Wavefrontier Toroidal T55/T90

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ScuL

487 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#129293 9-Sep-2013 23:04

I know the landscape of different satellites to pick up is quite a bit less in NZ than in Europe/North America however I wonder if anybody has ever seen or successfully installed one of the following?

Meet the Wavefrontier Toroidal dish!
http://www.wavefrontier.us/
How this works is that the reflector reflects the signals twice which creates a focal line rather than a focal point and make it possible to use up to 16 LNB's (therefore 16 different satellites) on a single dish. No motor/rotor required!

You can use it to make set ups as such:

You get the idea :P

I reckon you should be able to get IS18 180E, 172E, IS19 166E, B3 164E, B2 162E, D1 160E, C1/D3 156E, D2 152E all on one dish..

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e wha.

richms

28168 posts

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#892446 9-Sep-2013 23:27

Never got around to installing mine since its mount requires a specific size post, so wont just drop ontop of a normal sky wall mount.

I think I have an old ihug mount the right size too, but really, no point, I have the internet which gets me media now.

Richard rich.ms

hdinsider

552 posts

Ultimate Geek

#892449 9-Sep-2013 23:36

Yes, I have see them working here. All good except performance is no better on each satellite than a 75-90cm dish and you need a multi input diseqc switch to feed all those lnbs into your decoder. Like richms says, you're better to go to the net now for extra channels.

don't mess with me.... i'm the hd insider....

ScuL

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#892457 10-Sep-2013 00:27

richms: Never got around to installing mine since its mount requires a specific size post, so wont just drop ontop of a normal sky wall mount.

I think I have an old ihug mount the right size too, but really, no point, I have the internet which gets me media now.

Do you have the 55 or the 90?

hdinsider: Yes, I have see them working here. All good except performance is no better on each satellite than a 75-90cm dish and you need a multi input diseqc switch to feed all those lnbs into your decoder. Like richms says, you're better to go to the net now for extra channels.

Yea the intention is not to get a better signal, it's mainly to make it easier to catch multiple sats rather than doing complicated things with multiple dishes, monoblocks and rotors.

I currently have a "Dark Motor" which is an amazing bit of kit but it still causes lag time when moving the dish from let's say 28.8E (Astra2) to 0.8W (Thor)

The biggest reason why people over here use these dishes is simply to catch a vast amount of feeds, not necessarily watch TV channels for entertainment purposes.
Some American channels broadcast on positions which are reachable for Europeans (between 55W and 18W for instance) and this way it is sometimes possible to pick up NBA games, NASCAR races and so forth. I reckon the Pacific spectrum probably doesn't provide as many options but it's likely you will be able to pick up feeds intended for or produced in Australia that make their hops across the Pacific.

I noticed there was one satellite within sight of NZ that covers Hawaii but unfortunately (and logically) the beam is set up for the northern hemisphere so unless you put an 8 meter dish behind it or so the chances of getting any form of signal are extremely slim

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e wha.

hdinsider

552 posts

Ultimate Geek

#892470 10-Sep-2013 07:38

Most ku satellite beams that can be picked up on normal size dishes in NZ are ones that are focused on NZ alone or Australia and NZ. There are also a handful of channels aimed at pacific islands or asia that can be received by chance. Overspill reception, even from Australia only beams, is really hard to achieve. 3-4m plus dishes would be needed.

don't mess with me.... i'm the hd insider....

KiwiTim

376 posts

Ultimate Geek

#892520 10-Sep-2013 09:15

I have a T90 on the Kapiti Coast. Works well. I currently use it to receive Optus D1/D2/C1 and Intelsat 19 (ku band). They are a bit fiddly to set up and prone to move in strong winds. My brother has one in Lower Hutt which used to move after gale force winds (which happen quite often in the Hutt Valley), but we lowered the pole so that the support wires braced it from the top, and now it never moves.

Given that there are so few decent English speaking channels over NZ (other than D1/D2/C1), I probably wouldn't recommend a T90 for NZ users. Better to use a 75 cm offset parabolic aimed at D1, and get D2 using off centre reception with a double lnb bracket like this:

http://www.freeviewshop.co.nz/zenus-optus-d1d2-bracket-60cm-90cm-dishes-p-427.html

If there were more interesting TV satellites out there in this region, then a T90 would be great.

Tim

Apsattv

2388 posts

Uber Geek

#892634 10-Sep-2013 12:26

I have one of the T90's fully assembled but not mounted.

One user also fitted a cband lnbf in the mid position and had BBC World / Australia network working well. Back when it was on Intelsat 8 cband.

ScuL

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#893010 11-Sep-2013 01:32

Given that there are so few decent English speaking channels over NZ (other than D1/D2/C1), I probably wouldn't recommend a T90 for NZ users. Better to use a 75 cm offset parabolic aimed at D1, and get D2 using off centre reception with a double lnb bracket like this:

http://www.freeviewshop.co.nz/zenus-optus-d1d2-bracket-60cm-90cm-dishes-p-427.html

If there were more interesting TV satellites out there in this region, then a T90 would be great.

Cheers mate,

I think it's definitely not as exotic in terms of the number of feeds and channels as it would be in N.Am or Europe but there are a fair few things to pick up;

180E - Intelsat 18: Mainly French channels for New Caledonia / French Polynesia - LCP & France24 are interesting for French speakers
172E - Eutelsat 172A: Feeds
166E - Intelsat 19: Vast selection of international channels (Cyprus, Greece, Chile, Spain, Serbia, Turkey, Macedonia, Montenegro, Hungary, Russia, Ethiopia, Kuwait & Sudan)
164E - Optus B3: Feeds
160E - Optus D1: Sky NZ & Freeview NZ + ABC/SBS Australia
156E - Optus C1/D3: Foxtel (useless unless decrypted)
152E - Optus D2: Mostly Australian however also Netherlands!, Japan, Macedonia, Iraq, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, India, Russia, Thai, Iran, Vietnam, UAE, Oman, Romania, Hungary

Unless you're interested in feeds and international channels as a gimmick you're right it probably doesn't make sense :) - but I like gimmicks!

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e wha.

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hdinsider

552 posts

Ultimate Geek

#893050 11-Sep-2013 08:08

You have listed some channels on D1 and C1 that are only on the Australian beams. (ABC, Foxtel, etc). These won't be picked up on a torroidal dish in NZ.

don't mess with me.... i'm the hd insider....

KiwiTim

376 posts

Ultimate Geek

#893063 11-Sep-2013 08:41

There are channels that can be received in NZ off Optus C1 that you can pick up on a T90, but they are encrypted, and require decryption. I think that particular beam will be shut down on 13 December of this year. A pity.

Tim