Why would you have a fixed dish, when you can motorise?

markbigears

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Hi guys, just getting into this satellite side of things. Looking at various set ups, i'm not sure to go fixed or motorised. Have been looking at the new Multytenne 4 lnb dish or a full motorised system. Can someone please explain why you would go 4 lnb dish over a motorised system? Would I be missing out on much if I went for the Multytenne? Thanks Guys.
 
It depends on which satellites you wish to view and how patient you are when changing channels.

Fixed dishes with multiple lnbs change channel virtually instantly whereas a motorised dish requires time for the dish to be moved (somewhere around 2 degrees per second with a typical Diseqc motor). So to move from 13 degrees East to 28 degrees East would take an additional 7 to 8 seconds before a channel would appear.

So for versatility choose motorised (not just limited to 3 or 4 positions) or for speed of satellite change choose a fixed dish.
 
I have not investigated the system you mention, but the widest coverage I have seen from multiple-lnb fixed dishes is around 20 degrees.

http://www.satellitesuperstore.co.uk/multisat.htm

If you are not planning to DIY, BTW, before buying make sure you are happy with quotes for the kind of installation you decide to pursue.
 
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I`d agree that the claim of which sats you`d see is optimistic to say the least. You`d be ok on Eurobird and Astra1, get most or maybe all of the transponders on Hotbird (but with little rain margin), but Astra 3/1D, I can`t get that on a well aligned 80cm dish (albeit up in the North West).
 
Thanks for all you replies guys, I'm going motorised with a 85cm dish now and am ditching the Multytenne idea.
 
The problem with going motorised was the expence , not so much nowadays ,but a few years ago folk were paying hundreds for a moving system .I have allways done my own so, the price never came into it. The main thing is there are only 2 main Sats that are of any interest Hotbird [13*E] & Astra [19.2*E]. Yes ,there are loads of other but most only have a minimal amount of channels to watch , like Hispatsat [30*W] and Sirius 5*E].So, it it's the footy you want to watch then you can just use a monoblock with the one dish [80-90cms ,better still 1m].I know alot of sat hobbyists who are allways scanning the skys looking for new channels , but most recievers only have 5000 channels ,these would be quickly used up if you parked on all the available Sats .
 
My 3-month old research suggests you still pay high hundreds for motorised dishes. I was quoted 500 plus parts from one installer and "too complicated we (no longer) do it" from many others in Edinburgh.
 
Yes ,there are loads of other but most only have a minimal amount of channels to watch , like Hispatsat [30*W] and Sirius 5*E].So, it it's the footy you want to watch then you can just use a monoblock with the one dish [80-90cms ,better still 1m].QUOTE]

Depends what you`re after really, 16e is useful for the footie with an official digitalb card, you`ve got 5w for free (legal) french channels, Telstar (?12w) for the US feeds and bits and pieces on loads of others.
 
too complicated

It's not hard. Motor, dish, sat finder, some cable and a receiver. First time has a fairly steep learning curve but not that bad.

Maybe they were only used to sky installs?
 
I don't know why they thought that, but that's what 2-3 told me.
 
It's really essential to carry out an initial site survey, but many customers don't want to pay for this.

Problem with motorised is that they can hit snags. For example, the customer might forget to tell them there's a tree in the way so the dish suddenly requires wall mounting at 3 metres instead of being stuck on a pole at ground level. The job takes 3 hours instead of one, but the customer still expects the initial estimate of £200 to be honoured and refuses to pay the final bill of £400.

This is why those companies with the patience still to offer such an installation will play safe and estimate £500 even for the (apparently) simplest job. It covers them for unforeseen snags.
 

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