Looking for a C band dish

[Fizbi]

Looking for a dish. Seems some sources on Internet have gone belly up.
Any recommendations, pro/cons for sources?
New or used. What to avoid, etc.
I keep watching for used dishes in my area but so far no luck.

 

[FaT Air]

Put an ad in the local paper or trade sheet. check http://www.ebayclassifieds.com (US kijiji) Maybe a radio station in your area does 'Tradio'? There's got to be something near!
The only new that is affordable that I know of is tek2000.com Some here have ordered from them. From what I've read, not always trouble free, but manageable and overcome the encountered difficulty.
Other than that it's commercial. DH satellite being the only one I can remember right now.

 

[spongella]

Check out places like firehouses (C band was used for training purposes before the Internet came), hotels/motels (sometimes dish will be found in back of property) that once had satellite TV. Good idea by FaT Air to put an ad in the local paper or a local Buy-Sell-Trade paper. If you are a ham you might want to put an ad in QTH.com.

I tried calling my local satellite TV installer, but that did not pan out, all they had was a big pile of small dishes going to the recycler, but you might have more luck in your area.

What worked for me was the ad in the local Buy-Sell-Trade newspaper, got a call from someone who had a 12 footer, too big for me though.

This may be a stretch, and feel free to shoot this idea down, but how about looking on Google Earth?

 

[KE4EST]

Very Good ideas!
I have found all of mine by just driving around the community.
...and sometimes that means a 50 mile radius.

 

[FaT Air]

About driving around. The back roads would seem to be the most productive. And the alleys. Not many put them in the front yard. And today, after many years of neglect, may be grown over with trees and bushes so a keen eye must be used. Best to have one driving, and another doin the lookin.

 

[Fizbi]

Yea...probably my best option. I've come across a few that were damaged beyond reasonable repair. Most don't fair well after tree limbs come down on them after an ice storm. Every mesh dish I've come across was badly damaged. Then again, if the frame is ok, I may be able to patch. I'll stop by one 10 footer I see on the way to work and take a long look at it. I just assumed it was beyond repair. If a close look shows some hope, I may try to beg the owner to remove it for free.

 

[bigg t]

About driving around. The back roads would seem to be the most productive. And the alleys. Not many put them in the front yard. And today, after many years of neglect, may be grown over with trees and bushes so a keen eye must be used. Best to have one driving, and another doin the lookin.

Yeah, I didn't realize how many c band dishes were around till my son got his license and started driving me around

 

[Fizbi]

Checking the alleys is a great idea. The homes would be blocking the view of many of them. I'll get my son to help as he just got his license too.

 

[bpalone]

You are not that far from me. I would also recommend the drive around to see what is possible. Look at the subdivisions/development areas on the edge of town. Especially those that were around in the mid eighties.

I bought an 8 footer from Tek2000, as a complete system. Not sure that I would go that way again, but I did end up with a receiver that does 4.2.2. I would buy from them again, and I just recently found out that they beefed up their mount, so should be better now. However, if you have the time, FREE is always good. All though, when all is said and done, it usually does not end up being totally free. Usually have some time involved, but hey, we do this for fun any way.

 

[Fizbi]

Did a quick check using Google Maps for an aerial view of my city. Looked at two locations where I know there are damaged dishes. Too many trees block a clear view in addition to tilted dishes are hard to make out. On the other hand, used trampolines show up like bed sores. Looks like every other back yard has a trampoline. I'll have to go cruising.

 

[Fizbi]

Went to Craigslist and created an alert to email me when the search robot finds a match. Fingers crossed.
Gonna lurk the alleys on the way home from work. Gotta map so I can mark off blocks to search.

Wish I had an airship so I could float over the neighborhood. Then I wouldn't have to worry about traffic, fences, dogs, etc.
Shoot, I could then just hoist one up with a hook late at night...Naaaaaaa.

 

[RT-Cat]

A very good bunch of search ideas for sure. It seems like everytime I spot one, I really was not looking for one.
Too bad you live so blasted far away. I have a 10 foot mesh that has been down and not used for a couple of years now.

 

[spongella]

Went to Craigslist and created an alert to email me when the search robot finds a match. Fingers crossed.
Gonna lurk the alleys on the way home from work. Gotta map so I can mark off blocks to search.

Wish I had an airship so I could float over the neighborhood. Then I wouldn't have to worry about traffic, fences, dogs, etc.
Shoot, I could then just hoist one up with a hook late at night...Naaaaaaa.

"Airship" - there ya go, how about a drone? You heard it first here on the forum.

You know, if some of these dishes are scrapped for the metal maybe a call to the local junkyard for a tip off if/when one comes in might help. Might be in pretty bad shape though. In my area there's one in the back of a Ramada Inn, another at a local FD station.

 

[Fizbi]

Found a 6 foot mesh in a backyard that looks to be in good shape. The house is for sale so I contacted the realtor. He said he'd ask the home owner if he'd let it go. Could up the property value as it sits on a 20 foot pole to clear the neighbor's building. Fingers crossed on that one.

Another neighbor has a mesh dish but it belongs to the family. He thinks he can let me have it after he gets approval from his brothers. They aren't using it at all. It's overgrown with weeds and it too looks pretty good. Shoot...I might score two dishes if I'm lucky, all within 30 minutes drive.

Found a 10 foot mesh dish but it's torn up. The frame looks good so I would have to find some new mesh. No one home to talk to on that one. I'll try again later.

 

[FirstClass]

I placed an ad in the free classified ads section of the local rural electric cooperative newsletter here in the upper midwest. I received 4-5 calls which resulted in two 10' mesh dishes for $40 each.

 

[Fizbi]

I did that too, but so far, no calls.

Cruised a couple more alleys today. Man...I'm seeing waaaaaaay too much information.

 

[bpalone]

Any news? It sounded like you were close a while back.

 

[James1787]

I have seen them pop up on craigslist every now and then, but I find I have to go outside my 'home' area here in NNJ. You just don't see them around that much. The closest one I found and picked up was a 3 hour drive from my house in NY state.

 

[Lone Cloud]

A solid, spun aluminum dish of at least 8 feet across is considered by many to be the best option. Mesh dishes are lighter and cheaper, but more prone to damage, Another advantage many see in them is in their being less prone to wind pressure . That wind factor, however, is only demonstrated at low wind speed. At higher wind speeds, the pressure on them is similar to a solid dish. I would still go with a solid aluminum dish if I could. If the holes in the mesh are too big, the dish will not get Ku, only C-band. You really want both and a solid dish will grab both

I got my first dish by just stopping at a house and asking about it. I had seen that a small dish was up there next to the big one getting like Dish Network, so I figured that the big dish was not being used. That's what it turned out to be and the owners were very eager to give the dish away. There are so many big dishes out there and I would be surprised if 5% were actually functioning. Unless it's like a Birdview or a commercial dish in good condition, I wouldn't offer much money to haul them away. Most owners will be happy to be rid of them..

Good Luck. It's an interesting hobby. I certainly like not having to pay every month for stations I mostly don't care for.

 

[Fizbi]

Any news? It sounded like you were close a while back.

Got a call from a fellow in Montana who I think use to be on this list. He has 2 dishes he wants to let go. One dish is still in the box waiting for a new home. The other is in his yard and he wants to retire the setup. He's willing to meet me half way on the boxed dish. Been emailing with him back and forth. If I take my truck I may be able to snag both dishes for about a 4 hour drive. So, we just both need to agree on a meeting time and place to seal the deal. Things will be looking up soon. Pun intended.