Project Primestar success

[Corrado]

It took about a month and this weekend I finished the Primestar dish project. Currently pointed at G10R using only the vertical side. I pointed it by eye comparing it to the 76cm next to it and hit it first try! First time I ever did that with a dish. I love that elevation adjustment bolt for fine tweaking.

That's an 8' pipe with 5' above ground with a 16"x16" block buffer above ground all with concrete. The ground took 2 days in the evening to dig with a post hole digger in 90 degree heat. I built it strong in case I want to mount my 180cm Fortec there in the future with a polar mount setup.

 

[turbosat]

Nice work, the block is something I wouldn't have thought about. But then, I
worked construction for a couple of years and promised myself I'd try not
to ever touch another concrete block for the rest of my life!

 

[Anole]

Thats' a beaut from the front.
Can we see it from the back, too?

Fixed or motorized? I assume the former.

How big a pipe ya got?
I know the fence posts I use for experimenting isn't going to cut it, and I need to start thinking about real big stuff.

Now ya got me thinking about blocks in addition to cement for holding the thing down.
Great food for thought.
Thanks for the pix.

 

[WyrTwister]

It took about a month and this weekend I finished the Primestar dish project. Currently pointed at G10R using only the vertical side. I pointed it by eye comparing it to the 76cm next to it and hit it first try! First time I ever did that with a dish. I love that elevation adjustment bolt for fine tweaking.

That's an 8' pipe with 5' above ground with a 16"x16" block buffer above ground all with concrete. The ground took 2 days in the evening to dig with a post hole digger in 90 degree heat. I built it strong in case I want to mount my 180cm Fortec there in the future with a polar mount setup.

Try a Diesque switch or a 22 khz switch ( if your receiver supports it ) to get both polarities ?

Wyr

 

[lumpkin666]

Try a Diesque switch or a 22 khz switch ( if your receiver supports it ) to get both polarities ?

Wyr

I didn't see any concern about the other polarity in his post, but if that is a concern (due to the primestar lnbf having individual H and V outputs), then the best solution is to use a normal DTV style multiswitch. With and 3X4 (or 2X4) multiswitch, you can combine both polarities and hook up to 4 receivers into it, and no special switching is needed on the receiver end (the two outputs look like one "normal" lnbf to the receiver).

If you use a 22k or diseqc, then you have to setup multiple satellites (one for H and one for V) in order to switch between polarities. Also, you can buy a new primestar lnbf with combined H&V polarities from eBay for just a few bucks.

 

[Corrado]

The pipe is 3" and heavy duty. It is 1/4" thick. A guy from work had it leftover from moving a hot tub and didn't need it. It looks as though it was used for plumbing in a previous life. The largest pipe sold around here is 2 and 3/8", 16 gauge for fencing.

I only watch the Equity feeds on G10 so vertical polarity is fine.

 

[iafirebuff]

Looks real nice! I like the block!