Recycled Sat Dishes.

[123tim]

Here's a link that I found telling how to properly dispose of a Satellite dish.

The page starts out by saying "This alphabetical list helps you determine the best way to dispose of everyday things."

You can see the link here:
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/solid-waste/what-to-do-S.asp#P59_1310

Meet you all at the Minneapolis Recycling Center.

If you live close to this, maybe the center could be contacted to see what might be laying around? I know that our very small town has a recycling center and there's a frame (Mesh is gone) for a ten foot dish there right now.

This is sort of an extraneous post. I originally had it included in the Coke Can Satellite Dish post by Penguinsx (found it while searching for Coke cans + Satellite dish.), but I thought that it might detract from his post. I was just going to delete it, but then I thought that maybe someone might benefit from seeing it.

 

[PSB]

Race you there Iceberg!

 

[DiscoLoveGrapes]

Dang, I think I need to make a field trip!

 

[TiminMb]

What I'd like to know is how to hunt for old C band dishes. People with them sitting in their backyard are unlikely to be reading the electronics section of the classifieds. Any of you ever just ask people if they are interested in parting with their dish?

 

[icstephen]

I used to have a friend that would drive around looking for old tv towers and then go and knock on the door and offer to remove it for free...I figure that same could work for dishes as well. Sure you may get some doors slammed in your face but If you got a dish every time you went out it would be worth it. I know where a couple of solid c-band dishes are and if I had a way to transport them I would go and know ck on the door.

Stevo

 

[123tim]

What I'd like to know is how to hunt for old C band dishes. People with them sitting in their backyard are unlikely to be reading the electronics section of the classifieds. Any of you ever just ask people if they are interested in parting with their dish?

I do it all of the time - Not with dishes... yet, but with other "junk" that is obviously unused. Most of the time if it looks unwanted, it usually is. The people seem glad to part with it. I know of a dish right now thats pointed toward the ground, which has a Direct TV dish right beside it. I'm certain that I could get it with no trouble. I while back, I answered an ad in the paper (Before I had decided for certain that I wanted a BUD) for a 8 foot dish and receiver. The guy couldn't find anyone who was interested!

I'm pretty lucky. I already have one offer for a free working dish, and know of another that I could get for free. I'll bet that you could find your self in a similar position just by asking around.

Two tips... (1) Don't look for handouts. Offer to pay for what you ask. Often though, the people will refuse to take money for something that they were thinking of junking anyway. (2) Always be polite and considerate. (Don't go banging on someone's door at 10:30 at night! )

One other thing, I've watched things (Old cars mostly) that suddenly "disappear"
and are gone forever. I never got up the courage, and always have regretted not going up to the door and asking. I did ask once about an old Dulphine (Fiat?) but, the guy didn't want to part with it. It disappeared a couple of years later anyway.

 

[ken2400]

I would add that anytime you do this step back like two or three feet from the door. If there is a small set of steaps I stand on the bottom. The extra room makes people more secure. Also do it in daylight and only ring the bell once.

I do it all of the time - Not with dishes... yet, but with other "junk" that is obviously unused. Most of the time if it looks unwanted, it usually is. The people seem glad to part with it. I know of a dish right now thats pointed toward the ground, which has a Direct TV dish right beside it. I'm certain that I could get it with no trouble. I while back, I answered an ad in the paper (Before I had decided for certain that I wanted a BUD) for a 8 foot dish and receiver. The guy couldn't find anyone who was interested!

I'm pretty lucky. I already have one offer for a free working dish, and know of another that I could get for free. I'll bet that you could find your self in a similar position just by asking around.

Two tips... (1) Don't look for handouts. Offer to pay for what you ask. Often though, the people will refuse to take money for something that they were thinking of junking anyway. (2) Always be polite and considerate. (Don't go banging on someone's door at 10:30 at night! )

One other thing, I've watched things (Old cars mostly) that suddenly "disappear"
and are gone forever. I never got up the courage, and always have regretted not going up to the door and asking. I did ask once about an old Dulphine (Fiat?) but, the guy didn't want to part with it. It disappeared a couple of years later anyway.

 

[mbarnes]

I recently passed a construction site where they were renovating an old mall, turning it into a college campus. Sitting in the parking lot was a 2.4 meter Ku UPLINK dish, complete with Hughes SSPA and LNB on a non-pen roof mount. I wandered inside and asked for the site foreman. When I found him, I asked him what his plans were for the dish. He asked me if I wanted it, and of course I said yes. He was excited. He had been trying to get rid of it for six months. I told him I'd be back in an hour with a truck. He even came out and helped us disassemble it and load it on the truck.

It's now on the roof of our new studios in Brownsville working great! Yes, it pays to keep your eyes open and ask.

There are lots of gas stations and small businesses moving around. I know guys who have gone to the real estate agent and offered them $25 for the dish on the roof and walked off with a perfectly fine dish. They vary from 1.2-2.4 meters and usually have a nice non-pen mount. It is not cost effective to recover these when discontinuing service, and too risky to use used, unknown condition equipment on a new install.

Good luck in your scavenging.

 

[123tim]

I'm still trying to find out more information about that recycled soda can satellite dish that was posted by Penguinsx. I don't think that there is anything else.

I did find links that will encourage FTAers to ask about those unused BUDS" that they see:

Check out this picture of a Big Ugly Dish in action:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/455044941/1455989806073611714Xhutei
Bet that you won't see questions like this in our forum (or at least, the answers):
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf532909.tip.html
At first I thought that this one was missing the mesh, but after looking at the second picture I'm not so sure:
http://www.ranum.com/fun/projects/gazebo/index.html



Sorry Iceberg.

 

[john green]

I love that.What a great idea.Or, what a waste of a perfectly good BUD.I have my Father-in-Laws old BUD leaning up against my shed.Would rather use it for scanning the skys and hope to do so this summer.

 

[123tim]

I love that.What a great idea.Or, what a waste of a perfectly good BUD.I have my Father-in-Laws old BUD leaning up against my shed.Would rather use it for scanning the skys and hope to do so this summer.

It certainly made me sick to find those sites. Especially the forum. I agree totally with recycling, but I wonder how many dishes are snatched away from someone who might use it for it's intended purpose?

 

[john green]

Yea I hear ya but a damm nice gazebo.

 

[Mr Tony]

I think I'm going to cry :river :river

 

[Pepper]

I posted a feedback to the thriftyfun page referring people to come here and see that the old BUDs are still useful for some of us. Will be interesting to see if the moderator approves.

 

[ken2400]

I think someone needs to make a kind of clearing house for unwanted dishs. This site is a good start for getting people networked.

I posted a feedback to the thriftyfun page referring people to come here and see that the old BUDs are still useful for some of us. Will be interesting to see if the moderator approves.

 

[123tim]

I think someone needs to make a kind of clearing house for unwanted dishs. This site is a good start for getting people networked.

I was thinking that too Ken! My wife and I saw a program on PBS a few years ago, that had a group of people that had some sort of a "drop off center". The way it worked was if you had anything that you didn't have a use for, you'd take it and drop it off. You also could go and pick up anything that you might have a use for. All of the items were tagged somehow, so that after a certain amount of time the stuff would be recycled or disposed of. The place seemed to have everything from clothes to rototillers. Imagine the dishes that might be found there! I wish that I could remember the name of the place. I'd love to start something like that here.

 

[ken2400]

http://www.nantucketindependent.com/news/2005/1207/Front_Page/004.html

It's like having a pile on the curb that you can go to all the time. The only thing is that staff is needed ($$$) to monitor what can be left. I will admit I have been picking for over 30 years.

We do GREAT making things BUT not may think what will happen at the other end of live.

I was thinking that too Ken! My wife and I saw a program on PBS a few years ago, that had a group of people that had some sort of a "drop off center". The way it worked was if you had anything that you didn't have a use for, you'd take it and drop it off. You also could go and pick up anything that you might have a use for. All of the items were tagged somehow, so that after a certain amount of time the stuff would be recycled or disposed of. The place seemed to have everything from clothes to rototillers. Imagine the dishes that might be found there! I wish that I could remember the name of the place. I'd love to start something like that here.

 

[Tron]

With Katrina, New Orleans has been a hotspot for discarded dishes for the past 6 months. Last Tuesday (Mardi Gras day), I picked up a Superdish (without LNBs and pole mount), a bent Dish500 for nuts and bolts, and a planar microwave antenna (was probably used for Americast)...