Do i need a new minidish next year for f/sat?

[byngo]

Hi,

I had sky installed about 8 to maybe 10 years ago. Its a single LNB mini dish.
I re-connected it this year for use with Freesat and it still works fine.

Question is, i am going to get a Humax Foxsat HDR in the near future and wish to change the LNB for a quad.
Upon enquiring of the purchase of a quad LNB on Ebay and if a new one would still fit i was told it would fit but my dish will need replacing to a new "Mk4" type next year as SKY are changing their "footprint" and the old one won't work.
Is "MK4" a 43 centimetre dish?

Could someone explain all this please? I was confident in changing the LNB myself but having to align a new dish DIY style does not sound so easy.

 

[Silas Greenback]

yes and no, if you fit a quad lnb to that old dish, its highly likely the arm that holds your lnb on your old dish will sag down and give you a bad signal.

suck it and see, the worst that can happen is you need a new dish

 

[davemurgatroyd2]

If it does sag all you need do is tilt the dish slightly upwards to compensate.

It is a load of organic bovine manure about the MK 4 dish and the footprint. The MK 4 dish is slightly larger than earlier dishes BUT if you get a good signal with your existing dish then this will not change (except if knocked out of alignment or lnb deteriates.

That ebay seller is attempting to con you into buying a dish as well.

 

[byngo]

Thanks for the replies both.
I do get a flawless picture at the moment so i'll try just changing the lnb.

one thing that has occured to me though is that the new LNB's seem to be mounted with the main body of the lnb sitting vertical below the mounting arm.
My existing one seems very shallow in that respect and where my dish is situated (on two brackets and a pole to clear the eaves and guttering), the underside of the LNB body (and the cable connection) just clears the ridge tiles on the hip of my roof.
I might have to raise the "U" brackets up the pole they clamp to a little to gain that extra height.

 

[byngo]

If it does sag all you need do is tilt the dish slightly upwards to compensate.

Hey, I just thought. If the LNB arm sags, then that's affecting the position of the LNB relative to the dish.

If I tilt the dish i am changing the alignment of the dish and not the relationship between the LNB and the dish??

Have I understood that right??

 

[davemurgatroyd2]

Hey, I just thought. If the LNB arm sags, then that's affecting the position of the LNB relative to the dish.

If I tilt the dish i am changing the alignment of the dish and not the relationship between the LNB and the dish??

Have I understood that right??

The lnb is receiving the reflection from the dish, the small loss caused by the reflection not being at the prime focus of the dish is insignificant compared to the accuracy of the mass manufactured dish not being originally perfect. In very low signal fringe areas this would possibly make a noticable difference but in the UK is immaterial. Remember this is an "all or nothing" digital signal and not an analogue one where higher signal level could mean higher quality. With digital signals a higher level merely means a higher "rain fade" margin.