Anyone get NASA on 6' in NW US or SW Canada

[pacificrim]

Just wondering if anyone is getting a solid reliable NASA signal on a solid 6' dish in the NW US or SW Canada... Its pretty much the only thing I'm missing on my minibud and might make the move up, but don't really want an 8' dish on my lawn. I'm sure I'll wish I had an 8' dish

 

[phlatwound]

Don't have any signal data for you but I really don't understand (unless restricted by space limitations/HOA nazis or similar rules) why you wouldn't want an 8' (or larger) dish in lieu of a 6 footer?

They don't call them BEAUTIFUL Useful Dishes for nuttin.

 

[pacificrim]

Mostly because a 6' dish is only 1foot bigger all the way around than a 4', so visually won't look much larger and a 8' dish really will be substantially bigger and I want to keep it high enough from the kids on the lawn. The only real thing I want that I'm not getting is NASA, so if I can get away with a 6' I might go that route, but if I need an 8' I'll probably pass.

 

[phlatwound]

Well hopefully you will get some good 6' signal reports, NASA is a great channel. And the 6 footer may bump up your signal margin on some of the stuff you are already receiving, also.

 

[FaT Air]

Got some vacation time? This may be worth the trip, #2268, looks like enough pole there to keep it out of reach of the kids. PERF so Ku 2!
Get creative with the spray can paint and the YL may even like it. (8ft sunflower?)

 

[Cham]

An 8 footer is about minimum for C-band these days with the 8psk and higher level modes in use these days. I can pick up the NASA feeds on the 8 footer here not too bad, but not with the margin I have with the 10 footer... A well tuned 6 footer with a really sharp LNBF might should work good enough for NASA for now, as long as they don't upgrade their signal.

Still haven't set up that 2.4 offset yet FaT Air! One of these days...

 

[fred555]

Still haven't set up that 2.4 offset yet FaT Air! One of these days...

Better hurry, Winter will be here soon!

 

[Cham]

The tractor I use for digging the piles for the base has been in the tractor hospital all summer for a PTO clutch replacment. It's still sitting there in two pieces. Hope to have it by the end of September! Should have fixed it myself, would have been finished 3 months sooner and several $K less... Hindsight is always 2020...

 

[pacificrim]

There are quite a few old dishes on the Rez just a boat ride away, I could pretty much get my pick for free. I have dibs on a 7.5 ft mesh, but am concerned about condition, warping and I don't want to lose Ku by getting larger mesh size. They all have actuators, but all are 20yrs old...
So a 7.5 ft mesh, with a center Ku and sidecar C1PLL should get NASA...?

 

[Jason S]

So a 7.5 ft mesh, with a center Ku and sidecar C1PLL should get NASA...?

Recently I had a 7.5' with a centered Titanium C1PLL and that got NASA fine (at least here in Kansas).

 

[pacificrim]

I was there today and found a good candidate - here are some pics. It's a 7.5 foot with a bent rod, but otherwise great shape. The mesh size looks small enough for Ku (is it?) and the moss and algae should come off easily enough to paint it. I don't expect the actuator to work, so if you guys have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them.
Anyone recognise the model?
I plan to cut it down and disassemble for the boat ride back.

 

[phlatwound]

I can't identify the brand/model but it looks like the mesh size will not prevent Ku reception.

Glad to see you are considering going larger than 6'...hey a 10 footer isn't much bigger than an 8 (7.5)!

 

[armadillo_115]

Maybe the first question for the experts here: How much 'better' would a 7.5 mesh be than his SOLID 6 ft'er? Might not be a significant improvement?

I have a 7.5 ft mesh dish here.It works ok for a starter dish on C band and it met the FREE criteria.lol.But I'm already looking for a 10 footer or larger.It was a lot of work to get that dish up and running...only to replace it later.

I'm in Virginia,so your reception will vary.I get NASA fine here with a Titanium C2W-PLL center mounted..Someone here once said to expect about 90%+ of what's up there...That's pretty well held true for my 7.5 so far.Good luck and enjoy!

 

[FaT Air]

It was a lot of work to get that dish up and running...

Yeah, but with the experience garnered the next one will be much faster. The extra time put in for 'looks' is totally yours.

 

[pacificrim]

I'll probably go over next week and spray all the bolts with penetrating oil. I need to order an ASC1, dual lnbf holder and actuator.

 

[TRG]

FWIW I receive NASA TV reliably on a 6' Fortec Star that I picked up from Sadoun many moons ago. I'm using a GeoSat Pro (non-PLL) LNB and a MicroHD. Satbeams shows that my signal strength here in NM should be about the same as the Pacific Northwest. SW Canada being a little lower. I plan on purchasing a Titanium C2 PLL to have as a backup or when I need a little more oomph.