Kaultronics Solid Dish

[GI_Joe]

I am just wondering how may folks have the Kaultronics stainless steel dish? I have an SS120 and I have often wondered if there are others out there that also have one? Seems I never hear anyone mention having one. Mine has a small sticker that indicates a manufacture date of September 1984.

 

[Anole]

Sounds nice. Should last forever.
So, 4' in diameter?
Offset or prime focus?
How well does the paint adhere to the stainless?

Is the mount stainless, too?
Might be why we don't heat much about them.
Must've been quite expensive in the mid- and late-80's.

Please post a couple of pictures.
I want to know what to be on the lookout for. :up

 

[KE4EST]

I too am interested in more about what you have there. I myself have never heard of that dish.

 

[Magic Static]

Here's one that wish it had a home. 300lb dish. Very deep dish too.

 

[phlatwound]

"SS120"...Is it 120cm...120"...neither?

I have heard the brand name mentioned here on the forum, but never seen one that I know of.

edit: Is that the same brand as KTI?

 

[GI_Joe]

@ Magic Static - That it... If you can get it I would do whatever you had to do to get it home and set it up.

The SS120 is 120 inches (10 foot) funny thing it is actually 9.5 foot. I found mine two years ago. bought it for $50 - the guy honestly did not know what he had. There also a cool video on youtube showing how they made the dishes. search for Kaultronics and you'll find it.

The original design used the large support poles to support the LNB I modified it with the shorter version. much more stable..

 

[GI_Joe]

I forgot to attach this.. This is their original magazine ad from the day...

 

[Magic Static]

I know of another one that is in use. I had a pic somewhere but lost it

 

[toucan-man]

There are a bunch around here. Have seen them mangled and laying on the ground, removed from their poles by the disgruntled. The local radio station has one. Mount doesn't appear to be stainless on any that I've seen.

 

[GI_Joe]

Correct. The mount is iron.. Mine is fairly rusted, but functional just the same. Odd though - for the dish to weigh as much as it does the mount is designed around a standard 3.5" OD pipe. I added extra bracing to my pipe mount and it has held up nicely.

If other have them in service - please post pics. I would like to see how many have them.

 

[kodaz]

very cool dishes, They perform good?

 

[Magic Static]

Here is one with a strut conversion and a little "Flower Power"


The dish in the back.

 

[Anole]

Here is one with a strut conversion and a little "Flower Power"
The dish in the back.

And that SuperDish has been well converted, too. :up

As for the feedhorn support conversion, if the original had been sturdy, I doubt it'd have been a problem.
But I have no quarrel with the modification.
Probably reused the same tubing, and didn't have to buy any.

Edit much later:
I see now how the modified struts go to existing bolts on the dish.
Bolts that hold the dish to that backing disc. Great idea.

If anyone is thinking about making this mod, heed these words.
The original Birdview struts are too short by several inches.
So it would be worth verifying the focal length of this dish before blindly cutting new support rods.
If calculations don't agree with whatever documentation you find, there is a way to make the focus adjustable.

Bend the ends of three (or four) existing struts/rods/tubes to mount to the existing bolt heads inside the dish.
Cut the tubes 4-6 inches longer than needed, and do NOT flatten.

Attach small metal brackets to the scalar, spaced to match your struts and sticking out from the scalar edge.
(tap my avatar, then zoom in on picture of dish)
Drill the brackets to take large conduit locking clamps, as shown.
Now, you can freely slide the scalar around, peaking it at the focal point.
We have much better bracket pictures than mine, somewhere on the forum, should ya need them.


(hope I fixed everything the auto spell corrector scre)


.

 

[GI_Joe]

Correction to my original post. I believe I referred to model as an SS-120 - re-thinking I believe it is actually an SS-112.

 

[madmadworld]

: Is that the same brand as KTI?

yes

 

[turbosat]

Well-known manufacturer back in the old days, but I never ran across one of those. Yet.

 

[Phoxx]

I owned a 6' aluminum a long time ago. They were made in Richland Center, WI, about 60 miles from me. They were a good dish. Later they made KTI Brand there, also a good general service dish.

 

[gardo403]

There is an aluminum one at the Radio Shack, in richland center, Wi off the main highway 14... It really stands out.

They know what they've got, I tried... Got there 4dtv unit thou ($50)

 

[woosey-dude]

Hi, I'm new to this site. I am looking for one of these dishes. A stainless steel one. I'm in southern Michigan. I've seen them at the scrap yard but they handled them too roughly. Anyone have one nearby that they want to sell?

 

[Cham]

Stainless steel..., one would almost have to paint it, would make a great solar furnace for cooking feedhorns! Would be a really cool dish to have if one could be found.