Satellite Dish Pointing At Multiple Satellites

[hyperdimension]

I'm planning on getting into Satellite TV and have been reading a lot about it.

The content I would like to get most is the GMM Grammy channels, which I believe are on the Thaicom 5 satellite. However, other content I would also like to get are:

Korean music videos & concerts

Discovery / National Geographic documentaries in English

Discovery / National Geographic documentaries with Thai audio

US / UK movies in English

US / UK movies with Thai audio

Possibly other channels that I don't know of yet.

Which satellites would I be able to access these other content from and what kind of dish would I need? I am looking to get a Dreambox so whether channels are FTA or not is not of concern.

Which other satellites could I access if I point the dish at (or near) Thaicom 5 (from Bangkok)? Would the picture still be clear if I don't point the dish straight at one satellite?

What is the price difference for a movable dish? I have checked web sites like PSIsat.com and Jsat.tv and satthai.tv but have not found movable dishes being sold. Are they unpopular? What other web sites can I look at for buying a dish in Bangkok?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[BB1950]

Movable dishes seem to be on their way out. The dish needs to be closely aligned to satellite to get a decedent signal. Positioning on one and hoping to receive another isn't feasible.

I have an old movable 6' dish with a 'move' receiver, it cannot be programed for the new decoders. The new thing is to have fixed dishes feeding into a signal combiner/splitter box. My satellite guy recommended a combiner that accepted inputs from 3 LNA's and provide outputs for 8 fixed dish receivers.

Also the move is from the big 6 foot dish, to smaller 1.5 meter dishes. Seems like a better and less costly solution for view satellites from more than one TV. For me, I've found there are only 3 satellites that I view anymore.

The disadvantage to moveble dishes are higher initial cost for receiver and dish, higher maintenance costs, slow speed to change satellites and problem with upgrading decoding schemes.

[garyh]

On the way out I have just installed a 7.5 foot movable dish and getting at least 12 satellites, could get more if I wanted but nothing on the other I want.

Try http://www.jsat.tv/ they are TV sponsors.

Edited December 22, 2010 by garyh

[Pib]

To the OP: I would agree with BB1950 that moveable dishs seem to be on their way out in Thailand (except maybe in a few high population expat locations like Pattaya and Phuket), due to the availability of desired channels since many of the satellites "available to Thailand" carry the same channels and/or very similar programming. Plus, most people end up concentrating most of their viewing on one satellite...and in Thailand that satellite is Thaicom 5. Additionally, a movable dish is significantly more expensive and alignment problem prone...and moving to another satellite to watch show ABC while someone else in the house is watching show XYZ on the satellite the dish is currently pointed out sure can make viewing squabbles popup with inthe home.

Here's a good website for a satellite TV store in Bangkok that many installers in Bangkok end up buying their hardware from. Gives you a good idea of actual costs for the hardware (not what the installer wants to charge you) and links to other satellite TV sites. I've bought quite a few items from this 9SATS store when installing my 5.5ft DyanSat C band dish, installing a multiswitch, buying setup top box/receivers, installing a 5.5ft fixed dish system for the mother-in-law, just buyng a variety of satellite TV stuff, etc. Be sure to have you google translate turned out...the site is in Thai but translates fairly well under google translate. http://9sats.com/

[astral]

A cheaper option can be a dish for each satellite.

My Dish Farm

Alternatively, if the satellites are close together

two LNB's on one dish

Dual LNB's

In my setup, two satellites I want to watch are only 0.5 degrees apart,

so I merged the table of transponders in the satellite box and it now

sees both satellites at the same time with one LNB

This way I cover 5 birds with 3 dishes.

[Pib]

Paint the wall the dishes are mounted on and you'll gain another 1db signal strength.

I'd rather have a multiple fixed dish setup like yours versus a movable dish because different viewers in different rooms can watch whatever satellite they want to compared to one movable dish which will be pointing at only one satellite and probably not pickup any other nearby satellites very well...plus you don't need to worry about movable dish alignment issues.

Cheers and Happy Holidays.

[hyperdimension]

Thank you for the responses guys, they are helping me greatly in making a decision of what to buy and how to set things up.

astral, how large are those dishes? My understanding is that some satellites require large dishes (in Bangkok) to be able to get a strong enough signal from them. So small dishes may only be usable with a small number of satellites. Am I correct? I've spent time looking at the satbeams.com site that shows the coverage of each satellite. You can click on the google map (in Thailand Bangkok area) and it then shows the recommended dish size for a particular satellite.

The jsat.tv site lists 29 satellites that are accessible from Thailand. Which ones are actually worth using? I've looked at the channel lists on lyngsat.com but for a lot of the channels it's difficult to know what kind of content is being broadcast. I don't think I can find any channels that have Korean music or concerts (the Koreasat satellites don't cover Thailand). Where can I find documentary channels like Discovery and National Geographic? I know Truevisions channels are on Thaicom 5, but from what I've read, Irdeto 2 is a tough nut to crack. Can anyone enlighten me on how I could watch the Truevisions channels (via private message if that's more appropriate).

I think I'd go with one dish first, and it will need to be pointed at Thaicom 5 to get the GMM Grammy channels (ACTS, Bang, Fan TV, Green TV) (required for a family member). Pib, using your excellent advice in another thread, I'd get a dual band LNB (C + Ku) so that I can also access NSS 6 (Ku band) at the same time. I was wondering how is this possible, as they are in very different locations? Thaicom 5 is at 79 E, NSS 6 is at 95 E. Is NSS 6 the only other satellite I could access whilst the dish is pointed at Thaicom 5?

One other query I have is how would it be possible to have multiple television sets watch different channels via the same dish, like in a hotel room? Or must I buy one receiver for each TV? There are5 TVs i nthe house, so it would be costly to have to buy one for each, especially if they are all going to be Dreamboxes.

[astral]

astral, how large are those dishes? My understanding is that some satellites require large dishes (in Bangkok) to be able to get a strong enough signal from them.

The dishes I showed are between 70 - 100cm

but that is for the satellites in the Middle East where I live

The determining factor for the dish size is where the satellite points its beam,

the "footprint". For example Thaisat is beamed in Thailand so a 60-70cm dish will suffice,

similarly for Measat, beamed on Malaysia. Lyngsat will show you the foot print for

many satellites, however it not as useful as it used to be. The old maps were large, with signal contours,

and a chart down the side to allow you to predict what size of dish is needed to a particular

signal level

Also if you mount 2 LNB's in one dish there will be some compromise, so a slightly larger dish may be needed.

The jsat.tv site lists 29 satellites that are accessible from Thailand. Which ones are actually worth using? I've looked at the channel lists on lyngsat.com but for a lot of the channels it's difficult to know what kind of content is being broadcast. I don't think I can find any channels that have Korean music or concerts (the Koreasat satellites don't cover Thailand). Where can I find documentary channels like Discovery and National Geographic? I know Truevisions channels are on Thaicom 5, but from what I've read, Irdeto 2 is a tough nut to crack. Can anyone enlighten me on how I could watch the Truevisions channels (via private message if that's more appropriate).

In Asia many of the channels are encrypted, so you need a card to watch.

Thaicom 5 is at 79 E, NSS 6 is at 95 E. Is NSS 6 the only other satellite I could access whilst the dish is pointed at Thaicom 5?

You will not get both those satellites from one dish, unless it is moveable.

They are far to far apart.

One other query I have is how would it be possible to have multiple television sets watch different channels via the same dish, like in a hotel room? Or must I buy one receiver for each TV? There are5 TVs i nthe house, so it would be costly to have to buy one for each, especially if they are all going to be Dreamboxes.

A hotel like setup does require multiple receivers, either one for each room in your home,

or one for each channel as in a hotel.

Another problem here, is when you have multiple satellites in view, as the box will be selecting which

satellite it looks at, via an electronic switch Diseqc

When I lived in Thailand I took the approach of using the local cable for the channels most Thais like,

but also fed the house distribution box from the satellite receiver so they could all watch

what was on the satellite a that time.

[Pib]

I think I'd go with one dish first, and it will need to be pointed at Thaicom 5 to get the GMM Grammy channels (ACTS, Bang, Fan TV, Green TV) (required for a family member). Pib, using your excellent advice in another thread, I'd get a dual band LNB (C + Ku) so that I can also access NSS 6 (Ku band) at the same time. I was wondering how is this possible, as they are in very different locations? Thaicom 5 is at 79 E, NSS 6 is at 95 E. Is NSS 6 the only other satellite I could access whilst the dish is pointed at Thaicom 5?

No problem at all get ThaiCom5 and NSS6 channels using the same C band dish with two separately mounted LNBs (a C band LNB and a KU band LNB). I have a DyanSat "fixed" 5.5 ft C-band dish with a C/KU band "combo/integrated" LNB (I'll call this my 1st LNB) which I use to watch C-band channels on Thaicom5 and to watch TrueVisions KU band channels on ThaiCom5. The KU LNB portion of the combo C/KU LNB is a 11300MHz LNB so it will work easier/provide the least RG6 cable signal loss with my TrueVisions set top boxes. I have a subscription to TrueVisions. Plus, the default LNB frequency for TrueVisions boxes is 11300MHz....a 11300MHz LNB is what TrueVisions provides with the small KU band red/gray dishes they install.

I also have mounted on my 5.5 ft C-band dish a separate dual output Universal KU band LNB (I'll call this my second LNB) for the NSS6 satellite/channels. It's a dual output so I can get channels transmitted under the horizontal or vertical polarity. The horizontal polarity channels are really the only ones kinda worth having and they come in fairly strong (only lose them in heavy rain); there are also some vertical channels which have weak reception but do come in until it starts raining. The only reason I installed the LNB for the NSS6 channels was to get a few additional channels like the TAN channel (Thai Asean Network) which is mostly in English and I like their morning and evening news. But as of a few months ago, TAN is now on TrueVisions Channel 78 so I really don't use use the NSS6 channels anymore.

If you look closely at a lot of C band dishes in Thailand you'll may see that they will have a small KU band LNB mounted just to the side of the main C Band LNB in the center. Chances are this small KU band LNB is either going to be for Thaicom5 KU or NSS6 KU band channels....probably the NSS6 channels. Seems most folks now days when subscribing to TrueVisions just go ahead and get their separate red or gray KU band dish to go along with their C Band dish. That's how I initially went, but later switched the LNB feed for my TrueVisions signal to the combo/integrated C/KU band LNB on my C Band dish because I got about a 3-4 db stronger signal which made quite a difference in TrueVisions signal reception when it was raining. Now, I only lose TrueVisions channels in the very heavy thunderstorms and normally for less than 5 minutes; before when using just the KU band 75cm dish provided by TrueVisions I would sometimes lose the signal even before it started raining/just heavy rain cloud cover/no rain yet....and this 75cm dish was perfectly aligned...I aligned myself to ensure I was getting the strongest signal possible...some times the TrueVisions installers just kinda get it close enough for government work which was the case when I checked the alignment...I got around 6db more when I aligned the 75cm dish. But now, that 75cm dish is just hanging on my wall...I guess I ought to point it as some KU band satellite and pick up some more channels, 95% of which will probably be redundant of the ones I already get from ThaiCom5/NSS6/TrueVisions and/or are just plain crap.

Here's some PSI/DynaSat Dish install links/pictures that shows one method to mount a KU Band LNB to pick up NSS6 channels while your C Band dish is directly pointed at another satellite like ThaiCom 5 (I don't use the DISEqc as shown in the pictures...I run the LNB output directly to a multiswitch inside the house): (1) http://www.psisat.co...manual-nss6.pdf (2) http://www.9sats.com...1.php?page=pic5 In the alignment of the NSS6 LNB it's not pointed directly at the center of the dish but about 6 inches from the center since you need to compensate for the satellite being at 95E versus being a 78.5E where the Thaicom5 satellite is and since most people have their dish pointed directly at the ThaiCom 5 satellite for max reception of that satellite since the great majority of their viewing/channels are coming from.

And here a link/image showing where you can mounted a bunch of LNBs on a fixed C band dish to pickup multiple satellites. The key is the proper alignment of the LNB on the dish. Of course a movable dish would allow you to get maximum reception by pointing the dish directly satellite XYZ, but offset mounting of LNBs on fixed dishes will still give you pretty good reception for multiple satellites that is say plus or minus 10-15 degrees of each other up there in outer space. http://www.9sats.com...1.php?page=pic4

In the alignment of the NSS6 LNB it's not pointed directly at the center of the dish but at a spot about 6 inches from the center since you need to compensate for the satellite being at 95E versus being at 78.5E where the Thaicom5 satellite is, and since most people have their dish pointed directly at the ThaiCom 5 satellite for max reception of that satellite since the great majority of their viewing/channels are coming from ThaiCom5. Also, even though your C band dish may be pointed right at ThaiCom 5 you can pick up the stronger C band signals/channels on other nearby satellites like IntelSat 10 at 68E, ABS1 at 75E, NSS6 at 95E, etc., but the channels were most the same/very similar freeview crap that was on ThaiCom5 so I didn't leave these satellite settings in my C band set top boxes.

Good luck on your pending satellite TV adventure.

[hyperdimension]

Thanks again for the responses, I'm still trying to digest it all as it's a lot to take in without having yet anything to play with.

The pictures are a great help in understanding how one dish can access multiple satellites. I now realize that a single combination (C + Ku) LNB would not be able to access both Thaicom 5 and NSS 6 at the same time; I'd need a separate Ku band LNB to access NSS 6. Though it's still good to get a combination LNB (C + Ku) with dual polarity (H + V), as Thaicom 5 has channels on different bands and polarities (all 4 possible combinations).

I've just noticed on lyngsat.com that the Thaicom 5 channel list has been updated with MRTV showing a whole lot of Discovery and National Geographic channels, plus around 6 sport channels, FTA. Can anyone confirm that this is correct?

Guessing from the provided example pictures, would the best satellites to access from Bangkok be Thaicom 5, NSS 6, ST 1 and PAS 10?

I found a couple more pictures of multiple LNBs on one dish (though probably not from Thailand):

How much are Dreamboxes nowadays in Bangkok? Are clones much cheaper, and how is it possible to tell the difference from a genuine one (I wouldn't want to pay for a genuine one and end up getting a clone)? I read that there are clones of the DM800 around, how good are they?

[garyh]

That dish would work better if the addition Lnb's where angled towards the centre of the dish. I have seen a shop on Hang Dong road with a offset dish already set up to take multiple KU Lnb's

Edited January 14, 2011 by astral
No need to quote the entire post. Just pick out the relevant points, please - Astral

[Pib]

That dish would work better if the addition Lnb's where angled towards the centre of the dish. I have seen a shop on Hang Dong road with a offset dish already set up to take multiple KU Lnb's

Incorrect regarding the LNBs would work better if angled towards the center of the dish. The only LNB that would pointed directly at the center is the 76.5E degrees LNB in the center since the dish would be directly pointed at that satellite. Since the other LNBs are picking up satellites at slightly different locations in the sky/signal hitting the dish at a different angle versus straight-on, the max signal reflection off the dish for these satellites will be at a point "X inches from the center of the dish"...and since the LNBs are setout X inches in the picture they are focusing on the dish X inches from the center as required. Point these LNBs at the center of the dish and you won't get any signal from these satellites. Fine adjustment is done manually by small movements of the LNB to find that exact "off center" location of max signal reflection for the 83E degrees and 68.5E degrees satellite.

Edited January 14, 2011 by astral
No need to quote the entire post. Just pick out the relevant points, please - Astral

[garyh]

If they where parallel beams from satellites that where as close to each other in the sky as the LNB's you would be correct.

This from an offset dish as it is easier to see the LNB's are very clearly angled.

[Pib]

If they where parallel beams from satellites that where as close to each other in the sky as the LNB's you would be correct.

This from an offset dish as it is easier to see the LNB's are very clearly angled.

I wouldn't disagree with your KU-band dish picture...parabolic-shaped KU band dish reflection characteristics are different from prime focus-shaped C band dish characterics...plus it's unknown what the spacing is for these three KU band satellites and it wouldn't surprise me that the two outside LNBs are actually focusing slightly to the left and right of the dish's center. Take a look at page one of this web site as it provides a somewhat exaggerated example of the signals from two differently spaced satellites hitting a C band dish and where the focus point would be: http://www.psisat.co...manual-nss6.pdf

Also, in the other picture with the C band dish/LNBs I commented on, they use LNB holders that extend horizontally out compared to the holders that mount on the support arms. Although the two different types of mounts give the appearance the LNB is looking at a different spot on the dish, after the alignment/focusing is made for max LNB gain and if you could stand directly above the LNBs and look straight down to see where they are focused on the dish you would see they are focused at a spot which will be X inches from the center. I'm not talking just from reading artticles on this subject, I'm talking from having actually installed fixed C band dishes with multiple LNBs. You point all the LNBs at the center of the dish and only one LNB, the center LNB used for the satellite the dish is pointed directly at, is going to pickup the "desired" satellite....the other LNBs will not pick up the desired satellite...but instead pick up the satellite the dish is pointed directly at which is being picked up by the center mounted LNB.

Edited December 27, 2010 by Pib

[mickba]

Paint the wall the dishes are mounted on and you'll gain another 1db signal strength.

.................................................

I'm finding this interesting because I had a motarized system in UK about 15 years ago and thought that would be the way to go - apparently not.

I'm shortly moving to a house with a largish dish, fixed system and the only place for it is out front, where it does look a little obtrusive.

I read elsewhere that the colour of the dish is irrelevant and I'm contemplating painting it green to blend in a bit better.

I realise you were talking about the wall behind the dishes, but is painting the dish OK or not?

Thanks.

Edited January 12, 2011 by mickba

[Pib]

If usually only one set-top box is used for home viewing show ABC on satellite XYZ, then you'll get a stronger signal by being able to move/point your dish directly at satellite XYZ. But if you decide to point the dish toward a different satellite and someone else in the home was watching a show on satellite XYZ using another set top box, then you are probably going to upset them when their show gets replaced with a black screen displaying "No or Weak Signal". Plus, when the satellites are separated in the sky by a good amount and/or the satellite transmission power is low, a moveable dish would be best for signal reception....but significantly more expensive, more problem prone, and can cause the multiple viewer problems mentioned in sentence two of this paragraph.

I don't see a problem in painting it, but from doing some googling some sites say use "flat/matt" paint as glossy or metallic paint can cause additional light and heat to be reflected which can interfere with the satellite signal being reflected. There are a few Thai companies that sell different colored dishes (colored at the manufacturer), and they usually don't cost anymore than a black dish. Plus a person can already see black, white, gray yellow, red, etc., dishes (as coming from the manufacturer) everywhere in Thailand. I expect the paint the manufacturers use is just a better quality rust resistance-wise (maybe) than what you or I would buy in a spray can or small brush can at HomePro.

This web site seems to give a layman's explanation on painting your satellite dish. http://www.helium.com/items/1594761-satellite-dishes-home-owners-home-colors-home-ownership-directv-dish-network-hughesnet"

Edited January 14, 2011 by astral
Tidying up link

[mickba]

...................................

I don't see a problem in painting it, but from doing some googling some sites say use "flat/matt" paint as glossy or metallic paint can cause additional light and heat to be reflected which can interfere with the satellite signal being reflected. There are a few Thai companies that sell different colored dishes (colored at the manufacturer), and they usually don't cost anymore than a black dish. Plus a person can already see black, white, gray yellow, red, etc., dishes (as coming from the manufacturer) everywhere in Thailand. I expect the paint the manufacturers use is just a better quality rust resistance-wise (maybe) than what you or I would buy in a spray can or small brush can at HomePro.

This web site seems to give a layman's explanation on painting your satellite dish. http://www.helium.com/items/1594761-satellite-dishes-home-owners-home-colors-home-ownership-directv-dish-network-hughesnet"

Thanks for that.

As I see you also post about internet options and I'm out of touch, is there any point in exploring satellite options or am I better going for a phone line to get a good service?

[Pib]

Seems like the only folks who go the expensive satellite internet option are folks who can't get internet via a landline or cell phone hookup. If you can get a landline, go with internet over that landline as it should provide much better speed and be a lot cheaper.

[astral]

Seems like the only folks who go the expensive satellite internet option are folks who can't get internet via a landline or cell phone hookup. If you can get a landline, go with internet over that landline as it should provide much better speed and be a lot cheaper.

The Op was asking specifically about Satellite TV

Internet via satellite is another ball game altogether.

[Pib]

Seems like the only folks who go the expensive satellite internet option are folks who can't get internet via a landline or cell phone hookup. If you can get a landline, go with internet over that landline as it should provide much better speed and be a lot cheaper.

The Op was asking specifically about Satellite TV

Internet via satellite is another ball game altogether.

To me it looked like he changed the subject a little by the question/last paragraph in his Post #17. This closing question implies to me he is now asking about internet options. That is, via satellite, via landline, etc. Maybe the OP can confirm.

[Pib]

Seems like the only folks who go the expensive satellite internet option are folks who can't get internet via a landline or cell phone hookup. If you can get a landline, go with internet over that landline as it should provide much better speed and be a lot cheaper.

The Op was asking specifically about Satellite TV

Internet via satellite is another ball game altogether.

To me it looked like he changed the subject a little by the question/last paragraph in his Post #17. This closing question implies to me he is now asking about internet options. That is, via satellite, via landline, etc. Maybe the OP can confirm.

Just noticed it wasn't the OP that asked the internet question, it was Mickba.

[joncl]

BTW all this is free to view (as per the OP request - bar no Thai language) on the new Sky HD network on Palapa D @ 113e at the moment including syfy my favorite channel. Full details here - http://www.lyngsat.com/palapad.html - but I stress you need a DVB-S2 tuner in your set top box or PC to get it.

Edited January 21, 2011 by joncl

[citizen33]

Can't agree with the argument about moveable dishes being on the way out. Nor are they more difficult to align than a system with loads of LNBs on one dish. It is murder (suicide?) trying to fiddle with LNBs on an 8 foot dish without swinging it into the vertical unless you have some kind of scaffolding or stand to get up to it. I had my first motorised Ku dish in the UK around 15 years ago in the D2Mac days and have had a moveable C-band dish in Thailand for 8 years, and had few problems. I've installed a few motorised systems down through the years and the key is simply to start at a satellite near the centre of the Clarke belt (due south in the UK) and then fiddle with distant birds at the W and E ends of travel. I've never had to re-align my Thai dish, but have suffered one motor failure. The UK dish (now a Fibo Gregorian offset) does occasionally get moved by the wind, but you can just wiggle it on 1 degree west until it is properly centralised. If you want Saturday afternoon EPL now in the UK with the way things are with encryption systems (and you don't CS) you need a moveable dish to get the more exotic offerings that sometimes pop up. I suppose Thai people may indeed be happy with Thaicom 5 and NSS 6 these days, but if you want English language I'd say you need all the options you can get. In fact I do have additional fixed C and ku dishes in my Thai house to take care of the problem of multiple TV viewing preferences, but only one LNB on each.

Edited January 21, 2011 by citizen33

[astral]

All of that is true if you have a technician who will align your dish to a polar orbit correctly.

I had a 10' 6" dish c-band back in 1990 and it was well aligned and gave years of enjoyment until the advent of Ku band and encryption.

Today with digital signals and encryption, the need/pleasure of viewing all the satellites from one

horizon to the other has gone.

It makes more sense to settle on a small number, maybe only 2 or 3 that give the channels you

really want. IMHO that is best addressed with a number of fixed dishes, or one dish with multiple LNB's.

Another problem is that simple receivers do not handle movable dishes.

A Diseqc is the only answer for many of us.

[citizen33]

All of that is true if you have a technician who will align your dish to a polar orbit correctly.

I had a 10' 6" dish c-band back in 1990 and it was well aligned and gave years of enjoyment until the advent of Ku band and encryption.

Today with digital signals and encryption, the need/pleasure of viewing all the satellites from one

horizon to the other has gone.

It makes more sense to settle on a small number, maybe only 2 or 3 that give the channels you

really want. IMHO that is best addressed with a number of fixed dishes, or one dish with multiple LNB's.

Another problem is that simple receivers do not handle movable dishes.

A Diseqc is the only answer for many of us.

Gosh you make funny faces! Even if somebody has official smartcards there may be times when they want to explore off the beaten track. If, for example, somebody is a big football fan, the world of feeds can be quite attractive. Many a time I have found that elusive FA cup tie I really wanted on an MPEG 4:2:2 feed. C band certainly isn't dead, especially in Asia.

On the last point you are quite simply wrong. There are plenty of positioner devices like V Box II (the one I have) that will convert the DiSEqC output from a modern receiver to 36v. That is what many of the guys with Dreamboxes do, and if you visit satellite hobbyist websites you won't find very many of the serious people who don't have a motorised dish.

I admit that having a couple of ku dishes for convenience might make sense for somebody who just wants say Truevisions and K+. But I come back to my point about the practicality of aligning multiple LNBs on a big dish. Did you ever balance of a step ladder trying to tweak the LNB on your 10 foot dish? It isn't easy. So yes, two or three LNBs on a small ku band dish may be okay, but I think this flurry of debate really started with the problem of IPM and trying to get 78.5E and 95E on one C band dish with an extra ku LNB. That needs a bigger dish.

On the multiple TVs issue, I can't remember if anybody else mentioned it, but you can of course purchase LNBs will multiple outputs which will allow different rooms to be looking at programmes on different polarities (H and V) at the same time. This is common with Sky in the UK where quad LNBs are often used nowadays.

Edited January 22, 2011 by citizen33

[citizen33]

P.S.

Going back to the OP's questions, here is a Bangkok dealer:

http://9sats.com/

He still sells motorised:

http://9sats.com/product/product.detail.php?&cat=50&id=37

[Pib]

P.S.

Going back to the OP's questions, here is a Bangkok dealer:

http://9sats.com/

He still sells motorised:

http://9sats.com/pro...p?&cat=50&id=37

Good store...I buy all my stuff from them. But they are basically a seller with probably the best prices in town....and not an installer.

[astral]

On the last point you are quite simply wrong. There are plenty of positioner devices like V Box II (the one I have) that will convert the DiSEqC output from a modern receiver to 36v. That is what many of the guys with Dreamboxes do, and if you visit satellite hobbyist websites you won't find very many of the serious people who don't have a motorised dish.

So in fact you agree with me!

An external box is needed, as the Receiver does not handle motorised systems natively.

[citizen33]

So in fact you agree with me!

An external box is needed, as the Receiver does not handle motorised systems natively.

Well, if we put aside the one-upmanship and just try to communicate useful information for anybody who wants to consider a 'move' dish, there are two modern options:

1. If you don't want an extra box, use a DiSEqC motor like this:

http://www.skywise.tv/technomate-2600-high-grade-metal-gear-diseqc-motor-p-327.html

2. Most of the above are made for smaller dishes, and the more practical option in Thailand may be VBox 2 or 3 (made by Jaeger, Technomate and Moteck) and available in the UK for about £40.

http://www.satellitesuperstore.com/vbox.htm

Although this is a separate box, the operation is fully automatic so that the user just changes channels (and satellites) on their modern receiver as though everything was fully integrated. The Vbox isn't that much bigger than some multi-way DiSEqC switches (which you will then not need), so the difference in terms of clutter is minimal.

Then there is the old-fashioned option of using a 36v positioner. As a backup. I have an old Pace that has been going for donkey's years. Alternatively integrated receiver/positioners are available cheaply secondhand these days, and you might simply want to put up with an older receiver, like an Echostar AD3000IP, paired with a modern multi-cam. You can also use a second receiver (say a Dreambox) in tandem. Of course this option has the downside that positioning the dish is one operation and changing channels is another operation.

Whichever approach is chosen, it is hard to agree with the proposition that: 'A Diseqc [and fixed dishes] is the only answer for many of us.'

Edited January 23, 2011 by citizen33

[hyperdimension]

BTW all this is free to view (as per the OP request - bar no Thai language) on the new Sky HD network on Palapa D @ 113e at the moment including syfy my favorite channel. Full details here - http://www.lyngsat.com/palapad.html - but I stress you need a DVB-S2 tuner in your set top box or PC to get it.

Thank you joncl. There are some good unencrypted channels on there, including some HD channels. Originally I was intending to tune into only Thaicom 5 (78.5°E) and NSS 6 (95.0°E) on one fixed dish in Bangkok. Would it be possible to add another LNB onto the same dish to additionally tune into Palapa D (113.0°E), or would I need a separate dish? Based on the EIRP I think Palapa D would require a 2.1m dish.

I also wonder whether the the channels are unencrypted only temporarily, in which case it may not be worth buying another dish just to tune into it.

Edited February 3, 2011 by hyperdimension