5 LNB Test on 4' Dish

[77ta]

Interesting info Costactc. Wish you had an avenger 321pll to compare since that is what I use.

[Costactc]

I'm using a 321 lnb as a side feed on my 8' dish. I have an inverto black ultra coming from the UK and an L104 Single Output Universal - Amiko as well.

[el bandido]

I appreciate Costa taking the time to test these lnbs and post the results. It takes a lot of time to do this!

I do not see enough difference between the first 3 lnbs that were tested to make any difference.
Satellite signals may get a bit stronger or a bit weaker in the amount of time it takes to change a lnb. A lnb is designed to work over a wide frequency range, so it is not surprising for me to see lnb A perform a bit better than lnb B at a given frequency.
The difference of a db or two in SNR is not much either. For example, if you are watching a ku channel that has a 14 db SNR, you will lose the signal on that channel at about the same time as a 16db SNR signal when it starts raining.

The lnbs that most of us use for fta are cheaply made in China The actual production cost of these lnbs is probably under a dollar. The performance of these cheap lnbs can vary by a good bit, even if the lnbs are of the same make and model.

I see pll lnbs as nothing but sales hype. Dish Network and Direct tv use dro lnbs. If there was an advantage to a pll lnb then the networks would use them!
PLL lnbs may have a slight advantage on skinny signals or transponders with symbol rates below 1500, but the professional lnb manufactures will tell you that the pll lnb has no real advantage over a dro lnb unless the signal being received is narrow.

Invacom snh-031
Amc 6- 12053- 13.7 db 6,890 5/6
G17- 12010- 16.1 db 11,574 3/4 DVB-S
Amc 1- 11840- 10.4 db 30,000 5/6 8psk


Jsc322-2
Amc 6- 13.9db
G17- 16.0 db
Amc 1- 9.9 db

Titanium pll-1ks
Amc 6- 13.5 db
G17- 14.8 db
Amc 1- 11.7 db


bsc321sp
Amc 6- 12.2 db
G17- 13.4 db
Amc 1- 7.3 db


Invacom twf-031
Amc 6- 12.4 db
G17- 13.6 db
Amc 1- 8.6 db

[Costactc]

The Amiko premium L-104 lnb arrived today and getting her ready to test out and just waiting on the Inverto black to arrive from the UK:





OUTPUTS 1
NOISE FIGURE 0.5 dB
REFLECTOR TYPE Offset
CLAMP SIZE 40mm
INPUT FREQUENCY
10.7GHz ~ 11.7GHz (Low Band)
11.7GHz ~ 12.75GHz (High Band)

OUTPUT FREQUENCY
950MHz ~ 1950 MHz (Low Band)
1100MHz ~ 2150 MHz (High Band)

HIGH BAND SWITCH 22KHz (+/-4KHz)
LO FREQUENCY
9.75 GHz (Low Band)
10.60 GHz (High Band)

OPERATING TEMPERATURE -40ºC ~ +60ºC
OPERATING VOLTAGE 13V (VER) / 18V (HOR)
CURRENT DRAW
110mA (max.)



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[Costactc]

I have to totally agree with my colleague EB on variables when testing out different lnbs. The results that I achieved with my invacom are not indicative as to the results today, a bit windy here today which probably has a major effect. The L-104 results:

Amc 6- 12.8 db

Galaxy 17- 14.8 db

Amc 1- 11.2 db

[Costactc]

The last of the lnbs that I will be testing just arrived from the UK. The black inverto:


Product Specifications
draw

Low Band Input Frequency Range 10.7 ~ 11.7 GHz
Low Band Output Frequency Range 950 ~ 1950 MHz
Low Band LO Frequency 9.75 GHz
High Band Input Frequency Range 11.7 ~ 12.75 GHz
High Band Output Frequency Range 1100 ~ 2150 MHz
High Band LO Frequency 10.6 GHz
Noise Figure 0.2 dB Typ. (0.7dB Max.)
LO Initial Accuracy +/- 1.0 MHz Max.
LO Temperature Drift +/- 3.0 MHz Max.
Phase Noise (@ 10 kHz) - 90 dBc / Hz Max.
Conversion Gain 60 dB Min.
Gain Ripple (Over 26MHz Bandwidth) +/- 0.75 dB
Gain Variation (Over Full Band) +/- 4 dB Max.
Image Rejection 40 dB Min.
1 dB Compression Point (@ Output) 0.0 dBm Min.
Cross Polarization Isolation 22 dB Min.
Control Signal Ca (Vertical Polarization) 11.0 ~ 14.0 V
Control Signal Cb (Horizontal Polarization) 16.0 ~ 20.0 V
Control Signal Cc (Band Switching) 22 +/- 4 kHz
Output VSWR 2.0 : 1
In-Band Spurious - 60 dBm Max.
Current Consumption 120 mA Max. @ 11 ~ 20V
Operating Temperature - 30 °C ~ + 60 °C
Output Impedance 75 Ω
Output Connector F-Type (Female)
Weight 151 g


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[Costactc]

It's cloudy and raining so I really cannot do a comparison with the black inverto but I would have to say that its readings are a bit disappointing. I will retest on a clearer day. For now, I have the Amiko premium L-104 as my feed.

[Costactc]

Finally found the time and a clear day to test the 3 out and make a final decision. The black inverto ultra beats both the invacom and amiko on every satellite except Galaxy 17 where its db level is 2.0 less then the other 2. The inverto was better on all other sats and will become my permanent ku feed:


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[eastof111]

Thanks for the tests.... I've read on some of the Euro forums basically the same good points with the Inverto. The MTI seems another one that might be good, but avoid the Mti High line (AP8-TZN2R). Here is a site doing some comparisons.....

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Don't remember which site I saw this ops comments,


"I did a test on 10 714/H/22000 (C4 on 2E) earlier this year: Invacom QDF 031 0.3 dB (8.7 dB Snr) the most stable V + H TP however Mti AP8-XT2 0.6 dB (8.9 dB Snr) slighly better V TP and Inverto Ultra Quad (8.7 dB Snr) and Mti AP82-TW (8.7 dB Snr) Mti AP82-T2FBL Supreme (8.7 dB Snr) Absolute worse was Mti High line (AP8-TZN2R 8.2 dB Snr) the most expensive Mti LNBF ..."

Here are some pixs of MTI... and the AP8-XT2 on a dish with a homemade feed.

[Costactc]

Used an MTI lnb about 14 years ago when I lived in Europe with great success. They don't come cheap...20 Euros is quite steep for a single.