Adventures in Dish Hunting 2009

[Anole]

Birdview Clone?

Well, this Lucky Lizard is just having a field day!

Not only have I gotten the go-ahead on the Birdview I found last month, but now I'm onto something nearly as nice.

Some friend who visits occasionally with my every-Saturday lunch bunch, mentioned that her brother in law wanted to get rid of his BUD.
That was several weeks ago.
I got sidetracked with computer problems at my lawyers, and some of that rare California rain.
Today, I dropped by with my camera, thinking I could interest one of you if I didn't want it.

Well, HANDS OFF !
This may be a DH Satellite spun aluminum dish (my guess)!
And it appears to be on an AJAK 180 mount.
Does life get any better?

It comes with a Toshiba ? analog receiver, too.
Saw the manual, but don't have the info in front of me now.

Below are pix of my first view, the whole dish, and close up of the motor/mount.
I don't see this being too big a job for one or two guys to haul off.
Actually, it'll be a lot less hassle than the Birdview.

Anyone who can identify the dish or offer any comments, please jump in.
edit: link to DH Satellite site. Those three LNB supports look suspiciously similar!

 

[linuxman]

Can't identify, but it looks great, and the AJAK mount is a steal!!!

WooHoo!!!

 

[eurosport]

You GO Green One! -That's one fine lookin' dish! :up

 

[turbosat]

Very nice looking dish, looks like it would be very accurate. Anole's can go right up that pole too, so taking it shouldn't be any trouble!

 

[Cadsulfide]

Anole

It' just your Karma being fulfilled for all your fine postings!

 

[1captain]

"Nice" Anole

with those Ajax mounts you can not go wrong.

Now I have seen that style dish before with its round ring but never with a Ajax on it. an if I remember right it was made in two 1/2s then welded together. want to say "Beach Craft" or "ABC", but only have worked on a few thru out my years.

but nice find.

 

[eurosport]

....Anole's can go right up that pole too, so taking it shouldn't be any trouble!

LOL

 

[Anole]

Lizard Loft

Anole's can go right up that pole ...

What I wouldn't give to have a garden full of 'em!
They could lounge on the surface and sun their butts all they wanted! -

Thanks for all the kind works and generous encouragement.
I was focusing on dishes with H-H mounts, but this find shocked me.
As you see in my first picture above, that's what I saw when I walked around back for the first view.
It nearly took my breath away.
Thanks to all the wonderful info I've absorbed from the kind members on the BUD forum, I was able to recognize that AJAK right away.

I have seen that style dish before with its round ring but never with a Ajax on it. an if I remember right it was made in two 1/2s then welded together. want to say "Beach Craft" or "ABC",..

It does appear to have a seam across from side to side.
Couldn't really tell when I was there - was still in shock! -

Closer examination of the pix from my lowly 3.3mp camera suggest the holes in the dish are round.
I'm guessing they were stamped that way.

Here's a clip from one of the pictures I didn't post before.
Does the logo on the LNB cover mean anything?
Is it the dish manufacturer, or could it be a dealer who did installs in the Los Angeles area a decade ago?

 

[turbosat]

AMCI ? My Home Satellite Installation and Troubleshooting Guide, 1986 model book didn't list manufacturers of dishes, showed quite a few but none like it. There was a receiver-maker named Amplica at one time.... Anole Manufacturing Co, INC?

 

[Techfizzle]

amc.. americom inc? there is a sticker on the back of the dish, maybe it has something on it?

 

[Cadsulfide]

Any Tennesee Boys out there?

17ft Commercial fiberglass dish with dual c-band feeds. - eBay (item 150326872868 end time Feb-21-09 20:15:00 PST)

 

[Zorak]

Anole, congrats on the sweet find! Good luck with it.

 

[phlatwound]

Great finds there, Anole, can't think of a better home for those jewels than your yard. :up

 

[jgabriels]

What do I have here && best way to harvest

Ok, brand new to dish hunting, found a primestar on an abandoned
piece of property on my route to work, finally located owner who took
my number, so will hopefully have one of those soon.

In the mean time I have located two BUDs, the first one I have
permission from the owner already, the second one seems unused
as one of the panels is broken and is laying on the ground below it.

What are these? Are either of these worth harvesting?
What is the best way to harvest them? Can 1 person do it, if not,
how many does it typically take? How long does it take?
Do you generally try to take the pole/base/cables?
Will the one with the broken pane still work, if not, how hard is it to repair?

How do you transport them, do they collapse/come apart any?
How heavy are they? They are both less than 2 miles from my
house, so I thought about just rolling them home.

 

[Anole]

Someone stole the motor off the first dish.
Don't see any drawbacks to it.

The second dish with the button hook feed may be a bit more trouble to align.
But, it looks fine to me.
Think it comes apart into four sections if you want to do that for transport.
There have been many discussions of replacing missing or damaged panels.
And it's not like it won't work with a couple missing...

Surely with the both of 'em, you could have enough to make one.
But keep us advised.
I'm sure others will have much better info to offer.

Oh, and try to get a feel for their size: 8'? 10'? 12'?
How much room do you have to plant one?

 

[jgabriels]

How much room do you have to plant one?

The room isn't the problem, I live on 3.75 acres with a lake due south
and no trees, so I should have no problem with the whole southern sky thing.
Unfortunately, I also have no trees to hide the dishes and lots of nearby
neighbors in my homeowners association. I have promised my wife that I
will try to make them as discreet as possible. She told me if I planted a forest to
hide them, I could have as many as I wanted.

 

[14karat]

jgabriels,
Weeping willows, lob-lolly pines, and hybrid poplars grow FAST...

 

[turbosat]

Better read the HOA agreement carefully before you start putting up a big dish, if they have rules against it-you could be in for a fight. Somebody 1/3 mile away will definitely not like your hobby and complain. But if there are no rules against it, I'd go for both of them. That 2nd one looks bigger than the first but it might just be an illusion, both look in good shape. You can repair the panel easily on the gray one, even if you use the broken piece it wouldn't make a big difference in it's operation. They come apart in sections , usually 4 pieces, dish comes off the mounting ring, mount/ring comes off the pipe. Pickup will haul them. The pipe might be harder to get up,depending on how much concrete was used, but you can buy a piece of 3 1/2OD pipe reasonably.

 

[phlatwound]

After a couple of years of looking, at hundreds of dishes all around SW MO I have finally located and procured a Birdview solid.............and it was within a mile of my house.

I have driven past this dish for almost 25 years, it was within 100 feet of the road but was not visible until the people tore down an old shed that hid it. My eyes about popped out of my head when I saw it, took me a couple of days to find out who to talk to, and they were glad to find someone who wanted it.

Went by today and loosened all the dish-to-mount bolts, the bottom right one took about 10 minutes to work out, but I think they will all come out without breaking. Haven't pulled the motor or feed cover yet, but will when we get it home, probably tomorrow, am assuming the old LNA and potentiometer setup.

Also, I now have the name and address of the guy that installed this dish (about 25 years ago), he is still around and I've heard he likes to talk satellite lingo....and has a great memory of where he has installed dishes.

At this point I don't see my self putting up 2 Birdview solids....but I can sure see one of my H-H mounts with a Prodelin on it.

 

[Anole]

Phlat - you lucky bugger !

Look how clean the back side of that dish is!
I'll bet the front scrubs up just as nice.

Isn't it amazing what we find, once our eyes and brains are attuned?

Anxious to see some pictures under the hood.
Wonder what sort of upgrades it's had?

Never saw a white Birdview with a black LNB cover, though.
Those are for the black perforated model.
No matter - it looks great!

edit: and as a thought, maybe swing your Prodelin 6' with an H-H motor like the big AJAK 180...?
Of course, there's nothing the Prodelin can do, that another 8½ foot Birdview solid cannot . . .