Dish 500 FTA

[Morbius]

Before some one says it. Yes I have read "What can I get with a 18 inch dish".

I managed to get a Dish 500 dish for free and figured that I might as well plant it somewhere. So here's the question. I have a fixed dish at my cottage aimed at G10 ,but want to put up another one up for SBS6 (ONN). I have been reading about all the modifications that have been done to the lnb and it seems pretty straight forward ,but i'm not sure about the height of the lnb from the end of the arm and the angle that its supposed to be aimed at, so any helpful hints for getting that lnb lined up?

BTW Has anyone gotten ONN before i get started? Thanks Guys :

 

[9999]

Hi Morbius,

Yes, many of us get ONN on SBS-6.

The D500 uses a circular polarity LNB and you need a linear LNB. You could get a linear LNB but you would have to find a way to retro-fit it on the D500.

My suggestion to you is to find an old primestar dish which you can also get for free and use it. It is not much larger than the D500 and it requires no modification for SBS-6.

 

[Morbius]

I have a standard lnb ready to go on ,but im not sure about the mounting of it. My question should have been has anyone modified a Dish 500 dish and gotten ONN on SBS6.

 

[9999]

I have never done this but it seems that since you would have to fabricate the mount, it would just be a case of trial and error. You would need to know you were pointing at SBS-6.

What you might do is try to locate a dual sat like 129 (has circular and linear ku-I believe) with your d500 lnb. Remove it and connect your standard lnb (with power off of course). Change the appropriate settings, and physically hold the lnb in front of the dish and move it around to get a linear ku signal (check lyngsat for freqs, I think White Springs TV is on there ). When you get a signal, you will know the position for the lnb. Then fabricate a mount and move it to SBS-6.

 

[qwert1515]

9999 has a good idea.


Use this transponders to aim at Dish Networks 129 satellite (12457 (Right or Vertical) Symbol Rate:20000) it has the you are pointed at the 129 satellite channel.

For Galaxy 27 use this transponder.

WHITE SPRINGS TV (Info is from my scan, also on Lyngsat)
129 Galaxy 27 11963 H Symbol Rate:2920
V-ID 4194
A-ID 4195 4197
PCR 4194

 

[turbosat]

Morbius I did that last year with a Dishnetwork dish, the one I had was bigger than 18" I think, the dp-Pro or whatever it was called, more like 20" If I remember correctly.
Took a couple of those plastic/metal 'clamps' from the hardware store, the kind that lock down like vise-grips. I used a piece of metal drawer-slide hardware to hold the lnbf to the dish-lnb arm. Once you figure out how far out to clamp the lnb you can find ONN pretty easily. And with the new satellite, it may even be easier now to lock on SBS6..

 

[ftarock]

If I were you, I would not spend my time using this size for linear KU.
Unless you think you enjoy doing that, then do it. For me, I always start with recommended/correct equip. It's like using wrong tool to fix a car, or using 15 years old VCR playing 15 years tape with $10,000 LCD/Plasma...
Just my opinion.

Before some one says it. Yes I have read "What can I get with a 18 inch dish".

I managed to get a Dish 500 dish for free and figured that I might as well plant it somewhere. So here's the question. I have a fixed dish at my cottage aimed at G10 ,but want to put up another one up for SBS6 (ONN). I have been reading about all the modifications that have been done to the lnb and it seems pretty straight forward ,but i'm not sure about the height of the lnb from the end of the arm and the angle that its supposed to be aimed at, so any helpful hints for getting that lnb lined up?

BTW Has anyone gotten ONN before i get started? Thanks Guys :

 

[Mr Tony]

Before some one says it. Yes I have read "What can I get with a 18 inch dish".

I managed to get a Dish 500 dish for free and figured that I might as well plant it somewhere. So here's the question. I have a fixed dish at my cottage aimed at G10 ,but want to put up another one up for SBS6 (ONN). I have been reading about all the modifications that have been done to the lnb and it seems pretty straight forward ,but i'm not sure about the height of the lnb from the end of the arm and the angle that its supposed to be aimed at, so any helpful hints for getting that lnb lined up?

BTW Has anyone gotten ONN before i get started? Thanks Guys :

I havent got ONN on a 20" dish but I have received IA6, G3 and AMC4 on a 18" dish. IA6 is my true south so the skew was moot and allowed me to get it with good results.

The only issue I see (besides size) is that stupid Y adapter. The DirecTV 18" dishes only take one LNB so you can replace it with no issues. There is even a dual KU LNB that looks like a DirecTV LNB with the square slot to fit right in. With the D500 that Y adapter makes the focal point correct and if you remove that, then the focal point is off. If you want to try and fabricate something to make it fit, by all means try it. I always like to tinker too with things. Otherwise you can aim that at 119/129 and get the free audio and NASA on 119 and on 129 there is a PBS that has been in the clear for a while now

 

[Morbius]

I couldn't pass up a free dish, but i was hoping for a Direct TV dish and yea that Y adapter is large to say the least. I'm just looking at that short arm that holds the lnb and wondering why its so much shorter than other dishes. My 36" arm is way out there and the 30" is also pretty far out, but i guess in relation to the dish its the right size.

This should be fun. Now if the weather would cooperate i can whip something up and if it doesn't work very well for SBS6 i can always listen to music.


Thanks everyone for thier input.

 

[Mr Tony]

yes the length of the arm on the dish is in conjunction to the focal point of the dish

 

[john green]

Thanks for the idea Guys. You gave me something to play with today if it stops raining. I have an extra DirecTV and Dish 500 to experiment with. I assume my true south Sat would be my easiest KU signal to receive with a smaller dish ?

 

[turbosat]

True south would be a good place to start with the experiment, if you have a rec with channels already stored. WIggle the dish around a little to see if you can get anything, but with a dish that small you will prob only get the very strongest transponders. ONN is coming in at about 85% signal for me so that would be a good one also. I did pick up some newsfeeds on Galaxy 11 back when I had this rigged up too.

 

[Anole]

LNB brackets from hardware store goodies

Since the problem with the Dish 500 LNB-support-arm is that's just too short . . .
... maybe some variation of this idea by z4cCamaro could be adapted?

Where the arm is long enough (as with DirecTV Phase III or 18" dishes), this variation, based on an earlier idea by z4cCamaro, is quite workable.

Most interesting LNB holder ideas don't deal with the "too short" problem.
Maybe we should invent some dish-viagra for the problem.

As for getting the new LNB located in the right place with the home-made bracket, I never found that much of a challenge.
Just assemble the dish with the original LNB and bracket, then look at it from the side.
You can take measurements.
Or, you can set the dish assembly against a wall, sideways.
Project a light across the dish , leaving a shadow on the wall.
Trace the dish and LNB position (note where the light source is).
You get the idea.


Oh, and I agree with FTArock, above.
This is not for serious use.
It's for bragging rights or when you are bored.
If you're serious about getting real signals, the proper sized dish and a hot LNB are preferable, and far less challenging.

 

[Morbius]

The bracket is going to be the easy part (and the most fun). I wish I wouldn't have saw that bracket/holder that z4cCamaro made 'cause now I'm gonna scrap my elaborate idea and go with that one. What is everyones thoughts on making the arm longer or would that throw that focal point way off. Maybe this thread should be moved to the FTA Shack.

 

[Anole]

brackets

I've found the conduit hanger bracket very versatile, and plenty cheap.
They do add a bit of elevation, when that is helpful.

But, the traditional half-round bracket is interesting, too.

This ground clamp LinuxMan posted in his 123/129 thread may cost a lot more, but if it is the better mousetrap, then by all means use it

In the end, an easy bracket is the goal.
Saving $3 isn't so important, if it costs you in time, reliability, or flexibility.
...and don't forget ease of alignment.

 

[9999]

I'd still recommend using a primestar though.

 

[john green]

I drag everything outside and the rain comes back. No big deal. Gave me a few minutes to make a little bracket. Pretty simple really.

 

[qwert1515]

Nice bracket, is it at the right focal point or can you change the position with the tie wraps?

 

[john green]

Nice bracket, is it at the right focal point or can you change the position with the tie wraps?

Thanks.Don't know yet. I will experiment when the rain passes. I can adjust it very easily. It will also bend a bit if needed.

 

[voomvoom]

Nice pictures John........ What rain? Is it raining in Atlanta? Nothing but Sunshine and 93 degree sweltering heat in Macon. Please send it South so you can go out and play some more? Thanks!

Al