BUD - REHAB OR SCRAP?

[MikeinBaja]

Found this BUD on top of a restaurant here in Baja. No marks on it - measures 7 1/2' by my tape. Took the Birdog meter with me and the LNB shows signs of life (got a reading other than 0). Actuator is froze and I know it's trash.

What do you guys think about this as a rehab project? Best guess it's 25+ years old and the mesh (other than the missing panel) is tight weave.

Any guesses on what it is?

 

[TMair]

IF it where me, and I needed/wanted another BUD I would go for it, if the price is right, I have a 7.5' Dish and I have no problems with it at all.
You can buy new panel material from SkyVision, I just got some, been waiting for better weather to put it in.
Actuators freez all the time, I have replaced mine two or three times.

I have two 10 footers that I think I am going to try and make one out of, some panels gone from each, anyway good luck.
Terry

 

[MikeinBaja]

More pix to help with ID?

 

[Mikhel]

...Rosarito?...Ensenada?.. nah the islands seem too close to be here (Ensenada) , nice antenna by the way.

Cheers

M.

 

[greg harris]

The dish maybe an Odom??? If it is, they are out of business. Sami will be one of the very few places where you can get new C band dish parts, and the parts you get from them will not be an exact fit for this dish.

I have refurbished a dish that looks identical to this one.
The cost of this refurbished dish and its installation was about 300 dollars a year ago. This price would include new lnb supports, sandblasting the polar mount, the installation of the dish pole, and paint.

When the cost of the Gbox dish positioner, new lnbs, switch,coax cable, and control wire for the Gbox was added, the price jumped to around 500 dollars for this complete installation.

The total cost of installing this dish and buying everything to get it running was less than the price of a new 7.5 foot dish from Sami.

 

[MikeinBaja]

The dish maybe an Odom??? If it is, they are out of business. Sami will be one of the very few places where you can get new C band dish parts, and the parts you get from them will not be an exact fit for this dish.

I have refurbished a dish that looks identical to this one.
The cost of this refurbished dish and its installation was about 300 dollars a year ago. This price would include new lnb supports, sandblasting the polar mount, the installation of the dish pole, and paint.

When the cost of the Gbox dish positioner, new lnbs, switch,coax cable, and control wire for the Gbox was added, the price jumped to around 500 dollars for this complete installation.

The total cost of installing this dish and buying everything to get it running was less than the price of a new 7.5 foot dish from Sami.

I hear ya - but the LNB support looks solid and I have a spare LNB, switch and plenty of coax. The labor I'd do myself if I decide to to the refurb - just checking to see if this is/was a "classic" dish that anyone could ID.

 

[greg harris]

My actuator worked. Yours doesn't...etc.
The point I was trying to make is it cost money to refurbish.
If you count the dish panels, you will find that your dish has a lot more than the Sami 7.5 dish. More panels = more dish support!!!
My used dish had also been up for around two decades and it was not warped. These dishes are well built!!!! I think it is worthy of your efforts.

 

[greg harris]

Here are a couple of pictures before sandblasting and after sandblasting of the polar mount. Then one picture of the installed dish with a temporary C/KU lnb installed.

 

[Anole]

yes? no? maybe?

Well, it does say Laser on the nose cone.
Should ring a bell for someone.

Your metal work looks to be in a lot worse shape than what Greg Harris was working with.
And while I have nothing against sand blasting (bead or media [walnut shell] blasting) a good workover with a wire brush on a drill will knock off all the loose rust.
Then, you go over it with a good rust adhering paint or primer, and it should be fine.
See paint discussions in my signature, for brands.
I'd be surprised if ya spent $50 doing that.

As for the motor, there's currently a 24" model on special offer on the front page of Galaxy-Marketing, right now
(Better known as WSI, one of our Gold Sponsors)
So, I'd evaluate whether that's useful or not.

You have C-band LNBs and feeds, so I won't suggest you order up a C2 or the dual-output cousin from WSI.
But if you did, they're not expensive, either.
Especially if I send you a C2 . . .

I'm just trying to make a case for the refurb costing more on the order of $100, but then I'm cheap. -

AND, the dish 'n mount are not the best ones I've seen.
Show us some pictures of other available dishes.
You might want to just pass on this one.
Kinda depends on how much time and work you want to put into it.

 

[greg harris]

After a couple of decades of service, we can only guess if the nose cone belongs with the dish.

The folks at Sami seemed to think my dish was an Odom, and I think my dish looks very similar to his dish.

I do know that new parts are extremely difficult to find for these older dishes because most of the companies that made them are no longer in business.

As far as the cheap way, I think you get what you pay for to a certain degree. Sandblasting the piece knocked all of the rust off in a few minutes, and it was a real time saver as compared to using a wire brush. The piece looked as new after the sandblasting.
On the other hand, a lot of people are on a very limited income so it really helps to know the least expensive way of doing things. It also helps to know more than one way of doing something.

 

[MikeinBaja]

Well, it does say Laser on the nose cone.
Should ring a bell for someone.

Your metal work looks to be in a lot worse shape than what Greg Harris was working with.
And while I have nothing against sand blasting (bead or media [walnut shell] blasting) a good workover with a wire brush on a drill will knock off all the loose rust.
Then, you go over it with a good rust adhering paint or primer, and it should be fine.
See paint discussions in my signature, for brands.
I'd be surprised if ya spent $50 doing that.

As for the motor, there's currently a 24" model on special offer on the front page of Galaxy-Marketing, right now
(Better known as WSI, one of our Gold Sponsors)
So, I'd evaluate whether that's useful or not.

You have C-band LNBs and feeds, so I won't suggest you order up a C2 or the dual-output cousin from WSI.
But if you did, they're not expensive, either.
Especially if I send you a C2 . . .

I'm just trying to make a case for the refurb costing more on the order of $100, but then I'm cheap. -

AND, the dish 'n mount are not the best ones I've seen.
Show us some pictures of other available dishes.
You might want to just pass on this one.
Kinda depends on how much time and work you want to put into it.

Oh wise green one,

I am extremely disappointed in you! I expected you to be able to ID any BUD on the planet based on blurry black & white pictures taken straight into the sun! My confidence is now shattered:river.

Seriously, unless someone ID's this as a real dog - I'm going to grab it. May just scrap the mount and have a new one built/welded (labor is REAL cheap in Baja right now ). It will stay at the beach house. I agree - more like $100 if you know how & where to get things done.

Need to back on Thursday to finalize - sure curious what's under that "Laser" nose cone.

You would send me a C2 . . . ?

 

[MikeinBaja]

After a couple of decades of service, we can only guess if the nose cone belongs with the dish.

The folks at Sami seemed to think my dish was an Odom, and I think my dish looks very similar to his dish.

I do know that new parts are extremely difficult to find for these older dishes because most of the companies that made them are no longer in business.

As far as the cheap way, I think you get what you pay for to a certain degree. Sandblasting the piece knocked all of the rust off in a few minutes, and it was a real time saver as compared to using a wire brush. The piece looked as new after the sandblasting.
On the other hand, a lot of people are on a very limited income so it really helps to know the least expensive way of doing things. It also helps to know more than one way of doing something.

Thanks for the input. I'm retired, so time isn't an issue. This will be a "project" dish - but if it has lasted @ 25 years here, it could last 100 years anywhere else..

This will be sitting at the beach house in the salt air - so I won't even consider anything new. Stuff made today simply won't stand up to this environment. Have seen "new" powder coated metal completely rust out in well under 18 months here. Actually, if I can figure out how best to use epoxy paint on dissimilar metals, I may give that a try. Another thought is my friend at a local auto body shop (with a bake booth) that owes me big time.

To me, most of the enjoyment of FTA is not just buying stuff to put up, but adapting and making stuff work. Anyone remember the project to get an FTA rig up at $0 cost? That set-up is still running today - and I still don't have one cent in it (just to prove it could be done).

 

[Anole]

Sorry, I must yield to the BUD experts when it comes to the big dishes.

If you want some encouragement on the dish, do a string test on it.
However, C-band isn't all that critical for getting your feet wet, so I'm sure it'll be fine.
I was only suggesting you might find one in better condition.
So don't be paying a lot for it.
Now, if it's got a non-penetrating roof mount, that might make it worth having, even if all the panels were missing! - :up

Greg is right about the sand blasting, and if you can get yours done for $5 or $10, that'd be great!
Maybe your auto-painter guy?
However, I still insist you don't -need- to get to bare metal.
But you -do- need to use the right paints, especially living on the coast.

Yes, I threatened you with a C2! en garde!

Zero dollar Ku? Yea, I thought you were goin' for $0 BUD, now! -

 

[greg harris]

If I had not been able to get the sandblasting done at a very reasonable price, then I would have done something very similar to what Anole is suggesting.

The dish was removed from its location and then it was checked for warp as soon as it got on my property. If the thing would have been warped beyond a reasonable or fixable amount, it would have been tossed aside. Check for warp before you put in time or money.

BTW, My app. $300.00 installed cost also included a new piece of schedule 40 pipe to mount the dish on and all of the associated cost of putting the pipe in the ground. Doing this was about 1/3 of the total installed cost.

 

[ynnedibanez]

looks identical to one that i just picked up that says odom on the lnb cover

 

[brex2001]

laser or odom?

I just picked one of these 7.5 footers 1/4 mile from home in nice condition(for 2o+ yrs).
Got the dish complete with extra wire, 14 ft pole, Venture motor, GI 450i analog receiver for $100.
I transported the dish face down on some 8 ft 2x4s screwed down to 2x4s mounted in the stake holes of my old pickup, lightly tied down of course so as not to bend anything.
My dish was sans the lnb cover as you can see, so there was nothing left to id the maker of the dish.
Are most mesh dishes like these all aluminum(excepting the polar ring mount of course)?
Good luck with your project there in Baja. When I get mine back up in the air I'll upload some pics.

 

[Greg Mueller]

I would take any dish you could get for free.
Keep the good parts and toss the bad ones.


But I'm a pack rat

 

[vanalex]

I just picked one of these 7.5 footers 1/4 mile from home in nice condition(for 2o+ yrs).
Got the dish complete with extra wire, 14 ft pole, Venture motor, GI 450i analog receiver for $100.
I transported the dish face down on some 8 ft 2x4s screwed down to 2x4s mounted in the stake holes of my old pickup, lightly tied down of course so as not to bend anything.
My dish was sans the lnb cover as you can see, so there was nothing left to id the maker of the dish.
Are most mesh dishes like these all aluminum(excepting the polar ring mount of course)?
Good luck with your project there in Baja. When I get mine back up in the air I'll upload some pics.

Brex,

That is the bigger version of the 67 inch dish I have. My LNBF cover has "Perfect 10" on it.

 

[brex2001]

Odom, Laser or Perfect 10? Confusing.

Brex,

That is the bigger version of the 67 inch dish I have. My LNBF cover has "Perfect 10" on it.

If it had been further away from home & when owner asked how badly I wanted it, I might have agreed to less money. In the end he did provide a lot of help taking it down. The story I got from the guy was that it cost them about $2000 for the entire installation back in the '80s. Then the satellites started "falling out of the sky"(analog receiver). So they stopped using it.

Hmmm. Could it be that back then there was one manufacturer producing these dishes using the same fixtures for welding, tooling, etc for a few of dish 'manufacturers' like Odom, Laser or Perfect 10?

MikeinBaja...I measured the ring for the polar mount: 1/4" x 2" x 25" diameter & the rectangular tube is 2' x 3' x 16". 3 1/2" tube mount with 6 each 1/2-13 bolts to lock it to the tube. The 7 1/2 ft dish is 14 1/2" deep and passes the string test.
Are your measurements for your polar mount the same?

 

[MikeinBaja]

If it had been further away from home & when owner asked how badly I wanted it, I might have agreed to less money. In the end he did provide a lot of help taking it down. The story I got from the guy was that it cost them about $2000 for the entire installation back in the '80s. Then the satellites started "falling out of the sky"(analog receiver). So they stopped using it.

Hmmm. Could it be that back then there was one manufacturer producing these dishes using the same fixtures for welding, tooling, etc for a few of dish 'manufacturers' like Odom, Laser or Perfect 10?

MikeinBaja...I measured the ring for the polar mount: 1/4" x 2" x 25" diameter & the rectangular tube is 2' x 3' x 16". 3 1/2" tube mount with 6 each 1/2-13 bolts to lock it to the tube. The 7 1/2 ft dish is 14 1/2" deep and passes the string test.
Are your measurements for your polar mount the same?

I had planned to go see if I could finalize the deal and drag it home today, but it didn't work out. Our cat died overnight last night - so spent a good portion of the morning digging a comfortably deep hole to bury her. She was a "street" cat that adopted us and our dog about 5 years ago - and really turned into my cat by her choice.

With any luck, I'll finalize the deal and drag that dude home tomorrow - will do the measurements and post then.