# FTA Max Coax Length



## Gray1 (Jul 22, 2005)

Maybe somebody could answer this question. What is the Max Coax Length for FTA. I see someplaces are saying 75 feet, but there is no way I can get by with that. I have a 150' run of "flooded" Commscope RG6 of which about 80 feet is underground in conduit. My Dishnetwork Dish is using the same setup with over 100 percent signal strength on nearly every channel. Is FTA that much different than Dishnetwork? Can I get by with a 150 foot run?

Thanks for your help.

allen


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## VoomVoom (Jul 24, 2005)

allen, Who knows? There are so many factors involved, and everybody's set-up is different. Every single thing seems to be a factor, including the length of cable, the wind, the rain, the Sun, the trees, the size of the dish, the type of lnb's, the noise factor of the lnb's, the number of switches in the line, the type of switches in the line, and even the manufacturer of the different equipment can make a difference. Not to mention how well you have everything fine tuned. I have a 327' run of ribbon cable going from a 10' BUD that has two 4x1 high frequency splitters, with one port passthrough, in the line about 240' from the dish. The passthrough port is used for 4dtv and the other three ports, for both C and ku, are going to three diseqc switches, for three DVB receivers. They work well and I have no problems I'm aware of. Of coarse if the ribbon cable was shorter, I'm sure I would get better signal quality. In fact, when I first put the HF spitters in the line, I lost about 2-3% on the signal quality for the 4dtv, but I didn't lose any channels. I have two ku dishes, but they are about a 115' and 130' cable run respectively, with the diseqc switches about 30' and 45' from the dishes. I have all my switches (spliters and diseqc) in my well house.
Your DishNet dishes are fed signal from the DBS satellites, and they are much stronger than the ku satellites. So, that's why they have smaller dishes. If you're planning on using your DishNet dish for ku signals, you're wasting your time. You might pull in a few (very few) channels, but not enough to even fool with, in my opinion?
I believe I've seen it recommended at about 100' for length, but I think that's more of where you may start to notice a signal loss with a system, and not that it won't work if it's any longer. It's safe to say that the shorter the cable run the better. But, I think you should be OK if you are under 200' and it will most likely would still work if it's longer than that. Like I said, I'm getting signal quality at 327', but it's a 10' dish also. I don't think 150' will give you any problems.

Al


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## Gray1 (Jul 22, 2005)

I am not using a Dishnetwork. I have to buy a dish . Would it be safe to say that the larger the dish the stronger the signal? If that is the case then perhaps i should look at a 90mm dish.


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## VoomVoom (Jul 24, 2005)

Yes, a 90cm dish should be fine. I would recommend an even larger dish if you can afford it. When you get above about 1m size, the shipping cost jumps astronomocally. I think 1m's are still reasonable to ship. If you're lucky enough to have a local shop/dealer, you'll probably get better prices, without shipping cost.

Al


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## Ted (Jun 17, 2006)

What is FTA full form?


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## FTA Michael (Jul 21, 2002)

FTA = Free-To-Air, as in unencrypted digital satellite TV. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-to-air


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## Amherst (Sep 21, 2006)

Gray1 said:


> Maybe somebody could answer this question. What is the Max Coax Length for FTA. I see someplaces are saying 75 feet, but there is no way I can get by with that. I have a 150' run of "flooded" Commscope RG6 of which about 80 feet is underground in conduit. My Dishnetwork Dish is using the same setup with over 100 percent signal strength on nearly every channel. Is FTA that much different than Dishnetwork? Can I get by with a 150 foot run?
> 
> Thanks for your help.
> 
> allen


Have you got this installation running?
I am about to install an almost identical setup, Commscpoe flooded RG-6, 70' run underground in pipe, overall 130' to switch. Curious if there's problems.


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## aussieboy (Oct 22, 2006)

Good cable, with good connections, I wouldn't expect a problem . Just don't short yourself on quality, and you'll be fine. The alternative for the same install with RG-11 would be mighty pricey.


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## Horsegirl (Oct 23, 2006)

90 cm dish is more than enough (For North America). Also, a signal amp installed (in-line coax 12v existing power) or at the entertainment center (115v plug into wall) is enough to make 125 ft seem like a 5 ft line in FTA. A 30 inch round (or 75cm oval) dish is enough to gather anything from North America with quality signal for FTA. Also, motor signals are not effected by amplifiers...

In answer to another question... Yes FTA is much like Dishnet... ...with digital quality... but no HD TV yet.

Also another tip... KU peeps... (although you use more cable)... mount your multisat switch (if applicable) as close to the receiver as possible.


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