Any fall FTA projects?

[coinmaster32]

also if there is 15.5 volts coming out of the box instead of 18, it sounds like either there is voltage drop across the cable, or the power supply is not outputting the proper voltage a voltage check right at the receiver would be better.

To the other post, you only need to guy the feed if there is end play or if the weight of the feedhorn is causing the button hook to sag.

Some older dishes made the buttonhook to support the weight of a cband only feed, and may not support the weight of a c-ku set up.

A simple way to check this is to get a wooden dowel rod, and center it in the dish or the center of the feedhorn, and make sure that it lines up with the center of the dish or feedhorn. If there is sag, guying the feed horn from the top will take it out. The dowel rod will also come in handy for making sure you have guyed the feed horn center.

Then there is endplay; some button hooks were rather flimsy and the weight of a c-ku setup can cause some swaying in the wind. If you push on feedhorn, and it sways easily, you will need to guy the feedhorn. You will only need to do this on 2 sides, one to stop the feed horn from moving side to side, and one from moving up and down. You will just need to tighten the guy wires enough so that there isn't any excessive play. A eight of an inch or so wont hurt. If you over tighten the guy wires, you will take the feed horn off center and it wont work as good.

BE SURE to use stainless steel or aluminum wire on this, if you use bare steel, it will rust and look bad, and leave rust lines on the feed horn and the rim of the dish.

Do not use the mesh to guy the feed horn, some people will just strand it through the mesh and the outer rib. If there are screws near the end of the mesh, take one of those out, and make a small loop with the wire, and thread the screw through the wire loop, use a washer if needed. Also if there are not any screws you can drill a small hole through the rib, and use a screw or a bolt and nut, do not drill a hole any bigger then the size of a pencil or you will weaken the structural integrity of the outer rib. On solid dishes, just drill a small hole about a half and inch away from the edge.

 

[rv1pop]

Another thought for the button hook, try two dowels about 120° apart (60° or less on each side of center) expoxied to the edge of the dish and to the back side of the scaler. If the surfaces are clean it should hold for a long time.

 

[outbackjack]

I was going to finally put up my new cband from Robbie at galaxy (at least a temporary until i can set a pole). but with the weather we are getting on this east coast it looks like i will just be putting it together in the living room.

 

[bama1]

Only project I want done this fall is bury the rg6 in pvc. Everyone living in red clay areas knows what an adventure digging this line can be!

 

[ZetaMale]

Only project I want done this fall is bury the rg6 in pvc. Everyone living in red clay areas knows what an adventure digging this line can be!

If it's rated as buriable RG-6, you don't need the PVC.

 

[Hindu55]

I'm another one that purchased one of Robby's 6' dishes. Finally picked up a pipe and
quickrete today. Now I just have to conjure up the energy to dig the hole. Been really
dry here and the clay under the sod is rock hard! Looking forward to the new toy for the
winter months.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Well, I went to Lowes today and bought two bags of cement.

If I can get them out of the trunk of my car and into my lawn trailer I can get them to the back yard and I'm going to plant the pole this weekend for my lawn chair dish.

I figure a few days for the cement to dry then I can put the dish on it and try to get the Cuban satellite. The hole is already dug, there used to be a smaller dish planted there a few years ago. I guess I should dig it a little bigger to put more cement in it since the lawn chair dish is a whole lot bigger.

Dad didn't get that pole I need for the 6' cband dish so that's still on hold. I guess it will be a few weeks before that one gets planted. It's out of my hands until Dad can get and modify that pole for me.

If I don't get that 6' dish put up this month it may not get put up this year. I'm a little worried about it because of my schedule for the next 6 months limits when and what I can do.

I really want to get This TV going ASAP. I miss that channel.

 

[Cadsulfide]

planting another 3" pole for future expansion, point a SD to 85W, and maybe even clean up the array cables

 

[tvropro]

Thinking about pointing the ADTH at 83 for RTN. I took my Primestar and pointed it at 101 for DirecTV this summer. A low power local is suppose to pick up RTV but so far it's all been talk. I really don't want to end up swinging the dish in January for my RTN fix. The other project may be to toss up a Phase 3 dish I have for Direct so I can mess with 119 (should pick up a few channels in my package if I do this too) C band is waiting too see what happens in January with the 4DTV. It may become an big 12 foot FTA only dish. Actually right now thats what it is since all my subs on c band ran out. Kinda sad looking at the bud sitting and not doing much these days.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Well, as soon as my meter is charged up this morning I'm switching dishes around to put a 1m primestar onto the PBS satellite to hopefully deal better with this new S2 monkeyshines they just dropped on us.

 

[Dee_Ann]

While waiting for my meter to charge so I can play musical dishes, I went ahead and put the pole in the ground for the Cuba dish.

I got some help from a neighbor with the heavy lifting but it was still *hard work* !!

You guys have it easy, being able to carry heavy stuff and all.

I got the guy across the street to get the cement out of the trunk of my car and put it in my lawn mower trailer but I had to get it from there into the wheel barrow, dig the hole, mix the cement and put it in. OMG...... That part of this, is NOT fun. Really.

I don't know what came over me this morning but I had this rare burst of motivation and I got a lot of hard work done. Plus I mowed the yard.

Maybe it's the lower temperatures and lower humidity. It's finally tolerable outside for the first time in like 9 months!

I'm going to be a busy bee this weekend playing musical dishes!

 

[bama1]

Dee Ann,

have had to learn to do things differently with plates, rods and screws in my body

Spread out a shower curtain/ drop cloth and while the bag is laying flat cut a 6"x 10" U and scoop out into a bucket till you can tote the bag.

I set my dish by placing it on a 10' 2x4 clamped with welders clamps, walked it up from the bed of the truck, aligned the bottom to the post and let off the clamps.

I'm not smarter than the average bear but being in the boondocks with no neighbors have to think thing s through (not all of them work)

 

[Dee_Ann]

Dee Ann,

have had to learn to do things differently with plates, rods and screws in my body

Spread out a shower curtain/ drop cloth and while the bag is laying flat cut a 6"x 10" U and scoop out into a bucket till you can tote the bag.

I set my dish by placing it on a 10' 2x4 clamped with welders clamps, walked it up from the bed of the truck, aligned the bottom to the post and let off the clamps.

I'm not smarter than the average bear but being in the boondocks with no neighbors have to think thing s through (not all of them work)

This, I will have to contemplate for an extended time period as my brain is having trouble constructing a mental image here. I will sit here and stare at the screen and read it over and over all night and I'm sure that I'll eventually get it.

Thank you!

 

[Dee_Ann]

Whew!

I switched all my dishes around today!

It was *rough* !! It was NOT fun.

And that biddog meter I bought, it's a piece of junk. It did help me find the 97 and 125 satellite but it doesn't find the 83 or 101 at all.

I got mad and finally dragged a tv and my coolsat outside and I found them.

I guess I need to sell that birddog meter, it's pretty useless. No wonder the guy was so anxious to sell it.

The pole is in for the lawn chair dish and I'll put that one up tomorrow and see if I can hit the Cuba satellite. I have my doubts though, thanks to neighbors trees. :rant:

I have a 1meter primestar dish on the PBS satellite now and I still can't get Montana PBS.
BUT, the glitchy picture I was having on OETA and OKLA is now strong and smooth. The glitches are gone!

I guess I am going to start putting aside some money to buy a GOOD satellite finding meter. Time to do some more : <--- homework....

 

[DJdish]

Good to read people already moving along with their projects.

As I was out of commision for a while, I started moving slowly today, messing with one of my dishes just a bit for a test and the day was good for that, maybe just too god, not a cloud in the sky and too sunny.
Next thing on my list is trying to lock on AMC 21.

 

[Tron]

I don't know what came over me this morning but I had this rare burst of motivation and I got a lot of hard work done. Plus I mowed the yard.

Maybe it's the lower temperatures and lower humidity. It's finally tolerable outside for the first time in like 9 months!

That is why Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year! We seem to be getting the serious cool fronts through early this year. They are helping to keep any tropical activity away from the Gulf Coast.

 

[hd fan]

I insist Dee Ann the birdog is a very good meter , it just sometimes its files are old and you have to update it over the internet. but even better you can set a Custom TP and I know 83W has the NBC Bar patterns all day on 11775V so try than one. Check the List or Lyngsat for the parameters.

For Hispasat at 30W (Cuba does not own a Satellite it just have its TV and Radio National signals on that bird who is own by the Spanish company, Hispasat) it is low in the sky so trees and buildings could be an issue. Try the strong TP's , like 12052V or 11884V or 12032H or 12172H, then you can fine tune for no cross-polarisation with the difficult and narrow 12172V by adjustting the skew just a bit. Then if I may recommend in my opinion high quality original language (English) programming either on the Cuban mux or the Kwuait TV mux (KTV1 or KTV2 since KTV3 is mostly sports). Keep in mind the time difference with Kwuait so most shows (mostly made in England or should I say G.B since some maybe be from Scotland) would be late night all week or very early on weekends.

Enjoy!. I still miss the old Silent Comedy shows (La Comedia Silente) on Cubavision in the sunday mornings when I was a kid that were based on Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel (The Fat and the Skinny) most of the time but sometimes with Charles Chaplin as well. They were B/W and silent but the famous cuban show host (the show stopped after he died since no one else had the ability to simulate more than 1000 voices and sounds) whose name I do not remember now despite he was even a neighbourgrs of my grandparents home, would put voice and sounds to the show with his own voice and LIVE! amaizingly whitout ever making a mistake. Heck I remember he would do it on the fly on the streets for the neibourhood kids to entertaint them. Before he died, when he was very sick, the show continued for a while with re-runs and since in Cuba they never used to publish the reason for a show to stop people on the street started to say it was because he, during a show, and under the emotion of it said something improper (Esto es de ping... queridos amiguitos) and therefore that he was punished and banned by the Cuban TV. I still remember my father being very upset at people making such claims on the street specially because he new the man personally. I think I saw years ago during a Sunday morning that they had a a short re-run of the show , too bad they have not decided to carry the re-runs fully as it was many many years ago. Maybe even they have lost the tapes , who knows. Nothing like watching those, instead of with just short labels on the screen from time to time like it was intended originally, with this man putting voices to every character and sounds to everything from the train to even the scoop hitting the table or a door slamming. Those were the good times. I hope the reconsider bring it back for the new generations to enjoy now that Cubavision runs 24x7.

 

[hd fan]

Armando Calderon , I just remember his name, how could I have forgotten!!!. Ahh! , one should get executed in Havana even for less than that , lol.

 

[Dee_Ann]

That is why Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year! We seem to be getting the serious cool fronts through early this year. They are helping to keep any tropical activity away from the Gulf Coast.

After having taken the wrath of hurricanes Rita, Humberto and Ike, I am very, very, very grateful for this.

My hot flashes are very, very, very grateful for days like this morning too!

 

[Dee_Ann]

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooood Mooooooooooooooooooooorning Fidel!!!!!!!!

I put the pole in yesterday (with a little help). While I was waiting for the cement to dry I found all the parts to the dish and got them all put together.

I looked up the information for the Cuba satellite and I preset the dish to the correct elevation.

I went to the bird dog website and downloaded the profile for the Cuban satellite.

I put information on the PC for the satellite.

Then I let it dry overnight.

This morning I went and put the dish on the pole, hooked the meter to it and almost right away I found the satellite, like first try, pain free!

I was really, really nervous about the trees next door, I'm having to aim right between two pecan trees that are in the yard right next to me. At least during the winter they will go bare. I wish the dude would cut them down but I know that's not going to happen.

So I tightened it up and fine tuned it for the strongest signal then went inside and told the PC to scan for new channels. Bingo! Viva la revolucion!

Lawn Chair Dish works like a charm!

However, I'm worried about what my neighbors will think! It's pointing DOWN and towards their house! They are going to flip out when they see that!
Most of the neighbors already think I'm kooky. I told one guy I am listening for Martians and ET with all my dishes. He laughed and said "I believe you."

I'm watching ZOOM right now. Don't understand a word but it's interesting.
Now if I can find those movie channels! Oh, and I found 101 channels on the Cuban satellite. I hope some of them are in English.

Wow! I did an amazing bunch of stuff in just two days!

I shuffled all my dishes so they are not cross eyed anymore, I fine tuned them all for best picture and put in a new dish for Cuban TV !!

Yep. Cooler weather is here. I'm feeling the motivation!

(You can see one of my assistants in the dish picture. She supervises and gets underfoot in general.. )