I have a standard (I think) Sky mesh type dish which was installed around 5 years ago and have noticed some rusting and general wear and tear.Some channels are not picked up very well such as the Militry channel which pixellates or freezes also rain fade can be quite a problem too. My question is would a bigger and/or better quality dish solve these problems especially as I`m considering the move to HD within a 6-12 month period?
Dish size/quality question
- Thread starter basshound
- Start date
daveh75
Well-known member
A bigger dish will give you a greater margin against rain fade, yes.
But if the cabling and/or LNB are as old as the dish,it's quite/more likely that these are the cause of your problems tbh
.But if the dish is as poor as you say your probably best replacing the lot.
But if the cabling and/or LNB are as old as the dish,it's quite/more likely that these are the cause of your problems tbh
.But if the dish is as poor as you say your probably best replacing the lot.
Thanks for the reply Dave,any suggestions what to go for as I haven`t a clue what to ask/look for.Also I`m located in Northern Ireland in case that has any relevance,hence the rusting and rain fade as the only difference between summer and winter here is that the rain is warmer in the summer!
daveh75
Well-known member
In your location, a 60cm dish will be adequate in terms of size. But due to the weather i'd probably go bigger and avoid steel dishes and go for aluminium.
If you dont mind the squarial-esque looks...
Then i'd recommend the Fracarro Penta, they come in 68cm and 85cm and in aluminium and steel models and are available in grey,red brick and white. They are high quality dishes,and will out-perform larger budget dishes by quite some margin.
I use an 85cm one on a motorised system myself and can't recommend them highly enough.
They're available HERE ,but it's also worth checking out their ebay and Amazon stores as they often sell them cheaper on those stores.
If the looks of the Pentas dont float your boat, then i'd also recommend Gibertini dishes, they are also of very good quality dishes, though the 60cm dishes only come in steel so if you want aluminium they start at 85cm...Available HERE
If you want budget options, then look at either triax or orbital dishes. They both make reasonable entry level dishes, but they're no where near the quality of either the Gibertini or Fracarro dishes TBH.
As for LNB's i'd recommend either Smart Titanium 0.1 db or Inverto Black Premium LNBs, both perform well on Gibertini and Fracarro dishes.
The Smart Titaniums come in single,twin and quad output models and can be bought cheaply HERE .
The Inverto Black Premiums also come in single,twin and quad output models and are available HERE reasonably cheap.
If you're going to be replacing the cable to, then use good quality 75ohm double screened "satellite grade" cable. such as Webro wf100 or similar.
If you dont mind the squarial-esque looks...
Then i'd recommend the Fracarro Penta, they come in 68cm and 85cm and in aluminium and steel models and are available in grey,red brick and white. They are high quality dishes,and will out-perform larger budget dishes by quite some margin.
I use an 85cm one on a motorised system myself and can't recommend them highly enough.
They're available HERE ,but it's also worth checking out their ebay and Amazon stores as they often sell them cheaper on those stores.
If the looks of the Pentas dont float your boat, then i'd also recommend Gibertini dishes, they are also of very good quality dishes, though the 60cm dishes only come in steel so if you want aluminium they start at 85cm...Available HERE
If you want budget options, then look at either triax or orbital dishes. They both make reasonable entry level dishes, but they're no where near the quality of either the Gibertini or Fracarro dishes TBH.
As for LNB's i'd recommend either Smart Titanium 0.1 db or Inverto Black Premium LNBs, both perform well on Gibertini and Fracarro dishes.
The Smart Titaniums come in single,twin and quad output models and can be bought cheaply HERE .
The Inverto Black Premiums also come in single,twin and quad output models and are available HERE reasonably cheap.
If you're going to be replacing the cable to, then use good quality 75ohm double screened "satellite grade" cable. such as Webro wf100 or similar.
I'm in Yorkshire and have an 85cm dish.
I've only ever lost signal once in 2 years and then only for a brief period on the very highest channels despite all of the heavy rain and snow we've had. Most of the time I have 100% strength and quality or very close.
This is my instalation:
I agree with Daveh on LNB and cable choice.
Also, consider Cablecon Professional Cable connectors as they're very waterproof, 2 bar in fact! The tool (RRP £45 I think), can be bought from Satelitte Superstore for around £20 : http://www.satellitesuperstore.com/satellitecable.htm#fconnectorscompression
Only thing is postage is quite expensive at SS so best if buying everything there.
(PS Sorry for size violation Andrew, it fitted the board so I presumed was OK)
I've only ever lost signal once in 2 years and then only for a brief period on the very highest channels despite all of the heavy rain and snow we've had. Most of the time I have 100% strength and quality or very close.
This is my instalation:
I agree with Daveh on LNB and cable choice.
Also, consider Cablecon Professional Cable connectors as they're very waterproof, 2 bar in fact! The tool (RRP £45 I think), can be bought from Satelitte Superstore for around £20 : http://www.satellitesuperstore.com/satellitecable.htm#fconnectorscompression
Only thing is postage is quite expensive at SS so best if buying everything there.
(PS Sorry for size violation Andrew, it fitted the board so I presumed was OK)
Thanks for the comprehensive and informative reply Dave,I`ll have a look at all the info and make a choice but the Fracarro looks to maybe be the one,not bothered about the looks just performance.Just to be clear if I got one through your link I would need to order a LNB too i.e. they don`t come as a complete kit?
I`m assuming you`re an installer from the knowlege you have,so got any relatives in Ireland you may be visiting soon and fancy a little cash job!
I`m assuming you`re an installer from the knowlege you have,so got any relatives in Ireland you may be visiting soon and fancy a little cash job!
daveh75
Well-known member
basshound:Thanks for the comprehensive and informative reply Dave,I`ll have a look at all the info and make a choice but the Fracarro looks to maybe be the one,not bothered about the looks just performance.You wont regret it,rain fade will be a thing of the past in all but very extreme weather.Just to be clear if I got one through your link I would need to order a LNB too i.e. they don`t come as a complete kitYes, you would need to order an LNB separately,they're not supplied with dishes.
Some/most aerial/satellite suppliers offer complete "dish packs" that contain everything you need, but unfortunately these packs usually contain budget components- I've yet to find a single supplier that can offer all the parts i've recommended in a package
.
Also forgot to mention in the above post,you'll need a wall bracket+fixings. If the dish is going to be mounted on a south facing/relatively sheltered wall then you'll get away with either a cheap u-bend or elbow type bracket. If not then you'll need something more substantial such as t&k brackets + pole. Any of the suppliers i linked to above should also be able to supply the bracketry.
I`m assuming you`re an installer from the knowlege you have,so got any relatives in Ireland you may be visiting soon and fancy a little cash job!I am,but no plans for visiting ireland in the near future unfortunately.
Some/most aerial/satellite suppliers offer complete "dish packs" that contain everything you need, but unfortunately these packs usually contain budget components- I've yet to find a single supplier that can offer all the parts i've recommended in a package
Also forgot to mention in the above post,you'll need a wall bracket+fixings. If the dish is going to be mounted on a south facing/relatively sheltered wall then you'll get away with either a cheap u-bend or elbow type bracket. If not then you'll need something more substantial such as t&k brackets + pole. Any of the suppliers i linked to above should also be able to supply the bracketry.
I`m assuming you`re an installer from the knowlege you have,so got any relatives in Ireland you may be visiting soon and fancy a little cash job!
I am,but no plans for visiting ireland in the near future unfortunately.I live in London and use a 1m dish which was motorized but is now fixed on Astra for Sky digital. Whilst the quality of picture is the same as a mini dish, the signal holds up much better in bad weather. Only once have we lost signal and that was when we had a severe thunderstorm and the cu-nimb cloud was directly between the dish and the satellite.
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