super rare off set birdview dish

[lonewolf85]

Hey everyone, Take a look at this. The often heard of never seen Model A0 2027 birdview off set spoon feed dish. I bought this 7 or 8 months ago. I had plans of cleaning it up and useing it. But now I realize I've got to many irons in the fire and ain't never gone'a get around to fixing it up. First off some facts about this dish. Unlike all other birdview dishes this one is not made of spunaluminum. This dish is made out of pressed steel. Much like the same material that the small dish or direct tv dishes are made out of. The back plate that the motor mounts on is a seperate piece that bolts on, not molded into the dish like on the aluminum dish. This dish is not without its dents and dinks. The guy I bought it off of his father bought it in 1984 and never installed it. So its spent it's entire life leaned up against a building. The reflector surface is fine except for about 5 small dents that looked like hail dents. I kinda fixed them but they need alittle more TLC . The reflector surface is slightly dented on the bottom were the feed horn support arms bolts on. The lip around the dish is bent in several places from the dish being rolled around and moved etc. The dish motor is a 37 to 1 gear ratio and still has the original read sensor. The LNB feed horn is an amazeing 15 inchs across. The dish is approx 8 ft 6in by 7ft 2in. If you have any questions are want any more pics just let me know. I would like to sell or trade this if possible so PM me if interested.

 

[linuxman]

Now that's a Ku dish if I have ever seen one.

Also, you guys know what this means don't you?

If the same mount will work on their Ku dish, it could be adapted to another Ku dish of immense size and proportions.

 

[Cadsulfide]

Nice Find! Want to come to N Dakota for Deer Season?

 

[melgarga]

Now that's a Ku dish if I have ever seen one.

Also, you guys know what this means don't you?

If the same mount will work on their Ku dish, it could be adapted to another Ku dish of immense size and proportions.

8 & 1/2 ft Ku? Dang. Like that az/el commercial monster I drug home a while back. This one definately wins the monikor of 'strange bird'.

 

[Anole]

Heard about these before. Thought they were an urban myth.
Surprised they're made with a steel reflector.

The mount looks pretty much like their other ones (no big surprise).
Looks like it has the original Birdview feedback pot for dish direction.

Say, could you take a tape measure and get a distance from the center of the dish to where the scalar mounts?
It would be interesting to calculate the F/D, based on focal length and dish size.

And I suppose it would be asking too much to figure the offset angle?
Say, I wonder how that mount handles the offset?
Maybe it's not a typical Birdview mount...?
Or perhaps the mounting adapter plate takes care of all the offset! - :up
That makes a lot more sense.

What's the diameter of the scalar plate?
I know it's pretty big on a regular Birdview.
edit: Oh! 15 inches? Wow, that's gigantic.
Wonder what they were thinking?
Didn't anyone know of conical scalars back then... or were they too hard to make?

 

[linuxman]

I don't think it works like an ordinary motorized Ku dish.

I may be wrong, but look at the mount and how the 12 holes line up with the adaptor with the logo on the adaptor on top, and how the mounting cap would make the dish parallel to the ground. That elevation on the mount has not been moved for years.

I think it is a stationary dish and the motor sets the elevation. The off-set is set by the adaptor.

I may be wrong, and I hope I am but I just don't think it is motorized in the usual sense that we think of.

Look everything over real close.

 

[Anole]

who said "Ku" ?

I think the one picture of the mount is an optical illusion.
Linuxman's the Birdview expert, but I think the mount is just run or folded over to one side for the picture.
Possibly it's not even assembled fully.


Someone correct me if the following is not true (picture numbers are the actual file names):

Picture #1 is the main 8' dish

Picture #2 is the LNB mounting arm with scalar and LNB or preamp.

Picture #3 is the offset mount adapter that goes between the back of the dish and the black mount proper.
Its angle is probably the same as the dish's offset angle, permitting use of stock Birdview motorized mounts.

Picture #4 is lower edge of the dish with LNB mount in place.

Picture #5 the dish-side of the scalar.

Picture #6 is the LNB mount/holder, attached to the lower edge of the dish.
The offset adapter plate from photo #3, can be seen in the background.

Picture #7 looks like a commercial 1.2meter dish.
I don't see what part of the Birdview this could be.
Someone help me out.

Picture #8: I'm guessing this is a close-up of the offset adapter plate from photo #3?

Picture #9 is the motor/mount, possibly laying on ... what?

Are there two white pieces between the actual dish and the black motor mount?
I guess I'm confused by all the parts... but I know I want 'em!
And for use on C-band! Or maybe both. But not just Ku only.


Linuxman - are you thinking a Birdview mount could be used to swing your 6' Prodelin?
Maybe for Ku service?

 

[lonewolf85]

Some one posted this picture a while back and I saved it . This may give you a idea of how the dish should look put up .

 

[lonewolf85]

Pic#7 is the backside of the birdview without the mount adapter in place.
Pic#8 is the backside of the birdview with the mount adapter inplace.
Pic#9 is the motor mount laying on the mount adapter as it would bolt on.
Just to let everyone know I'm asking $350.00 for this dish or will trade for a DSR 922 4DTV. Thanks, Lonewolf

 

[Inno]

Holy Moley, WHAT A DISH!!!!!
Nice find!

 

[Anole]

LoneWolf -
Thanks for the correction.
That clears up my confusion.

 

[linuxman]

The picture of the mounted dish proves my point.

Look at where the off-set support is in relation to the pole.

Could not be used like that for H-H use.

Yes, I thought it might work for the Prodelin with the proper adaptor.

I think the dish could be modified for use in the extreme lower part of the US because the viewing angle is much higher there and would not require the elevation of the mount to be quite so low.

You would have to make different holes for the adapter to mount the dish properly to the mount itself.

 

[truckracer]

I have a perfect condition 1.2M prodelin commercial dish with all the hardware.
I have often thought of putting a polar mount on the back of it and making a super ku dish.
I believe it can be done rather easily with a welder and some angled steel with holes in it from the hardware store.

that offset birdview made me think (kinda scary huh?)

 

[Anole]

TruckRacer -
Yea, go for it.!
Turbosat did something similar last year.
With a welder, you should be able to fashion an offset-corrector bracket quite easily! - :up
Start a thread, and let's see some pictures.
edit: I have some pix of a Channel Master 1.8m offset dish mounted that way. Be happy to post 'em.

 

[truckracer]

Soon as work slows down a little, I am going to get busy on it.
I have a good mig welder, angle grinder, big roll of duct tape.....I can build anything (almost)LOL

 

[Anole]

You had me at "duct tape". -

 

[truckracer]

LOL......the tape that is good for everything but what it was meant for.
(except the foil duct tape...It is good for ductwork).

 

[melgarga]

Soon as work slows down a little, I am going to get busy on it.
I have a good mig welder, angle grinder, big roll of duct tape.....I can build anything (almost)LOL

Go get 'em MacGyver........anyone remember that episode of SG-1 when Carter said something about MacGyvering something together and Richard Dean Anderson just stood there with that trade mark stoic blank look on his face?

 

[lonewolf85]

Say, could you take a tape measure and get a distance from the center of the dish to where the scalar mounts?
It would be interesting to calculate the F/D, based on focal length and dish size.

And I suppose it would be asking too much to figure the offset angle?

Ok Anole the focal lenght is 5ft 1 in. I am not sure how to figure the offset angle but if you tell me how to do it I will give it a try.

 

[Anole]

F/D and offset angle

Thanks for the measurement.
I say the F/D is: (where F= focal length and D= diameter)
5.083' divided by 7.166' width = 0.70
The "size" of an offset dish is the width, not the height,
...if it appears round to the LNB.
And the round scalar says the LNBf is looking at a round dish! :up

I tried to measure the offset of that washing tub that goes between the back of the dish and the black mount.
From your picture, I measured a very rough 15° but that's not very accurate because I didn't have a suitable angle in the picture.

Then, I tried to estimate the offset by measuring the face angle of the LNB holder (scalar mount, actually) to where I thought the center of the dish might be.
That appeared to be in the vicinity of 35°.
Again, not a very precise measure, due to not having the best picture.

If you could lay that tub down on a flat surface and measure the angle of the rim (or center, depending if you put it open side down or up, respectively), then that would be the better measure.
I'd expect it in the 20°..30° range, most likely.

Now, no criticism of your pictures implied! -
They're great; never seen this dish in pieces before!

The F/D was probably more interesting of the two, and it's right in the range you would expect.
Modern offset Ku-band LNBf's are in the 0.6 to 0.7 range, and should match that dish just fine.
To use a C-band LNBf, would probably require a conical scalar, as has been discussed so many times, here.
Exactly how the existing scalar works, and which band it's for, well, that's up for discussion.

Linuxman has suggested the dish is for Ku, based on the hole in the middle of the scalar.
By my measure, the hole is 2.2". (plus or minus some error)
The opening of a B1stacked C-band LNBf is 2.4", so . . . .
. . . unless there's some advertizing literature saying the Spoon is Ku-only, I think it's fully C-band capable.
But, that's just an opinion. -

edit: ... probably should measure the ring spacing and height on the scalar... that might suggest which band it's designed for...
Well, something to do next time.