Feed Cover for C-Band Dish

[que2]

Other than for rain or snow protection, is there any value for using a Feed Cover for C-Band Dish? Would keeping keeping an LBNF out of the sun under the feed cover have any real world value?

 

[waylew]

Covers are great,for bees/wasps/spiders,they add weight,collect snow,which can be a problem if you have a button hook mount.Other than plastic bags I don't use covers.Covers are just for looks,in my opinion.

 

[mikekohl]

Other than for rain or snow protection, is there any value for using a Feed Cover for C-Band Dish? Would keeping keeping an LBNF out of the sun under the feed cover have any real world value?

Covers are just as useful for keeping the sun off of LNBs, LNBFs or parts of feedhorns.
Vent them, or leave one end open. While it may attract small birds or insects (bees), you should notice a great improvement in midday performance, especially on older non-high stability LNBs. Direct sunlight quickly causes LNBs and LNBFs to drift, which while tolerable in analog reception, is a serious problem for reliable digital reception.

 

[arlo]

I don't believe temp. should really affect a PLL LNBF. Maybe a DRO. I've run my Titanium PLL LNBF uncovered for a couple of years out in the open now. Just make sure the F connector(s) are weatherproofed. Clear Flex Seal spray seems to take care of that for me. Although I do have a SpaceX payload fairing in the garage for it, It keeps my buttonhook feed from wobbling in the wind and collecting snow without.

 

[Titanium]

Getting ready to throw away a used black feedhorn cover (a unicorn of the BUD industry). Free and maybe worth if someone was to pick-up local, but wouldn't be a product to ship...

I used to religiously carry wasp spray and reinstall covers after every service call. The white covers were usually UV damaged and very fragile, but did the best job of providing both shade and cooling for the electronics. The black ones were much mere durable, but made more heat inside the enclosure (oven) than they dissipated and this could be a problem in high temp regions.

Personally, I haven't worn protection (on my PLL LNBFs) for years... LOL!!!

 

[mr_rye89]

Yeah I’ve been running my C2-PLL bareback all summer long, I haven’t noticed any problems though I’m at work during the hottest part of the day

 

[907TECH]

We take care of a couple hundred C band commercial systems, no covers.

 

[ZetaMale]

No covers on my dishes and they've worked fine that way. Even on 100+ days.

 

[mikekohl]

Getting ready to throw away a used black feedhorn cover (a unicorn of the BUD industry). Free and maybe worth if someone was to pick-up local, but wouldn't be a product to ship...

I used to religiously carry wasp spray and reinstall covers after every service call. The white covers were usually UV damaged and very fragile, but did the best job of providing both shade and cooling for the electronics. The black ones were much mere durable, but made more heat inside the enclosure (oven) than they dissipated and this could be a problem in high temp regions.

Personally, I haven't worn protection (on my PLL LNBFs) for years... LOL!!!

When I worked for Orbitron, we had an offshore drilling rig installation of a T-24 (7.3 m) antenna in Indonesia. Orby covers were always black, but the installer simply painted it flat white, and it made a difference in diffusing the heat during daylight hours. This was within five degrees of the equator, so the problem was year-round, and uncovered LNBs could get hot within minutes on the exposed metal surface. This solution allowed the superior strength of the black plastic cover, and the white could be repainted periodically. This was in the mid 1990s, so "digital" was not an issue at the time. But in any case, it is always a good idea to keep your hardware out of the sun if not simply to keep the paint from fading or otherwise getting damage from intense solar exposure.