What kind of antenna is this???

[Ghpr13]

Iceberg said I should have posted this in the FTA forum, so:

This might be a little OT but I've always wonder how those great big "screen-like" antennas I see in some yards get their signals from? There's a few houses I pass on the way to church that have these great, big (about 8' in diameter), black, see-through, dish-shaped antennas, and I just have always wonder what they were for and how do you use them...No one on my block has one or I would just walk over and ask them about it. Do they have to go through E* or D* too?
I remember years back (about 30 or 35) when I lived in Chicago, my friend's Dad, who lived in Kentucky, had one, but I never knew if he had to pay a provider for the signal, or just purchase the receiver and programing was free. Also, I remember my friend telling me that when they watched certain programs like Johnny Carson & live sporting events, they seen what was going on while broadcast TV showed commercials...I never witness this myself, so I always wonder if this was true.
Can any "Old Pros" out there set me straight on this?
Ghpr13

 

[whatchel1]

C-band mostly

Iceberg said I should have posted this in the FTA forum, so:

This might be a little OT but I've always wonder how those great big "screen-like" antennas I see in some yards get their signals from? There's a few houses I pass on the way to church that have these great, big (about 8' in diameter), black, see-through, dish-shaped antennas, and I just have always wonder what they were for and how do you use them...No one on my block has one or I would just walk over and ask them about it. Do they have to go through E* or D* too?
I remember years back (about 30 or 35) when I lived in Chicago, my friend's Dad, who lived in Kentucky, had one, but I never knew if he had to pay a provider for the signal, or just purchase the receiver and programing was free. Also, I remember my friend telling me that when they watched certain programs like Johnny Carson & live sporting events, they seen what was going on while broadcast TV showed commercials...I never witness this myself, so I always wonder if this was true.
Can any "Old Pros" out there set me straight on this?
Ghpr13

The 7.5 to 10 ft size dishes are mostly C-band. Some will have Ku-band added to them. I would say most likely the majority no longer work. C-band was the first direct to home sat systems. C-band is still the way that cable co's get their programming. Yep I'm in this forum also as well as Iceberg.

 

[Ghpr13]

The 7.5 to 10 ft size dishes are mostly C-band. Some will have Ku-band added to them. I would say most likely the majority no longer work. C-band was the first direct to home sat systems. C-band is still the way that cable co's get their programming. Yep I'm in this forum also as well as Iceberg.

Whatchel1,
Thanks. I had wonder about that because we are close to where all of Insight's (the cable co.) antennas are located and they looked a lot like the ones I have seen in yards, only solid not meshed, and painted white.

So would C-band allow someone to see "commercial free" TV like my friend told me about?
Thanks, again.
Ghpr13

 

[Anole]

yep: satellite TV

A lot of the guys use their big dishes for C-band (3.5 - 4 ghz) and Ku band (11 - 12 ghz) as well.
To see how popular they still are (at least with us), take a look in our C-band forum department for a thread on Adventures in Dish Hunting 2009.
It's got several hundred posts; just scroll through it and look at the pictures.

All of what we receive is free programming, much of it not intended for direct home viewing, but not scrambled.
There is a pay-service called 4DTV on C-band, and it has its own forum department, if you are interested.

If you want to get involved, you can purchase a large dish of 8 - 12 feet diameter.
You can have 'em installed, or do it yourself.
Most of us find unused dishes, get them for next to nothing, and install 'em ourselves.
We then refurbish them, outfit 'em with the latest LNBs and motors, and restore them to their former glory. - :up

In the years since those big dishes were the rage (C-band), higher frequency satellites have been deployed. (Ku band)
They can be received on 3' dishes; motors are small, light, 'n cheap.
The small dishes only receive the higher frequencies, while the big dishes can be rigged for both bands.

Our Gold Sponsors (links at the top of every page) provide entire packages for Ku band, including dishes, motors, LNBs, and receivers.
One of those could be a nice introduction package for you, if interested in the satellite hobby.

This forum is full of ideas and helpful people, who'll assist you in getting to know the hobby, and building up or installing just about anything you can imagine. -

edit:
I just read your post.
In the Adventures thread above, I posted some pictures of a small cable head end, with all their solid dishes behind barbed wire.

 

[KaptainKlock]

Iceberg said I should have posted this in the FTA forum, so:

"This might be a little OT but I've always wonder how those great big "screen-like" antennas I see in some yards get their signals from?"


BUD -- Big Ugly Dish. C band satellite. I had a 12.5 foot Janiel Darkstar with a Drake ESR 240 back in the mid 80's. The dish receives the signal from the satellite and reflects it to the rotator and amp/converter in the center pod. At microwave frequencies, the mesh appears to be a solid surface. The actual antenna is a microwave probe about the size of a quarter. If you see one with a smaller mesh in the center, that's an early C-KU band dish.

"I remember years back (about 30 or 35) when I lived in Chicago, my friend's Dad, who lived in Kentucky, had one, but I never knew if he had to pay a provider for the signal, or just purchase the receiver and programing was free. Also, I remember my friend telling me that when they watched certain programs like Johnny Carson & live sporting events, they seen what was going on while broadcast TV showed commercials...I never witness this myself, so I always wonder if this was true."

At one time, HBO, Showtime and most other channels were in the clear. All the networks had several feeds, some scheduled, some random. It was fun to see the reporters fawn over some sleazebag during the intro and then say what they really thought about them during the break. I was especially fond of the Canadian channels. Ah the good times!!! There was always something interesting to watch.

Then the info-mercials started followed shortly by wide spread scrambling. By the 90's, cable came to many areas and the C-band viewing choices were not worth the price to most people. I sold my home in 92 and that is the last C-band dish I've owned. I currently have a KU dish that until recently was locked on Whitesprings TV. I hope they come back on soon.

Regards,

KaptainKlock

 

[whatchel1]

OMG

Iceberg said I should have posted this in the FTA forum, so:
BUD -- Big Ugly Dish. C band satellite. I had a 12.5 foot Janiel Darkstar with a Drake ESR 240 back in the mid 80's. The dish receives the signal from the satellite and reflects it to the rotator and amp/converter in the center pod. At microwave frequencies, the mesh appears to be a solid surface. The actual antenna is a microwave probe about the size of a quarter. If you see one with a smaller mesh in the center, that's an early C-KU band dish.

"I remember years back (about 30 or 35) when I lived in Chicago, my friend's Dad, who lived in Kentucky, had one, but I never knew if he had to pay a provider for the signal, or just purchase the receiver and programing was free. Also, I remember my friend telling me that when they watched certain programs like Johnny Carson & live sporting events, they seen what was going on while broadcast TV showed commercials...I never witness this myself, so I always wonder if this was true."[/QUOTE]

You just made shutter from the mention of the Janiel DS. Those things warped if you looked at them crosseyed seemed like.

Yes it was true it was being feed to net live a 4 PM. After NBC found out that people were watching the "shenanigans" during the breaks they didn't feed it w/o it having been edited with black (or fade to black) in the commercial sections.

[/QUOTE]At one time, HBO, Showtime and most other channels were in the clear. All the networks had several feeds, some scheduled, some random. It was fun to see the reporters fawn over some sleazebag during the intro and then say what they really thought about them during the break. I was especially fond of the Canadian channels. Ah the good times!!! There was always something interesting to watch.
[/QUOTE]

Yes when I started there was no such thing as a scrambled signal. There were only a few "cable" channels back then. Even worked with a sat guide company to provide them with a huge wild feed section for them for a while.

 

[Ghpr13]

Whatchel1, Anole, & KaptainKlock,
Once again I have learned so much from Satellite Guys' members. I want to thank you 3 for clearing up something that has bugged me for years. It was just one of those things that I always said I was going to look into but never did. I would just file it away until the next time I seen a "BUD", but as soon as I got home I'd forget all about it.
Anyway, I found all 3 of the replies very interesting and I thank you for filling me in!
Take care,
Ghpr13