Hmm... I'm about 5 hours away from your location. I installed pic related in my profile. Although I did pay someone to dig the hole for me. You should be able to find someone who can do that part anywhere. Also, actually lifting that heavy ass Ajak motor up onto the pole and then assembling the reflector on the pole required a second person for assistance. Way too heavy and cumbersome for one person to try to do all that by themselves
Do you already have all of the necessary equipment to get started, or does all of that still need to be acquired? Are you expecting someone to help you gather all this stuff or do you have it and just want it all put together? Because actually finding all the necessary components is a big part of the battle. I got lucky a few years ago when PixL did most of the legwork for me. He hooked me up with a dish and an Ajak H180 he'd already found.
That Rainier offer for $4,000 might not be bad if they're bringing you all the necessary components as well and that's included in that price -- reflector, LNBs, motor/actuator, wiring, concrete, pole, receiver, etc.
On the other hand, if that price is *just* for someone to come out there and put all the pieces together for you, then yeah, that's too much imo.
I will tell you one thing: there is way more stuff up there than what Rainier sells... I definitely consider $4,000 to be worth it for what you can get your hands on up there (but very few people know about all that
).
Another problem is that it's already winter so you're looking at least six months before this project could get started. Trying to install a C-band dish in the snow with frozen ground would be hell.
The last thing to consider is that it's really up in the air what is going to happen to the C-band right now too. The FCC is trying pretty hard to steal away the spectrum and let the terrestrial wireless companies hoard it. Their pockets are even bigger than the broadcasters' so I worry they may win this battle and manage to steal all the C-band. Perhaps we will have a better picture of what the situation is going to be next summer but it would suck to drop $4,000 on an installation just for 5G to ruin it the following year. If you got a solid dish the pain wouldn't be as bad since you could repurpose it into a killer Ku band dish.
Hey, I'm still in my 20's and I'd never touch one of those hideous pizza pans! Am I the youngest person on the forum?