Astra 2E: Western Europe Reports

[RichardinSpain]

Huevos..." Absolutely no way"..... Says Who...???.....really....?????.........you forgot ....to include... "In your opinion".....TBH....Ive wasted enough money on testing IBU's....and other crappy LNB's from " Inverto ".....a very overrated LNB for fringe reception of 2E & 2F...In my option / experience .....As others have also on the fringe of UK TV reception have also posted....

Huevos....i imagine you are based in the UK ...right.......??...with no prpbs with 2E & 2F..?.....The IBU might be a wonderful / the best LNB on other satellites ...but for me on fringe 28,2 reception...The IBU...is not even in 2nd place....... B.E.S.T...And Orton Quad's... ..also are also better on Difficult PSB's reception.........sorry.... IBU 4th place....If that....

I agree with you Steve
I can only report as i find, i have had 2 black ultras and as i said previously it is a good lnb but for the transponders i am interested in the B.E.S.T seems to have the edge (for me anyway) . I have tested both of them over many days and at different times of the day to get the best reception so it's not as though i have just put it on and hoped for the best. Ok i do need a bigger dish, and count my self lucky that i am getting away with what i am receiving on my 1.2 dish
Huevos does know what he is talking about and lives further up the coast from me but is most probably in a better reception area than me and with a bigger dish..I think the BU works for some and not for others and perhaps it does depend on what type of dish it is on too..For me both my Black ultras were a bit of a disapointment..I did give it another chance though as it had rave reviews so i ordered another one but both perform the same..Also a local shop said that the B.E.S.T lnb was out performing the BU in this area, ok maybe a sales ploy but from my own experience, i have to say that i agree

 

[Captain Jack]

LNBs are such subjective things. It depends on location, dish, satellite and frequencies received. With so many variations, it's impossible to advise any one person that lnb x is better than lnb y. The best way is to try and see what works best for you.

An IBU has been the best performer on a number of dishes I've tried BUT I haven't tried that many lnbs and I don't want to waste money on more on the off chance that I find one that works better. Simply because an IBU works well enough... *for me*.

 

[Steve Steve]

C.J .........basically ..this is down to the best LNB..for very very fringe (In My case ) now all PSB..channels.....so its bbc/ itv /ch 4 and ch5 frequencies...the rest are easy......
I also don't want to waste money on LNB's.........But i have actually wasted money on lots LNB's..to try to get the very best from my Gibby 150 for fringe reception..............All recommendations of good LNB 's should be noted ...instead of non fringe members ...just Disregarding./ poo ..pooing ..other members suggestions / top tips of a better LNB than...... other than....the very overrated Inverto Black Ultra........Other LNB's are available ..and sometimes better.....!!.......

 

[sonnetpete]

other than....the very overrated Inverto Black Ultra........Other LNB's are available ..and sometimes better.....!!.......

Yes, ratings of LNB's are subjective and depend on dish size and matching said LNB to the dish. However, I don't think you can call the IBU 'overrated'. For enthusiasts who are interested in DX, feed hunting etc. it is the LNB of choice. It's been proved time and time again. It doesn't work for you and your dish, that's obvious. I've tried one on an 85cm, a Penta 85, a Triax TD88, a Gibertini 1M and my Laminas 1.2M and it consistently outperformed the others. Horses for courses....

 

[cazhh]

Almost all people with large (ie >1.5m) on the german digitalfernsehen Forum prefer the Invacom over all IBUs for 2E/F receiption. I'd love to mod some other LNBs to compare them but unfortunately i lack the craftmensship for that.

I did a comparison of several lnbs a few months ago:


In the end everyone has to test LNBs for his own setup. Relying on forum sagas like "IBU is the best" is not always helpful.

 

[timo_w2s]

Knowing which LNBs work well for some people is a good starting point, but with so many variables in everyone's own systems you can only experiment to see if the LNBs work well for you. Received signal levels, dish type, switches used, cable length, and receiver and any of those combinations can all influence the results of different LNBs.

 

[Huevos]

Sorry but ratings of LNB are not subjective. You attach the LNB to the dish and measure the output with a meter. I go to many jobs every day of the week and I know what works here on the fringe. BU is the absolute best LNB for 2E/2F part of the band. I use several professional level meters and they all tell me the same thing. And BTW every time someone here complains about the LNB I find the dish has been assembled poorly, is not aligned or not focused, or are being used on crap quality dishes.

 

[Steve Steve]

Huevos.....I imagine...you must have more Ch5 signal in your part of the world to play with....compared to Munich ....That might explain your success with IBU............even a 180cm gets no signal at all from 2F and 2 E in the evening on the east side of Munich.... (Im luckily on the west side)....
If only the IBU..was 10 % better on Channel 5 ......I might use one.....In fact the IBU was ok..with BBC 's and ITV's.....But my problem is always with CH5 evening reception.......not BBC / ITV.....

 

[Huevos]

Huevos.....I imagine...you must have more Ch5 signal in your part of the world to play with....compared to Munich ....That might explain your success with IBU............even a 180cm gets no signal at all from 2F and 2 E in the evening

I've seen big gains on CM 1.8 dishes when switched to proper feed and LNB. But on smaller dishes the IBU wins hands down. Here, you can just about get away with a 1.1m dish, but 50km south a 1.4m is very close to limit. Another 50 km south and need a 1.8m.

 

[cazhh]

and we need all those and more during one day. A 90cm dish in the noon, 1.20m in the afternoon, 1.80m in the early evening and 2.40m during the prime time

 

[Huevos]

and we need all those and more during one day. A 90cm dish in the noon, 1.20m in the afternoon, 1.80m in the early evening and 2.40m during the prime time

Got most of those here, and more.

 

[RimaNTSS]

A 90cm dish in the noon, 1.20m in the afternoon, 1.80m in the early evening and 2.40m during the prime time

Just continue please...... I like big dishes very much.

 

[cazhh]

Just continue please...... I like big dishes very much.

Well, I have to stop at 1.80m, but i know several people who have already installed a 3m dish. Nothing bigger so far unfortunately.
And the good thing is i don't have to travel that far to see those beauties, because we loose 1db of snr every 10km.

 

[RimaNTSS]

I've heard stories that people got UK beam from Western parts of Latvia on dishes started from 2,4m . For me, living >200km even more East, I perhaps can have some chances with 460cm bowl.

 

[cazhh]

i wonder if you are still within the first sidelobe or if that is already the second one. I know the center of the first one is roughly over the german/poland border, but i don't know how far east it stretches

 

[RimaNTSS]

We are speaking about this lobe

 

[cazhh]

We are speaking about this lobe View attachment 65688

I was speaking about 2F and probably 2E as well, though the footprint of 2E is slightly different. i've never cared about 2D

 

[Steve Steve]

OK guys..the Octagon quattro LNB with PLL ..arrived today......
.I'm happy to report good results so far....All V SD channels all evening OK and Ch5 a H channel ... also was just about ok.. :-) ......maybe the evening signal was up ? ..Who knows.?....But a good LNB ....I'll leave it on the Gibby 150 for now ..to see how it goes......But on based on tonights results ...I'm very very impressed....

Huevos,,,,What LNB do you use on Big dishes......Invacom C120 / feedhorn ...Or.... IBU..? ...

 

[mickwig]

and we need all those and more during one day. A 90cm dish in the noon, 1.20m in the afternoon, 1.80m in the early evening and 2.40m during the prime time

And even 240 is not enough if the weather is s**t!!

 

[RichardinSpain]

OK guys..the Octagon quattro LNB with PLL ..arrived today......
.I'm happy to report good results so far....All V SD channels all evening OK and Ch5 a H channel ... also was just about ok.. ......maybe the evening signal was up ? ..Who knows.?....But a good LNB ....I'll leave it on the Gibby 150 for now ..to see how it goes......But on based on tonights results ...I'm very very impressed....

Huevos,,,,What LNB do you use on Big dishes......Invacom C120 / feedhorn ...Or.... IBU..? ...

Sounds promising Steve, especially when you had total loss before, i might order the single version and see how that goes