Odd looking dish.

[caddata]

I'll try to get a better pic of the other side of lnb tomorrow....

Hey Guys:

I think the "milkstool" (tripod feed support) came as a conversion kit for the Birdview. The one I seen looked like the one in the photo. It was a big moulded plastic (black) base (original Birdview was cast aluminum with scaler rings), sized to fit a Corotor feedhorn and use the three support struts. It had a weather cover that was half again the diameter of standard feed covers, but it would allow the Corotor to be used without 90 degree LNB ells. The conversion piece was costly, and I found it much cheaper to have the Birdview part machined and fabricate a fiberglass weather cover. I think Skyvision sold them at one time. Not sure if they are still available.

Swampman, Cajun country seems to be rich in Birdviews, and if this hobby resurges you might find you could collect them and resell them to recover your labor in recovery. Anyone with even a slight knowledge of TVRO quickly realizes the Birdview is a jewel. When I found mine (junk pile at a satellite dealer for $75.00) I felt I had discovered King Tut's grave.

Keep us posted on your saga, this is Fred's world all over again.

Harold

 

[swampman]

It doesn't look like the scaler rings on mine, but the plate is the same because the support arms bolt up properly. Maybe Birdview adapted in their newer models.

I would need to see the other side of the feed-horn close up to be sure, but that looks like a polarotor that slides in and out. If it is the same size as a regular co-rotor, you won't have to worry about milling out the center hole.

You may have saved a ton of work.

WOW!!

And they all said I was lucky.

Fred

Here are the additional pics of the lnb. Hope it helps in decyphering it. The last pic shows 2 holes on the outside rim of the dish. Anyone have an idea what those were for? Also on the 3rd pic at the base of where the lnb meets the scalar ring I notice numbers stamped on. Maybe calibration numbers of some sort?

Pardon the dumb questions, but as I stated early on, I know NOTHING about c-band. But I'm learning!

 

[swampman]

Hey Guys:


Swampman, Cajun country seems to be rich in Birdviews, and if this hobby resurges you might find you could collect them and resell them to recover your labor in recovery. Anyone with even a slight knowledge of TVRO quickly realizes the Birdview is a jewel. When I found mine (junk pile at a satellite dealer for $75.00) I felt I had discovered King Tut's grave.

Keep us posted on your saga, this is Fred's world all over again.

Harold

Well I dont know how rich in Birdviews I am out here, but I did find 3 in a short period of time, and all without really trying. Then again, maybe I got lucky.

An interesting story about this latest one, is that it actually belongs to a former employer of mine! Back in 1975 I was fresh out of high school and I went to work at this local furniture/appliance store. Only stayed there a few months. I mentioned that to him...and he really didnt remember me(and I didnt expect he would), but he mentioned an interesting point. He said they(his furniture store) was selling these "earth stations" as they were once called. I was surprised to hear that. That would have been after I left, as c-band didnt really take hold til the early eighties. But that may explain why there are a few Birdviews in my area.

 

[linuxman]

Swampman you are definitely in the running for the luckiest FTA man!

Yours has been converted to use a polarotor. The one in there is old, but it slides in and out. See the rings around the feed-horn with numbered markings in the second picture? Those are for setting the F/D ratio. That one is for C-Band only.

Be sure and write down which ring it is set on. Looks like .42 maybe. That's where I have mine set is at .42!

A new Co-Rotor II will slide right in there, and get both C and Ku fantastically.

I am assuming that the holes are for letting water drain out because of the lip around the edge.

That's a fantastic find. It may also have the conversion kit for the motor. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Fred

 

[swampman]

Swampman you are definitely in the running for the luckiest FTA man!

Yours has been converted to use a polarotor. The one in there is old, but it slides in and out. See the rings around the feed-horn with numbered markings in the second picture? Those are for setting the F/D ratio. That one is for C-Band only.

Be sure and write down which ring it is set on. Looks like .42 maybe. That's where I have mine set is at .42!

A new Co-Rotor II will slide right in there, and get both C and Ku fantastically.

I am assuming that the holes are for letting water drain out because of the lip around the edge.

That's a fantastic find. It may also have the conversion kit for the motor. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Fred

Wow! That is certainly good news. I may even bump this dish to the number 1 spot ahead of the perferated one! I've been spraying the bolts on the mount to losen alot of rust. Gonna remove the dish from the mount, then remove the mount from the post. Maybe today. As someone mentioned in another post, it should make the removal a bit easier as the mount looks quite heavy.

 

[linuxman]

That's the easy way to do it.

Be very patient and work the bolts back and forth when taking the dish off the mount. There is no way to get inside and put the nuts back on if they break off in the hollow part between the actual parabola and it's backing circle.

Two or at the most 3 men can handle the dish easily. The same goes for the mount. I found that moving the mount all the way West before dis-assembly makes things much easier. Same for re-assembly.

Be careful when going to the limit. There are no hard limits, and the gear will hit the back side of the dish.

Good luck!! Keep us posted with pics and progress!!

Fred

 

[swampman]

Good tips. If I had to guess, I'd say the dish is already pointing somewhat west. But if not, is it possible to move the dish by hand?

 

[linuxman]

You can move it with a Battery Charger using the two big power wires coming from inside the mount. They will probably be in a cable with 5 individual wires. The bigger black and red ones will move the dish temporarily.

Or if you have an old analog receiver and know how to hook it up with a small tv, that would be even better.

The battery charger should work fine, just slow, and not a good idea to do that too much. Low voltage is hard on electric motors.

Just hook them up and if it moves the wrong way, just reverse the wires.

Fred

 

[swampman]

That's the easy way to do it.

Be very patient and work the bolts back and forth when taking the dish off the mount. There is no way to get inside and put the nuts back on if they break off in the hollow part between the actual parabola and it's backing circle.

YIKES! Thats a scarey thought. If that does happen to one of them, I guess I could always use sheet metal screws in a pinch. And not tighten too tight. Aluminum=soft.

 

[linuxman]

Use lots of PB Blaster on them. You can get it at any car parts store.

Turn them out even a 1/4 turn and start squirting. You'd be surprized how that stuff is able to permeate.

Fred

 

[swampman]

Use lots of PB Blaster on them. You can get it at any car parts store.

Turn them out even a 1/4 turn and start squirting. You'd be surprized how that stuff is able to permeate.

Fred

OK I just went to try them. They all backed off about one turn, then I left them like that.! Only one was a little hard. All I need now is to get my son away from the girlfriend long enough to do this.

 

[linuxman]

Threaten his money (allowance) or the car!!

That'll get his attention.

Fred

 

[swampman]

LOL yeah that use to work on me.

 

[swampman]

May be a bit premature here, but I wonder if those great old Birdview logos found on the solids are still available anywhere. The ones on the solids were different that on the perf. dishes. But years of weather took its toll on most. The reason I ask is because I found an old post that during his conversation, he mentions that.

11-01-2005, 10:00 PM
barney5
Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 6

I am currently upgrading a birdview system i bought used. I got a chapparal corotor 2 feedhorn and i going to make the hole larger in birdview scaler ring so the feedhorn will go into it. It has been posted that you can use the reed conversion on any birdview system even though it says not too. I also think your dish is a 8.5 ft dish, this was birdview standard. I would like to hear from anyone that done the reed conversion. Pictures would be great. I also repainted the dish and add the birdview picture and logo.

Anyone out there have a solid with a still good logo, if you can post a pic I'd appreciate it.

 

[linuxman]

If you can get a pic of a good logo, there are many business that will create a new one for you from the pic at a minimal cost.

I think there are some pics in the Birdview threads that have some good logos on them.

LOL yeah that use to work on me.

It never worked on me because I started working at a real job after school and on Saturdays when I was 13. After that I bought all my own clothes, paid for all my extra school activities, and later cars and gas. I haven't ever quit working and making my own way for myself and now my family, but I am close.

Fred

 

[chefwan]

nice dish man

 

[swampman]

Thanks chefwan, going to pick up the dish and mount today. Then the post maybe Monday. Still waiting to find out about the perferated dish later this coming week. If I can get the perf, dish, I may just swap out the feedhorn from the solid (converted to a polarotor)to the perferated one being it's ready for a corotor II.

 

[linuxman]

That's part of the purpose of having two or more.

Parts are interchangeable, and you might actually need them.

Also you might want to check with your former employrer and see if he has any old motors/gearboxes hidden somewhere in his business. Almost every business owner keeps items like that, and don't even know it until 10 years later and they run across them.

Not just for you, but others of us might be willing to purchase such items just in case something should happen to one of ours.

It's a great idea!

Fred

 

[swampman]

Hey that a good point. And what would really be nice(maybe reaching a little), but if he would still have records of purchasers back then. Woohoo!. Who knows...maybe he could remember a few.

I looked at the post this morning. Took a shovel with me to see just how much concrete is around it. Wow! Looks like it goes out about 10" on each side of the post. Not to mention what may be inside the post. Sheesh! That spells one heavy sucker! I do however, have a tractor with a front end loader that can do the trick. Just a matter of trailering it about 14 miles. Found this pic somewhere of a Birdview post extraction. Is there normally this much concrete on a c-band setup?

 

[linuxman]

HeHe!!

Depends on how observant about wind and frost movement the original installer was.

I'd say that's about normal for Missouri and places North of here.

Fred