i understand that there are diferent frequencies to linear and circular lnbs but now im a little confused with the universal lnbf, whats the use for this one, and who uses either of these?
also are the bases where you hold the lnbs universal so any would hold either?
Universal LNB is a basically a linear LNB as far as polarity, but has a broader range of frequencies that both circular and linear BOTH use..here's a c/p from dsscommunity..here in North America, it's really not useful, especially for DN or Bev..
Our North American KU band satellites primarily uses two frequency bands. The FSS band is from 11700-12200 MHz, and uses linear polarization. The DBS band is from 12200-12700 MHz and uses circular polarization. Generally because of the polarization differences it's easier for most people to use two different LNBF's to tune these services. In Europe, Africa, and Asia, they have two lower bands of 10700-11200 and 11200-11700 MHz linear. They also share our 12200-12700 band, but it is linear where our DBS band is circular. Universal LNBF's were developed to be used in those locations where several different frequency bands using the same polarization are used. By having a device that worked like having two or three LNBF's in one, all frequencies could be tuned with one device and one dish. The equipment that we have come to know over the years as FTA equipment in this country is the equivalent to DTV or DN in other countries. They aren't stuck with having to obtain, lease, or buy equipment from their programmer, They just select the brand of receiver they desire or can afford, obtain a CAM and card from the programmer of their choice, and subscribe. The FTA type receivers we know today have been in use in other countries for many years. The universal LNBF is a mass produced item that has made it's way into the American market in abundance. It is a good performer, but it has it's drawbacks. In North America the only place we see any real use of frequencies below 11700 are with a few satellites over the Atlantic, mainly PAS9 and a couple more. These satellites have just a few Spanish language channels, and the two Atlantic Bird satellites have a handful of Arabic language signals. Most people will never be able to even see the Atlantic Bird sats, with the exception of the far right coasters..