Dish Pro Switches and LNBFs

Dish Pro is Dish Network's second generation of outdoor equipment. The difference between Dish Pro and legacy equipment is bandstacking. A legacy LNB can send either all of the odd or all of the even transponders at one time, depending on what voltage it gets from the receiver, 13V for even and 18V for odd. Dish Pro equipment uses a steady 18 volt supply, and sends odd and even at the same time over the same line. The odd transponders are sent to the receiver at 950-1450 MHz and the even transponders are sent at 1650-2150 MHz. The advantage is that all 1GHz of a satellite's bandwidth can be carried over a single cable. A single orbital location can be shared among multiple receivers without a switch using only a high frequency splitter. Switch installation is simplified because you only need one line for each orbital location instead of two.

The disadvantage is that the higher frequency requires better cable and components. Cable, fittings, connectors and splitters should all be rated at 2150 MHz or higher. Most modern RG6 is rated to 3GHz, so this shouldn't be a problem for new installations. Never use Dish Pro equipment with RG59 cable, or splitters and barrel connectors meant for over-the-air/cable TV, since these components are only rated to 900 MHz.

Legacy receivers (receivers with four-digit model numbers) are compatible with Dish Pro equipment, but require a power inserter, part number 111690, to supply enough current. Dual tuner receivers require two separate lines to the switch, one for each tuner. All Dish Pro equipment uses DiSEqC 2.0 which allows for bidirectional communication with the receiver. Check switch test for Dish Pro equipment progresses much more quickly than legacy equipment, performing only 3 or 4 tests, instead of the 32 to 50 tests run for legacy switches.

All Dish Pro LNBs are forward compatible with Dish Pro Plus switches.

Dish Pro Switches

DP21

This is a dual-input single-output switch. It's used to allow a single receiver to select between two Dish Pro LNBFs. Its most common usage was to connect two DP Duals, either mounted on a Dish 500 or two Dish 300s for 110° and 119° to a single receiver, usually a DP301. This switch was never really commonly used, and is no longer produced or used for new installations.

DP34

This is a three-input, four-output switch. It takes in three orbital locations and distributes them to four single tuner receivers or two dual tuner receivers. These were most commonly used on the Super Dish, where ports 1 and 2 were connected to 119° and 110° and port 3 was connected to either 105° or 121°. A less common use was when more than two receivers needed to be connected to a Dish 500, in this case the LNBs used could be a DP Twin or pair of DP Duals. Some of the oldest Dish 1000s were installed with three DP Duals and a DP34 switch. The DP34 is seen most commonly today on Super Dishes with the Dish 1000 repoint kit.

When more than four outputs are required, the output ports on the right side of the switch can be connected to the input ports of another DP34. You can daisy chain up to three DP34 switches together, any more than that and noise may affect reliability. A Dish 1000 with three DP duals and six DP34 switches can provide 110°/119°/129° to up to 24 locations. The DP34 isn't generally used for new installations, but it has a large installed base so Dish Network still stocks them for use as replacement parts.

Dish Pro LNBs

DP Dual

Probably the most common Dish Pro component. The DP Dual is a bandstacked DBS LNBF that receives 12.25-12.75 GHz, both left and right polarizations for a single orbital location and sends them both down the line as a bandstacked signal from 950-2150 MHz. There are two output ports on a DP Dual (hence the name), both of which output the same signal. DP Duals can be differentiated from legacy duals by the Dish Pro logo on the back. The form factor, mounting brackets and dimensions are identical to the legacy dual, so they are physically interchangeable with one another.

The DP Dual is commonly seen on Super Dishes, Plus Dishes and the original Dish 1000, where it was used in conjunction with a DPP Twin. A "W" Bracket is available for the Dish 1000.2 which allows for the use of three DP Duals. It's also used for "wing dishes" which are Dish 500s with a single LNB bracket for receiving a single orbital location. The Dual is compatible with all Dish Pro and Dish Pro Plus switches, but cannot be used with legacy switches. For dishes that have a clamp type mounting, the outer plastic shell can be removed. They show up on a check switch as "Dual".

DP Single

The DP Single is identical to the DP Dual, but has only one output port. They show up on a check switch as "Dual".

DP DBS

This is a bandstacked LNB which receives 12.25-12.75 GHz. It's used with an external feedhorn and depolarizer which attaches via an industry standard 20mm flange fitting. Its most common use was on the type I Super Dish, where it picked up 110°, and on the fiberglass version of  the type 2 Super Dish where it was used with a small conical feedhorn and fiberglass dielectric plate to pick up 119°. The DP DBS can be used with almost any K_u band feedhorn, but requires a dielectric plate - a small piece of plastic or fiberglass placed at a 45° angle in the feedhorn to properly receive the circular polarization DBS signals. These are compatible with all Dish Pro and Dish Pro Plus switches, and show on a check switch as "DP Feed".

DP FSS

This is a bandstacked LNB which receives 11.7-12.2 GHz, the standard FSS frequency range. It was most commonly used with all types of Super Dishes, paired with a standard K_u band feedhorn attached via a standard 20mm flange fitting. When used with the type I Super Dish it received 105°, where it was attached to an unusual double feedhorn. The type II Super Dish used one for 121°, in the steel version it was connected to a standard round feedhorn, in the fiberglass version it was used with an elliptical feedhorn with a depolarizing collar that could be rotated to accept either circular or linear signals. The DP FSS is compatible with all Dish Pro and Dish Pro Plus switches, it shows up as "DP Feed" in a check switch. It can also be used in conjuction with a Super Dish or any other dish/feed with any non-Dish Network satellite receiver that supports bandstacked LNBs to receive any K_u band FSS satellite.

DP Twin

The DP Twin is the Dish Pro version of the original Twin. It mounts on a Dish 500 and receives 110° and 119° via two bandstacked LNBs and includes an integrated switch equivalent to the DP21. It came in one variety with two outputs for two single tuner receivers or one dual tuner receiver and no external LNB input. It's compatible with all Dish Pro and Dish Pro Plus switches for larger installations.

Dual Band

The dual band is used on the Dish 500+ and 1000+ to receive the FSS (Anik F3) and DBS (Echostar 14) satellites at 119°. It has an elliptical feedhorn which runs into a pair of bandstacked LNBs, one for FSS with linear polarization and one for DBS with circular polarization. There are two outputs, 1D is the DBS output and 2F is the FSS output. They are most commonly used with a DPP44 switch, along with a DP Dual for 110°, but are compatible with all Dish Pro and Dish Pro Plus switches. The Plus dishes were formerly used for local channels for certain markets, but are now used exclusively for multilingual programming. Dish no longer makes these, but still supplies reconditioned units for new installations and repairs. They show up on a check switch as "Dbnd".