Height adjustable LNB holder for Triax multiblock?

banie01

Hiya Folks
I'm just wondering if anyone knows if there is a height adjustable LNB holder available for the Triax multiblock?
I've googled but with no joy

In the course of my tweaking and playing with my setup, I've found that if I tilt the bar to gain on say 23.5'e it has the effect of causing drop off in signal strength on 9'e and vice versa.

What I'd like is an LNB holder that fits on the bar alá the triax holder but has a capability to be raised/lowered via a screw mech or similar to allow me to dial in the ideal height for max signal across all the LNBs...

Does such a holder exist? Or do I need to go try make one?

RimaNTSS

They sell adjustable multifeeds for Danish Triax here _http://aio.lv/lv/television/satellite-tv/sat-acc/multifeed-triax-3-lnb/
But, in my opinion, it is always better to have self-made multifeeds, for any antennas.

recyclebin

There's stuff on ebay but its in Canada so i don't know if its suitable. Search for multi lnb.

I'd say a home made modification is your best bet.

banie01

recyclebin wrote: »

There's stuff on ebay but its in Canada so i don't know if its suitable. Search for multi lnb.

I'd say a home made modification is your best bet.

I've seen those ones alright, very adjustable but clunky looking and I want to keep my current 6LNB setup and maybe add to, and those seem tight for space at 4/5 LNBs max.

To keep everything as i want it I think its improv time! LOL
I think I'll be breaking out my dremel and some epoxy resin then...
I have an image of what I want and in fairness its a fairly simple mod.
I'm thinking if I take a standard LNB holder for a Triax multiblock/flexiblock cut the portion that fits on the bar, from the portion that holds the LNB.
That then by mounting a bolt on each part embedded in epoxy and attaching the seperate halves via a threaded bar, that i should end up with what I'm after

Just gotta find somewhere to buy the Triax LNB holders to mod now
As I have 6 and they're all in use! LOL

RimaNTSS

Do not spend time and money on modding plastic. Better go to nearest home-depot, buy some cheap galvanized stuff and DIY something similar like on picture.

banie01

I did a bit more digging on Ebay and found these http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200661710880, So I bought a couple an I'm gonna try mod these up to fit on my bar.
I'll post an update when I get it done.
Thanks for the input sofar folks

t c

Sat World in Kimmage do one. It is not shown on their web site but I was there recently and they have them in stock for about €25.

4Xlnb holders adjustable left/right, up/down and also rotate side to side. Made in aluminium so not heavy.

TC

Zardoz

t c wrote: »

Sat World in Kimmage do one. It is not shown on their web site but I was there recently and they have them in stock for about €25.

4Xlnb holders adjustable left/right, up/down and also rotate side to side. Made in aluminium so not heavy.

TC

Something like this perhaps ?
Very handy ,I used 2 of these on a friends dish to get 28e,23.5e,19e,16e,13e and 9e .

banie01

t c wrote: »

Sat World in Kimmage do one. It is not shown on their web site but I was there recently and they have them in stock for about €25.

4Xlnb holders adjustable left/right, up/down and also rotate side to side. Made in aluminium so not heavy.

TC

Zardoz wrote: »

Something like this perhaps ?
Very handy ,I used 2 of these on a friends dish to get 28e,23.5e,19e,16e,13e and 9e .

Zardoz, that and the one RimaNtss linked to are exactly what I'm after in terms of flexibility of individual LNB placement.
Can I ask where you got them from?
Was it satworld as t.c suggested?

I'm going to try and mod something up myself 1st as it will allow me see if my own idea is workable and will allow me the minimum of sisruption to my current setup(Not having to swap over whole setup)before I go and buy something akin to those.
I'm happy enough with my current setup apart from not being able to peak 23.5e without losing strength on 9e and vice versa.

RimaNTSS

Aluminum is OK, but if there a chance than stainless steel is better and actually not so heavy cuz those are made of pipes not bars.

Zardoz

banie01 wrote: »

Zardoz, that and the one RimaNtss linked to are exactly what I'm after in terms of flexibility of individual LNB placement.
Can I ask where you got them from?
Was it satworld as t.c suggested?

I bought them here
http://www.sw-sat.de/Multifeedhalter-LNB-Adapter/Multifeedhalter-4-fach-verstellbar-Aluminium.html
Best price I could find for them although postage was 16 euro but I was ordering a good bit of other stuff at the same time.

banie01

RimaNTSS wrote: »

Aluminum is OK, but if there a chance than stainless steel is better and actually not so heavy cuz those are made of pipes not bars.

Rima, those holders look great! Are they the ones you had done up for your T90?
Care to share where you got them from?

And Zardoz thanks for the info

t c

The one Zardoz shows is similar or the same as Sat World.

As postage is so much price more or less the same so I would suggest you support local and of course you can pick it up, so no waiting.......

RimaNTSS holders look good also, except if the LNB's are more or less the same level, imo it would be difficult to adjust and tighten the Jubilee clip mount as it is on the base, whereas the other one is on the top so is easy to adjust skew.

TC

RimaNTSS

Right, those where made for my T90, but then I also installed them to 120cm offset. Friend of mine crafted them, not free of charge, and not so cheap, but at the end of the day I have got good product, I think.

banie01

t.c those ones Rima posted are height adjustable via the base, there is a screw at the front that allows stalk height to be adjusted and locked.
I've seen them used on his T90 with great effect.
my intention is to find an adjustable holder that would fit on my existing bar, they don't seem to be available so I'm going to try make one and if not possible I may ditch the multiblock and go for a more flexible set up
As for supporting local thats always the intent if possible

RimaNTSS

t c wrote: »

except if the LNB's are more or less the same level, imo it would be difficult to adjust and tighten the Jubilee clip mount as it is on the base

No problem with that at all, of course instead of screwdriver I use 7mm wrench, very easy.

RimaNTSS

And 2 screws are welded to main body of holder, so there are only nuts are movable parts.

snaps

love these kinds of threads. Keep the posts coming in, great ideas.

t c

@ RimaNTSS.

Nice bit of kit, well thought out. Hat off to you and whoever made it........:)

TC

banie01

@ Zardoz, That seller you linked has an Ebay page too with some excellent value available and combined shipping too.
I just pulled the trigger on 2 of those multifeeds and delivered the total was €32
A 10/1 Diseqc with weather cover for €13.90 plus postage is very tempting
Makes it a very competitive option if you are buying a few bits and pieces.

Sad thing is that once again it highlights the 'paddy premium' tis all well and good wanting to support local but pricewise its hard to justify staying local at €32 for 2 delivered Vs €25 +pp for one here

Zardoz

banie01 wrote: »

@ Zardoz, That seller you linked has an Ebay page too with some excellent value available and combined shipping too.
I just pulled the trigger on 2 of those multifeeds and delivered the total was €32
A 10/1 Diseqc with weather cover for €13.90 plus postage is very tempting
Makes it a very competitive option if you are buying a few bits and pieces.

Thats a good deal allright.German sellers are very competitive .
You will be able to get 3 degree spacing with that adapter and you will be able to centre it with the primary focus at 16e.
You did good work adapting the Triax bar but at the end of the day its a very poorly designed piece of equipment.

banie01

Zardoz wrote: »

Thats a good deal allright.German sellers are very competitive .
You will be able to get 3 degree spacing with that adapter and you will be able to centre it with the primary focus at 16e.
You did good work adapting the Triax bar but at the end of the day its a very poorly designed piece of equipment.

Thanks
The Triax bar gave me my 1st taste of multisat but the more i learn and want to tweak and fiddle...
The more I learn how restrictive it is.
No prime focus LNB(Without mod) and no ability to independently adjust LNB positions are a real drawback when you are trying to peak signals and maximise the whole setup.
I'm looking forward to getting the new kit and seeing how much further I can push my setup, definitely a new LNB for 7e and I may try pushing out to 4.8e and even .8w(tho I don't fancy that I'll get much off that at a 17deg offset) but it'll give me something new to try LOL

Zardoz

banie01 wrote: »

Thanks
The Triax bar gave me my 1st taste of multisat but the more i learn and want to tweak and fiddle...
The more I learn how restrictive it is.
No prime focus LNB(Without mod) and no ability to independently adjust LNB positions are a real drawback when you are trying to peak signals and maximise the whole setup.
I'm looking forward to getting the new kit and seeing how much further I can push my setup, definitely a new LNB for 7e and I may try pushing out to 4.8e and even .8w(tho I don't fancy that I'll get much off that at a 17deg offset) but it'll give me something new to try LOL

Bear in mind that one of those bars will only cover ~20 degrees ,you may have to weld them together to extend the range but as they are made from aluminium you will need a TIG.
The reason I got 2 for my friend was to use the extra lnb holders but he only uses one bar.

banie01

Zardoz wrote: »

Bear in mind that one of those bars will only cover ~20 degrees ,you may have to weld them together to extend the range but as they are made from aluminium you will need a TIG.
The reason I got 2 for my friend was to use the extra lnb holders but he only uses one bar.

Yeah I know about the welding alu/TIG neccesity if I go down that route. Thanks
As it currently stands I bought 2 for the holders aswell, as I need 6 as it stands.
Just wondering though Zardoz....Does this mount onto a centrally mounted LNB?
Or does it actually mount to the LNB arm?

just found a pic that shows it mounted to the arm.
Wonder if I can manage this spread too :P haha

banie01

Well I took Delivery of the new multi LNB holders this morning.
1st Impressions are that while the adjustment level I'm after is there....
It is more intended for ALPS and Sharp type LNBs as the height adjusment screws stand off too far to allow easy use of Inverto and Icecrypt LNBs as the nut interferes with the LNB skew.
I got round this issue by cutting a few sections of thread off the nut allowing the nut head to sit flush with the mount bracket. Allowing easy skew adjustment and fairly simple height adjustment too via a Bike wrench, slim Spanner or long nose pliers.(To get between LNB and mount)
I also modded up a spare triax lnb holder I had lying here to give me a much simpler means of mounting the bracket to the dish.
This mod also allows simpler setting of a slope to the bar too.
I'm hoping to add 4.8e to my current setup when I get a chance to get out and mounte everything up

dharn

what i want to know is who eat all the biscuits

banie01

I've swapped over from the triax multibar to the new Frankenstein creation
So far I've aligned 28.2,23.5(which thanks to the adjustability I have now is booming in welcome back satBG) and 19.2e.
I have to sort out alignment and diseqc ports(In my eagerness to get it set up, and tidying up previous additions I lost track of which cable to which port! Rookie mistake! LOL)for the remaining sats but that can wait until I have some better weather and some patience.

snaps

Is there a lot of weight in that arm? A lot of those LNBS look a bit heavy? Ive my dish nice low & sheltered (So i thought), but the wind seems to swirl around the garden and still buffer my multi lnb bracket about. I was out the other morning re adjusting it all, mainly the east side of the arm had bent in the wind (23.5 and 28.5 lnbs)

banie01

snaps wrote: »

Is there a lot of weight in that arm? A lot of those LNBS look a bit heavy? Ive my dish nice low & sheltered (So i thought), but the wind seems to swirl around the garden and still buffer my multi lnb bracket about. I was out the other morning re adjusting it all, mainly the east side of the arm had bent in the wind (23.5 and 28.5 lnbs)

The bar itself is solid Aluminium and very lightweight but remarkably strong and resistant to bending!(Believe me I tried :P ), but the new setup is only very slightly heavier than my previous 6LNB Triax Multiblock setup, which I ran for over a year with never a single issue with wind, or needing realignment.

That said I think that wind loading will cause me more issues with this setup as while the Multiblock is flatsided allowing plenty of resistance to windloads the new setup is based on a round bar with a single mountpoint and securing screw for the LNB holder meaning more scope for slippage.

I'll update you when we get a storm
I'll be reverting to my Multiblock if it needs adjusting after every blow though

dharn

banie that is an amazing setup, how many channels do you get in total, and how many are english speaking

Ghostleader

snaps wrote: »

Is there a lot of weight in that arm? A lot of those LNBS look a bit heavy? Ive my dish nice low & sheltered (So i thought), but the wind seems to swirl around the garden and still buffer my multi lnb bracket about. I was out the other morning re adjusting it all, mainly the east side of the arm had bent in the wind (23.5 and 28.5 lnbs)

Am really surprised at this, ma dish has been battered with 70 & 100mph wind last year alone & the arm is fine, wit make of dishis yours?

banie01

Ghostleader wrote: »

Am really surprised at this, ma dish has been battered with 70 & 100mph wind last year alone & the arm is fine, wit make of dish is yours?

Ghostleader, I agree with you.
My dish is mounted @ 15ft above ground level on the eastside gable of a south facing house and I have never had any issue with wind loadings.
Its been rocksolid in winds upto a 140kph and the only reception issues I ever have are self inflicted :P haha

That said I have reverted to my Multiblock at the moment.(Albeit with 7LNBs on it now as I added 4.8e)
I've found that the round mount bar and single screw mounts on the new bar just don't inspire confidence for me at the moment.
The holders rotate too easily,but that will easily be sorted with some epoxy
The main advantage of the adjustable for me is that signals on 23.5 can be better peaked with some LNB height adjustment.

dharn wrote: »

banie that is an amazing setup, how many channels do you get in total, and how many are english speaking

Dharn I've somewhere in the region of @6200 services at the mo.
Receiving 4.8e,9e,10e,13e,16e,19.2e,23.5e and 28.2e
As for English speaking quite a lot is broadcast with English as an audio option but I saw an estimate before that @25% of European channels broadcast in English.(But my Spanish is fairly good and sure football is universal :P )
Take a look here if you want to learn more, breaks down each sat to channel/main language very handy to plan a setup based on what you want to receive.

Zardoz

banie01 wrote: »

Ghostleader, I agree with you.
My dish is mounted @ 15ft above ground level on the eastside gable of a south facing house and I have never had any issue with wind loadings.
Its been rocksolid in winds upto a 140kph and the only reception issues I ever have are self inflicted :P haha

Eastside gable is fairly sheltered ,most of the strong winds in Ireland are from the West or South West .
I had a large dish on a south facing wall before,it was a nightmare,wind kept on moving it.
I moved it to an East facing wall and it was much better ,although it would move if hit by a strong Easterly gale.

That said I have reverted to my Multiblock at the moment.(Albeit with 7LNBs on it now as I added 4.8e)
I've found that the round mount bar and single screw mounts on the new bar just don't inspire confidence for me at the moment.
The holders rotate too easily,but that will easily be sorted with some epoxy
The main advantage of the adjustable for me is that signals on 23.5 can be better peaked with some LNB height adjustment.

Thats disappointing to hear the bar is moving in the wind,I thought it would be solid.
Good to hear you got 4.8e though,very nice spread.

banie01

Zardoz wrote: »

Eastside gable is fairly sheltered ,most of the strong winds in Ireland are from the West or South West .
I had a large dish on a south facing wall before,it was a nightmare,wind kept on moving it.
I moved it to an East facing wall and it was much better ,although it would move if hit by a strong Easterly gale.

True I'm luck I have such a sheltered location available to me with a good view of the sky from @1w out beyond 90e (If Iever go motorised)

That said when the NW Storms hit this week the new bar couldn't cope
But the Multiblock is rock solid since I swapped it back, and apart from not being able to get the Sat BG package on 23.5e since i lost the height adjustment but I'm going to sort something for that when the weather improves a bit, hopefully.

Zardoz wrote: »

Thats disappointing to hear the bar is moving in the wind,I thought it would be solid.
Good to hear you got 4.8e though,very nice spread.

Thanks I'm pulling in about 290 services at the mo from 4.8e and once the weather improves I'll tweak it in some more.
Any update on how your T90 install went? Is going?

Zardoz

banie01 wrote: »

That said when the NW Storms hit this week the new bar couldn't cope
But the Multiblock is rock solid since I swapped it back

Why do you think the new bar was so unstable,was it moving where it was attached to the dish arm or was it moving all over ?

banie01 wrote: »

I'm pulling in about 290 services at the mo from 4.8e and once the weather improves I'll tweak it in some more.

Thats very impressive.
I dont think I managed even half that when I had a 1m motorised dish .
Most of the channels on 4.8e are on the Nordic beam .

banie01 wrote: »

Any update on how your T90 install went? Is going?

Its still in its box in the garage .:o
I'm going to ground mount it so I have to cut back the branches on a tree and dig a hole for the pole at the bottom of the garden.
I wouldnt dare put it on a wall after the gales we had this week,too many sleepless nights.

banie01

Zardoz wrote: »

Why do you think the new bar was so unstable,was it moving where it was attached to the dish arm or was it moving all over ?

The bar itself is solid and v wind resistant in fairness,And I did use a spare Triax Flexiblock holder and some Epoxy putty to make a v.secure mount bracket with even some slope built in :P
The issue I have is with the LNB holders themselves.
A single retaining nut tightened against a round Aluminum bar gives plenty of leeway for slippage
I wouldn't mind but the bar gave me exactly what I was after on 23.5!
The flexibility and aimability allows good peaking of reception.
Having a nightmare of a time pulling in Sat BG package on the multiblock

Zardoz wrote: »

Thats very impressive.
I dont think I managed even half that when I had a 1m motorised dish .
Most of the channels on 4.8e are on the Nordic beam .

Well I'm very happy that i managed it at all....
The LNB is cable tied onto my 9e LNB and improv job that it is :P
My multiblock is currently loaded with 7LNBS now haha
Is working a treat.

Zardoz wrote: »

Its still in its box in the garage .:o
I'm going to ground mount it so I have to cut back the branches on a tree and dig a hole for the pole at the bottom of the garden.
I wouldnt dare put it on a wall after the gales we had this week,too many sleepless nights.

Those NW winds were vicious this week especially if you're in an any exposed location.
Be sure to keep me updated on your progress though...
Please

marco2068

banie what receiver are you using? also what diseque switch are you using?

got my t90 delivered and assembeled yesterday, just have to put up a pole:)

banie01

marco2068 wrote: »

banie what receiver are you using? also what diseque switch are you using?

got my t90 delivered and assembeled yesterday, just have to put up a pole:)

I'm using a Vu+ Duo and 2 EMP/Centauri 4/1 switches that at some stage i will swop out for 10/1 switches to give me some more flexibility

RimaNTSS

marco2068 wrote: »

got my t90 delivered and assembeled yesterday, just have to put up a pole:)

I think that diseqc 1\16 is best option for T90 , with that you can have some leverage for future adding of LNBs. Cascading of 1\4 and 1\10 diseqcs is also good option.

marco2068

hi rima, made a heavyduty pole and base today. going to start trying it out tomorrow. The advice seems to be tune in the center lnb then the outermost lnb to get the skew right. after that the other sats should fall into place.

what receiver are you using?

RimaNTSS

Macro! Yes, you have right idea how to install toroidal antenna. The only difficulty for you could probably be that to have it tuned perfectly you will need lots of time. But antenna is great product anyway.
I have DM8000 and also DM7000. That second one I gave to my neighbor, cuz I do not really need it anymore, also put sat cable from my T90 to neighbor's house.
P.S. But all this seems to be out of tread's topic.
P.P.S. I have blogged instructions for T90 installation here _http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/blogs/rimantss/t90-instructions-243/