room, main bedroom, secondary bedroom, box room & converted attic. That's 6 rooms with 2 points per room for PVR use - that is 12 runs of cable from the multiswitch or satellite. An octo LNB wouldn't work for this example.

But let's say there was only 8 cable runs and we are using 16 x octo LNBs. I don't see how you achieve getting 16 LNBS to 8 points without using 8 x 16to1 DiSEqC switches which would be a cabling nightmare. Not unless you cascade them, which I don't know much about?

Wouldn't it be better to cable the 16 LNBs to a multiswitch setup (in the attic for example) and then from there down to the rooms?

Maybe 4 satellite multiswitches are as big as it gets, while keeping thing relatively simple, I don't know that's why I was asking...

Ah I never saw that you were running 2 feeds per room.

JHet

Hey,

You can get a quad LNB with the adapter you need for £6 delivered!

Cheers

Peter Rhea

asif2011 wrote: »

Maybe 4 satellite multiswitches are as big as it gets, while keeping thing relatively simple, I don't know that's why I was asking...

Well, I don't know of any 49 or 65-in switches, so some kind of cascading arrangement would seem to be the way to go. Must have a think/read-up on it . . .

Also, this thread seems to be full of use of the word 'satellite' for items other than the actual spacecraft.

asif2011

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Well, I don't know of any 65-in switches, so some kind of cascading arrangement would seem to be the way to go. Must have a think/read-up on it . . .

The closest I think you can get is 8 LNBs for 8 outputs... link below.
http://www.emp-centauri.cz/pdf/Profi_line_180.pdf

Probably the best thing to do would be to use the 16 x LNBs on the T90, feed that to the main TV using 2 x 16to1 DiSEqC switches and then use a seperate 60cm Sky dish with a 5 in 12 out multiswitch. That way downstairs you get all the stations and upstairs you get Saorview/Freesat HD or Sky multiroom if you put the extra phonelines in.

It'd be pretty cool to have all 16 LNBs available in every room though!

Peter Rhea

I was wrong about the 64 input switch then, I suppose anything's possible with modular construction.

asif2011

Peter Rhea wrote: »

I was wrong about the 64 input switch then, though 16 x quattro/quad would have suited you better than 8 x octo.

I thought it was 8 single LNB inputs myself, it's not explained very well on their website. I'll admit I'm new to satellites, always just used UPC. But when they say you use model "P.180-8" and that doesn't even exist on their website it's hard to make out what to do. Their manuals from the downloads section are next to useless.

I came across one of their advertisements in an online magazine while googling, can't find it again, and they say they are the only one who does it. It's probably easier to use a hybrid solution, there would probably be a load of cabling to do, not to mention expense if you used a cascaded solution.

Peter Rhea

Those EMP switches must employ internal 'cascading' as they use DiSEqC 1.1 commands for committed & uncommited switch.

asif2011

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Those EMP switches must employ internal 'cascading' as they use DiSEqC 1.1 commands for committed & uncommited switch.

Yes that threw me a bit, is it a DiSEqC switch or a multiswitch but seemingly this is both... I may send them an email just even out of my own curiousity on how it works and what is actually required.

I was on the TVTrade.ie website looking at the YouTube videos on multiswitches, they recommend DIYers stay away from them - but im a geek and drawn in by the complexity of them...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Zl8iyDlTc

Gerry Wicklow

This Technisat manual might be useful for multi room setups

http://www.technisat-daun-fs.de/downloads/bro/bro_sat_installation_q2-10_7023.pdf

Peter Rhea

asif2011 wrote: »

Yes that threw me a bit, is it a DiSEqC switch or a multiswitch but seemingly this is both...

DiSEqC is the protocol used for lnb switching so will be common to receiver & switch if this function is required.

I don't know what defines a 'classic' multiswitch as such, but these particular models only use DiSEqC commands & rely on the lnbs for band/polarity switching, so can only feed as many receivers as the lnb has outputs (so they're DiSEqC switches in other words . . .).