Just Sharing This Ordered a Red Rocket....

[DishDick]

Shame, went on their site and no C120 lnb.

 

[peapod1]

I'll be very interested to hear what you say comparing it to the Black Ultra.

I have been told (on another forum) by an installer in the south of France that he has tested the Opticum against the Inverto Black Ultra and found it to be superior.

Also keen to hear the results of testing. I'm about to upgrade my fixed dish/multi-bracket setup in France with a Gilbertini (hopefully I can get away with 1m when 2E starts up) plus Gilbertini's own multifeed bracket.

PaulR - is your installer anywhere near the Var - I may yet need knowledgeable help with alignment? I'm near Bandol (that's Jonny Wilkinson country or mourvedre country according to your preference). Are you in the shadow of the bald mountain?

 

[sonnetpete]

Also keen to hear the results of testing.

........no pressure then...

 

[PaulR]

PaulR - is your installer anywhere near the Var - I may yet need knowledgeable help with alignment? I'm near Bandol (that's Jonny Wilkinson country or mourvedre country according to your preference).

Not really unfortunately - he's in Languedoc Roussillon region south of Carcassonne. PM sent just in case.

Are you in the shadow of the bald mountain?

Top of Mont Ventoux is an hour's drive away. We're in the middle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape country so it's still a commanding presence.

 

[hexah]

A wonderful view at any time of year.

 

[peapod1]

Not really unfortunately - he's in Languedoc Roussillon region south of Carcassonne.

Thanks - he's too far away unfortunately. Looks like it'll be down to me, dishpointer and La Direction to figure skew settings and height adjustment on the Gilbertini multifeed, but I suspect I'm getting a bit out of my depth.

I suspect we are following the same retirement routine - moitie moitie between NW England and SE France.

 

[PaulR]

I suspect we are following the same retirement routine - moitie moitie between NW England and SE France.

Indeed.

You're slightly closer to the south coast than I am in the UK - does this make up the extra distance yo have to cover in France? The days are long gone when I could do it in one go, we always take two days to get down or back now.

 

[peapod1]

Indeed.

You're slightly closer to the south coast than I am in the UK - does this make up the extra distance yo have to cover in France? The days are long gone when I could do it in one go, we always take two days to get down or back now.

We are getting a bit off topic here (sorry Sonnetpete, still waiting though), but Knutsford to the Med coast is a thousand miles direct and we wouldn't contemplate that door-to-door in two days. When we drive, we now route via Brussels and nightstop with relatives (free b&b). It adds about 100km to the journey but nice scenery through the Ardennes and quiet roads. Next stop enroute is a Novotel at Dijon or Beaune (for a nice glass or three of Vosne Romanee).
The driving route has some merit since we can get all the way down to just north of Dijon before we encounter any autoroute toll charges, and get a very cheap tankfull of fuel as we pass through Luxembourg.

But how does one manage lnb height adjustment with a Gilbertini multifeed?? I'm baffled.

 

[sonnetpete]

If you mean the factory Gibertini bracket there isn't an individual height adjustment. But you can slant the bar up and down, how effective that will be depends on if your LNB's are spaced widely apart....

Is it a bracket like this?

 

[peapod1]

....But you can slant the bar up and down...

Thanks. If that is the case, then I'm half way to achieving the required setup. I'm replacing an Inverto multiblock which slants down to the east. I need 28 as the prime focus in SE France, with 19 and 13 both hanging off to one side. Then it's trial and error with the skews on each of the lnb's. There does seem to be a plethora of versions of the Gibby multifeed - hard to work out which is the current model.

 

[sonnetpete]

Hmm..maybe I've slightly misled you. The multifeed bar I have is designed for that model of Gibertini, the XP.

http://www.hm-sat-shop.de/en/antenn...ter-gibertini-mfp-3-40-xp-premium-3-fach.html

I really can't see why it shouldn't work for other Gibertini's but just be aware of this.

 

[peapod1]

Hmm..maybe I've slightly misled you. The multifeed bar I have is designed for that model of Gibertini, the XP.

Thanks for the advice. Not misled at all, since the 100XP dish is part of the planned upgrade (together with a single black ultra or red rocket to squeeze every last drop out of the Astra 2 signal). Only difference is that the dish will be aligned on 28E, placing the 28lnb at prime focus with 19 and 13 both cantilevered off to one side. Can I achieve this (secure fixing and 15 degree separation) with the 3-holder or will I need the 4-holder? It's tough being a novice - expect more queries re setting skew on all three lnb's when I fit it later this month.

 

[sonnetpete]

Ok, personally I'd go for a four position bar, which would allow for expansion at a later date. Here's a close up of the bar...


As you can see, the bar can be mounted offset so there will be more room at one side. By slackening the mounting allen screws you can achieve an amount of slant to follow the arc. You should be ok with those spacings but although the LNB holders are really well engineered, if you have them touching it works out to roughly a 3 degree spacing. Have you no meter to check for best skew? You can guess and be more or less on but it's more important the further away from dish focus the LNB is, as it's performance is compromised. Get your additional LNB's peaked up and in postion first, worry about exact skew after. You can get additional bars and LNB holders from HM-Sat in Germany..

 

[hexah]

iirc the only difference between the XP and the OP is that the cheaper OP has a bare metal aluminum feed arm and the XP has a painted and poly coated feed arm.

Shirley the lighter 4 holder with the thin holders you linked to yesterday would be the best bet? That one looks to be rather heavy.

http://www.amazon.de/Gibertini-Schielhalter-4-fach-variabel-Multifeedschiene/dp/B00DM7GTJE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383395343&sr=8-2&keywords=vier fach gibertini

 

[peapod1]

Ok, personally I'd go for a four position bar, which would allow for expansion at a later date. Here's a close up of the bar.....

That's very useful info - many thanks!

 

[sonnetpete]

iirc the only difference between the XP and the OP is that the cheaper OP has a bare metal aluminum feed arm and the XP has a painted and poly coated feed arm.

Shirley the lighter 4 holder with the thin holders you linked to yesterday would be the best bet? That one looks to be rather heavy.

http://www.amazon.de/Gibertini-Schielhalter-4-fach-variabel-Multifeedschiene/dp/B00DM7GTJE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383395343&sr=8-2&keywords=vier fach gibertini

Having looked at it Hexah, there doesn't appear to be much option to give it a 'slant'. The factory multifeed bar isn't as heavy as it looks...

 

[hexah]

Do you know if the XP bar will fit on an OP dish? I am starting to think of getting a 1m when I retire the LH but the OP is the one that is stocked in the UK.

As it is I have got one of the Koenig bars that you have used on your other dishes. I'm using it to replace the upside down Triax bar bodge that I have used for years. The Koenig bar is different now it has an aluminium bar that the plastic feed holders attach to so it will be much more rigid than the older version that you have. Cheap too, less than £6.

 

[sonnetpete]

Do you know if the XP bar will fit on an OP dish? I am starting to think of getting a 1m when I retire the LH but the OP is the one that is stocked in the UK.

As it is I have got one of the Koenig bars that you have used on your other dishes. I'm using it to replace the upside down Triax bar bodge that I have used for years. The Koenig bar is different now it has an aluminium bar that the plastic feed holders attach to so it will be much more rigid than the older version that you have. Cheap too, less than £6.

On the surface it looks as though the XP bar will fit on an OP. Certainly HM Sat list them on the same page as the OP dishes.

http://www.hm-sat-shop.de/en/antennen-gibertini-se-serie/

I've noticed those Koenig bars have changed, though I've never had issues with the bar on mine flexing.

Back on topic LOL. No sign of the 'Red Rocket' as yet. I didn't get a tracking code so can't find where it is in the system. Maybe it's gone off course or had it's gyro stabilisers fitted the wrong way round....

 

[hexah]

Believe it or not, and this should go into Ripleys Believe It or Not! it is entirely on topic.



I have a black ultra centred on 16e and a black ultra on 13e because I needed a long neck to get past the 16e and an mti on the other side. Now 16e is stronger I was thinking of using an Inverto Premium with the smaller 40mm cap on 16e but if the red rocket is a better performer then it would be better for the feeds, on 16e some can still be weak.

Also I have an offset 23e elsewhere and it is old and crap and at a odd angle and the red rocket could do the job very nicely.

Assuming of course it doesn't turn out to be over hyped like the last one.

There is also the Best LNB if the red rocket turns out to be less than stellar.

www.amazon.de/HQRF-101-BEST-Germany-tauglich/dp/B0042SCKAY/ref=sr_1_5?s=ce-de&ie=UTF8&qid=1383482010&sr=1-5&keywords=LNB+BEST

The hmsat page is interesting. The OP SE is not our OP. It looks to me like the OP SE is designed with a massive hollow feed arm for use high up to resist wind deflection and to stop snow and ice accumulation it falls through the gap. Being metal a heating element can be taped round in a square on the back. It wouldn't be my first choice for use at exposed heights in this country but it certainly would be good for use in the alps.

 

[hexah]

Shame, went on their site and no C120 lnb.

Don't jump the gun. It hasn't been tested yet!

But yes the lack of choice in C120 LNBs is annoying.