C-Band Hardware for NASA TV HD and NOAAPort

[MediumFidelity]

All-

I am just getting my feet wet in the C-Band scene, and I need some help. After seeing some of the clips of the NASA TV HD feed during the launch of STS-127, decided to setup a dish in my backyard. I am trying to get my hands on a used dish, but in the Chicago burbs it has been difficult.

If I get a new dish, I am eying the Fortec Star FS6P w/ Polar Mount (180cm). Will that be sufficient to get NASA TV HD from AMC-6 and potentially NOAAPort from AMC-2? I have clear LOS for both satellites.

Also, what should I look for in a LNB? Which one that Sadoun sells is recommended?

I plan on using a tuner from a Dish 6000 box connected to my PC via a Genpix USB adapter.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
-MF

[Vitruvius]

Yes, the fortec 6 ft with a polar mount should be good, but ofcourse everyone says that bigger dishes are better. I get the 72deg sat pretty well, but I am using a 2m mesh dish.
The BC621-2 LNB will work for you, or the BC621-1.
The Dish 6000 receiver is not known by me. If it is for Dish Network, then it gets only circular frequency... so the above LNBs would not work for it. Does the Dish 6000 even receive C-band...

good luck.

[MediumFidelity]

I'd like to go bigger, but there is such a large delta in price to go up to the 2m dish. Is there a significant performance difference between the solid and mesh dishes? Probably not at the lower frequencies of C-Band, but I am not sure.

BTW, the tuner I am using is capable of handling the following modulations:

DVB-S (QPSK)
Turbo-coded QPSK
Turbo-coded 8PSK
Turbo-coded 16QAM
Digicipher II Combo
Digicipher II Split (I/Q)
Digicipher II Offset QPSK
DSS (QPSK)

DVB-S2 standard is not supported (incompatible FEC)

From this site:
Genpix Electronics Store - What is 8PSK-to-USB2? (Powered by CubeCart)

Since NASA TV HS is coming down in DVB-S, I should be good to go, right?

Thanks,
-MF

[1captain]

Originally Posted by MediumFidelity

Is there a significant performance difference between the solid and mesh dishes? Probably not at the lower frequencies of C-Band, but I am not sure.
Thanks,
-MF

comparing mess to a solid their is no big gain with solid over a mess on C-band. size is what controlling the amount of signal.

also stop an think about you're 2 degree spacing on the satellites. now don't know what a 6ft is on its beam width but would have to guess about 3 degrees, 8ft is around 2 1/2 degrees, an 10ft is a little under 2 degree. that will be a major factor on tuning in a satellite when their is 1 with in that degree spacing. now if you are only planning to keep that dish on AMC-6, you should be ok on the degree spacing, you have Vevesat @78 but then you got StarOne-C2 at 70. now granted StarOne most of the US wont get this sat, unless you are in the deep south like myself here, I get 4 or 5 active TP's on it.

now their is 2 TP's on AMC-6 for Nasa that are 422 an 1 is HD that will be a problem with 6ft, 8ft should be fine for those TP's, but if you even think about getiing a dvbs-2 feed or signals this is where you realy need a 10-footer or larger, to get a lock an view that program.

in all size does matter when it comes to C-band, an when you start looking at the different modulations that consumes band width an size is what is need to over come that. now here my smallest C-band dish is a 10ft now had to retier my 7 1/2 ft was not ctting it on the S2 stuff out their.

good luck you will enjoy C-band its great an a big + for feeds.

[Vitruvius]

My receiver is only for standard definition. I am eyeing an HD sat receiver though. Now you are telling me that I would not get the DVB-s2 signal unless I have a 10 feet dish... what a bummer...

[1captain]

Originally Posted by Vitruvius

My receiver is only for standard definition. I am eyeing an HD sat receiver though. Now you are telling me that I would not get the DVB-s2 signal unless I have a 10 feet dish... what a bummer...

No Vitruius, you will get some of the S2 stuff with a 7 1/2ft dish, I just work on a Sami 7 1/2ft yesterday an he got a fair amount of the S2 feed that are their but also missed some of them too. a lot is concerning when the fec starts going up to where that the receiver will miss some of their coorection data. like if you have a S2 TP with 2/3 or 3/4 fec you should not have a problem with a 7 1/2ft dish, an should see good signal levels too. but if you have a TP with a 8/9 or 9/10 that that will become more of a problem to lock an play, along with seeing that TP with a lower signal level too. even though lets say that both types of s2 TP have the same down link power.

now I got 10ft dishes here an get all of the N. America S2 just fine but their are a few over to the east that I can still lock an play but are close to losing it too, got 1 TP on Intel-805, another TP on Intel-3r, but other S2 tp's play fine on those sats along with all S2 on Hispasat an T-12. but in bad weather the week TP 805 & 3r may pixel or not lock all depending on the conditions at that time.