Satman, Bubbles, Sharen
still enjoy the Big Dish Experience
C band has tremendous applications
for the satellite hobbyist. C-band is still the prime delivery mode for
cable delivery. The few remaining analog channels avail are in transition
to digital mode. Most premium cable channels are delivered by Digicypher or 4DTV. Subscriptions
for these channels can be obtained from various program providers. FTA
transmission
of digital signals abound on c-band.
C-band dishes need to be tuned
exactly for best digital reception.
Most c-band owners will find some upgrades are
required on their system for top performance.
Setting up to watch C-Band
You will need to check the following on your old dish or carefully examine a used dish you may be obtaining
1. Mover Arm -- Most c-band mover
arms have a 24 count per inch resolution.
To get finer adjustment the
48 count unit works best. VonWeise sells a heavy duty 24" arm with a high resolution
count buy this for best performance. They sell a 24 count unit at $30-$40
less spending the extra money to assure accuracy is a good
investment.
Most c-band receivers have
good functionality as a mover unit. Just use the existing unit programmed
for the satellites you want to watch.
2. LNB -- If you examine the LNB
on your dish it is probably in the 35 degree K range.
It is helpful to get a "cooler"
unit. Our DMS BSC 211 is great for upgrading your existing unit it is 13
degree K and easily fits on to your existing feed horn/polarizer.
Invacom C-120 with ADF feed
horn is a good combination for high end performance.
We can also supply the complete
line of Norsat high end products.
3. Feedhorn/polarizer -- If you
have not used your dish for a while you may find that you are getting only half your
channels--either horizontal or vertical. This is an indication that your
polarizer
motor need to be replaced.
SatmanCanada.com is interested
in seeing that our customers get cost effective solutions. A new motor can
cost between $15-$35. The motor technology of the late70's is no longer
cost effective. For about the same price you can have it all.
Polarizer/feedhorn/lnbf
in one package is a cost effective easy to install solution.
Our ASC421
C-Band Dual Pol. LNBF or Digiwave
C-Band LNB will work well for you.
The ultimate feed horn solution
is the DMS BSC-621
With c-and ku it is in a class
of its own. The most useful feature of this unit is its ability to be set for circular
or linear polarization. If you are interested in a circular satattile such as 119 insert
the plate in the unit and you are done! If you are more interested in T-5 ku you can
run the unit without the plate.
C-band programming
can be classed in 2 basic groups "turn arounds" and primary feeds.
A "turn around" is a transmission
that is picked up by a provider such as Dishnet or DirecTV and retransmitted.
A good example is the stations on W-4 are "turned around" in
the Sky Angel package on 61.5 .
Primary feeds would include
major network feeds such as NBC on W-4 or PAX
on W-1.
Satellites W-1,W-4,G4r,G3 contain
the bulk of programming. Old line cable
birds such as G1,and C4 have
very little FTA programming available.