Need to purchase a 5 feet antenna.

[vakero]

This is ridiculous.
It's raining and I completly lost my signal. I call the tech guy and he says I should get a 5 feet antenna to added to the current antenna I have installed.
Is there any online vendor of these so I can start comparing prices?

 

[mike123abc]

Where are you located? 5 foot is pretty huge unless you are in AK/HI or northern Canada...

http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Order/Dishes.htm

They have them up to 8', 4' looks like $112, 6' $127

 

[vakero]

I'm in Puerto Rico.

 

[vakero]

mmmm... Dont see a 5 feet dish....

 

[SimpleSimon]

6' is better than 5' Seems like there's not much price difference.

 

[vakero]

Maybe I dont understand all the specs on the different dishes. Can someone actually link me to that 6" dish?

 

[vakero]

ok sorry I see it now.

 

[mike123abc]

http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/Fortec-Star/Dishes/FS6D.htm

That is the actual page of the 6' dish. Just a note that a 6' dish will not be easy to install if you do not have any experience. The very large dish is hard to point since the larger the dish the more exact the pointing has to be. It is like a telescope... a high power telescope is hard to point since finding an object is hard since you only see a tiny portion of the sky at once. Not that it is impossible for someone to do, just that it will take some time and lots of fiddling with minute ajustments to get the best possible signal lock.

 

[murf]

Mike, that is a primary focus dish, I believe he needs a offset dish for dbs birds.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Murf: It just depends on the LNBF mount.

 

[wallacezepp]

If you need a 5' or 6' offset dish call Today Satellite Television in Caguas or San Sebastian a 5' is about 190.00 and a 6' is about 450.00 both without the lnbf. I you Don't know how to point them better call a local installer. I have two 5 footers, 119 and 110.

Who was your original Installer ?

 

[SimpleSimon]

AFAIK, offset vs. primary focus should be nothing more than elevation - and offset dishes elevation marks should be calibrated to compensate for it.

 

[vakero]

If you need a 5' or 6' offset dish call Today Satellite Television in Caguas or San Sebastian a 5' is about 190.00 and a 6' is about 450.00 both without the lnbf. I you Don't know how to point them better call a local installer. I have two 5 footers, 119 and 110.

Who was your original Installer ?

The original installer is US Net.
I called the tech who installed the service and he offers me a 5 feet antenna for $350 installed.

 

[wallacezepp]

That's a ripoff, i bought mine directly from Today Satellite and the cost was 179.00 and did the installation myself.

The problem with US Net is that they were using the 39 inch antenna they used for their previous satellite service.

I just talk to a friend that installs DISH and he will charge you 250.00 for the antenna plus installation.

Send me a PM if you are interested.

Wallace

 

[yellowdragon]

Skytenna charged me $100 for my 5 footer... They install 4 footers for the standard $49...

US Net is using old/recycled reflectors from the WSNet satellite service.

 

[Frederick Mecherle]

Just a guess, and probably not a very good one. He's in Peurto Rico, what's his elevation? Pretty close to 90 degrees? Is his dish filling up with rain water? Would a 5' dish just collect more rain water? Does it need a drain hole?

 

[Mr Tony]

vakero

How big of a dish do you have now?

good point Frederick...might need a drain plug

Actually I pulled up Ponce, PR and their elevation is only 28 (lower than mine) so it may not be that

 

[wallacezepp]

Elevation for 119 is about 27 degrees, the problem in Puerto Rico with Dish is that we are at the outer limit of the satellite footprint and that's why we need a bigger antenna.

The perfect antenna is a 6' but the price is around 450 + installation. 5' antenna will do the trick but under heavy rain you will loose the signal.

Wallace

 

[vakero]

Thanx for all your replies.

I called US net, 5 footer is $500... ugh....
They offered me a actual 4 footer for $70.

I started calling resellers in PR and I found one who sells me a 5 footer for $230 installed.

He even recommended that I eliminate the 32" one US net installed and replace it with the 5 footer.


Opinions?

 

[yellowdragon]

If you have a clear view to the west, go for it!

If the 32" is bigger than the one you have for the locals, use that one and the little one could then become something nice, like a wok... or birdbath