Looking at the GeoSatPro HDVR 3500, it seems that the tuner is good for both the C band and the KU band. I am happy enough with my HDVR 1200 but as I lose more KU band channels I was wondering if there was a dual KU band and C band LNB I could pop into my dish and get some C-band on the same set-up, if I also change the receiver.
Firstly, any FTA satellite receiver will cover both C band and Ku band, it's just a matter of selecting the correct local oscillator (LO) frequency in the configuration menus. When the GeoSatPro HDVR 3500 came out last year, there were an awful lot of issues with it. I think they have mostly been resolved now, but you should do some research to get an accurate status on it. In other forums, the LINKBOX 9000i is being recommended. There are two versions, one with two satellite tuners, and another (termed the Local) which has one satellite tuner and one ATSC tuner in the box. It's also does IPTV.
The only combined C-Ku LNB on the market is this one. Be aware that because of the compromise design, the Ku performance is not as good as a dedicated Ku LNBF. You will need a conical scalar to use with it (assuming you have an offset dish - the flat scalars are only for prime focus dishes). Many enthusiasts attach a Ku LNBF beside a C-band LNB (aka sidecar) and usually get better performance that way.
I had a 4-foot dish set up for C band (but with a dedicated C band LNB) and got worthwhile results.
There are other C/Ku LNBFs around. But either way you get what you for.
No LNBF will make up for an undersized antenna. I don't use an LNBF, I use a dual band feedhorn with separate LNBs for C and Ku on a Prime focus 7.5' mesh. There indeed are some signals that are too weak to receive on that. 10' or more would be more ideal, but it's what I have available... Mostly higher order modulation that I am not particularly interested in, and the lower, near the horizon sats (mostly due to local obstruction) will have trouble. I am guessing that an undersized offset antenna will produce spotty unpredictable results on CBAND.
Below are details from my antenna:
Perfect 10 7.5' mesh Chapparal C/Ku Co-Rotor feed, Norsat 8115 CBAND, Norsat 4106A Ku Thomson Saginaw Actuator, Vbox positioner, Home Brew Polarotor683 Servo circuit.
Can you give more details about the equipment you have? Assuming you have a dish, what size is it? Do you have a clear line-of-sight to the satellite? What is the model number of the receiver? What channels on G17 are you trying to get? What's your approximate geographic location?
With both C-Band and KU-band, I recommend finding out what others in your area are successfully using, and if you are gambling on a new piece of equipment, buy from someone with a good return policy if things don't work out to your liking.
The C-band PLL LNBF is a good unit, I have several. You do have to make sure they are connected with good quality feedline though as the extra current (amperage) can cause a "fair" connection that worked well before to break down under the extra load. My setup uses powered switches out at the dish to run the LNBFs so there is very little load on the rest of the system (cables, diseqc switches, and receivers).
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