The Resurrection Of The 3ABN Dish

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FTABman0

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
May 13, 2006
818
1
Lat 39.2°N WV Lo 81.5°W
The new, many months ago storm took 3ABN dish gets a new home! After trying to bend things into shape enough to get something on this dish hoping that it was not just something else sitting in my out building, finally got KU horizontal transponders to pop in! I get no vertical at all but that is just fine! With the LNB holder gone (broke after it fell) I took Anole’s fancy LNB jerry rigging to the limit and found a spot just below the bolt holes on the dish.

I figure that on a normal dish that the signal is a bit higher but not on this one. I cracked around Sunday and found some transponders on 10 R, of course the Echo birds were strong on it to be expected but tried and my goal was Galaxy 3C with the M Radio channels. I was out in the country with it Sunday and never could aim out there on 3 C.

I brought it back and that evening we got G 3C coming in not like my other dish but strong enough. 73 – 75% quality! Now that is pretty good considering the dish is trashed & warped beyond bubkuss! The elevation settings are way off to even try the right elevation, that part was bent too bad to try to get the way it came! I used the LNB support arms for my 80 CM Fortec Star months ago and had to find some way to hold the flimsy LNB support arm up and reduce the flapping around.

I looked around for ideas but none came to mind to use for support arms and about the right length too. My wife took down the curtains today above our Jacuzzi to wash them and then I saw them! Support arms for the LNB bracket! Flexible to bend to shape and easy to drill a hole into I measured, painted them black and put them on! Works like a charm! Now, the old girl is not much to look at but I can say it works kind of, like I said no vertical at all but strong signals and quality on the horizontals!

To tell you how this strange bent up dish is picking signals out of the sky now, I was listening to it today and washed the dish with a rag and the sound never went away! My son was watching the meter and he said it dipped to 40 % one time while I was washing it! I don’t know where to be precisely the signal is reflecting but I thought that was strange. Also, I have the foot mount on a 6 foot ladder with 2 big C-Clamps, not leveled up at all or plum, just throwed together. We shook the ladder last night and the dish moved about 2-4 inches all around and stayed locked on G 3C! I just scratch my head on that one! I can move it almost 3 degrees off by hand and it stays locked. This is the third time I just stuck it up and I find that bird every time with no problems at all!

This dish is going down to a family friend that owns a gas station here right off I-77 for their in store music! They also pipe music out under the canopy where the gas pumps are also on Bose speakers! Got the STB to power right back up also if a power failure! I set them up years ago with a XP computer and thousands of MP3’s to play on Win amp but that computer since died. Now, with the help of “Coming down the back stretch” music, they will be golden. Only scanned in the 2 M Music channels left audio only since the right on both is stores, Rite Aid and Family Dollar, but it’s there, were going to use it. Anybody know how often they change the transponders no these music channels? I think I had to change them one time since I got into the hobby.

Just a post to let you guys know that the 3ABN will not be a winter sled this winter and someone is going to get good use out of it! Us guys can make things work with a pie pan and bailing wire! We are a strange ingenious bunch indeed! My wife says this is a sickness! I grin at what she does not understand! :)

Thanks Anole for the LNB Idea! :up I bet the standard LNB holder would not have worked at all since it is pulling much lower on the dish surface!
 

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Well, Mr. Curtain Rod King . . . :rolleyes:

Credit to the cool bracketry belongs to Z4cCamaro, who I stole the wonderful idea from!
I just popularized it.

But those curtain rods... those are really something!
I'm currently modifying my 3ABN dish with ½ inch conduit...
Problem is, the darned stuff is much bigger than ½ inch!
Was thinking about some aluminum tubing from the hardware store, but my hat's off to you for your fine solution!

I'll have to go through the pictures again, but the dish didn't look too sprung.
Maybe it's just warped on the inside, huh? - :D

Glad you found it a proper task to perform!
Congrats! - :up
 
But those curtain rods... those are really something!

Thanks! :)

I'll have to go through the pictures again, but the dish didn't look too sprung.
Maybe it's just warped on the inside, huh? - :D

The dish on a flat surface is where you can really tell, if you hold down one side, the opposite goes on the air about 6 inches! I tried to bend it back but it just will not go back into the original shape. (YOU CAN SEE IT HERE) It also has warping inside as well. No verticals at all on it. I would bet to say it would work wonders as a DBS dish for a provider. Almost bet the circular signals would have no problem bumping of her!

Anyways, thanks for the Idea on the bracket, I saw your post about it first over Z4cCamaro's. We were talking about it when I posted the Modified 80 CM dish I done some posts back and we were talking about mounting a small universal LNB to my current setup. Great idea and it works!
:up
 
FTABman0 said:
Great idea and it works!
Yea, you sure did yourself proud.
But, that's what we're all about here - using proven good ideas, and thinking up new ones! - :up

And from the old thread, concerning my 90cm Fortec dish:
Anole said:
I also have a 3ABN, so maybe I'll clone its arms and follow your lead.
FTABman0 said:
You get them on that 90 {Fortec} Anole, post the pictures, want to see em!
My ½ inch electrical conduit is big 'n ugly.
Maybe I'll stop by the 99¢ or Dollar Tree stores, and look for some cheap curtain rods.
Now, that would be worthy of a picture! :D
Thanks for the great idea!
 
Awesome, been looking at how to add some support arms to my dish, and luckily, we have a ton of those cheap white curtain rods just sitting around since we switched to blinds everywhere ......
 
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