[johnboy105]

Just wondering what the difference is....saw a thread about a 75E being used in a situation with longer runs - is this the only difference?

And a sub-question to this, if the runs are less then 100ft, is 75E going to make any difference vs a 60E?

Thanks.

 

[MSM]

The 75E is a bigger dish (75 cm.) than the 60E (60 cm.). The bigger dish will produce a stronger signal, especially at the edges of the satellite's footprint (coverage area). So you will see references in here to people using 75E dishes in a valley surrounded by mountains, in Mexico, and in the far north - all to get a better signal.

Signal loss is a function of the quality of the coax (use RG-6), the length of the cable run, and the presence of connectors in the cable. The only way a 75E is better is that you may start with a higher signal strength, so there is more room for losses. It is extremely unlikely that you would ever need the larger dish in the heavily-populated area of Canada. I doubt if there should be any concern about continuous 100 foot cable runs with RG-6 cable regardless of the dish.

 

[dirtroad]

Larger dish for areas subject to lower signal strength

The larger dish helps people in fringe areas of the signal that otherwise can't obtain the 70% strength to ensure uninterrupted reception. The dish collects and focuses the signal to the lnb.
Longer runs of cable from the dish/lnb to the receiver may sometimes require an in-line booster amp, but 150 feet should be possible without one.

 

[ScaryBob]

Using a 75e, instead of a 60e, is a better solution than using a line amp. The difference in price is about $15 so it's basically the price of one line amp. A 75e can also reduce signal loss due to rain fade in areas that get heavy rain storms.

 

[Jimsathome]

I'm the one...

Just wondering what the difference is....saw a thread about a 75E being used in a situation with longer runs - is this the only difference?

And a sub-question to this, if the runs are less then 100ft, is 75E going to make any difference vs a 60E?

Thanks.

I'm the one going to use a 75e on a long run. But if you read the whole Thread you'll find that a 350 Foot Run using good quality RG6 Quad Shield (buried in a plastic conduit) suffers little losses off a 60e.

Our problem is due to just making it over the ridge of the Mountain, deep in the valley limits the signal achievable at the Dish. On FR1 Channel 299 - ShawDirect Reg - the strength at best is only 72; so with a couple points of losses over the 350 foot cable run you are now looking at the magic 70 signal level at the Cabin. That level is probably livable there, but we are trying to make it over to the neighbors house, and the extra 250 feet causes too much total drop.

The 75e dish collects more signal over it's larger surface area, and therefore should have significantly more output if aimed properly. I've seen posts here (and elsewhere) where the expected gain is 10 points of signal strength; with 8-10 db on SD and 6-6.5 db on HD - Ebno values.

(Ebno numbers are a measurement of the digital signal to noise ratio at the incoming terminals of the reciever. On the 505/530 its options 6-4-7 line C that shows an Ebno #)

I hope this is halpful.

 

[johnboy105]

Ahh, ok. That's definitely answering my questions. Thanks all for your responses.

 

[ScaryBob]

we are trying to make it over to the neighbors house, and the extra 250 feet causes too much total drop.

In that case, a line amp may be the best option. You basically have two options, going to a very large non-standard dish (or two) or using a line amp. Line amps work better for amplifying a good signal, before too much line loss occurs. Placing them at the dish is best, but probably impractical in this case. Placing a line amp on the head end of the line going to the distant house should be sufficient.

 

[Jimsathome]

In that case, a line amp may be the best option. You basically have two options, going to a very large non-standard dish (or two) or using a line amp. Line amps work better for amplifying a good signal, before too much line loss occurs. Placing them at the dish is best, but probably impractical in this case. Placing a line amp on the head end of the line going to the distant house should be sufficient.

ScaryBob,

We did try a Phillips SDW5005GN In Line Satellite amplifier => in place of, and again supplimental to, the Multiswitch => before the 250 feet of cable to the neighbors. We also tried it at the dish with a "butt" connector at the Cabin, and again just prior to Cable entry at the neighbor's house.

On a different Forum, someone suggested installing at the Dish with a Channel Master 5213IFD amp, saying it was a better quality device than most (?). But on Page 36 of the Channel Master Accessories book it says in reference to the 5213IFD:

"Care should be taken not to overload the amplifier (see specifications). Depending upon LNB gain, this will usually involve leaving a minimum distance of 100 feet of RG6U between the LNB and the line amplifier." (I'm not about to cut into the 350 feet of continuous RG6 Quad Shield that's buried in conduit in any case.)

Hence my confusion as I've seen various insertion points for these devices. There doesn't appear to be a "Bible" on installing these systems in non-standard situations. Nor is there much (any?) guidance from the hardware manufacturers, or even "retired" installers here in Canada. If the 75e doesn't improve the signal enough, I guess the last opton would be to migrate to RG11 cable, or investigate commercial grade amplification.

Of course the neighbor could wait for Telus to connect the Fiber cable that's about a Km. (or so) away on a telephone /BC Hydro pole => and forget the attempt at SD. We've heard from local electrical contractors that Telus has the stringing of new cables to the houses /cabins out for bid.

 

[ScaryBob]

The long line length is why I said line amps at the dish were impractical. If you have a usable signal from the switch, placing an amp at the switch output, before the line to the neighbors house, should work. The 250' line length may be an issue for powering the amp or there could be another problem with the line. Maybe a power inserter is required just after the line amp. Another option may be to place a line amp on each line, just ahead of the switch. Not sure why a line amp would overload with normal signal levels, unless its a poor quality unit. I can see how it might overload with the direct output of an oversized dish but it shouldn't be required at that point.