what do I need to move a bud?

[i1ano2]

I just got a 10 foot fiberglass dish that I am about to start putting up. I have been using a 1 meter fortec star on a motor for ku, and will continue to use it. I want to use the bud for c band only.

I have a fortec dynamic receiver. Is that all I will need to receive c band?

I know I will need something to run the actuator, anyone have any suggestions as what are my options and price range for something to power the acutator?

Will the dynamic pick up analog?

I am pretty excited about starting, bet that will wear off working through all the stuff I am going to have to figure out.

 

[Long Hair]

the fortec will work fine with c-band,digital only no analog. to move the dish a vbox $30.00 on fleabay or gbox $80.00 at sadoun, the gbox will work with DiSEqC 1.2 commands from the satellite receiver. Hope that helps. or look for an old analog receiver for a little bit of nothing.Oh,one more thing the fortec won't be able to control the servo on the lnb if it has one,so a cheap lnbf may be needed.

 

[i1ano2]

What does the servo do? Is there another way to operate it. I have looked at the lnb, it is a chaparral, and then there is a uniden blue box attached to it, I suspect that is the servo.

 

[melgarga]

Here are a couple of recent threads that cover some info on some things relavant to your questions. Look 'em over and it may give you some ideas on the questions you need to ask for your installation.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air-fta-discussion/183908-star-trak-800-8-unimesh.html

http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...a-mater-bud-how-control-servo-motor-skew.html

Welcome to C band!

 

[Anole]

I too, would recommend the Gbox 3000 controller.
There is a nice review if it here on the forum.

For running C-band only (a wise move), I'd suggest the C2 LNBF.
It has two outputs for future expansion, and it's currently on sale.
Also favorably reviewed.

 

[Sadoun]

Let us see some pictures. It helps to make a recommendation.

Do you have a linear actuator? If not, I would recommend the QARL-3624
Big Dish Actuators Motors Super jacks PowerJack (Motech, Motech, PowerTech)

 

[truckracer]

If you have an old school Chaparall or other type of feedhorn on the dish (it should have a blue square box (servo) with three wires coming off of it - probably red, black, white.

that little servo motor rotates a probe in the feedhorn to switch between vertical and horizontal positions to receive the signals the dish collected.

An analog receiver from ebay would be good to control the dishe's actuator and servo. Generally speaking in my opinion you get a little better reception performance out of a feedhorn and seperate lnb (if the lnb is a good one) over an lnbf.

The beauty of an lnbf, is coax voltage from a fta receiver will switch the H and V. (simplifies things a bit).

A V-box or G-box (sadoun.com), will use diseqc commands from the fta receiver's software to remember and tell the big dish where to move.

since your staying c band only on the bud, i would probably go with the c band lnbf, v or G box. It is a little more complicated requiring more steps to navigate the satellites with an analog receiver slaving a fta box.

If you were going to try to do ku and C band on the bud i would def go with a chaparall corotor feedhorn and seperate lnb's using an analog box. I found the corotor II to be superior to the dual band lnbf's like the bsc-621 etc for ku performance.

 

[i1ano2]

Will fungus affect the signal?

I will take some pics tomorrow and post them. I will have a few days to set the post in the ground, so that will leave me time to sort the motor/servo situation out. Thanks to all, I really appreciate it and I am getting excited about working on this bud! And that brings me to another question. It really is a big ugly dish, covered in algae looking stuff. Will that have any affect on the reception?

 

[truckracer]

probably not but it wouldn't hurt to pressure wash it with some bleach water. and maybe paint it with flat paint. Don't use glossy paint! You could paint it back white or some color that will help blend in with its surroundings.

 

[i1ano2]

How do I add pics?

how do I add pictures? When I click on the attachments link I get an error message. and when I click on images link it asks me for the url of my pics. Don't know what to do?

 

[i1ano2]

Pics of dish, actuator and lnb

The pole is set and I'm on my way to being a proud BUD owner!
I am leaning toward the g or vbox and new lnbf. I think things will be complicated enough without trying to run through an analog box.

 

[Anole]

rust:

Getting all the parts to move, and lubricating it is your first concern right now.

But once you have it operating and want to do something about that rust, . . .
... I found that a bit of wire wheel to remove the flaky stuff was good enough.
Then you spray on several coats of rust-bonding primer and/or paint, according to mfgr's specs.
Details in my signature, so I won't repeat, but the stuff really works, looks great when done, and you do -not- need to get off all the rust!

I don't recommend the brand that first springs to mind, so do give a read.

 

[i1ano2]

What a beautiful site!

Well, it may not qualify as a dish farm, but it is still beautiful to me!. I can't wait to get things up and running.
I don't have any way of testing the motor. Everything is pretty rusty. I don't know whether to try to take it apart and clean it up, or just wait till I get a gbox and see what happens? Any advice?

 

[i1ano2]

Windows Vista Business?

how do I add pictures? When I click on the attachments link I get an error message. and when I click on images link it asks me for the url of my pics. Don't know what to do?

Does anyone else use Windows Vista Business? I learn to hate it more and more each day. It is so stripped bare of any useful apps, and loaded with seemingly pointless security features, that I can't seem to accomplish much of anything. Even though it is loaded on a new, fast and powerful computer, I still have to transfer everything to my ancient gateway to get anything done!

 

[Lak7]

...and loaded with seemingly pointless security features...

This may help.....
vista4beginners.com/How-to-disable-UAC

 

[delta_charlie]

Well, it may not qualify as a dish farm, but it is still beautiful to me!. I can't wait to get things up and running.
I don't have any way of testing the motor. Everything is pretty rusty. I don't know whether to try to take it apart and clean it up, or just wait till I get a gbox and see what happens? Any advice?

Hi, you might want to simply hook up the two heavy wires (might be green and white) that go into the actuator motor to two car batteries hooked up in series for 24 volts. If the motor is good the actuator should move in one direction. You can reverse the direction by simply flipping the two wires.

BTW - from all the rust I see in the picture I would hose of the end of the actuator with WD-40 and you might even drill a small hole in the body of the actuator about 2/3 of the way up from the motor and stick the small red tube from the WD-40 can in the hole and hose of the inside. Then try to move it. If the motor tries to move then starts to drag stop and reverse the wires. Go back and forward with the motor to free up the actuator. With a little luck it will free up and move full travel. Make sure you do not hold the wires on the batteries if the motor stalls. It will damage it.

If you get it free up you can plug the small hole with a dab of silicone sealant.

I wish you luck. DC

 

[i1ano2]

polarmount bearings?

One of the bearings on the polar mount is bad, rusted solid. Does anyone know where I would look for a bearing like that? The only number I could find on it was: SP 008T. I tried to look on-line, but found nothing. I will call around tomorrow and see what I can find, but if anyone has any ideas that would help.

 

[esteveW]

I just reading this post and want to jump in with a comment about cleaning up and painting this solid dish.

I just rescued a nice solid aluminum dish in July. It looks much like this one. On mine, the paint on the dish face has been partially stripped by wind and field dust, etc.. I pressure washed it to strip off as much more as I could and with a little effort, 90% of the dish was bright metal. I was considering leaving it shiny bright but it Blinded me when ever I came within the Focal point. I thought that might cause some problems so went with a new paint job with primer and flat white paint. I thought of flat black but that would and absorbed heat in the oluminum and perhaps warp it if there were tree shadows involved. However, I have to wear sun glasses when I painted it and when I climb on a ladder to adjust the LNB/Corotor. Kinda like "Snow Blind".. I'm not sure what color would be best but right now I have the button hook, scalor and wiring all dialed in and hope I don't have to play with that for a few years.

My experience(s) for what it's worth!

Steve

 

[Anole]

painting shiny dish:

Yea, the only difference between a solid BUD, and a solar cooker, is the paint job! -
And that flat paint is the way to go, too

Ya might search back a couple of years to where Linuxman started a thread on painting a solid he once had.
You can read his trials first with rattle-cans, and then buying a paint sprayer.
Being a perfectionist, he still wasn't happy.
I thought he did fine, but my standards are much lower. -
I'm sure you'll find both entertainment and good experience in the thread. ! -

As for color, I personally favor somewhere between an off-white (maybe 'sand') to a light charcoal.
But, that's just personal taste.
The two in my signature sorta fit those colors. -

 

[esteveW]

Solar Cooker or Death Ray?

I thought that if an airplane few within the focal distance it might blind him. Then on thinking that one further, he would have to be at Focal Distance and that would be 40.32 inches. Kinda low.

Well! Heck! there goes my plans for my own Buck Rogers "Death Ray"

I think the only person to ever get hurt by a shiny or bright white solid would be the guy painting or on a ladder adjusting his LNB. That would be ME!

Steve