I would spray some WD-40 into the threads and let it sit for a while before attempting to unbolt it. Otherwise it might break the threaded pieces inside the dish if they are corroded after 30 years outdoors.
Big satellite dish (New Birdview) to be given away- Fort Garland, CO
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With regard to it's possible use....the "New" birdview logo points to post "proprietary" system. Birdview woke up too late and started selling dishes with reed-switches built on that would work with the pulse-based positioners of the day, (not the poteniometer based ones of the birdview-only manufacturing days) and...they had LNB's compatible with anything up to a 4DTV. No, their nosecone electronics won't work now with voltage switching. They had voltage sent up the horizontal line at ALL times for both H and V, and had the most unique LNB there was, but it is convertible. Still on my 'short list' if I can get out of here, but hope that info blows away rumors. Maybe I just shot myself for sharing information, but its a good community here.
Maybe get them soaking now? A week or so of sitting in penetrating oil should simplify the break-down. 
The dish is aluminum and easily handled. The six struts make it difficult to ship. Steel nuts on aluminum strut rods. I ended up grinding off the nuts. I would tie it face up on a pickup bed, leaving the strut nuts for later, and transport it that way . The motor unit is a beast. Getting the dish off first is right. I lost one bolt. Another big bolt that can use liquid wrench is the one in the top of the collar going straight down into the nut in the center of the pole. I ended up loosening that one with lw and hitting against the head with a hammer and screwdriver.
I would get help moving the motor unit. It is heavy,awkward and bulky. I would get the pole also. I mounted mine over my existing smaller pole. These dishes just work.
I would get help moving the motor unit. It is heavy,awkward and bulky. I would get the pole also. I mounted mine over my existing smaller pole. These dishes just work.
Thanks everyone for the discussion and suggestions. I'll be picking it up next weekend. I have my work cut out for me, but I am really looking forward to having this dish operational.
Here is the link on this site for phlatwound's magnet wheel template - - - http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/phlats-birdview-2.166422/page-3
it is for a 3.25 inch wheel. It took me several days to lay out mine with a compass and like instruments. With this you just print it out on paper, glue the paper to a quarter inch thick piece of flat plastic ( maybe a small plastic cutting board at the 99 cents store.) and then carefully drill and cut out the circle. If the wheel is a little too thick for the place on the worm gear shaft, like mine was, I used a spade bit for wood on my little drill press to make it carefully thinner where the collars attach. You can get the neodymium 1/4 inch magnets from Harbor Freight. Like I said earlier I put a piece of saran wrap.on a piece of steel. I then put the drilled out disk on it. Then alternating north and south, I put the neodymium magnets in each hole, making sure they are all the way down against the saran wrap/steel. Once in, drop a few drops of crazy glue in each hole. Once hardened, Voila ! magnet wheel.
The reed switch I got from Radio Shack. It was like a little glass capsule with four leads on it, from which you have to select a certain two . I used nylon screws and spacers from Lowes to fabricate an adjustable mount for the reed switch. Basically you want to be able to put the reed switch into varying positions and closeness to the magnet wheel and, once you have the optimum position, a little more crazy glue holds it all in place.
it is for a 3.25 inch wheel. It took me several days to lay out mine with a compass and like instruments. With this you just print it out on paper, glue the paper to a quarter inch thick piece of flat plastic ( maybe a small plastic cutting board at the 99 cents store.) and then carefully drill and cut out the circle. If the wheel is a little too thick for the place on the worm gear shaft, like mine was, I used a spade bit for wood on my little drill press to make it carefully thinner where the collars attach. You can get the neodymium 1/4 inch magnets from Harbor Freight. Like I said earlier I put a piece of saran wrap.on a piece of steel. I then put the drilled out disk on it. Then alternating north and south, I put the neodymium magnets in each hole, making sure they are all the way down against the saran wrap/steel. Once in, drop a few drops of crazy glue in each hole. Once hardened, Voila ! magnet wheel.
The reed switch I got from Radio Shack. It was like a little glass capsule with four leads on it, from which you have to select a certain two . I used nylon screws and spacers from Lowes to fabricate an adjustable mount for the reed switch. Basically you want to be able to put the reed switch into varying positions and closeness to the magnet wheel and, once you have the optimum position, a little more crazy glue holds it all in place.
You folks are AWESOME! Thank you so very much for your thoughts, suggestions, inspiration and support. What a group!
This satellite dish found a home with lost_mesa. What a lovely family! They came yesterday to disassemble the dish and load and strap onto a specially made wood frame base attached to the rim of a large pick-up truck and another vehicle to carry the base and motor. Rain poured couple hours after the goodbyes. I hope all went well on their 4-hour travel back home.
I thank you all here at satelliteguys.net but especially Lone Cloud, FaT Air, Magic Static, Titanium, N6BY. Most of all I send an extra thanks to lost_mesa for the amount of planning that must have taken for such a smooth finish!
This satellite dish found a home with lost_mesa. What a lovely family! They came yesterday to disassemble the dish and load and strap onto a specially made wood frame base attached to the rim of a large pick-up truck and another vehicle to carry the base and motor. Rain poured couple hours after the goodbyes. I hope all went well on their 4-hour travel back home.
I thank you all here at satelliteguys.net but especially Lone Cloud, FaT Air, Magic Static, Titanium, N6BY. Most of all I send an extra thanks to lost_mesa for the amount of planning that must have taken for such a smooth finish!
Thank you hs_sanluisvalley for this wonderful dish! What a gift! We really enjoyed meeting and talking with you.
We had a safe trip home, only light rain for part of the drive. I'll post a few photos of the dish tonight.
We had a safe trip home, only light rain for part of the drive. I'll post a few photos of the dish tonight.
Well this adventure went pretty smoothly. Thanks to the arid climate, this 8 ½ foot spun aluminum dish is in great shape, very little corrosion. We unscrewed the 6 aluminum feed support rods by hand, no tools needed to get them off.
Most everything came apart with little effort. We took the H to H mount apart in two pieces. That made it much easier to handle. I think we spent more time packing up and getting everything tied down on the truck, than disassembling the dish.
I need to finish another home project before I can install this dish, but hope to get it operational by October. I plan to use it as a Ku only dish, but will start with C band to get it tracking the arc.
This one has a reed switch, rather than a pot. I'm getting 12 pulses per revolution of the worm gear. My actuator controller counts on both the rising and following edges, so I will get 24 counts per revolution. Not sure this is good enough for Ku?
I'm looking at doing all the usual mods, moving the feed higher, reaming out the scalar for a modern LNBF, etc.
A few other things I noticed are no fine adjustment rod for elevation and no limit switches. Kind of surprised by that.
I have a clear view of the arc from 30° to well past 139°. Hispasat at 30° is at only 2.3° elevation here, but I receive it fine on a fixed 1.2 meter dish (when it's not raining). I think the BirdView won't go lower than about 25°? Any way around this?
Here are a few photos, didn't have time to take more.
Most everything came apart with little effort. We took the H to H mount apart in two pieces. That made it much easier to handle. I think we spent more time packing up and getting everything tied down on the truck, than disassembling the dish.
I need to finish another home project before I can install this dish, but hope to get it operational by October. I plan to use it as a Ku only dish, but will start with C band to get it tracking the arc.
This one has a reed switch, rather than a pot. I'm getting 12 pulses per revolution of the worm gear. My actuator controller counts on both the rising and following edges, so I will get 24 counts per revolution. Not sure this is good enough for Ku?
I'm looking at doing all the usual mods, moving the feed higher, reaming out the scalar for a modern LNBF, etc.
A few other things I noticed are no fine adjustment rod for elevation and no limit switches. Kind of surprised by that.
I have a clear view of the arc from 30° to well past 139°. Hispasat at 30° is at only 2.3° elevation here, but I receive it fine on a fixed 1.2 meter dish (when it's not raining). I think the BirdView won't go lower than about 25°? Any way around this?
Here are a few photos, didn't have time to take more.
It's a great signal catcher and a real strong mount, but it does have it's limitations unfortunately.
What? did you take that back to the past
I see a steam locomotive and it's fired up in the background.
What? did you take that back to the past
I see a steam locomotive and it's fired up in the background.
I've been able to get the elevation down to 3.8 degrees with mine. At that point there was only 1 tooth in the worm gear.
My line of sight to the east is blocked by distant trees below about 6 degrees, and the west side of the arc is blocked by my house beyond 139W.
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Hurrah! Glad to know the drive went well lost_mesa.
I forgot to thank Radio. Thanks for your initial welcome and thoughts on this post.
I forgot to thank Radio. Thanks for your initial welcome and thoughts on this post.
Glad it worked out for everyone! Stick around and enjoy Satelliteguys! There's SO much more than just 'satellite" here...it's a GREAT community. We're glad you're here, and really glad you found a home for the dish which will put it to use!
3.8 degrees would be great, but one tooth would be a bit worrisome. I thought I read somewhere a few weeks ago that the mount hit the pole at 25 degrees? I hope that isn't correct. I need to put the motor back on the pole to see what's what.
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