Prodelin MK-II?

[markandegla]

Hello, my name is Mark and I've been a lurker on this site for several years. I've gained a lot of knowledge and taken much enjoyment from reading many, many posts. I've never offered an opinion or provided assistance, but I'm brought out of my shell to ask for just that.
I have been running a motorized 90cm KU for awhile and have always wanted to make the leap into C-Band. I've been encouraged by the often repeated suggestion to find a dish in my area needing a new home. I had been seeing a 10' or so mesh about a mile from my house. I spoke with the owner. It was out of service and I left my info. That was over a month ago. Nothing else has caught my eye along my commutes. Craigslist hasn't yielded any local results, so I've started to use Google Maps. It didn't take long to find a few within 5-6 miles, although I was surprised by the abundance of mini-trampolines.........anywho....
I stopped where there is one and talked to the guy. He says it's a Prodelin with a Thompson Saginaw and he will part with those and a Uniden Supra, a Toshiba TRX-120, and the his original mover that "was making loud noises" for ~$200.00. He has some receipts and manuals. The dish instructions state Prodelin MK-II. It has mold on the fiberglass and some rust on the mount, but not much. Is this worth reclaiming? Please advise. Pearl in the rough or there's more fish in the sea.
Pictures attached.

 

[primestar31]

Though that was a very good dish back in the day, it would NOT be the type of dish I would suggest that a newbie start with. It will be overwhelming to restore, and that might just end up turning you OFF FTA. The old receiver and such is worthless, no value at all. If he GAVE the dish to you for the removal, it might be worth messing with, but still not as your first one.

Otherwise I would suggest you keep your eyes open, and wait a little longer for a good 10ft. aluminum mesh dish. Hopefully with a good acuator motor, and that is about $100 or so maximum. They are out there, and now that you are attuned to looking for them, you'll probably find them all over. Just a little longer, and you'll find a good keeper!

Check out the end of this thread, and see if there's one in your area listed: http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/thr...list-dishes-for-you-to-take-a-look-at.327363/

 

[markandegla]

Thank you. primestar31. I live in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. I haven't seen any locally and San Antonio or Houston is 5-6 hours away. I'll expand my search on Google Maps. There are a lot of rural areas down here. I think I could clean this one up, but am unsure of how it could perform. My KU tracks from 45w to 125w. Al Nassr TV is weak on 45w and I can't lock RASD. I've lost FSTV on 123w and the SNF's on 72w drop out at times. I'm slightly underwhelmed with this 90cm and thinking of a 1.2m, but I know that C-Band has a lot that I'm missing.

 

[Titanium]

Great dish, but massive and heavy! It should clean-up nicely with soapy water and RV streak remover. The structure that makes it such an excellent performer makes it a bear to move. Hope you have many friends to move and lift into position!

Agree with Primestar31, the electronics are doorstops. If the motor needs replacing it requires a heavy duty model costing several hundred dollars. If you have a way to move and install, it would make a fine project. I would remove it if it were free, but wouldn't consider at $200.

 

[markandegla]

Thanks Titanium. I assumed that the receivers would only serve to position the dish. I think they only do analog. I preemptively bought a C1W-PLL from you in ready to start out in C-Band.

 

[primestar31]

Hey, there's nothing to stop you from posting a "WANTED, large satellite dish!" ad in your local Craigslist. Just telling everybody you see that you want one tends to bring them out of the woodwork. Don't offer money at first, as you want to get it as cheap as possible. Spend your money more on the fix-up side, not on acquiring it. If they ask you "what will you pay me?" Tell them: "Hey, I can't SELL it and BUY it at the same time, you tell me a price!" (nicely) If they throw out a crazy price, just turn around and slowly walk away. Or tell them they should be paying YOU for the removal. Don't be a jerk, but be firm. Don't pay more than $100 max for even a dish that's nearly perfect, and with a good actuator motor.

There's nuts out there that think these are still worth the $5,000 they paid for them 30 years ago... If you can't deal with them simply walk away.

 

[markandegla]

Thank you primestar31, I posted wanted in craigslist.

 

[KE4EST]

Welcome to the site Mark! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with for a C-Band Dish.

 

[StarScan]

I have one just like it except the polar mount is different. Its a fantastic dish but it does take some skill to set up.

 

[markandegla]

Thanks for the welcome ke4est.

StarScan, I read through your threads relating to the one that you have. Could you tell me how you feel about this dish's performance?

 

[StarScan]

The dish is super heavy so I've been having some actuator problems. I'd say it out performs my 10' Unimeshes and Winegards in severe weather. When I'm not having actuator problems the dish is great, been experimenting with a C/KU feed and been pretty happy with the results.

 

[markandegla]

StarScan, I noticed the mount and actuator are different on yours. I live in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Many times we don't even have rain for a month or more. It can be very breezy, though. As I only intend to have one BUD, I don't want to put up an underachiever. I've found my 90cm's being not quite big enough some times.

 

[StarScan]

We have pretty strong winds here, it holds up pretty well but the polar mount needs re-tuned every once in a while.

 

[markandegla]

Thank you StarScan. It seems as if the dish I'm looking at has a different mount and actuator. I am going to go back to put a string on the dish and see how it moves.

 

[Cham]

I have been toying with the idea of posting a wanted on my local kajiji, will be interested in how your post works out.
It seems all the dishes I have seen lately are not in very good condition and the owner(s) all want their full investment back... $1000 or more for some of these, one that had even been badly bent looked like someone hit it with a tractor or something. Couldn't believe it!
I already have two C-band dishes so I would only be interested in something really nice in condition and cheap... Bigger is better but quality is important too.
The dish in your post looks pretty good but will be a major project to get it moved. A few buddies and a case of beer & BBQ can go a long way... Planning is critical, from how to lift it off the pole to setting up the new pole and how much concrete to use etc. Getting it done and working is quite fulfilling, have fun and enjoy the project!!

 

[odin138]

Does anyone know how I can get this out of my backyard? I want it removed and my aunt has one as well next door about same size. I am In Bridgeview Illinois right outside of Chicago.

 

[FaT Air]

Take more photos, closeups, front and back, and post in the
Kijiji, eBay, and Craigslist dishes for you to take a look at thread
Will get more views there.

 

[j23]

Hello, my name is Mark and I've been a lurker on this site for several years. I've gained a lot of knowledge and taken much enjoyment from reading many, many posts. I've never offered an opinion or provided assistance, but I'm brought out of my shell to ask for just that.
I have been running a motorized 90cm KU for awhile and have always wanted to make the leap into C-Band. I've been encouraged by the often repeated suggestion to find a dish in my area needing a new home. I had been seeing a 10' or so mesh about a mile from my house. I spoke with the owner. It was out of service and I left my info. That was over a month ago. Nothing else has caught my eye along my commutes. Craigslist hasn't yielded any local results, so I've started to use Google Maps. It didn't take long to find a few within 5-6 miles, although I was surprised by the abundance of mini-trampolines.........anywho....
I stopped where there is one and talked to the guy. He says it's a Prodelin with a Thompson Saginaw and he will part with those and a Uniden Supra, a Toshiba TRX-120, and the his original mover that "was making loud noises" for ~$200.00. He has some receipts and manuals. The dish instructions state Prodelin MK-II. It has mold on the fiberglass and some rust on the mount, but not much. Is this worth reclaiming? Please advise. Pearl in the rough or there's more fish in the sea.
Pictures attached. View attachment 98616 View attachment 98617 View attachment 98618 View attachment 98619 View attachment 98620

Very nice, just clean it up, install new HD actuator, grease and you should be good to go.