Stationary or Motorized Ku Dish??

[Lone Gunman]

Spoke with a local satellite TV installer last week as I was looking to see what dishes he had in stock that I could use for a Ku system to keep from paying those large shipping charges. He told me that the only dish he would have was for a stationary install, not motorized???

Hummm, this is my first rodeo with a motorized Ku dish so I may be wrong but aren’t these Ku dishes all designed for stationary mount, and, can’t they be used on a motor anyway? I mean that shaft out of the HH motor where the dish mounts is basically the same thing as a post in the ground, only it moves the dish side to side, right??

So will someone please correct me if I’m wrong here before I open my mouth and insert foot again! I'm suppose to drop by his shop later this week to look at one dish he has. Just need to make sure I don't buy something I can't use.

Thanks

 

[stvcmty]

If all he has is commercial dishes for fixed use on a single satellite they may be too heavy for FTA motors. A fixed commercial dish is going to have a solid mount, and it is probably going to be thicker metal than a typical FTA dish, for reasons such as being used for transmit as well as receive, and to survive harsh weather conditions when losing the signal from the satellite is not an option.

 

[Magic Static]

Not all Ku dishes are made the same way. The mounts on some of the better ones are fastened near the bottom of the dish. This is not good for a motor that hast a mast that inserts from the top. The STAB H120 works better for those. Then there is the matter of the pole diameter itself. Do you have a picture of the dish you are thinking of getting?

 

[Magic Static]

OK I remember, you just got a STAB H90 If you could lay your hands on a Winegard 2076 that would make a fine motorized rig

 

[Titanium]

The Winegard 2076 is not 2 degree compliant, so there will be adjacenet satellite interference problems with some transponders.

GEOSATpro 90cm on Ebay for $99 including PLL LNBF and free shipping. Too expensive?

 

[KE4EST]

GEOSATpro 90cm on Ebay for $99 including PLL LNBF and free shipping. Too expensive?

This is what I would go for and be done with it. Very well made dish, and works great on an HH90, and not too small.

 

[Lone Gunman]

I'll look at what the local guy has and see if I can make it work.

Oh, and thanks all for the comments/suggestions.

 

[spongella]

Sounds like good advice being given to you Lone Gunman. While at it check the feedback score on the seller, along with comments from past customers when making a decision. Some dishes can be used as stationary or motorized, those give you the best of both worlds.

I see you have some big dishes in your herd. When you see what's on Ku, eventually you'll want a motorized system. Should be a snap for a guy like you with BUDs.

My rule is I generally don't deal with an Ebay seller whose feedback score is less than body temperature.

 

[. Raine]

Not all dishes made to be fixed will take a motor, I motorized a DirectTV dish I have here and I had to cut the top of the mount for it to work. I have a 30'' here that is the same way, a motor just won't fit onto it without modifying it. I don't know the brand of that one, I picked it up used and use it as a fixed dish, it's too nice of a dish to hack up.

Maybe bring your motor with you when you go look at the dishes and actually try it on them, if the person will let you? Make sure that if it fits onto the shaft, that it will also adjust up/down enough for elevation without hitting the motor shaft too.

 

[phlatwound]

If your local doesn't pan out another nod to the $99 GeoSat deal.

New 90cm, quality, supported, motor compatibilty, nice LNBF...dropped off at your door.

If you want/need/have to buy new it's the best value out there for comparable product

 

[Lone Gunman]

I see you have some big dishes in your herd. When you see what's on Ku, eventually you'll want a motorized system. Should be a snap for a guy like you with BUDs.

FYI all those BUDs currently have C/Ku LNBFs on'em so I'm not missing much on Ku now, BUT, since that LNBF is no longer produced and there doesn't seem to be a plan to do so in the future, the hand writing is on the wall so to speak, hence, the motorized Ku endeavor.

This is the second motorized Ku thread I've started, ie, the one on motors and this one on the dish so this isn't a "rush" project as my BUD Ku stuff is currently working OK.

While that $99 90cm dish isn't a bad deal, there's some stuff going on here now that's kinda got this on hold.

I will update as things happen.

 

[Lone Gunman]

Well things happened so here's an update. I have parts here now to build an AR rifle chambered in .308 so my Ku system money got spent on that and the other associated stuff that goes along with it. BIG BOYZ TOYZ!

 

[bpalone]

That darned thing called money, seems to always creep into the picture. Have fun!

 

[Lone Gunman]

The Winegard 2076 is not 2 degree compliant

Brian, a bit of "schooling" is in order here on this is you don't mind. Can you explain to me how to tell if a Ku dish is "2 degree compliant" or not? I found a 1m dish for the same price shipped as the 90cm up the page but I need to know what to ask to find out if it is 2* compliant.

Thanks

 

[Titanium]

A dish is considered 2 degree compliant if the signals from the adjacent satellites are attenuated by a minimum of 3dB. Typyically, a Ku band reflector is compliant at 80cm and at C-band frequencies approximately 2.5m. The key is to compare the specs for main beam and side lobe attenuation specs. Not all dishes are created equal. A deeper dish will provide a narrower main beam and greater attenuation on the side lobes.

 

[Alan Rovner]

If I may add to Brian's comments, the reason the attenuation off the sides of the dish is desirable is to minimize reception of adjacent satellites. This causes interference. The greater the attenuation, the less likely you will have interference issues.