Hot! Hot! Super DISH

[badl_lnbf]

Here's some additional SuperDISH Info!

 

[Ken_F]

Can we move this to the General Dish Network forum?

 

[Ken_F]

According to the second PDF above, the Superdish will be 20x36". Is that correct?

If it is, the Superdish much larger than the 26" originally reported and quoted by Echostar in the press.

As I mentioned in another thread, I don't see many customers willing to accept a dish of this size for their locals. The anticipated 26" size was a non-issue for me, but if it is going to be 36" wide, they had better offer a lot of new HDTV content that I can't get from either DirecTV or Comcast.

 

[Guest]

36 inches is huge. I highly doubt its that big, heck it doesn't seem to be from all the pictures seen here.

 

[Bill R]

36 inches is huge. I highly doubt its that big.

It needs to be that big so that it can get a relaible signal from the 105 (or 121) satellite. Remember, we are dealing with FSS (fixed satellite service) signals, not DBS signals. FSS does not have the transponder power that DBS does and therefore needs a bigger dish (with a sharper focus point) to collect an acceptable signal.

 

[Stargazer]

Dish has made their dish a different shape so that they could decrease the size of their dish. I have heard that their dish was going to be 20" high and 26" wide while I have also heard that it is going to be about 36" wide.

 

[n0qcu]

I had originally heard 26" x 34". It doesn't matter to me, it would just be nice to know what size it will be.

 

[Tim Hanthorn]

According to Dish Network fact sheet - the Super Dish antenna is "just over 20" high x just under 36"wide."

 

[Stargazer]

Lots of people going to be angry that this size of dish has to be installed to get the locals. Most do not care about HD yet.

 

[jynxsee]

Well the news of the SuperDish being 36" shoots getting it in the foot for me. I guess I blew $109 for the HD pack and will only get the 4 stations we have now until I'm in a house.

I live in a condo and have the dish on my 2nd floor porch, which is my only exclusive use element. Unfrtunately there's no way that I can have a 36" dish on my porch, it just won't work for me.

This could drive me back to cable unfortunately.

 

[TheForce]

I am greatly concerned by the precise calibration one will need with the Super dish. With larger C Band dishes you had a rotator to adjust for best signal while the superdish is lock down. Anything that could throw out the alignment on the existing DBS dishes would just reduce the signal strength a bit but that same alignment problem may cause the dish to lose signal altogether. I'm thinking that Superdish will have alignment problems far worse than smaller DBS dishes. Then there is rain fade... increased sensitivity too.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Don the calibration on a SuperDish is not as bad as you would think.

Infact after all is setup everything is within 1 degree, if you have you azmouth and elevation setup you can easily nail all 3 localtions.

 

[bcwmachine]

I am greatly concerned by the precise calibration one will need with the Super dish. .

I don't think that the dish alignment would be any worse than the "StarBand" with the Dish LNB's. I had my Starband on the roof using the supplied 'foot/mast', and never had any problems with it being moved by the wind, etc. It did require that the lag bolts go into the rafters, not just into the sheathing like the quick and dirty installation of my 148 dish that the 'dish' installer did. (I relocated the 148 dish and did it right later).
I no longer have StarBand, but the StarBand foot and mast is still in use for my wireless internet antenna. The StarBand dish was 36" x 26".

 

[Jerry G]

Don the calibration on a SuperDish is not as bad as you would think.

Infact after all is setup everything is within 1 degree, if you have you azmouth and elevation setup you can easily nail all 3 localtions.

Then why is Dish being so adamant about us not doing our own installs or arranging for installers we trust to do it? In fact, given the presumed increased size of the mounting base, I don't know if there is enough room on the parapet on my roof, and I'm thinking of doing an install with a non penetrating mount, but I don't think I could do that unless Dish would ship the Superdish directly to me.

 

[Stargazer]

I wonder if this professional installation requirement of the SuperDish is no different than them requiring professional installation of all of their systems in that it would go along with that.

The SuperDish definitely is not any easier to install than the Dish500 just like the Dish500 was not any easier to install than the Dish300 was.

Also since Dish is requiring professional installation on this dish and being more strict on this requirement, it shows that they want to make sure they are put in correctly and perhaps they are trying to combat piracy as well.

 

[fv3]

... perhaps they are trying to combat piracy as well.

How could this (professional install only) possibly combat piracy?

 

[Ken_F]

Confirmed:

Vendor 1 dish is 24" x 34. This is also the image in the info sheet.

Vendor 2 is 21" x 36.

My opinion:

These sizes were needed to ensure reliable service throughout the country at existing power levels. They are not going to produce a smaller dish that can only be sold to minority of customers; they required a one dish solution that would work for everyone (or just about everyone).

A somewhat smaller Superdish might be deployed once AMC-15 is up late next year, depending on what Echostar wants to do with their modulation, symbol rate, and FEC levels.

 

[Ken_F]

Here's the Superdish installation guide, originally linked on DBSTalk.

Superdish Installation Guide (2.8Mb)

 

[Stargazer]

Professional installation requirements would combat piracy some by preventing those that pirate be able to get the hardware to receiver HD and local broadcasts. I suppose if they really wanted they would come up with their own SuperDish solution for that as a workaround.