Understanding your low-noise block converter
Satellite television transmissions come in wide blocks with high frequencies. Taken as they are, these signals would never actually make it to your television. The purpose of the low-noise block converter (your satellite dish’s downlink antenna) is to convert those transmissions to a lower frequency. A block upconverter, the satellite dish’s uplink antenna, does the opposite, converting lower frequencies so they can be transmitted back to the satellite. While satellite television receivers do not require block upconverters, they are used for two-way satellite internet access.The necessity of LNBs comes from the fact that satellite signals must be transmitted indoors through a cable. A high-frequency radio signal experiences more loss through a cable per unit of length than does a low frequency. Designers also find it cheaper to make circuits for lower frequencies than they do for higher ones.LNBs do have the tendency to freeze in low temperatures if they are powered off. However, most receivers keep the LNB powered on even when the rest of the receiver is on standby, helping to avoid loss of signal.