Michigan Winter hasn't hit us yet. Thursday was spent back at a dish I sold back in 1986 when I worked for a dealer! A friend of mine has inherited this dish on the family farm where he lives, (and he's joined the forum-username: Ivesons) and, last winter we put the dish back into use with a dual C-band LNB (Geosat) and he's been enjoying HITS on W-5 via SRL, not using the motor.
Thanks to the design of the circuit from forum member NE8E, and its integration into the guts of a V-Box10, and the use of a rotary encoder replacing the (too low in count) Birdview reed-switch kit, This Birdview is scanning the skies on an Openbox S10 unit! Also thanks to friend and forum member NicknJen for pre-loading all the firmware and favorites from his box, making install much easier! This dish now returns to W-5 so the secondary feed can run the DSR-410 for as long as subscribing has a value to the user. Unlike my birdview which had been converted years ago from a rotary pot (which had screw holes in strategic places ready to hold an encoder of this type) Ray had to drill into the aluminum casting to put two screws in to hold the encoder until a suitable bracket is made, but the encoder's not moving, and is rock-steady on reporting its pulses!
This birdview has the FAST gearbox, and makes mine and most I've seen look like The Tortoise and the Hare! I don't think you could even USE a standard mechanical relay on this one, the numbers FLY by on the V-box. The LED indicator light in the pulsing circuit goes so fast, you don't see it blink off! But, the BV doesn't seem to have overshoot issues, which I halfway expected given the speed it books from satellite to satellite. Interesting thing, the "automatic" function makes the dish move at its fast pace, as does the remote for the VBOX 10, but, the buttons on the top for East/West seem to be somehow make the dish go much slower, and are better for "fine-tuning" of the signals.
We sealed the LNB connections temporarily with a rubber-ish roll compound used on high power transmitter cables (leftover from projects at our radio station) until the Nosecone for the Birdview can be extended a bit with some aluminum added to it. Water and these newer LNB's don't mix well!
The "standards" of FTA channels are programmed in for him, and over time he'll hopefully learn to check in here and learn the "new" way satellite works. The last time this dish saw a wild-feed, it was likely on an STS receiver or maybe a Houston Tracker VIII.
I hope we have another "info-hungry" user now. Toughest thing about this is explaining some of the quirks of the Openbox unit, and the fact that he's now going to want to stay up to date on services moving, arriving, and disappearing. It was nice, however seeing the happy "wow" on his face as the first FTA signals showed up on his projection big screen. By the way, the Openbox through standard video looked DARN NICE on this older rear projection box, using standard audio/video. Wish I'd snapped a picture of that, too.
Another BUD, (Birdview to boot) back in FULL operation! (we'll get him to go C/Ku sometime soon, I bet!)
Thanks to the design of the circuit from forum member NE8E, and its integration into the guts of a V-Box10, and the use of a rotary encoder replacing the (too low in count) Birdview reed-switch kit, This Birdview is scanning the skies on an Openbox S10 unit! Also thanks to friend and forum member NicknJen for pre-loading all the firmware and favorites from his box, making install much easier! This dish now returns to W-5 so the secondary feed can run the DSR-410 for as long as subscribing has a value to the user. Unlike my birdview which had been converted years ago from a rotary pot (which had screw holes in strategic places ready to hold an encoder of this type) Ray had to drill into the aluminum casting to put two screws in to hold the encoder until a suitable bracket is made, but the encoder's not moving, and is rock-steady on reporting its pulses!
This birdview has the FAST gearbox, and makes mine and most I've seen look like The Tortoise and the Hare! I don't think you could even USE a standard mechanical relay on this one, the numbers FLY by on the V-box. The LED indicator light in the pulsing circuit goes so fast, you don't see it blink off! But, the BV doesn't seem to have overshoot issues, which I halfway expected given the speed it books from satellite to satellite. Interesting thing, the "automatic" function makes the dish move at its fast pace, as does the remote for the VBOX 10, but, the buttons on the top for East/West seem to be somehow make the dish go much slower, and are better for "fine-tuning" of the signals.
We sealed the LNB connections temporarily with a rubber-ish roll compound used on high power transmitter cables (leftover from projects at our radio station) until the Nosecone for the Birdview can be extended a bit with some aluminum added to it. Water and these newer LNB's don't mix well!
The "standards" of FTA channels are programmed in for him, and over time he'll hopefully learn to check in here and learn the "new" way satellite works. The last time this dish saw a wild-feed, it was likely on an STS receiver or maybe a Houston Tracker VIII.
I hope we have another "info-hungry" user now. Toughest thing about this is explaining some of the quirks of the Openbox unit, and the fact that he's now going to want to stay up to date on services moving, arriving, and disappearing. It was nice, however seeing the happy "wow" on his face as the first FTA signals showed up on his projection big screen. By the way, the Openbox through standard video looked DARN NICE on this older rear projection box, using standard audio/video. Wish I'd snapped a picture of that, too.
Another BUD, (Birdview to boot) back in FULL operation! (we'll get him to go C/Ku sometime soon, I bet!)
