Adventures in Dish Hunting 2009

[Anole]

Birdview recovery, short version:

I found myself a birdview dish finally.
It looks to be about 8 foot and is perforated.
Anythimg special I need to know about the motor drive or the feedhorn as I plan to put a CK2 LNBF on it.

- Black ones are perf; white ones are solid (so far as I have seen).
- 12 bolts in the mount hold the dish on from behind: 6 top, 6 bottom
- 3 bolts hold the mount to the post, along with an 1 1/8 inch top bolt!
- you must recover the top several feet of the original 6" thin tubing (preferably all of it)
- have to install a new multi-magnet wheel and reed switch sensor for Ku
- might run C-band only if it has the 8-magnet wheel
- original ones have a potentiometer for position, which is useless
- scalar may have to be reamed out for new feedhorn
- do NOT remove scalar and LNB support struts if at all possible!

I've been following the saga of the Birdviews for quite some time.
Recently, I set my sights on getting one, so I'm ready to harvest the first one that gets in my way! -
Everything you ever wanted to know is in the treads by the fellows who've gone before us!
And there is a wealth of good info.

The Birdview will take more care in collecting, refurbishing, and retrofitting to make it a C/Ku signal-sucker.
But from what I've seen, once you get it running again, it's a tank , and a darned fine one!
I hope to get one and have it outlive me.

 

[Comptech]

So is it a true HH setup with the motor setup on it? The motor and bracket look like they weigh more than a chevy cavalier! Being a auto mechanic the motor looks like a power window motor only about 5 times the size. Also are reed sensors readily available?

 

[Anole]

I would suggest you start your own thread.
Throw up some pictures.
Do your homework - by reading everything you find on 'em.

I have a whole library of all Birdview-related pictures from the forum in the last several years.
They are a real treasure!
AND, I've made friends with all the Birdview owners, so I'm feeling quite comfortable. - :up

 

[gabshere]

Also are reed sensors readily available?

i will have to retro fit mine with a new magnet wheel and reed switch
located several and haven't finalized yet . trying to keep it below $25 for the pair

 

[Comptech]

Trouble in paradise! The management company says the dish has to stay. Guess it is time to find out what bank owns the house and contact them. If the house should sell,which I doubt I would bet the owners would want it gone. I am not letting this one go. Wish me luck.

 

[Dishman Dan]

I snoozed!!! I loozed???

I have been pretty successful in finding BUDs in my area but getting them home has been slow. I have not had much luck in finding receivers, most just kind of disappeared!

HOWEVER... My neighbor had some luck! There is a local thrift store I have been putting off in checking out. Some freinds before mentioned VCRs and DVD players can be found very cheap there. I drove by last week and wanted to stop but did not stop and what a mistake that was for me! My neighbor came home 2 days ago with a DSR922 receiver AND a 905 sidecar for only $22!!!!!!!!!!!...... FOR BOTH!!!
They are very clean and fire up! If I read the serial number right (Through all of my tears!!!) the 922 was built in 2004! The worst part of his deal is that no remote was included! I am sure he will get over it quicker than I will!!! Lesson learned: Keep looking and check out any/all possibilities... and listen to that little voice in your head right away when it calls out!!!...

 

[Techfizzle]

you are lucky on the prices at your thrift store
all the ones in my area want new prices for anything
they run like a frickin pawn shop
last time i look at a sat receiver it was 20 for a old directv box
computers were $100-$150 for OLD OLD OLD 286 systems
tvs were $100-200
and they wonder why they never sell anything?
im not poor, bus jeesh if i was i couldnt afford those prices!

 

[dunnsept]

dish find, help in ID'ing

friend of mine sent me these pics.. dish is mine if I want it. All I have to do is go get it.
but I figured I'd add this one in for help in making sure the dish is worth it.
Friend guessed that it's between 8 and 10 feet in diameter.
the mesh is very fine. like window screen (good Ku dish?)
but there is a tear in the bottom and one feedhorn support is bent.
but the price is right if the dish itself is worth it.

any ideas what it is? is it worth getting and fixing?

thanks!

this would make dish number 3 if I get it.. I think I'm hooked ;-)

 

[Anole]

parts is parts:

Dunsept -
Hard to say much about the dish.
Those pictures don't really show it too clearly.

Without better pictures and an understanding of your need for (another?) BUD, it's difficult to advise.
Also, how far away, what's the cost of gas, do you have your own trailer?
How much do you think the recovery mission will cost?
Don't forget, you need to rent some friends (and feed them).

If you're hard up, and dish-hungry, it'll probably receive okay.
I'm sure you can patch the mesh. Doesn't even have to be perfect.

If you have a specific need in mind, perhaps you could continue dish-hunting, and leave this one behind?
I set out to get a very specific dish (kind of a hard-headed plan) and eventually found one, so it is possible.

 

[dunnsept]

yea.. she took them with with a phone. I guess it's not that I _need_ that dish.. it's just there and available.. also a friend of mine who lives in metro detroit is looking for a setup and he could use it too.. just wasn't sure if it was really worth it.. ya know? is it some super duper special dish, or just some plain thing that's not worth it..
I have trailers available, and this person would also bring it to work for me, and then we'd just unload from her trailer and put on mine.. so no gas cost or anything really

 

[Anole]

Well, if you don't even have to go out and harvest it...
...and they're gonna deliver it for free...
That's kind of hard to turn down.

But as to being anything special, I don't think so.
I'm sure some of the eagle-eye folks will identify it from where the LNB arms intersect the dish.

You might find the motor, the LNB, or the panels to be good as spare parts.
Or helping your friend get started would be a generous thing to do! - :up

I'm thinking of a dish recovery as a several hundred dollar expense.
So, if the dish is worth the time, the work, and the cost, then it's a bargain.
I put a higher value on an H-H motor, good condition, and maybe a solid or commercial dish.
At your trivial cost/effort, it's hard to turn down.
(they delivering the pole, too?)

If anyone wants to deliver a Birdview, I'll buy 'em dinner!
And desert, if it's the black one!

PS: on that trailer thing...
Just move the -trailer- from their vehicle to yours, take it home and unload, then return the trailer next day!
Less work.

 

[Lone Cloud]

Have Birdview solid. Had to retrofit with magnet wheel and reed switch.

Found reed switch at Radio Shack. Found little round magnets at Michaels (per linuxman) used a 4 inch pvc endcap for the magnet wheel because it is as thick as the magnets and takes a marking punch well for drilling. Had to just use the end of it, of course. There is a 24 hole drilling template somewhere in these threads. You alternate polarity on the magnets.

After I got mine drilled with the 24 holes, I put a piece of saran wrap over a piece of steel and set my pvc wheel on it . Then I carefully put the magnets in, alternating polarity (per linuxman again) Magnets all lined up against the saran wrap. Then I dropped Krazy Glue down the magnet holes. The Saran wrap prevented the glue from sticking the magnets and the pvc to the steel plate it was on.

Then I used the 12 inch collars described and pictured by linuxman to lock it all in place . I did have a clearance issue, but overcame that with a 1 1/4 inch flat wood drill bit. Held the wheel flat, drilled maybe a 16th into each side of the wheel. Have a little drill press that made that easy.

The only thing I can't describe well is the bracket I made to set up the reed switch. Suffice it to say that I made it out of nylon and it adjusts closer or further and every other way. Once I got it , I locked the switch in place with Krazy glue too.

As said above, runs like a tank.

 

[Techfizzle]

did you use any handymans secret weapon?

 

[gabshere]

Have Birdview solid. Had to retrofit with magnet wheel and reed switch.

maybe you could post us some pictures in another thread i'ld love to see one made from start to finish

 

[Lone Cloud]

slight problem on the pictures. Dish is on the roof.

Start to finish pictures would involve a lot of disassembly, up there in the winter wind.

linuxman's thread on it was my guide. I do think the pvc disk I made out of an endcap was an improvement over the disk linuxman used. Maybe my reed switch bracket was better because it was made with a nylon screw 3 nylon nuts and could be adjusted every which way and then locked in place for best activation of the reed switch.

check linuxman's thread, He is the Birdview Jedi here

 

[DK_Sat]

That dish is 71/2 and made by KTI very nice dishes just like the Unimash

 

[jamestheman]

I found a guy in my area who is selling me a total of 15 dishes, 8 are 4 footers, 3 are 6.5 foot c bands, and 4 are dishes in the 33-40 inch range. He used to do communication work and had them all leftover.

I wish some of you were around here, I cant keep them all!

 

[dunnsept]

I found a guy in my area who is selling me a total of 15 dishes, 8 are 4 footers, 3 are 6.5 foot c bands, and 4 are dishes in the 33-40 inch range. He used to do communication work and had them all leftover.

I wish some of you were around here, I cant keep them all!

where are you?

 

[No Doubt]

Looks like he is in the Big D,

where are you?

 

[dunnsept]

oh sure.. .. update location _after_ I post ;-)
and for me, the Big D = Detoilet.. uh.. I mean Detroit