Help in buying new dish

[dan70]

Hi to everyone once more.

Things are going great with the help from everyone
with my last post but now I really need the advice from the old timers here.

I am looking to buy a new (used) dish and would like to see which would be the best choice since I could only afford one.

I will attach pics

I will list three of them and any info given to me by the owners.

Dish # 1 white metal, unknown brand 43" inch unknown LNB
Dish # 2 Grey DirecTV fiberglass dish 48" inch unknown LNB

Both these dishes are $50 each or $100 for both (same owner)
both have the mounts and one has a mast as can bee seen in the pics.

Dish # 3 1.2M Channel Master fiberglass unknown LNB asking price $65
previously used for KU reception according to the owner cost includes the pole.

I know that channel master is a great brand but I would like to eventually motorize the dish as money becomes available and worry about weight and cost issues to motorize the dishes.

(The channel Master is not currently motorized)

I'm leaning towards the white dish due to lightness but am worried I'd make the wrong choice since all three seem good to me.

Any help or ideas on this one??

thanks in advance to everyone.

 

[turbosat]

Never seen a directv dish that big! So I couldn't really comment on it. I'd go for big as you can get, but that's just me. One meter dish should be just fine for ku-I'm using an old primestar that is just under 1m (.90M it says on back) and I don't have any problems picking up most of the fta signals I've found. Naturally the 1.2meter dish would likely give you even more signal and margin against rainfade, but a strong enough rainstorm will wipe out most any consumer sized satellite dish. If the 1.2 is a fiberglass or composite dish, it wouldn't be too heavy for a good motor, like the DG380, once you remove the excess metal from the original mount.

 

[dan70]

The Directv dish is meant for Hawaii or Alaska from my research.
I believe it's around 50 to 60 lbs with the mount. Weird no support arms on that one..

 

[Anole]

opinion:

I'd say any of 'em would be good choices for reception.
The white is big enough, but I don't recognize it. Maybe one of the members knows it.

The Primestar/ChannelMaster 1.2m dish is outstanding, and we can help ya find a big enough motor.
Removing some of the mount will probably be needed, too. That'll lighten it for a motor.

That DirecTV dish is one I've been trying to get my hands on.
I've seen some in Mexico.

Personally, I think those prices are a little high.
But if you get some cable, a non-penetrating roof mount, or other value with one, it'd be attractive.
They are not so high that I'd dismiss 'em, though. -

 

[USDownlink]

For the sake of comparing apples to apples, I would point out that 48 inches = 1.2m. And I think the Channelmaster also weighs in at around 60 pounds, so from here it looks like the CM and the Directv dishes are the same animal, except for the LNB support.

<> The CM has a 40mm LNB holder, and it appears the Directv has the D or rectangular style holder. The 40mm holder is going to be much more versatile, since those D/rectangular LNBs also tend to have 40mm necks.

<> The CM also comes with a mounting post? 6 feet of schedule 40 steel is worth about $80 the last time I checked. Prorate accordingly, but this means...

I'd rule out the Direct dish (if you can only buy one).

So we're down to the unknown smaller metal dish and a 1.2m CM. Time for some Full Disclosure: I own a 1.2m CM dish, and swear by it. Best thing I've ever has the pleasure of receiving Ku with.

Some here have even had success receiving C-band with them. Motorizing is a concern, however, as you've rightly pointed out. I decided to go with a Jaeger H-H 1224. Problem is they are not widely available in the states and they are expensive. Others (as turbosat suggested above) claim a regular diseqc motor (DG380-heavy-duty-type) will be sufficient to move it, although my suspicion is that they will be painfully slow. Heck, I have a lighter motor on a much lighter dish and it is painfully slow!

Your other option is the (apples) 110cm (43") metal. And cost is your primary concern?

.. I hate to do this, but to be fair, cost isn't usually my primary concern .. (private thoughts: signal strength and speed of dish moving is worth saving up for) ...

It's still basically the same size dish, but you'll be able to drive it with a less expensive motor. Casual users most certainly wouldn't notice the difference between an 80cm or 90cm dish. You may or may not notice the difference between a 110cm or a 120cm dish. And you may not care about the speed of the motor..

 

[dan70]

Well the guy pulled the local craigslist add for the two dishes!
He said he'd hold them till this Friday for me to choose
that sucks, I dislike people not keeping their word. Oh well that's life I guess.

I have 3 Hughes/Direcway 1.2M dishes given to me but no az/elev mounts or LNB arms or anything just the bare dish alone.
If I had the measurements I would try to fabricate my own hardware.

I will included a picture of the exact dishes given to me, off course mine are bare no hardware...

If anyone really wants I can take actual pics of my dishes for you guys to see/compare.
They measure roughly 54" X 48"

I appreciate your opinion on the prices, but wonder why you'd choose the directv dish instead of the other ones? Also shipping would kill me if I don't buy locally since I'm on a fixed income.

Guess all is left is the 1.2m channel master now or just perhaps waiting for a better deal?

sorry if I wasted anyones time, but do appreciate everyones kindness and help.

Should I go for the channel master??

 

[dan70]

Sorry USDownlink I missed your response before I updated the situation here.

Thanks for the great information it is good.

Yes the CM comes with the pole...No cost is not my primary concern, quality is, but I am on a very strict income and just trying to get the best for my money.

I really cant afford to pay shipping costs for larger dishes, but I could start saving if needed.

If I had the room I would just get a 10ft bud and do KU and C-Band combo, but 6ft dish or so is the largest I could fit in my limited space since I only have a small stretch 10ft X 40ft with a clear southern view due to a fence and close neighbors house, the rest is blocked by many trees.

So to sum it up is the 1.2m CM a great deal or should i just wait?

thanks again everyone!

 

[Anole]

- it's very possible the Craig's List fellow pulled the advert so he wouldn't have to hear from others, 'till after you've decided.
I wouldn't write him off if he said he'd give you 'till Friday.

- nothing wrong with the 1.2m (four foot) ChannelMaster/Primestar dish.
And, the pole is a big plus!

- you certainly don't need a larger dish than 1m (39") or 1.2m (48")! -

- considering the dishes you've got, they could be used for pretty close to free.
If you post (bigger, actual) pictures, I'm sure you can get help here figuring out how/where to mount an LNB.
You have to decide if the cost of these dishes is worth it to you, versus making one of yours work.
Do you want to do the work?
edit: I think all your choices are good quality dishes.

- why do I like the DirecTV dish? Because I hope to get one (some) for somewhere between free and $20.
But, I'm a cheap &@$!@%)
Hey, a fellow's gotta have goals! -
There are great BUDs out there for F.R.E.E.!. -
...and there arealso many Ku dishes for free/cheap, too.

 

[McGuyver]

I agree with the other's in many ways but in my opinion unless you've experienced previous issues with 90cm dishes in your neck of the woods, I would stay light weight if you're planning to use a motor, sounds like you might be looking at dishes with BIG eyes rather than logic.

In the long run, a lighter 90cm dish will be much easier on a motor and allow a longer life span as well. Consider wind velocities too, a smaller profile is better in spite of a larger dish for better signal gain. If you don't need the extra inches then why bother? It's like walking a distance of 2 miles and carrying enough water to last a week, don't over do it. One of those larger dishes will be perfect in a fixed mount application but you must consider the motor issues now.

You can save yourself a lot of headaches if you just spend the few extra bucks and get a WSI 90cm dish, the mounting clamp is designed for various post sizes unlike other's that cause many a lot of grief when trying to mount on a motor. Check eBay for the WSI dish, fairly good prices there with shipping costs that won't break your budget like other sellers. Many sellers will list low sale prices but will gouge you on shipping so watch out!!!

And as for the DG380 motors, they are fast as lightning compared to any other motor on the market, almost 3 times as fast and I love mine. I hardly know that my dish is on a motor anymore. The DG380 by Sadoun is one of the better investments I've made, they are quite affordable for the product you're getting.

 

[dan70]

Nothing wrong with saving some $$$ Anole

doing the work myself is just fine with me, I'm pretty handy and enjoy it.

If I could get the right measurements I would pass one off for free to someone in need,
once I get things right...

I can take actual pics/measurements of my dishes if people are interested.

In the meantime I have a good possible lead on the measurements sent to me by someone a while back, I believe it's same dish as mine but I can't get higher definition picture of the back of his dish than the one included here.

I have the measurements for the LNB arm and side brackets but unfortunately not the actual dimensions of his dish itself.

Looking at the back of his dish it sure looks like the same as mine other than a different mount.

I wonder is it common that a manufacturer would make the same exact reinforcing braces on the the back of his dish on different size dishes ???

His dish is branded Directv 1.2m, mine is Hughes/Direcway 1.2m

(Same company I think)

Take a look and see if it looks same to you if you have time.

His measurements are:

Quote,

"The side arms are approximately 41 inches from the bolt on the dish to the bolt on the main arm.The main arm is 31 1/2 inches from the bolt on the dish to where the side arms connect.
The main arm extends another 10 inches or so until you reach the actual end.
The measurements are within a 1/2 of being exact"

-unquote.

Picture # 1 is definitely like mine as far as the support braces on the back and the writing on the front is concerned.

Picture #2 is his 1.2m directv dish low quality pic, sorry...

Anyways, sorry got a little off topic but thought someone might need this info.

I will contact the seller tomorrow and see whats up but most likely buy the channel master if possible and the do it yourself project at a later time.

I want to thank everyone for the advice given.

 

[dan70]

well said McGuyver.
The only reason I wanted a larger dish 1.2M etc.. is to try to get C-Band as well as KU if possible one one dish in my future expansions.

I have limited area to install due to neighbors house so a Bud is not practical for me.

If I could only get a couple C-Band channels on a 1.2m, I will not Pursue this anymore other than experimenting with the free dishes given to me. (build the support brackets/LNB arms)

thanks for the input I agree, but if C-Band is possible than It would be worth it to me.

 

[Tron]

If I lived close enough, I'd buy whichever ones you left ...

The fiberglass dishes are very accurate, but they're really too heavy for a motor. They'd make great secondary fixed dishes, though.

 

[dan70]

If you lived closer I'd give you on of my free dishes I got already.
can someone confirm the 1.2m directv and my 1.2m hughes/direcway are the same dish by looking at the pics???

 

[delta_charlie]

Hi Dan70 and the group, looks like to me the one in the left picture on the side of the house may well have a linear LNB on it and looks to be a standard FTA dish. If so it would be best choice if you want to add a motor.

You may be better off setting up a good Ku only dish and putting the C-band on the back burner unless you can find the room and money for a much larger dish. I would think a 6 footer would be the minimum. If you are into sport feeds bigger is better. Sometimes my 10 footer has trouble on some of the S2 feeds.

Hope this helps, DC

 

[Anole]

If you had a dish with a proper mount, but no LNB support arms, here's how you get the LNB located:
- pick a satellite that's reasonably high in your sky, maybe even a circular Ku bird to start
- look up the proper elevation for that bird on any chart and set your mount to match
- make sure your post is plumb, of course
- mount the LNB at a test location, or maybe hand-hold one, if you're using circular
- now, aim the dish east/west 'till you get a signal
- you should be able to locate the LNB at the best place using the fixed elevation on the mount, and peak your test signal
- obviously, you should start out with reasonable measurements, but this'll fine tune ya, especially if you later advance to a non-circular LNB

edit:
Your 1.2m directv and my 1.2m hughes/direcway dishes are not the same, so far as I know, and are built by a third party dish company.
Neither DirecTV nor Hughes/DirecWay made dishes.

Also, I'd recommend for now that you put in a fixed Ku dish, and forget about any future motor.
Get your feet wet, and decide what dish & motor, later on down the line.
Likewise, I second the suggestion you disregard C-band for now.
In the future get any of the 4' (1.2m) dishes and a C2 LNBF, and a list of likely birds, and give that a shot.
You have enough large test dishes already, so no reason to buy if you don't want to.

 

[dan70]

Thank you all, I think I see what everyone is saying

Large composite/fiberglass dishes are better suited for fixed dish applications.
since they are expensive and troublesome to motorize.

So I will pass on the deals I mentioned in the beginning concerning the dish
I wanted to buy and save my money for a lighter dish that's more suitable for a motor in the future.

(all good dishes though sigh)

I understand about third party manufacturing for Hughes, Direcway etc.

But these two dishes look the same to me in these two pictures.

The reason I'm asking is because the guy gave me the measurements for the LNB support arm and side brackets. (is that what you call them?)
and I don't want to waste materials and money if possible building the parts,
since I will not buy any of the dishes mentioned previously.

The guy that gave me the measurements said it's a Directv 1.2m dish and mine are also 1.2 meter but branded Hughes/direcway.
They look the same to me other than the mounts.

Anyone else see that or is judging by pictures a poor strategy?
It's all I got to go by for now though.

Please look at the two pictures and give me an opinion before I go cutting and drilling things

I want to thank all of you for helping me make up my mind and for taking the time to help. I will just work on the ones I got for now and save up money for something easier to work with/motorize in the future.

 

[dan70]

Update...

I was quick to think the guy pulled the CL adds and left me high and dry. (my fault)
Got a call from him today and ended up buying the 43" white dish for $40

I was going to wait but couldn't pass up his offer.

I apologize if I confused anyone, seems I confuse myself at times

Anyways the dish measures roughly 43" X 40" and is no name brand, steel/metal.

It does have U-Bolt type rear mounting hardware, similar to many FTA dishes out there,
that can accommodate different size poles, and came with a circular LNB.

Also came with a large diameter J-Pole with it's support brackets.

All in all I think I did well...I was going to wait but couldn't pass it up; save on shipping etc..

All seems in good order other than some wear on the paint in places.

One thing though, the elevation scale is throwing me off, no numbers just says

each line = 5 degrees, well I wonder is the first line 5,10,20 etc...???

Oh well I will get to reading the forums and see if any advice has been given so far.

To sum it all up, I'm very grateful for the honest advice given here, it was direct and really made

me think what's practical and not just buying on impulse, something I will definitely remember

in the future. Thanks to everyone for helping and looking out

 

[Anole]

most offset dishes...

If you put the new dish on a plumb pole...
... and set the face of the dish vertical (use a yardstick and a level)...
Then that dish will be aimed about 23..26 degrees above the horizon.
(that's the offset of most of the dishes)
So, use that as a starting point for the tic-marks on the mount.

Most Primestar and other similar offset antennas have offset angles between 22 and 25 degrees.

On the subject of C-band...
I'm not recommending mini-budding, but a 4' dish will get you something...
See the forum for a list of likely birds/transponders for that size dish.
And, as you'll need to fab LNB arms for one of your existing dishes, here's an encouraging picture.
The design was made famous by several members who went before, but the point is that the location of the LNB is easily adjustable.

 

[dan70]

Thanks Anole you are a very kind in sharing your knowledge with a noob.
I will post pics of the dish if the weather clears long enough, been raining here.

The yardstick/level idea sounds great

 

[dan70]

Looks like a very good job in the picture