Thread: Wingard crankup dish multi LNB mod.

Wondering if anyone has successfully modded the Winegard single LNB crank up dish to either a dual or three LNB setup? Here is a link to its description page at camping world.


Winegard Crank-up Satellite Dish - Product - Camping World

I'm going to give it a shot at any rate but I'm too old to want to be a trail blazer. I'd rather follow some successful person's efforts. But if I have to be first, I will.

In that vain, if anybody has any insight I'd like to hear it. Most specifically getting the distance from lnb face to dish face correct. getting a hunk of the right channel welded on is dead easy but making still fold down and spring back in the right position could get problematic.

Any comments are more than welcome.

the biggest problem will be having enough room for the LNB when in the down position.

Good luck I don't think it will work very well because that dish (reflector) is designed to focus one sat beam back to one lnb.
Multi sat dishes use a complex "compound curved" reflector that focus more then one beam back to the lnb's.
You would also have to pay attention to skew or tilt
That said you could get lucky and still collect enough signal for it to work but it wouldn't be very optimal
You really can fit a square peg into a round hole (with a sledge hammer)

Originally Posted by hudgreen

You would also have to pay attention to skew or tilt
That said you could get lucky and still collect enough signal for it to work but it wouldn't be very optimal

Your right that at best I expect it would just perform "OK". I mentioned the 3 LNB just not to limit the responses but I actually have no hope that one of those beasties would work, either for physical fit or skew problems. As for folding down, I don't think I need to worry if it is "mostly" down, say 60 or 70 or more degrees... as long as it IS pointed straight aft.

I'm with hudgreen. I really don't think this is going to work. Why not just get a ViP211K and the Tailgater? Then you don't have to aim, crank up and down, move your rig for a LoS, etc. Much easier and maybe cheaper.

Maybe you could find a second crank-up and point each one at its own sat.
Since they are all but obsolete you could probably find one cheap.
Call around to some rv retailers they could have one just sitting around.
Now installing it may be a pain, but you sound as if your handy enough to get it done.

Originally Posted by hudgreen

Maybe you could find a second crank-up and point each one at its own sat.
Since they are all but obsolete you could probably find one cheap.
Call around to some rv retailers they could have one just sitting around.
Now installing it may be a pain, but you sound as if your handy enough to get it done.

They are kind of hard to find. The first one I bought had to be shipped from Riverside county as there wasn't any in San Diego county. That got left on the I-10 after some dumb-a** didn't retract it. The next Camping World did have one in stock. But I've never seen one cheap. $218 at Camping World is as cheap as I've seen.

Your right, installing them isn't much problem but my roof is already pretty tight on space with swamp coolers and solar panels and the dish already there. Finding a spot where the ceiling crank is convenient could be tough.

But thanks for the idea. I hadn't thought of it and I will definitely survey the roof for a possible location. And in the mean time I'll email Claude Greiner to see what lnb types he stocks. I already have an old "two lnbs clamped together with a plastic bracket" thing but I don't remember if both still work.

Actually the more I think about it, I just might use two rectangles of plexi and epoxy two of the skinny lnbs Wingard uses together. Then I'd just have to remove their mountings and epoxy a single between the two. And I can get the spacing from the old style dual in my junk box.

Heck, this is getting easier by the minute.

Originally Posted by steve4810

I can get the spacing from the old style dual in my junk box.

Heck, this is getting easier by the minute.

The spacing between the lnb's will be determined by the focal point (length of arm)and spacing between satellites.
And you will still have to address the skew issue.
Do you understand what skew accomplishes?
Since its a round dish you could adjust (tilt) the lnb's themselves
Though If you travel very far (especially east west) you will need to re-adjust the skew
Unless you can figure out another way of doing it, you would have to get up on the roof to change the skew.
BTW what 2 or 3 sats are you going for?
I have been amusing 110 an 119.

Why do you not seem to be interested in the
tailgater?