Satellite Installation Advice

[KuchKuch]

Hi All,

I’d appreciate some advice on my satellite installation in the UK please.

At the moment, I have one Dish 1 connected to a Sky Q box. I have managed to get Sky to install a 2nd dish (presumably a standard Sky mini-dish) and install a hybrid LNB on Dish 1. I have ordered a Xtrend ET8500, which should be with me in a few days. Onto my questions…

• Is it worth me buying a Unicable LNB and seeing if the Sky engineer will install this on the 2nd dish, so in the future when I upgrade my box to a FBC receiver, I can make full use of this (Not sure, what the chances of the engineer installing this are)?
• Will this setup work with my Xtrend ET8500, if I get this done now?
• Will I need anything else (In addition to the Unicable LNB) to get a FBC receiver to work to it’s full capability?
• Will installing a hybrid LNB on Dish 1 have negative affect on signal quality?

Thanks

[sundancer]

Unless Sky do Unicable lnbs you wont get one to fit a newer Sky dish as the newer dishes have lnbs with smaller necks that the standard 40mm lnb. The only way to get it to fit is to buy an adapter which by past experience don't usually fit that well as they set the lnb to close to the dish.

A standard 40mm lnb designed for a normal round dish will also over illuminate a Sky dish. It will work to a point but you would not get the same levels as you would with an lnb that was designed to fit a standard sky dish.

You would be better off buying a standard 60cm dish and fit it yourself. I'm guessing that Sky will probably be charging the standard call out rate, which if i remember was about £60, although that was a while ago as i haven't been with Sky for a good 5 years.

You can get a good dish,lnb , a mount and the cable you need for less than Sky will be charging for the call out alone without how ever much they will be charging for the dish

[KuchKuch]

Sky are doing me the install free of charge.

Didn't know I can't mix and match the Sky dish with a Unicable LNB. Therefore to get the installation I want will I just need:

• 60cm Mix Digital Mesh Satellite Dish
• Inverto 52780 LNB

Am I missing anything or have got any of the products confused? Just wondering if I'll need anything else

[sundancer]

If Sky are doing the new dish install Free of charge then go for it You can fit a unicable lnb to a Sky dish with an adapter, although the results can vary as like i said it will over illuminate the dish and it may not be exactly on the dishes focus point.

If the dish is pointing at 28e (most likely as most Sky engineers meters wont do other sats) which is a good strong signal it could well be OK even with the over illumination and poor focus. You can always try and sort the focus out later by sliding the lnb nearer or further away inside the holder.

Buy the unicable lnb and buy a Sky Dish 40mm lnb adapter, you can get them off ebay for under a fiver, not sure if WOS sell them. Make sure you buy the correct one, some fit over the lnb arm some fit inside it dependent on how old the stock is the engineer has on the van. You will easily be able to see which one you need when the dish is being installed.

Remove the old sky lnb and fit the unicable one using the adapter. Make sure the skew of the newly installed lnb is around the same as the one you remove. Worst case scenario is you have wasted £5 on the adapter. You can always fit the unicable lnb to another dish if it doesn't work too well. Be cheeky and ask the sky bloke for the box the new Sky lnb came in. You will be able to sell the Sky lnb on ebay after you have removed it


As a bonus you wont have to buy any cable either if its fitted courtesy of Sky as you can always reuse it with the new dish.

If the dish is gratis from Sky you have nothing to lose by trying it. If it doesn't work too well you can always get a better dish later on.

[KuchKuch]

Cool - I'll ask them to come around see what happens on the day. Thanks for your assistance sundancer