9 foot Birdview Dish

[Lone Cloud]

I had set up an 8 foot solid dish (spun aluminum) on my roof, and as I was installing it I saw a neighbor's big dish. It looked in good condition and so I decided to go over ther and compare notes.

Well the guy got it in the late 80's and was looking to get rid of it.

Close examination revealed it to be a 9 foot Birdview dish. I've heard some good stuff about this dish. Should I grab it? It has its motor enclosed in a box like thing on the back of the dish - not a rod actuator.

What do you guys think?

 

[linuxman]

I had set up an 8 foot solid dish (spun aluminum) on my roof, and as I was installing it I saw a neighbor's big dish. It looked in good condition and so I decided to go over ther and compare notes.

Well the guy got it in the late 80's and was looking to get rid of it.

Close examination revealed it to be a 9 foot Birdview dish. I've heard some good stuff about this dish. Should I grab it? It has its motor enclosed in a box like thing on the back of the dish - not a rod actuator.

What do you guys think?

Go get it now before someone else does.

Look for my threads on the Birdviews. You'll find out everything you wanted to know and then some!

 

[gabshere]

good find grab it

 

[voomvoom]

Grab it, if you're near Georgia, tell me where it is and I'll grab it, if you don't want it...?

 

[Lone Cloud]

I forgot to mention that the Birdview is a solid dish, not mesh. Are the controllers available if the guy can't find his?

Still a good find?

 

[Anole]

You'll want to clean up the motors and re-grease the gears.
Linuxman has shown pictures of the insides, so even though I've never seen a real one , I'd have no qualms about attacking it.

If you want, you can drive the motor with a Vbox or a Gbox (also discussed in his threads).
In that case, a DVB receiver would command the Gbox to make the moves.

I don't think you said what sort of receiver you intended to use or what service you planned to put it into.
ie: if you are going for subscription 4DTV, then the receiver would move the dish
but if you are more interested in DVB FTA, then all those receivers run the Gboxes fine.

When you get it, show us some pictures.
And by all means, do look through Linuxmans' many posts.
They are a real treasurehouse of fine documentation on everything Birdview-related.

 

[Lone Cloud]

I've done 2 forum searches now for the best threads on Birdview dishes.

Can anyone direct me to the threads you are talking about?

 

[linuxman]

Do an advanced search on the C-Band section and search titles only with the word Birdview in the search.

 

[Lone Cloud]

Hey inuxman

I just went through one of your recent threads and the solid dish you got appears identical to the one I'm looking at. The problem I see with it is that the concrete filled mast I have now is 3 1/2 inch, extending to five feet or so above my roof.

If I have to replace my mast all the way to the ground it might not be doable.
If I could instead put five feet of six inch mast over the smaller pipe and fill that with concrete, I might be able to do that. Does that sound possible?

Now when you say it is an HH motor, does that mean you can move the dish directly with FTA receivers like Fortec or Viewsat? Or do you need a mover or a 4dtv receiver?

I would like to get more signal from birds in the 130s west down to my east horizon which might be maybe 50 west or so.

I know nothing of pulses or other technical stuff you discussed. The only advantage I appear to have over you guys is, after getting the dish down, I could roll it on edge to my house a short distance away. I actually installed my current dish (an eight foot spun aluminum solid dish) completely on my own. I doubt I could do the same with such a heavy duty rig.

A crane unit of some kind might have to be used or built to install it.

My teepee is in a canyon in the Southwest.

Sorry I have "inuxman" on there. I couldn't edit the title of the post

 

[linuxman]

I just went through one of your recent threads and the solid dish you got appears identical to the one I'm looking at. The problem I see with it is that the concrete filled mast I have now is 3 1/2 inch, extending to five feet or so above my roof.

If I have to replace my mast all the way to the ground it might not be doable.
If I could instead put five feet of six inch mast over the smaller pipe and fill that with concrete, I might be able to do that. Does that sound possible?

Whatever you do as far as the mast is concerned, the top of the OEM Birdview mast is necessary to have the top vertical cap bolt inserted and bolted down tight. So however you want to adapt it, or just put in another pipe. you may have to get an extension welded onto what you have.

Now when you say it is an HH motor, does that mean you can move the dish directly with FTA receivers like Fortec or Viewsat?

You can move it with a Fortec or Viewsat, but you would need a GBox V3000 dish positioner, and you would need to install a Birdview Reed Sensor kit if it isn't already installed. The Birdviews were originally moved with a potentiometer that only the Birdview dish positioner could move.

Or do you need a mover or a 4dtv receiver?

An analog box or 4DTV receiver would work, but you still need the Reed Sensor Conversion Kit.

I would like to get more signal from birds in the 130s west down to my east horizon which might be maybe 50 west or so.

I know nothing of pulses or other technical stuff you discussed. The only advantage I appear to have over you guys is, after getting the dish down, I could roll it on edge to my house a short distance away. I actually installed my current dish (an eight foot spun aluminum solid dish) completely on my own. I doubt I could do the same with such a heavy duty rig.

A crane unit of some kind might have to be used or built to install it.

Two men and perhaps a third can dis-assemble the dish and carry it comfortably. See the instructions I gave to Thomasblue in his Texas Birdview thread.

My teepee is in a canyon in the Southwest.

Sorry I have "inuxman" on there. I couldn't edit the title of the post

No Problem. I don't care what people call me as long as they call me when it is time to eat!

 

[Lone Cloud]

It looks like this coming weekend I'll be getting this dish.

The only problem is, the guy thought he had the receivers and controller. It now looks like he doesn't. This means, I guess, that I have to modify the dish mover. Am I right about that?

If I read linuxman's posts correctly, something about converting a potentiometer based thingie to a reed sensor thingie. Well, not being an electronics guy, I know I'll have to go one of three ways--

I'll have to take the sensor out of my current actuator and put it in the
Birdview. Probably I'd ruin everything.

I'll hook up my actuator to the Birdview via bolted on arms

I'll build the reed sensor thingie (or have someone do it) from very clear photo
illustrated plans.

Probably there is a fourth option - mount the Birdview dish directly on the big dish mount I have leaving off all the unique Birdview motor and mount parts.


By the way, the dish doesn't have the controllers, but it does have the lnba or f or whatever it is.


If anyone has any thoughts about the above, I'd appreciate it. Whatever I do, I'd like it to be the smartest thing. I admit I don't know what that is right now.

 

[linuxman]

It looks like this coming weekend I'll be getting this dish.

The only problem is, the guy thought he had the receivers and controller. It now looks like he doesn't. This means, I guess, that I have to modify the dish mover. Am I right about that?

If I read linuxman's posts correctly, something about converting a potentiometer based thingie to a reed sensor thingie. Well, not being an electronics guy, I know I'll have to go one of three ways--

I'll have to take the sensor out of my current actuator and put it in the
Birdview. Probably I'd ruin everything.

I'll hook up my actuator to the Birdview via bolted on arms

I'll build the reed sensor thingie (or have someone do it) from very clear photo
illustrated plans.

Probably there is a fourth option - mount the Birdview dish directly on the big dish mount I have leaving off all the unique Birdview motor and mount parts.


By the way, the dish doesn't have the controllers, but it does have the lnba or f or whatever it is.


If anyone has any thoughts about the above, I'd appreciate it. Whatever I do, I'd like it to be the smartest thing. I admit I don't know what that is right now.

First of all, you used to be able to buy the "Birdview Reed Sensor Kit" from Skyvision. They run about $70.00 plus shipping, but very easy to install when in place. By getting the kit and installing it, you can use any analog receiver or GBox to move the dish.

Secondly, you don't want to circumvent the Birdview motor and mount. That is part of what makes Birdviews unique is the true H-H mount.

You can use the LNA and built-in downconverter that is installed, but it will only pick up C-Band. You will have to get an adapter to go from BNC connectors to RG-6 connectors.

OR,

You can have the center hole milled out and install a regular Co-Rotor to get C and Ku Bands. That would be my recommendation.

Just purchase a Co-Rotor, take the scalar plate with LNA taken off, show them the Co-Rotor, tell them you want it to slide into the hole and all the way through with as little play as possible.

If you need a Co-Rotor, I might know where you can get one.

 

[Lone Cloud]

Co rotor, reed sensor

Looks like Skyvision still sells the conversion kit. I didn't inquire if they had the product, just saw it on the website.

Please tell me about the Corotor.

I currently use the BSC 621-2 product and can get C-band but KU reception just isn't there. If I understand it, linear signals have to be received by lnb's angled correctly and a polar mount dish won't do that. Does the whole Birdview actuallly turn as it goes down the horizon, in addition to turning on the polar mount? Will a co-rotor adjust for skew?

Please let me know where I might be able to find a Co rotor.

I am eager to get this project going. I have the dish crane concept alll thought out. I'd like to get the rest of it planned and prepared.

When I'm done, I'll have left over a decent working solid 8 foot dish that has provided some very cool tv options.

 

[Lone Cloud]

I may have misspoken. Skyvision has the "reed sensor" but not the entire kit.

 

[sergei]

Have you called Skyvision, sometimes they fail to add items to their web page, call and talk to them.

Birdview Reed Conversion Kit 1000008
" Reed Sensor 1000022

 

[Anole]

I'm confused

If you just installed an 8' solid, why would you tear it down and put up an 8.5' Birdview, which has numerous complications:
- heavy
- top of pole problems
- motor will require major changes
- LNB/feedhorn requires swap-out
- etc . . . ?

Now, on to different matters.
I've noticed that my SatelliteAV CK-1 feedhorn (LNBf) has a different diameter from the Eagle Aspen bandstacked C-band LNBf.
The difference isn't great, but while one will fit into the others scalar, the reverse is not true.
So, would it be desirable to find an LNBF thats slightly smaller, rather than disassemble the Birdview scalar, bore it out, and replace it accurately?

Eagle Aspen= 66mm
SatAV CK-1 = 65 mm

Of course , if dual-band operation is required, then that limits your choices.
I'm assuming C-band only.
. . . and currently of the school that says a good motorized Primestar is more appropriate for Ku.

 

[Lone Cloud]

Response to Anole

After reading here how well the Birdview product is made, and considering my current dish is a bit smaller and probably not made to as exacting of standards, has an HH mount, and considering it's free and I don't have to go a block to get it, and figuring that the whole anticipation thing is kind of fun, well there you go.

The bolt down the middle thing won't be a big deal, and the lnb swap not too serious. I'm going to cut about five feet of the bigger mast, and will set it over my 3.5 inch mast now up. after I put some screws through it, I'll use the screws to plumb it and hold it steady while I pour concrete in it.

None of the problems are too serious. I like this hobby. I like getting free stuff over the air.

It'd be cool to have a state of the art dish system on top of my house.

 

[linuxman]

PM sent concerning Co-Rotor.

 

[Lone Cloud]

I emailed Skyvision asking if they had the reed conversion kit. So far no answer. I doubt this dish has it. The guy got it in the late 80's. He had the Birdview electronics.

I hope I can find the kit and don't have to fabricate anything

 

[Lone Cloud]

Now what?

Skyvision just got back to me and they don't have it anymore. From their website, it looks like they don't even carry the reed sensor alone, much less the magnet wheel.

Can you help me out in this linuxman? Where did you get yours?