Need Advice on Dish Size for CBand System in Honduras

[gringo1962]

We are a non profit org in Honduras and need some advice. We need to receive CTNI signal on IntelSat 9 here in the coutry of Honduras. We have been told that we need a 4 meter dish by CTNI, but local cable operators and others say a 2.4 meter dish will work great. I always thought that closer to the ecuator that you are the smaller dish that you could use, but my dish knowledge is a bit rusty. Can someone give me some help here? Thanks.

Here is info on the channel we need to receive.

58 Degrees west longitude, C-band
LO: 5150
Download Frequency: 4121
Polarity: Horizontal
Symbol Rate: 2.2222
FEC: 3/4
Video PID: 4130
PCR PID: 4130
Audio PID: 4131

 

[SatelliteAV]

The satellite name has changed to Intelsat 21 and the footprint for the CTNi signal can be viewed here:
http://www.intelsat.com/flash/cover...at=IS-21%20at%20302%BA%20E&display=map&spot=0

Broadcasters usually will recommend a dish size that provides a margin of signal gain that will provide minimal interruption during adverse weather conditions. Looking at the estimated signal strength for your area, a 2.4m dish will likely provide reliable reception in all but the most extreme weather. A larger dish would minimize signal loss during these weather events.

Proximity of your downlink to the equator has no relationship to satellite signal strength. Satellites have directional antennas that often direct the signal to specific regions and may have no signal available in your region.

 

[Borisov-54]

Intelsat 21 - 58.0°W
----------------------

We have been told that we need a 4 meter dish by CTNI, but local cable operators and others say a 2.4 meter dish will work great. I always thought that closer to the ecuator that you are the smaller dish that you could use,

You wish to throw on money - $. Dish it is necessary less size. Look a companion card.

 

[updatelee]

keep in mind too that the larger the dish the smaller the beam width. Ive got a small 5ft dish that on a few satellites has more then enough signal strength but the quality is unusable because of crosstalk from adjacent satellites. An example is on 97w I can easily tune LESA on 99w with 60% quality even though its a full 2deg over. on 107w I can not tune 4160H at all because of 4160H on 105w, the two frequencies overlap each other and cancel each other out.

Here is a beam width calculator, http://www.satsig.net/pointing/antenna-beamwidth-calculator.htm

compare to lyngsat and satbeams to see if the satellite your interested will have adjacent signals interfering with it.

UDL

 

[tekjunkie02]

I have the same problems with my 6 foot Sadoun. It could probably get everything, but it gets drowned out. That 99 sat is a killer, I can still get it 2 notches over...LOL!

I'm thinking about trying to extend the dish 2-feet, probably just on the upper half, using aluminum window screening material. Don't know if it would help, or just be a huge waste of time?

 

[tekjunkie02]

BTW, I just moved my 6 foot Dish over to 58w, and am now watching the broadcast on 4122/H/2222 coming in right now with a 90% level and a 54% quality, still very watchable, and I don't yet have this dish tweaked out. Based on the Chart posted here by Borisov, I am in about the same signal strength, here in North Central Florida, as you would be.