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Wave Frontier Toroidal T-90 Satellite Dish

July 19th, 2007 by admin

The other day I was out working on the “dish farm” and I decided to condense some of the setup. 

Now before today I had the following set up 

-6 foot C-Band dish 

-Dish500 with I adapter for Dish Network subscription 110 

-Dish300 for 61.5 Dish Network 

-36″ dish for G10 with a LNB attached for 119 Dish Network 

-Primestar dish for IA8 

-StarChoice dish for SC subscription 

-30″ motorized 

I know lots of us have multiple LNB’s on one dish (usually 2 or 3) but the LNB’s off the center always have lower signal and that turned me off. I always want the best signal possible.. 

I had seen picture of the dual reflector dishes that can do 10+ LNB’s and thought “yeah right”. I did some reading and saw a review done in Tele-satellite magazine a month or so ago and that’s what caught my interest. If I could combine dishes together while not sacrificing signal that would really clean up a lot of the setup. But the article was pretty quick and the review only did 4 satellites 13 degrees apart. I wanted more. 

Enter the Wave Frontier Toroidal T-90 multi-LNB dish 

Fist thing you want to do before ordering is to figure out what satellites you want to pick up (to make sure you have enough LNB’s & switches). The satellites have to be 3 degrees apart and the max view is 40 degrees so I took out the Lyngsat list and started figuring out what satellites I wanted to get. I knew I needed 110 & 119 for Dish and 107.3 for StarChoice. This would take care of my subscriptions. I wanted G10 for sure so I knew the farthest I could go on the other side was AMC9 at 83. With AMC1 (103) and the screwy skew, I figured “half way between”. I also chose some satellites with feeds. 97, 93, 89, and 85. So I ordered from Sadoun the T-90, 3 duals, one single, and 2 reverse DBS LNB’s and 2 22k switches. I already had a couple LNB’s that could be used too. If you use DBS for subscription, you need these reverse polarity LNB’s due to the 2 reflectors or else the polarity is backwards. KU Band is fine. 

So Friday night I come home to see a HUGE box in front of my door. I had to use the 2 wheeler to bring it in. Opened up the box to see a lot of parts (a lot). Took everything out of the box and separated the parts in little piles. Please note this is not a half hour build the dish job so make sure you have a couple hours minimum to build it. And away we go. 

The first thing I noticed is the instructions aren’t the best. I mainly looked at the pictures. This is a big dish (42×40) and has 2 reflectors. They claim the 2nd reflector does the magic. We’ll see. Building it wasn’t bad (there aren’t that many actual parts, just lots of nuts and bolts). I did have a little difficulty lining up the holes for 2 pieces but we got it put together. I highly suggest 2 people put this together because the dish is heavy. The mast is kinda weird. There is only one bolt to go through the bottom of the mast and there is a brace that goes behind the mast and you have to use. The mast is 2 3/8″ so it is a bigger mast. Once I had the dish put together I put it on the mast (temporarily set up in living room). Put the arms on to hold the 2nd reflector and put that up. Lastly there is the “slide bar” where the LNB’s go. It took me about 3 hours to build it and get it ready (I did take a couple breaks but I say it was at least 2+ hours for sure. And I wish I had a 2nd set of hands because putting together some parts were tricky for one person. 

So Saturday I went out to find a spot to mount the dish. Check Line of sight which was no issue. The issue was I thought I could use my StarChoice mast but it was too small and I really didn’t want to drill more holes, I settled on the table that my C-Band dish is on. Made sure mast was plumb and put in bolts for foot and brace and leveled it out. Put dish up (here is where a 2nd person could come in handy) on mast and was very happy that by looks, my roof wouldn’t come near my LOS : ) 

There is a spot on Sadoun’s site that you can enter your latitude/longitude and list your easternmost & western most satellites that you want to pick up and it tells you where to aim the dish and gives you skew and “twist” of the LNB holders. Printed that out and started working on aiming. The first two issues I came across were there is no elevation markings. Its just one giant bolt that you screw and unscrew. Another thing is skew has markings for every 10. My skew was 82.61 so I had to guestimate. 

The LNB holders are quite interesting. They have markings for 0, +10, +20, -10, -20 and I didn’t know what they were for. Well, these are to twist the LNB holder to aim it up properly. The chart that I printed out told me what each one was and you can fine tune these (more on that later). 

Since I wanted to get from 85-123 I used 83 in the setup which gave me 103 as my “center” LNB. I felt it was easier to use an exiting satellite and not “104″ when I said I wanted 85-123. The slide scale is pretty neat. It has markings on it so you don’t have to guess. The LNB in the center goes to 0. So I slid it down the scale to 0 and tightened it. 

Here’s where the fun began. With no way of knowing what elevation was, I had to basically hunt. I tuned up Pentagon channel on my Pansat 1500 and aimed where I thought it was. Nothing. Tried some more. Nothing. If I had a angle finder it would be easier (I think). The one advantage of the Pansat is when your close, the signal meter goes up (even if the elevation is off). Finally found Pentagon. 45 signal. Tweaked the LNB and got it at abut 75. Now I skewed to where I thought 82 was. You’re suppose to add LNB’s on your far east and west satellites and tweak the skew from there. This is what took forever to do because one was fine but the other was bad. I tried for almost an hour to get both at good signals. I decided to try and tweak it a little closer in by using 119 and 89 (these 2 satellites I wanted for sure). This was much easier to do and in 15 minutes I had both tweaked in. 

Now I started adding LNB’s. First one was 107.3 for my SC subscription and got that tuned in.(I hooked up my StarChoice receiver to tune that in). Setting up other LNB’s is much easier. 107.3 is 4 degrees form 103. Slide it to “4″ on the scale and bam..signal. Tweaked the signal in. Added 110 & 119 with a breeze. Now I started on the other side (remember, when working with multiple LNB’s they go on the opposite side so the right side was from 101 down). 

Added 97 and tweaked. The best thing to do if you don’t have a satellite meter is to pick an active transponder on the receiver and slide the LNB until the signal comes in. 

Remember the numbers on the LNB holders? You can adjust those for optimum signal. There is a screw to keep them from moving. I adjusted those and got a few more points on some transponders. Basically when the signal comes down, it reflects off the dish to the 2nd reflector and to the LNB. The twisting of the bracket lines it up to get the second bounce. So twisting them allows you to optimize signal. Skew is normally not needed as the whole dish is skewed but you can skew the LNB too if you wish (again for signal).I only did that for AMC1 (which is off anyways) and one other (I forget off the top of my head). Had good signal on a couple TP’s on IA5. I made sure to check most active TP’s before continuing. Slipped another LNB down the scale for IA6 and got that tuned in. This is the easiest part. Just need to add or subtract and line it up on the marking. Please note this is not etched in stone, You can move it for optimum signal. Added one for 89 and got really good signal. I tried to add one for 85 but AMC2 is kinda bad signal wise here in MN so the signals I didn’t like the best. So I settled on AMC9 at 83. I tried to get 79 (which is more than 20 off center) and I did get a flicker but ran out of the slide bar 

Now the last one was G10. This one took some working because I feel I might have a minor LOS issue. The signals aren’t as good as I wanted but should be fine.  http://www.sadoun.net/forums/satellite-equipment-reviews/ 

Satelite Car Radio

July 8th, 2007 by admin

Satellite Radio 

Satellite radio is similar to satellite television. You sign up with a satellite radio provider, either XM or Sirius, and they broadcast a radio signal to you from their satellites. Like satellite television, you will need special equipment to receive this signal. The equipment is not cross-compatible. In other words, it is only designed to work with one provider or the other. Therefore, when you buy your equipment you will have to know ahead of time which provider you want to have. There are adapter kits that will allow you to add satellite radio to your current receiver through an FM modulator. Like all FM modulated sources, the music quality will only be as good as FM radio. You will be missing out on the CD quality provided by satellite radio. The price per month is between $9.95 for XM and $12.95 for Sirius. If you’re interested in satellite radio you should check out both providers and choose the one right for you. Satellite radio is available for both the car and home. 

Digital Radio 

Digital radio is a cousin to satellite radio. Like satellite radio, it’s digital in nature. Unlike satellite radio, it is a land based system. The digital signal is carried on the same frequency band as a traditional radio station. In fact the programming on both the analog and digital band would be the same. This hybrid arrangement allows traditional radios to listen to the analog broadcast and digital radios to hear the digital broadcast. Digital radio is still in its infancy but will likely replace traditional radio in the future. Radio stations will need to make the investment in new digital transmission equipment and consumers will need to invest in new digital radio receivers. In addition to music, digital transmissions can also carry other data. Text displays can give listeners more information on their favorite song, CD title, and artist. In addition, commercial and advertising information will be delivered via this service. Breaking news, sports, weather, and traffic alerts could also be sent in text or audio format. Currently the only provider of digital radio is iBiquity. Check out the full story at iBiquity. 

Satellite Radio vs. Digital Radio 

The main differences between the two are their markets. Satellite radio broadcasts cover the entire country while digital radio broadcasts only cover their local area, much like traditional radio. With satellite radio you can travel across the country and never change the station. However with digital radio you will be able to get local information on you radio receiver. They’re not really competing systems other than they’re both competing for your listening time. Expect them to coexist peacefully in the future. 

http://www.caraudiohelp.com/ 

Satellite TV Reviews - DISH Network, DIRECTV, and Sky Angel

June 23rd, 2007 by admin

Satellite TV Reviews  There are currently three satellite TV companies in the U.S. — DISH Network , DIRECTV, and Angel Star.  DISH Network and DIRECTV broadcast a variety of television shows, sporting events, special events, and commercial-free music, while Angel Star broadcasts Christian oriented programs, music, and special events. 

Here are the reviews …  DIRECTV Review 

DIRECTV was launched in 1994 by Hughes Electronics and was the first high-powered DBS (direct broadcast satellite) service in the world.  DIRECTV is currently the largest satellite TV company, with more than 15 million subscribers, and is ranked #2 in customer satisfaction among all cable and satellite TV companies by J.D. Power and Associates. 

DIRECTV Programming Review  DIRECTV has 250 channels of satellite TV programming, and offers three programming packages. 

Their basic package, Total Choice, includes 155 program channels, 3 movie channels, and 50 XM radio channels, while their top-of-the-line Total Choice Premier package includes 250 program channels, including 3 movie channels, and 67 XM radio channels.  DIRECTV also also offers pay-per-view programming, HD (high definition) programming packages, adult channels, and international programming. 

Program prices start at $29.99 per month (for the first three months) for their basic program package, and go up to $96.99 for their top-of-the-line package. It costs $3 a month extra to receive local channels.  Compared to the other satellite TV providers, DIRECTV has the most sports programming. 

DIRECTV Equipment Review  The equipment you need to receive DIRECTV programming includes a satellite TV dish, satellite TV receivers, and remote controls . This equipment is currently free when you sign up for one of DIRECTV’s programming packages, and comes with free installation. 

DIRECTV offers DVR’s (digital video recorders) and HD receivers. Both are free after a $99 mail-in rebate.  Note: For current information on programming, equipment, pricing, and ordering, click on the links below. 

DISH Network Review  DISH Network was launched in 1996 by EchoStar. 

DISH Network is currently the fastest-growing satellite TV company, with more than 12 million subscribers, and is ranked #1 in customer satisfaction among all cable and satellite TV companies by J.D. Power and Associates.  DISH Network Programming Review 

DISH Network offers 375 channels of satellite TV programming, and five program packages.  Their starter package, the 40-channel Dish Family Pak, includes family-oriented programming such as Animal Planet, Nickelodeon, and the Hallmark Movie Channel. Their top-of-the-line “Everything” Pak includes 375 program channels, including 60 Sirius radio channels, 52 music channels, HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz. 

DISH Network also offers pay-per-view programming, HD programming packages, adult channels, and sports packages.  When you compare DISH Network to the other providers you’ll find they have most movies, shows, and international channels. 

Prices start at $19.99 per month for their family package, and go up to $74.99 for their top-of-the-line package. It costs $5 a month extra to receive local channels.  DISH Network Equipment Review 

The equipment you need to receive DISH Network programming — a satellite dish, satellite TV receivers, and remote controls — are currently free when you sign up for one of DISH Network’s entertainment packages. Installation of the system is also free.  DISH Network is currently offering free DVR’s and free HD receivers. 

Note: For current information on programming, equipment, pricing, and ordering, click on the links below.  Sky Angel Review 

Sky Angel is owned by Dominion Video Satellite Inc., and is a satellite TV provider that specializes in Christian oriented programming. It was launched in 1981.  Sky Angel uses DISH Network satellite TV equipment for their service and allows subscribers to get both services with the same equipment. 

Sky Angel Programming Review  Sky Angel offers a variety of Christian talk shows and Christian news shows. Included in their lineup are popular Christian-oriented shows such as Pat Robertson’s 700 Club, Benny Hinn’s This is Your Day, and Hal Lindsey’s TV show. 

News shows include CBN’s Christian World News show. TV specials that have aired on Sky Angel include Justice Sundays, and the Promise Keepers.  Children and Teen programming includes KTV-Kids and Teens Television, TVU Music Television, several teen Christian radio networks, and the nation’s only kids’ radio network, His Kids Radio. 

Twenty program channels and 16 music channels are $14.99 monthly, or $149.90 annually. It costs $5.99 a month extra to receive local channels.  Sky Angel Equipment Review 

Equipment prices start at $149 for one dish, one receiver, and a remote control. Additional receivers are $99 each, and there is a $5 monthly charge to activate each receiver.  Note: For current information on programming, equipment, pricing, and ordering, visit www.skyangel.com 

Click on the following link for more satellite TV reviews and to compare satellite TV providers. Click on this link for information on free satellite TV systems and service, plus ordering information and the latest special offers from DISH Network and DIRECTV.  The author, Brian Stevens, is the senior editor for TheSatelliteTVGuide.com and has written a number of satellite TV reviews. http://www.buzzle.com/ 

Manhattan Plaza ST 100 with the 70

June 8th, 2007 by admin

A report by Roy Carman.

Test Conditions.
Test Date 19 to 23 October 2005.

Equipment. Dish, 1.2 meter Channel Master. Genesis Mk 3 Twin Universal Low Noise Bloc (LNB).
The IF feed to the receiver is distributed through an active Eurostar 8 way splitter. Sat FT125 Cable from LNB to Splitter then FT 100 cable from splitter to the various receivers.
The dish is moved with an Echostar AD 3600IP Viaccess receiver. Therefore DiSEqC was not tested.

The Receiver. (In test situation)
I received the original Manhattan Plaza ST 100 for testing purposes on Friday 24 September 2004 morning. It has taken 13 months and many software writing hours, to turn this receiver into the receiver that it should have been 13 months ago. Why oh why do manufacturers and the Company selling this receiver sell equipment that takes so many software updates to turn their wares into usable objects.

Do they not understand the maxim, “First impressions count”?
The receiver has not changed in its appearance. The receiver rear has two Scart sockets, one marked TV the other marked VCR. The TV Scart socket is SVHS compatible. Also available are a full set of phono sockets, (Video and stereo audio), SVHS socket, and also Digital Sound output in the form of a phono socket. A 12 volt accessory phono sockets makes up the 5 phono’s that can be seen. It is USALs and DiSEqC 1.3 compatible and will handle up to 40 satellites using a DiSEqC motorised system. In the better than normally written handbook (but still needs some improvement) it states that the receiver will function between 2000 and 45000Bits. I have found that it exceeds expectations here and will work, by my experience down to at 1500bits per second easily and probably beyond. Also on the rear are IF loop through facilities and UHF loop through. The receiver can be set to work on most of the Worlds TV systems via the UHF link. Finally there is an RS 232 socket (Bit Rate : 115,200 baud connector: 9 pin D-sub type) for updating the receiver software via null modem cable from a computer, or for connecting another receiver of type to transfer data between receivers.

On the front left of the receiver as you face it there are three buttons, Standby, TV/Radio, and menu. Then going right is the Digital LED display. (This receiver has a clock that actually works properly). Then a multi switch that allows channel up and down, volume up and down, and in the middle the “OK” switch to confirm your entry.

The physical dimensions are, Width 300 mm, Height 67mm, Depth 240 mm. The receiver is extremely light and arrives with you in good packaging. Well at least from the dealer who sent this to me. Current consumption is reported to be a maximum of 30 watts maximum and the input voltage is 100–240 Volts AC, 50/60 Hz~. Also this receiver can be upgraded over the air from the Hotbird Satellites at 13 East, or of course with a computer that has access to the Internet. None of the previous blind search receivers could be upgraded over the air.

Operation and function.
The receiver is now as fast as the Fortec receivers, slightly slower in search, but this is made up by the rapid download of found transponders. There are only two types of channel download possible. They are Channel Search and Advanced Search (Blind Search). The odd thing is that when in Advanced Search the receiver searches the Vertical polarity first and not the Horizontal, as all of the other blind search receivers so do. Advanced Search.  This is so improved to the first time I tested this type of receiver that there is very little to write bout it, other than praise.
The first search is ALL. This will search the designated frequency band in the symbol rates from 1000 bits to 45000 bits. However the receiver in this mode will only find SR below 2000 if there is a clear 8 MHz either side of the active frequency. If there is another transponder functioning within the 8 MHz then it will be missed. ALL search is carried out in 8 MHz steps. The search is only slightly slower than the Fortec, but I feel it is more accurate in that it misses less than the competition, but once the search part is over, the transponder download is very fast, so making up any difference in search times. One thing really in its favour is that it downloads Data transponders as fast as it download feeds and regular programming, whereas many of the competitors, especially the Fortec, take ages to download data transponders.
The second search is, 2000 to 4000 bits. This is only required if your are searching a satellite that has many transponders with the symbol rates between 2000 and 4000 bits, such as Turksat 1C at 42 East, and the cohabiting bird at 42 East, Eurasiasat. This really ensures that you miss nothing.

The big change here is that the 2000 to 4000 bits scan is now a search in 4 MHz stages instead of 8 MHz as it was before. This search will also record symbol rates as high as 5700 bits.
To complete the thoroughness of the receiver is the search band from ? to 2000 bits. I have found symbol rates as low as 1000 * with this search. Again the search is in 4 MHz steps and therefore takes a while longer to search.

* 12.632GHz V 1000 ѕ on SESAT at 36 degrees East, 11.617GHz H 1257 7/8 on NSS 7 at 22 degrees West, as well as several others. In all this has become a thorough and reasonably swift search engine. The receiver still starts its search in the Vertical plain. Search parameters can be set starting at any desired frequency and of course ending at any desired frequency. The receiver has a “World” data base of satellites that are transmitting that is right up to date. Now that the appetite has been whetted I shall describe the set up of this clever little receiver.

Set Up
On taking the receiver from its primary packaging you will find it is accompanied by an easy to
understand manual, which really needs to be updated to link with the new software. But that is
being slightly picky on my part. The remote control is of a medium size and easy to use even with one hand if the needs be. Insert the accompanying batteries into the Remote Control Unit (RCU). After attaching the necessary leads to make this receiver function then it is time to switch on. This has got to be one of the easiest receivers to set up. After the Manhattan logo, a Menu page appears.

Here the user selects their language. 15 Choices of language are available, they are mainly European. They are English, Deutsch, Francais, Italiano, Espanol, Portuguese, Turkish, Arabic, Farsi, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Nederlands, Greek. Transparency of the on screen data can be adjusted to the users’ choice. The information display that comes on when you have downloaded some satellite channels can also be adjusted. As a feed hunter it is useful to put this to “On” instead of one of the timed options. This allows the data to stay on screen whilst going through the channels. When you are channel surfing you can get rid of the on screen display by simply pressing OK on the RCU. I still cannot see the point of the screen saver, but it is there if desired. Once the user has set the required criteria on this menu, move down to Store and press OK. The receiver then changes to the next page of the menu.

The second menu page allows the setting up of you receiver to your television. If your television is multi standard then leave the TV standard at Auto. Choose the screen format of your TV and also the way that you have connected to the TV be it RGB or Composite. Choose the UHF channel if considered necessary and then cursor down to Store and press OK on the remote control.

The first time that you press OK whilst the cursor is over Advance search, the following screen appears.
Menu is simple and easy to use. The only odd thing that renders a mention is the need to Store.
Any Edit that is carried out must be Stored to take effect, but the user needs to press the exit button, after making changes, on the RCU before the cursor can be positioned at the store position. The last part of the menu is the Games.
Why oh why do we have to suffer this great loss storage space with these futile, infantile games?
They must take up memory space so reducing the channel memory of the receiver. Channel memory is paramount especially in the European region of the Clarke Belt. This receiver can be filled by just downloading Eutelsat Hotbirds at 13 East, Astra Series 1 craft at 19.2 East, Astra Series 2 Craft and Eurobird 1 in the 28.2 and 28.5 East slot!!!!!!!!
In the handbook, which I must say is better written than most, it states up to 5000 channels (Radio + TV), the receivers I have tested before have not achieved that but this new 70 software increases the channel locations to 8000.

Results.
Under test conditions and blind searching Eutelsat Hotbirds at 13 degrees East, the busiest satellite in the European sector of the Clarke Belt, the Manhattan searched the whole of the KU band in 10 minutes 20 seconds, it then took a further 6 minutes dead, to download the 92 transponders found. The receiver returned 1340 TV channels and 422 Radio Channels.
I also ran the Fortec Lifetime + Ultra at the same time, the Fortec took 10 minutes 33 seconds to search the whole of Hotbird and a further 10 minutes 24 seconds to download the channels found, 1309 TV and 422 Radio Channels.

The Manhattan beat the Fortec Lifetime + Ultra by a clear 4 minutes. I also ran a test on Eutelsat W 2 at 16 degrees East. This is a mixed satellite of Feeds, Data and programming. The Fortec took just 5 minutes and 27 seconds to search W 2 between 10950 and 11750 MHz, both V and H, but because of the 3 Data transponders, 11635 V 17578 5/6, 11660 V 17578 5/6 and 11693 V 2569 Ѕ, took a staggering 9 minutes 15 seconds to download; a total time of 14 minutes 42 seconds.

Whereas the Manhattan took 8 minutes 10 seconds to search the same parameters, but  downloaded the found transponders in 1 minute 21 seconds; a total time of 9 minutes 31 seconds. Again the Manhattan wins by a full 4 minutes.
I must qualify a fact here and that is the use of the “illegal” software for the Fortec receiver, otherwise the Fortec would need to search from 10700 to 11750 MHz. I did not include the inputting of data in the timings, but again I must say that the Manhattan was easier to prepare for search than the Fortec.

Comments.
I must repeat the observation, “Why did it take 6 software updates to make this receiver the
excellent one that it is after the 70 software update”. The receiver SHOULD have been in this
state when it first reached the market place 13 months ago. Why wasn’t it?
But looking beyond the first thirteen months, this Manhattan is a superb little receiver and I firmly believe that this receiver very much has the edge over the Fortecstar receivers.
It is very thorough in searching and is virtually “absolute” when the more refined searches are used.
It will do as it says on the box. It will search from 999 bits to 45000 bits. I have yet to find
another receiver with that capability.
The threshold of the receiver is on par with its competitors.
It is simple to set up and very easy to use, however, the handbook now needs updating so that a true beginner can start his feed hunting hobby using this receiver.
The only Transponder that “freezes” this receiver is on Express AM 1 at 40 East.
This is a Data transponder 11667 V 28000 ѕ. This raise the point that an A.C. main switch would be useful for those reboot moments.
The Video could be a little sharper, (but see below for massive impovements in picture
quality from Series 72 software onwards) but the audio is impressive for the small price paid.
But it is far superior to others because when the Manhattan searches and downloads, part of the downloaded information supplies the Forward Error Correction (FEC) and it is the only
blind search receiver to do that.
This software is also available in the 200, 300, 250, 500, and 550 versions of the Manhattan receivers.
For the first time I have got to say “Well done Eurosat”, at least you listen to criticism and do
something about it.
http://www.satellitesuperstore.com/