Sadoun 180 cm Prime Focus Dishes

[nycrich]

I am about to start motorizing my 6 ft Fortec as soon as I can find motor cables for the actuator. Does anyone know how many degrees a 24in actuator can cover on the sat arc? I can see from 15W to 135W. I would like to get from 22W to 129W? I upgraded to a 24in actuator from Sadoun.
I forgot to mention that the focal distance from lnb to the center of the dish is approx 68-69 cm. Use this a start guide to find out how far to put the lnb in the scalar ring. F/D is .35 If the "0" degree indicator is turn upward or downward on the lnb (the lnb that comes with the 6 ft Fortec Kit) you still get reception.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Prime focus dishes are much easier to assemble if you place a paint bucket in the center to support the parabola during the bolting process.

Don't torque to specs securing the hardware until you and a buddy flip it over and do a string test to align the panels. Once you confirm that the panels are forming a parabola, tighten the hardware and torque hardware to specs.

 

[Tron]

Good tips, Brian! I assembled the reflector last night, and it would have been easier with the bucket It wasn't too hard though... I did two sections at a time, then bolted the three resulting segments together. I fully documented the process with plenty of pictures. For the next step, I will require the help of a friend, who may or may not be able to come tomorrow. Sadoun, please see the PM I sent...

 

[TRG]

Good tips, Brian! I assembled the reflector last night, and it would have been easier with the bucket It wasn't too hard though... I did two sections at a time, then bolted the three resulting segments together. I fully documented the process with plenty of pictures. For the next step, I will require the help of a friend, who may or may not be able to come tomorrow. Sadoun, please see the PM I sent...

Cant you assemble the reflector on the upper ring of the stand if you don't have a helper? I was thinking that one guy could set it up without too much difficulty. I would just leave everything hand tight until everything was in place.

 

[Tron]

You probably could do it that way, but I wanted to assemble the entire reflector on a flat surface so that the parabola would stay true. I could probably pick the dish up and bolt it to the stand by myself, but I don't want to chance dropping it or scratching the paint.

 

[SatelliteAV]

It is quite difficult to form a perfect parabola once the dish is up in the air.

It is best to build on the ground, check for perfect parabola, attach arms, center the feedhorn support or scaler then lift into position.

 

[Mr Tony]

When ever I've built my 6 foot dishes I put the panels together so it looks like a dome, then put the "O" ring on the back of the dish. Then tip it upright and then attach the frame to the "O" ring

it can be cumbersome but it works

 

[Tron]

That method of attaching the stand to the dish sounds like a good idea, Iceberg. I'd still need help to carry the entire thing over to the pallet, though. Hopefully I can get it set up before this week's rain comes on Tuesday.

I put the dish together as a dome, on a concrete patio with cardboard to insulate the dish from possible scratches caused by the concrete. When I was taking pictures of the completed dish, I had trouble getting a shot of the entire thing without standing rather far away and sacrificing detail. I mumbled to myself, "This is like trying to take a picture of the Superdome!"

 

[Mr Tony]

I have a 2 wheeler (dolly) to move mine around. Much easier

I always thought the older 6 foot dishes looked like the Kingdome in Seattle when built on the ground

 

[wrdavis]

Tron

Are you assembling a polar mount version or the fixed mount? Can you go ahead and post the pictures you have, even if not totally erected yet?

 

[WTguy]

Have you ever posted any pictures of your portable 6'er? I would be interested to see whay you have set up in order to get some ideas. Thanks.

I have a 2 wheeler (dolly) to move mine around. Much easier

I always thought the older 6 foot dishes looked like the Kingdome in Seattle when built on the ground

 

[Tron]

Tron

Are you assembling a polar mount version or the fixed mount? Can you go ahead and post the pictures you have, even if not totally erected yet?

I'm assembling the fixed (ground mount stand) version. The Polar mount version is identical except for the mount itself. I will go ahead and post what I have completed on the project so far (including pictures). These posts will be in a thread in the FTA Reviews section. Early Monday morning, I decided to go ahead and move the reflector over to the stand by myself, since terrible weather is in the forecast for the rest of the week. I was able to lift the reflector up on the stand ring, and clamp it down. I scratched the stand ring up considerably while trying to get the dish into position, but some scratching would probably have happened even if I had help. The dish didn't get scratched, which is all that matters. I'll re-coat the ring later to keep it safe from the weather.

 

[Mr Tony]

Have you ever posted any pictures of your portable 6'er? I would be interested to see whay you have set up in order to get some ideas. Thanks.

Here are some older pics of it (when the one panel weas crumpled due to tipping over off the table it was on)...I'll take newer pics

 

[WTguy]

Thanks for the pics Iceberg.
I am planning to get a c-band now that I have the space to do one but I want something I could store in the garage when we go out of the country (we usually go at least 2 months in the summer to visit the in-laws).

A couple of follow up questions....
What are you using to weigh down the dish? I am guessing a sand bag? How much weight is on there?
Also, do you experience consistent (or often) high winds in the 20mph range and above? Those are fairly common here in west Texas especially when we get some of that Canadian air during the cold months and in the spring from the west.

Thanks again.

 

[Mr Tony]

70 pound sand bag on it...Also here in MN true south is only 38 degrees so the dish is very top heavy. In Texas the true south is much higher so 70 pounds is more than enough
we do get some high winds...usually when it snows and it's held just fine. The only time the dish moved is when we had an oddball occurance...freezing rain turning into snow and high winds. We had a nice glaze of ice on the driveway so when I put the dish out the high winds did spin it...now when winter comes and the driveway isnt down to the asphalt, I dump hot water in a spot to get to the asphalt...it wont move then

 

[pro96]

70 pound sand bag on it...Also here in MN true south is only 38 degrees so the dish is very top heavy. In Texas the true south is much higher so 70 pounds is more than enough
we do get some high winds...usually when it snows and it's held just fine. The only time the dish moved is when we had an oddball occurance...freezing rain turning into snow and high winds. We had a nice glaze of ice on the driveway so when I put the dish out the high winds did spin it...now when winter comes and the driveway isnt down to the asphalt, I dump hot water in a spot to get to the asphalt...it wont move then

Today is windy as hell here in L.A (topping 40-60mph) and my dish did tip over but landed on grass. I did have 2 Concrete Bricks (aprox 20LNB each) holding the base at each end but did not withhold the strength of the winds I guess.

I do like your idea of the wood piece across the base and sand bag :up

 

[nycrich]

Got my 6 Foot Fortec polar mount in a fixed postion. Used a DMX741U with insert to get circular signals. Learnt that the insert is best mid-way in the lnb. The declination on the dish made a big difference for weak sats (mid-way for my location). I currently have it fixed at NSS806. I can get almost 90% of channels listed(There are few FEC with 7/8 thats jumping ). Got even the Mpeg-4 DVB channels. Remember to set the declination for your location even if you are using it in the fixed position. Will post some pics

 

[Sadoun]

Users reviews:

SD180G : Ground Mount Style
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/192045-sadoun-sd180g-review.html

SD180PM: Polar Mount Style
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/192603-sadoun-1-8m-polar-mount-assembly.html

Advantages over other brands in the market today:

* 0.8mm thickness reflector panels
* Galvanized Steel - rust resistance powder coating
* Heavy Duty - Commercial Quality - Mounting Brackets
* Heavy Duty - Commercial Quality - Hardware
* Precise parabola
* High Gain

 

[cj9788]

How easy would it be (even possible) to use one of these dishes with a Dish Pro LNB. I am very interested in getting a 6 footer to aim @ E* 119W. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[Tron]

This dish would be extreme overkill for 119W, unless you are out of the footprint... Do you intend to use this as a subscription dish? If you want to do this, I would advise using the C-120 flanged LNB from a Superdish coupled with the Invacom ADF-120 and Sadoun's LNBF Collar II.