Thread: Questions about 1.2m Prime focus dish

How is everyone doing today ?

Someone gave me a 1.2 meter prime focus dish. I plan to use it as a Mini bud Do you guys think I should use the cone shaped conical scalar ring, or the Flat conical scalar ring for best performance. I already have a dual C band LNB, and a DG 380 motor for it. Any advice would be appreciated.

I had best results with my conical scalar on my mini-bud, but then again mine is an 84e off set.

I'd try the traditional flat scalar first. I think the conical was designed for offset feed.

GL, Eric

Originally Posted by James leandre

How is everyone doing today ?

Someone gave me a 1.2 meter prime focus dish. I plan to use it as a Mini bud Do you guys think I should use the cone shaped conical scalar ring, or the Flat conical scalar ring for best performance. I already have a dual C band LNB, and a DG 380 motor for it. Any advice would be appreciated.

If it is a prime focus then it should be a flat Scalar ring.

Oldford and 1adam12 are spot-on.
The flat scalar will match the prime feed dish.
I'm assuming it has three LNB support arms, but some of those have a central column.
Give us a picture, and if we see anything of concern, someone will let ya know.

But the other thing to consider is
the motor

. Good choice, and what I'd use, too!
However, it expects an offset dish, so you will have to 'offset-mount' your prime focus dish to aim it properly.
Not a big deal as long as you are planning ahead, but get a good grip on the geometry now.
edit: more I think about it, there may be no trouble at all... other than discarding the existing heavy mount.

ALSO: I'd probably use a C2 LNBF (currently
on sale


), and not hold out a lot of hope for a dual band unit getting enough Ku to matter.

I'm using a public library to reply back to you guys,so I can't post any pictures. The 1.2 meter dish has three support arms. Two on the side and one in the center they all meet in the center. The center has plastic holder that connect those supports.I drilled Though the plastic in the center so that I could mount the 65mm Lnb holder. I also have a 1meter prime forcus dish. I plan to use the mount on the 1m prime focus dish instead which is much lighter. Last week was a good week for me, I got two free 1.2 meter prime focus dishes

I would expect three support arms would be equally spaced on a prime focus dish.
If they aren't, it's probably an offset feed.

Very small prime focus dishes are not so common.
As a general rule of thumb, all 36" (90cm), 39" (1m), or 48" (1.2m) I've run across has been offset feed.
Here is a picture of one that's 36" in diameter.
Of all the dishes I've seen in the field, this one and another on a nearby home are the only such dishes this size I've ever seen.

So, whichever type you have, pick the appropriate scalar.
Either should operate okay as a mini-bud.