King Dome Satellite TV antenna

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George:

I'll probably wish I hadn't jumped in here but here goes:

We started with Dish. Needed two LNB's to receive the 110 and 119 Sats simultaneously. Needed switches to feed two sats to one receiver. Later added a second receiver for a second TV without any more switches. In other words if I understand the system the dual Sats created the need for LNB's and switches.

Switched to Direct. One Sat, no switches, two receivers so we can watch two TV's on different channels.
 
Jeff /Washington said:
George:

I'll probably wish I hadn't jumped in here but here goes:

We started with Dish. Needed two LNB's to receive the 110 and 119 Sats simultaneously. Needed switches to feed two sats to one receiver. Later added a second receiver for a second TV without any more switches. In other words if I understand the system the dual Sats created the need for LNB's and switches.

Switched to Direct. One Sat, no switches, two receivers so we can watch two TV's on different channels.

Hi Jeff,

Please do NOT hesitate to jump in on any conversation with any input you have, pro or con.  That's how we all learn.

I know nothing about DirecTV from first-hand experience.  I bought my first DISH system (DISH 300) in 1997, when there was only one satellite at 119 degrees.  A few years ago I upgraded to DISH 500 to get coverage from the satellites at both 110 and 119 degrees, although roughly 90% of the channels I'm interested in are on the 119 satellite.  The two switches I needed came with the antenna/receiver package I bought (1 antenna, 2 receivers and two switches).  It's my experience over several years of using a tripod antenna mount that there is little difference between the DISH 300 and DISH 500 in getting them aligned to the satellites -- the only difference being the skew adjustment on the DISH 500, and that is a simple 15-second task.  To further simplify the setup at a campsite I always leave the multiswitches connected to the antenna cables feeding the LNBFs. 

The one major difference between the two systems is that the DISH 500 can have two coaxial cables going to the coach to feed separate receivers.  My wife watches her shows on the big TV in the coach and I watch my TV shows on my notebook computer.  In my opinion it's no harder to connect two cables to the coach than  it is to connect one -- assuming one has their coach wired in an optimized manner.

Let me explain.  In the motorhome I just traded in today (after 14 year of ownership) there wer two different points on the coach where I could connect the coaxial cables from the antenna.  If I set the antenna up near the front of the coach I connected the cables to an access point on the engine firewall.  From that point one cable ran to the DISH receiver feeding my Wife's TV; the other cable fed my DISH receiver at the dinette which became my "desk."  The connector plate on the firewall was a typical 2-connector plate bought at Radio Shack.  Now, here's the trick.  From that coax plate on the firewall I ran two coaxial cables along the vehicle frame, back to my 'utilities' compartment.  There I added another 2-connector plate.  Normal connection to the antenna was made at the back plate in the utilities compartment, so the cable run along the frame were connected to the connector plate on the firewall.  If I needed to mount the antenna near the front of the coach I simply removed the connectors for the frame-mounted cables and connect the cables from the antenna.  When I took the antenna down and disconnected the cables I would reconnect the frame mounted cables.  Sounds a bit complicated but once the cables inside the coach are in place the whole setup is really quite easy, and quite flexible.

Again, thanks for your input.

Best regards,
George

 
Ned said:
Don,

Thanks for the detailed info on the MD-500. Another excellent design from Motosat, it seems :) I didn't see any of that explained on the web page.

The Nomad technology will be incorporated in the next Datastorm controller as well. The current model, the D2, has just the 2 buttons but doesn't have the DVB capability. That will be in the next model, making the Datastorm usable with any satellite system, not just DirecWay, and not dependent on the modem for signal strength when pointing.

You need to download the Nomad PDF manual to get  it.  I'm really happy with my setup but now have a perfectly good Executive Dish languishing and looking for a good home  ;).  Unfortunately I don't have a controller or the cables to go with it but a Nomad controller with all necessary cables costs about $450 if I remember right.
 
George,

George Mullen said:
Ned said:
George,

According to the Motosat web site, the MD500 has dual RG-6 coax feeds, so that would imply dual LNBFs. See http://www.motosat.com/products/specs/index.html and click on MD500, the Specifications.

The MD500 needs 2 coax feeds due to the dual satellites required for Dish-500. You will probably need a multiswitch to feed both receivers from the one antenna.

Hi Ned,

I found the specs your referenced. Had been to the site earlier today but missed the "2 x" portion of the cabling specs.

As for the multiswitch, I'm using a DISH 500 antenna on a tripod mount and it requires two multiswitches to feed my two receivers. Each multiswitch is needed to feed the outputs from a 119 degree LNBF and a 110 degree LNBF on a single line to one receiver. Same story for the second receiver. I would imagine the Motosat MD500 is set up the same way, except that the multiswitches are integral to the antenna system. Don also had a good explanation. Thanks, Don.

Best regards,
George

See my earlier post re the MD-500 NOT needing 2 coax cables.  The multiswitches are built into the head so either coax carries both satellite signals.  The MD-500 comes with a rubber cap on one of the coax connectors.

Apparently you have a "Legacy" Dish 500 setup.  The newer DishPro 500 LNB's have the same set up as the MD-500.  I just bought a DishPro 500 LNB on e-bay for $25 delivered to replace the one that came with my DishPro 500 that I bought for use in camps where the roof antenna is blocked by trees, etc.  Old fumble-fingers (that's me if you haven't guessed  ;D) dropped the original on concrete and lost the 110 satellite ability.  I'm not sure what happened to the inards but the 110 satellite is definitely dead on either coax.
 
DonJordan said:
See my earlier post re the MD-500 NOT needing 2 coax cables.  The multiswitches are built into the head so either coax carries both satellite signals.  The MD-500 comes with a rubber cap on one of the coax connectors.

Apparently you have a "Legacy" Dish 500 setup.  The newer DishPro 500 LNB's have the same set up as the MD-500.  I just bought a DishPro 500 LNB on e-bay for $25 delivered to replace the one that came with my DishPro 500 that I bought for use in camps where the roof antenna is blocked by trees, etc.  Old fumble-fingers (that's me if you haven't guessed  ;D) dropped the original on concrete and lost the 110 satellite ability.  I'm not sure what happened to the inards but the 110 satellite is definitely dead on either coax.

Re: the number of cables.  Are you saying that with the MD-500 only one cable is needed to feed two receivers?  The way I read it the MD-500 actually has four LNBFs: two for the 119 satellite and two for the 110 satellite.  One multiswitch combines a 119/110 pair of LNBFs onto one cable feeding one receiver; the other multiswitch does the same with the other 119/110 pair of LNBFs to feed a second receiver.  Each receiver feeds their own respective TV sets.

Yes, I believe I have the Legacy DISH 500 because neither the antenna nor the multiswitches have the DISHPro logo.  I haven't been following the changes so I'm not sure of the technical differences between the two systems, Legacy vs. DISHPro.

Best regards,
George
 

Re: the number of cables.  Are you saying that with the MD-500 only one cable is needed to feed two receivers?  The way I read it the MD-500 actually has four LNBFs: two for the 119 satellite and two for the 110 satellite.  One multiswitch combines a 119/110 pair of LNBFs onto one cable feeding one receiver; the other multiswitch does the same with the other 119/110 pair of LNBFs to feed a second receiver.  Each receiver feeds their own respective TV sets.



This stuff is sure complex for those of us not in it everyday but---

It is my understanding that the Dish 500 comes with either a twin or quad LBN package. The quad can run any combo of a single or dual tuner up to 4 tuners. The twin can run 2 single tuners or a dual tuner. The question of number of cables has to do with the dual tuners. Dish has the capability in Pro series, but not Legacy, of providing a DP+44 switch that "stacks" the two polarities by frequency shifting so that one cable can provide both polarities while a seperator than unstacks these at other end.  Thus one cable can run two TV's.  None of this applies to DirecTV.

I think this explains why Don says that a cap is provided on other coax i.e. it's not needed if one uses DDD44 switch on one of the LNB's.  BTW- I think Dish came up with this scheme to make sure that those folks whose homes were all ready wired and not easily accessible for running a second wire would have a means to still have service at more than one TV.
 
blueblood said:
[
Re: the number of cables. Are you saying that with the MD-500 only one cable is needed to feed two receivers? The way I read it the MD-500 actually has four LNBFs: two for the 119 satellite and two for the 110 satellite. One multiswitch combines a 119/110 pair of LNBFs onto one cable feeding one receiver; the other multiswitch does the same with the other 119/110 pair of LNBFs to feed a second receiver. Each receiver feeds their own respective TV sets.
George Mullen said:
DonJordan said:
See my earlier post re the MD-500 NOT needing 2 coax cables. The multiswitches are built into the head so either coax carries both satellite signals. The MD-500 comes with a rubber cap on one of the coax connectors.

Apparently you have a "Legacy" Dish 500 setup. The newer DishPro 500 LNB's have the same set up as the MD-500. I just bought a DishPro 500 LNB on e-bay for $25 delivered to replace the one that came with my DishPro 500 that I bought for use in camps where the roof antenna is blocked by trees, etc. Old fumble-fingers (that's me if you haven't guessed ;D) dropped the original on concrete and lost the 110 satellite ability. I'm not sure what happened to the inards but the 110 satellite is definitely dead on either coax.

Re: the number of cables. Are you saying that with the MD-500 only one cable is needed to feed two receivers? The way I read it the MD-500 actually has four LNBFs: two for the 119 satellite and two for the 110 satellite. One multiswitch combines a 119/110 pair of LNBFs onto one cable feeding one receiver; the other multiswitch does the same with the other 119/110 pair of LNBFs to feed a second receiver. Each receiver feeds their own respective TV sets.

Yes, I believe I have the Legacy DISH 500 because neither the antenna nor the multiswitches have the DISHPro logo. I haven't been following the changes so I'm not sure of the technical differences between the two systems, Legacy vs. DISHPro.

Best regards,
George

Apparently I didn't make clear the way the MD-500 and the DishPro 500 work.? Both are quad LNB units with built in muliswitches.? No external multiswitches are needed to combine the 110 and 119 satellite signals.? The MD-500 is an automatic roof top RV antenna while the DishPro 500 is a manual antenna which can be used as a ground mount antenna or a permanent house? mounted antenna.? The LNB's for the two are identical: there are two coax output cables, either one of which carries both the 119 and 110 satellite signals.? Either cable can feed ONE receiver.? IOW one MD-500 or one DishPro 500 can feed up to 2 receivers but can be used for a single receiver by ignoring one of the coax outputs from the LNB.? In my case, we have two DIsh 500 series receivers in our MH and the MD-500 feeds both.? With this setup my wife and I can watch separate programs on either 119 or 110 with no interaction between the two receivers.

I hope this clears up any confusion.? Oh, by the way.? The Nomad controller can be set by dip switch for Dish, DirecTV, Bell , etc systems.
 
I hope this clears up any confusion.

No it doesn't but I may be only one.  :-[ 
 
DonJordan said:
blueblood said:
I hope this clears up any confusion.

No it doesn't but I may be only one. :-[

What still has you confused?

Well, it would go something like this. In order to get the full range of channels on a satellite you must be able to change transponder poloarization because some are on one, others on the other. This is done by impressing either 18 volts for Left Hand Circular Polorization(LHCP) or 14 volts for RHCP. In addition, to change from 110 to 119 one must be able to put a 22MHz signal on the voltage. The problem becomes if one is using only one cable and has more than one reciever how do you seperate the commands the receivers are sending to LNB ? My understanding was that a new twin LNB was released called the DProPlus LNB which incorporates a DPP44 switch into it that "stacks" the voltages so they don't overlap and then a dual tuner such as the 921,721, 522 or 322  has a seperator. You seem to be saying you can be watching something on 110 while your spouse is watching 119 , etc and don't have any of this stuff. That' my confusion.
 
blueblood said:
Well, it would go something like this. In order to get the full range of channels on a satellite you must be able to change transponder poloarization because some are on one, others on the other. This is done by impressing either 18 volts for Left Hand Circular Polorization(LHCP) or 14 volts for RHCP. In addition, to change from 110 to 119 one must be able to put a 22MHz signal on the voltage. The problem becomes if one is using only one cable and has more than one reciever how do you seperate the commands the receivers are sending to LNB ? My understanding was that a new twin LNB was released called the DProPlus LNB which incorporates a DPP44 switch into it that "stacks" the voltages so they don't overlap and then a dual tuner such as the 921,721, 522 or 322 has a seperator. You seem to be saying you can be watching something on 110 while your spouse is watching 119 , etc and don't have any of this stuff. That' my confusion.

Both of the units we are talking about use the new DishPro Plus LNB with built in switch as I have been saying.  There are two coax cables coming from the DishPro Plus LNB - one for each receiver.? I intend to get the new 942 HD dual receiver once it becomes available but in the meantime we are using a 501 and a 510 receiver, each being fed by one of the outputs.? So as you can see we do "have any of this stuff"? ;D.? And, as I have said we can each watch anything on either 110 or 119 independent of the other.

Hope this clears the confusion? ;D ;D
 
DonJordan said:
blueblood said:
Well, it would go something like this. In order to get the full range of channels on a satellite you must be able to change transponder poloarization because some are on one, others on the other. This is done by impressing either 18 volts for Left Hand Circular Polorization(LHCP) or 14 volts for RHCP. In addition, to change from 110 to 119 one must be able to put a 22MHz signal on the voltage. The problem becomes if one is using only one cable and has more than one reciever how do you seperate the commands the receivers are sending to LNB ? My understanding was that a new twin LNB was released called the DProPlus LNB which incorporates a DPP44 switch into it that "stacks" the voltages so they don't overlap and then a dual tuner such as the 921,721, 522 or 322 has a seperator. You seem to be saying you can be watching something on 110 while your spouse is watching 119 , etc and don't have any of this stuff. That' my confusion.

Both of the units we are talking about use the new DishPro Plus LNB with built in switch as I have been saying.  There are two coax cables coming from the DishPro Plus LNB - one for each receiver.  I intend to get the new 942 HD dual receiver once it becomes available but in the meantime we are using a 501 and a 510 receiver, each being fed by one of the outputs.  So as you can see we do "have any of this stuff"  ;D.  And, as I have said we can each watch anything on either 110 or 119 independent of the other.

Hope this clears the confusion  ;D ;D

Yep! 8) I missed the Plus in prior description and that inclusion in your latest does the trick. Thanks  ;D
 
I haven't gone back to look to see if I indeed used the "Plus" designation on the descriptions of the DishPro 500  or MD-500 systems.  It's certainly possible that I left that part out  ;D.  IAC, I'm glad that we are clear on how the new DishPro 500 Plus LNBs work!
 
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