I have an unused dish in the backyard. what can I do with it? Can I receive OTA? I'm completely confused by what I've been able to find online. Can someone point me in the right direction to have it explained to me like i'm a 5 year old? It is a ProSat 118 actuator, made by EFA corporation, attached to an 11’diameter dish, facing WSW. The dish has two wires coming off it, a coaxial and a 16-3 wire with a bare silver colored wire (ground?). The actuator one wire coming off it, 12-2 and 16-3 inside one sheath. Cut off unused is a 16-2 with the bare silver colored wire (ground?) These four run as a quad underground up to the house. I haven't been able to locate where it enters the house and i do not have any kind of converter box. The thing was there when I bought the house 3 years ago.
help for a complete novice
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You cannot receive OTA (your local network channels) with your dish, but you can receive feeds of most/all of the major networks, with the right setup and receiver. Please post pics of what you have.
You will find plenty of help here to get your dish going again, and lots of programming to be had with it. It's not plug-and-play, but if you have the desire to get it going, you can. Welcome to the forum.
Lots of good info here.
Footprints by Dish Size - Adjusting the Polar Mount for Prime Focus Antenna - C/Ku-Band Satellite Systems - Tuning, Tracking, Azimuth, Elevation, Declination Angles, F/D Ratio, Focal Distance, Inclinometer, LNB/Feedhorn Assembly, Actuator Assembly, C
You will find plenty of help here to get your dish going again, and lots of programming to be had with it. It's not plug-and-play, but if you have the desire to get it going, you can. Welcome to the forum.
Lots of good info here.
Footprints by Dish Size - Adjusting the Polar Mount for Prime Focus Antenna - C/Ku-Band Satellite Systems - Tuning, Tracking, Azimuth, Elevation, Declination Angles, F/D Ratio, Focal Distance, Inclinometer, LNB/Feedhorn Assembly, Actuator Assembly, C
Welcome to a wonderful place for satellite buffs!
I would start here: Footprints by Dish Size - Adjusting the Polar Mount for Prime Focus Antenna - C/Ku-Band Satellite Systems - Tuning, Tracking, Azimuth, Elevation, Declination Angles, F/D Ratio, Focal Distance, Inclinometer, LNB/Feedhorn Assembly, Actuator Assembly, C and try to read it all, even though it will not make sense at first. It will give you the right terms and answers to your first questions. It's old, but helpful. You have a great surprise waiting for you when you get the satellite receiver (yet to be chosen) hooked up to that C Band dish.
I would start here: Footprints by Dish Size - Adjusting the Polar Mount for Prime Focus Antenna - C/Ku-Band Satellite Systems - Tuning, Tracking, Azimuth, Elevation, Declination Angles, F/D Ratio, Focal Distance, Inclinometer, LNB/Feedhorn Assembly, Actuator Assembly, C and try to read it all, even though it will not make sense at first. It will give you the right terms and answers to your first questions. It's old, but helpful. You have a great surprise waiting for you when you get the satellite receiver (yet to be chosen) hooked up to that C Band dish.
Free is the best place to start.
Probably best to run a new coax, above ground if possible.If your dish is a mesh dish, if the holes in it are less than the 1/4 inch, probably best to get one of those 741 voltage controlled lnbs (less than 60 bucks) for C and Ku. Your actuator sounds old. It's best to go for the entire arc.
The arc, or the Clarke Belt, is an orbit 22,500 miles above the Earth. The science fiction author, Arthur C. Clarke first envisioned satellites in this orbit, because their path around the Earth would keep these satellites always over the same place on Earth. That means, even though the Earth and the satellites are moving in space very fast, you could aim a dish at one specifiic spot in the sky and receive that satellite broadcast. This orbit or Belt or arc is directly in line with the Earth's equator - meaning to someone on the equator, it appears as a straight line in the sky, whereas the farther toward the poles you go, the more curved it looks. That orbit ifs filled with satellites that broadcast C-band, Ku band and other more classified kinds of signals.
If you have a polar mount with a declination on the dish, you should be able to follow whatever curve you need to for your latitude.
You will need a Gbox (less than $100)or other kind of power for your actuator. You will need a receiver (anywhere from $160 - Openbox to several hundred - Azbox)
The prices quoted are for new stuff, but you can get used.
Probably best to run a new coax, above ground if possible.If your dish is a mesh dish, if the holes in it are less than the 1/4 inch, probably best to get one of those 741 voltage controlled lnbs (less than 60 bucks) for C and Ku. Your actuator sounds old. It's best to go for the entire arc.
The arc, or the Clarke Belt, is an orbit 22,500 miles above the Earth. The science fiction author, Arthur C. Clarke first envisioned satellites in this orbit, because their path around the Earth would keep these satellites always over the same place on Earth. That means, even though the Earth and the satellites are moving in space very fast, you could aim a dish at one specifiic spot in the sky and receive that satellite broadcast. This orbit or Belt or arc is directly in line with the Earth's equator - meaning to someone on the equator, it appears as a straight line in the sky, whereas the farther toward the poles you go, the more curved it looks. That orbit ifs filled with satellites that broadcast C-band, Ku band and other more classified kinds of signals.
If you have a polar mount with a declination on the dish, you should be able to follow whatever curve you need to for your latitude.
You will need a Gbox (less than $100)or other kind of power for your actuator. You will need a receiver (anywhere from $160 - Openbox to several hundred - Azbox)
The prices quoted are for new stuff, but you can get used.
Macclatom - Where abouts are you located? If there is a "SatelliteGuy" who lives close by, they might be willing to drop by for a coffee and to check out your setup to see what will work for you 
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