Obsolete Dish?

[ScottOK]

Hi Everybody, hope you can help me...

I have an opportunity to obtain two large satellite dishes from a local radio station. The dishes are large (7-10 feet in diameter) and stand 12 feet on their stands with commercial quality counterweights and positioning hardware. The radio station no longer uses them and the station engineer tells me they are of an old 2 or 3 degree (he couldn't remember which) configuration that is no longer usable to them. I don't know what the 2-3 degrees is a measure of, but they are very nice dishes. Is there any way these can be used or at least modified for FTA C-Band use?

 

[Titanium]

Definitely can be used for FTA reception and likely will not require modification. They sound real nice!

The 2/3 degree compliant indicates how close an adjacent satellite can be located without signals interfering with the target satellite. Maybe post some photos and we could provide specifics on the hardware?

 

[KE4EST]

The dish I am currently using for C-Band came from a radio station. Dish was in great shape just needed cleaning. Same thing though they no longer used it. It was for a 24 hour weather feed and now they use fiber for that.

 

[Richinald]

Hi Everybody, hope you can help me...

I have an opportunity to obtain two large satellite dishes from a local radio station. The dishes are large (7-10 feet in diameter) and stand 12 feet on their stands with commercial quality counterweights and positioning hardware. The radio station no longer uses them and the station engineer tells me they are of an old 2 or 3 degree (he couldn't remember which) configuration that is no longer usable to them. I don't know what the 2-3 degrees is a measure of, but they are very nice dishes. Is there any way these can be used or at least modified for FTA C-Band use?

I would be happy to help with an advice, perhaps you might have a photo of the dishes that can give a better overview of the design of the dishes.
Reading from what you explained it should be very easy to use these dishes for FTA.

 

[bpalone]

Second and third on the photos. But, from your description, I would grab them as it sounds like can be used with very little mods needed.

 

[ScottOK]

As requested, here are the photos. One of them is a Scientific Atlanta satellite with a really nice base. Cant find any info on the other dish and it is fiberglass, just as large but not as fancy. Both are about 8 feet in diameter.

All this is new to me, having just recently set up a Ku Band system. I am not impressed with the programming I receive on Ku Band, so please assure me that switching to C Band will get me something worthwhile?

Question: Based upon what you see here and assuming I do all of the work myself, how much do you all think it would cost me to set up a C-Band FTA system (dish motor, receiver, LNB, wiring, etc.). I don't own any C band stuff right now other than these (compatible?) dishes. Thanks.

 

[Richinald]

Hello, thanks for the pictures it helps very much.

The dishes looks great, and they are an excellent add on for your satellite dish line up, Scientific Atlanta is very well known brand for making excellent satellite dishes.
Also soon I will be doing a first BUD install, but I can relate my experience from having done some field job on FTA mesh dishes in the past.
The required accessories would be:
- An C-Band LNB ( a fellow forum board member can recommend the best one, there a several brands )
- 75 Ohms cable, you would need to measure the amount of length required ( can be at any electronics store)
- An C-Band FTA receiver, perhaps there can be fellow members that can recommend a receiver, I know that there are FTA receivers that has a DVR
build in as well, that you can program to record your favorite program automatically.
- I do see that the dishes pictured, has an manual inclination and declination mechanism, not sure if an actuator would work on these dishes.

There is an website called www.lyngsat.com where you can see all the line up of the channels on the different transponders, lyingsat is not always up to date but it is is updated regularly.

 

[Magic Static]

Both of those dishes are on fixed mounts. They cannot be motorized. However you can do a multi-lnbf setup. I would go for sats at 97W, 99W, 101W, 103W,. put two LNBFs on each dish. One would have 97W and 101W, the other with 99W and 103W. This would give you a very nice selection of C-Band channels.

 

[ScottOK]

Both of those dishes are on fixed mounts. They cannot be motorized. However you can do a multi-lnbf setup. I would go for sats at 97W, 99W, 101W, 103W,. put two LNBFs on each dish. One would have 97W and 101W, the other with 99W and 103W. This would give you a very nice selection of C-Band channels.

Thanks. Is there a way to add/install a motor so these can be moved?

 

[Magic Static]

Thanks. Is there a way to add/install a motor so these can be moved?

You would have to design and build a new polar mount for each dish.

 

[ScottOK]

Perhaps it is not worth it to get these then. I am hoping to use them off-grid in a remote location where I can have access to the full sky.
Thanks

 

[hank123]

ScottOK if your going to get hardcore into this you are going to want a stash of good dishes.

Nothing like a good fixed dish on the hard to get feeds. I fix my 10 footer on the hot stuff in the sky and use the motor my 8 footer for all the other stuff.

Dish farm kicks the crap out of stacking LNBs or running a motor across the sky.

 

[ScottOK]

ScottOK if your going to get hardcore into this you are going to want a stash of good dishes.

Nothing like a good fixed dish on the hard to get feeds. I fix my 10 footer on the hot stuff in the sky and use the motor my 8 footer for all the other stuff.

Dish farm kicks the crap out of stacking LNBs or running a motor across the sky.

I really don't want to get hardcore into this. I don't have time for it. Just setting up my little Ku dish and system was a hassle and the programming turned out to be disappointing. I want one C-Band dish that I can point wherever needed to get news and other good programming. I only want to be able to receive satellite programming at an off grid location since cable and internet are not an option. I was hoping that I could set up one of these dishes to enable that. Thank you, though.

 

[hank123]

I really don't want to get hardcore into this. I don't have time for it. Just setting up my little Ku dish and system was a hassle and the programming turned out to be disappointing. I want one C-Band dish that I can point wherever needed to get news and other good programming. I only want to be able to receive satellite programming at an off grid location since cable and internet are not an option. I was hoping that I could set up one of these dishes to enable that. Thank you, though.

Word up. In your dish hunting keep an eye out of an AJAK system. Found on lots of different satellites dishes.
You can run the piss out of them. Only down side is they do feed some noise into the controller that cant throw off the count but can be corrected with a few small parts.

 

[espaun206]

Look what I found 1 km from my house in the traffic, what brand will be , believe that you can easily repair the maya
what measure do you think it is
I'll ask if they sell it
I hope if for little money, and does not end in the scrap

 

[Brct203]

Looks quite large... at least 12 feet, maybe 16 feet (4.80m)? I'm not sure about the brand...

 

[waylew]

My first guess would be Paraclipse and probably 14 or16 footer.

 

[Greg Mueller]

A nice big one for sure

 

[Trust]

Both of those dishes are on fixed mounts. They cannot be motorized. However you can do a multi-lnbf setup. I would go for sats at 97W, 99W, 101W, 103W,. put two LNBFs on each dish. One would have 97W and 101W, the other with 99W and 103W. This would give you a very nice selection of C-Band channels.

Looks to me the first dish is on a polarmount but in a fix position by the four welded bars .

 

[radio]

No sure if this has been addressed yet, forgive any repeating.
The "Scientific Atlanta," was marketed for radio stations, and usually installed back in the 1980's to receive 139W in fixed position. Unique in mount, unique in how it's polarity was chosen for the LNB. The mount is MASSIVE, and usually sat on about a 4 x 4 by at LEAST a 4' pad for stability. Many stations still use these, in fact WE do, but now it's aimed like most other stations, at 105. I can't speak to it's 2 degree compliance, but the engineering is amazing. There's a rod that comes down through one LNB support strut that turns with a screwdriver to run gears which flip the LNB from one polarity to another. With some engineering you could put a modern LNB on it, and as others have said, a "fixed" dish is great for 99w, 101w, 103 w, any C-band bird with enough open feeds to add to your viewing experience. You will, however have more engineering to reinstall
this model than in a standard "pole mount." The Scientific Atlanta units are VERY stable, and have multiple lockdowns for horizontal and vertical position so you won't be drifting, that's for sure! They'e very HEAVY but can be disassembled...plan on quite the project. Given your situation, not probably suited to your intended use, however...for SOMEONE...not a bad thing for a "fixed" install that will last probably forever with almost no maintaining, except maybe some painting now and then, and some treatment to nuts and bolts on the mechanisms. Pictures attached of our re-aiming this year for network radio..
.