How do I get started

[coltonjared]

I've been wanting to get a cband dish for a long time and I think I might be able to finally get one. The dish I'm looking at appears to be a 8ft and I'm thinking about getting a Linkbox 9000i with a Titanium pill LNBF. How's the best way to get everything going like finding the information for my location to adjust the dish and figuring out true south?

 

[FTA4PA]

I've been wanting to get a cband dish for a long time and I think I might be able to finally get one. The dish I'm looking at appears to be a 8ft and I'm thinking about getting a Linkbox 9000i with a Titanium pill LNBF. How's the best way to get everything going like finding the information for my location to adjust the dish and figuring out true south?

Good to hear you may have a prospect for a c band dish. Go to www.dishpointer.com and enter your location, then zoom in on the map until you can see your property and drag the marker to the spot where you want to plant the dish pole. You can then use the green line and the obstacle checker to check out the different satellites you are interested in receiving and make sure the dish can 'see' over any obstructions that may be present. Use www.lyngsat.com and www.sathint.com to see what is available on each of the sats.

P.S. Looks like 87W (SES 2) is nearest to true south for you at only 1° off.

 

[coltonjared]

The problem I'm worried about I have trees all around me so the only spot I can find to hit most of the arch is right under a pine tree which I'll cut the lower branches out to get the view of the arch from there. In the pictures I'm planing on taking the old pole for the clothes line out and put the cband pole a few feet away from it so the dish will clear the driveway.

 

[coltonjared]

I don't have a picture of the dish but I used google maps to gets shots of it which are not good but I think it appears to be 8ft.

 

[FTA4PA]

The problem I'm worried about I have trees all around me so the only spot I can find to hit most of the arch is right under a pine tree which I'll cut the lower branches out to get the view of the arch from there. In the pictures I'm planing on taking the old pole for the clothes line out and put the cband pole a few feet away from it so the dish will clear the driveway.

Looks like it may be a tight squeeze but with careful planning (using dishpointer to check obstacle vs sat location) it should be workable. Is the tree to the left (passenger side) of the dark vehicle yours (or a neighbor you are on good terms with)? If I understand the layout properly that would be to the west of the pole (and possibly where some decent sats are) so it might be beneficial to have the ability to drop a few branches if necessary.

 

[FTA4PA]

I don't have a picture of the dish but I used google maps to gets shots of it which are not good but I think it appears to be 8ft.

Hard to tell but my guess would be 7.5 or 8 foot.

 

[coltonjared]

Looks like it may be a tight squeeze but with careful planning (using dishpointer to check obstacle vs sat location) it should be workable. Is the tree to the left (passenger side) of the dark vehicle yours (or a neighbor you are on good terms with)? If I understand the layout properly that would be to the west of the pole (and possibly where some decent sats are) so it might be beneficial to have the ability to drop a few branches if necessary.

That's the pain in the ass walnut tree lol. It belongs to my neighbors but we've been taking care of the yard for the last two years for her but she's in a nursing home now and no body lives there. We're wanting to see if we can have the tree cut down cause we're worried if it ever fell down it would massive damage to one of our homes. I've been using SatFinder Lite app but it's not the best but it showes I should get from 61.5-131

 

[coltonjared]

I also have my eye on these 2 dishs as well. The picking around here are slim thanks to all the scrapers a few years ago.

 

[FTA4PA]

That's the pain in the ass walnut tree lol. It belongs to my neighbors but we've been taking care of the yard for the last two years for her but she's in a nursing home now and no body lives there. We're wanting to see if we can have the tree cut down cause we're worried if it ever fell down it would massive damage to one of our homes. I've been using SatFinder Lite app but it's not the best but it showes I should get from 61.5-131

Sounds like losing that tree would be beneficial in two ways then.

I also have my eye on these 2 dishs as well. The picking around here are slim thanks to all the scrapers a few years ago.

May just be my eyes but they both look bigger than the first you posted and the one on the ground appears to be pointed at a tree (so maybe not in use any longer).

 

[coltonjared]

I would love the one that's pointed at the tree cause it's easily a 10 footer but I half to watch how big it cause I'm still working on the boss at home to let me put it up. First one I posted actually belonged to them when they was with there ex years ago.

 

[armadillo_115]

I started with a 7.5 footer.Better than nothing...but knowing what I know now...I'd start with a 10 footer if at all possible.

Tell the 'boss' that the extra size dish will get you channels that the 8 footer will only tease you with. In particular, show her the channels listed at 3980H here: http://www.lyngsat.com/Galaxy-19.html

You almost certainly will NOT be watching THOSE on an 8 footer.

 

[FTA4PA]

You almost certainly will NOT be watching THOSE on an 8 footer.

How true! I've tried with my 8ft and nada. But still hoping to get my 10' SAMI in before winter...

 

[coltonjared]

I was reading somewhere that some people can get those channels with a 8 footer depending on your location in the US. I'm also worried about the size cause I half to put it under a tree.

 

[FTA4PA]

I would love the one that's pointed at the tree cause it's easily a 10 footer but I half to watch how big it cause I'm still working on the boss at home to let me put it up. First one I posted actually belonged to them when they was with there ex years ago.

I know what you mean. Wife was not real happy when I first started the hobby but she's come along nicely though over the past few years...

 

[coltonjared]

I think the thing thats hurting me with getting them on board with it cause they had it before and had problems with it. They ended up deactivating it after the motor locked up again and who ever there provider was back then was charging them 100 bucks a month cause they kept ordering more channels.

 

[Shicks4]

nice thing about FTA is there is no cost other then that which you generate yourself. But be warned it can become addicting. I have 3 dishes i have toted home on top of the first one that i set up because i was interested in parts. Only one of those dishes i have an issue with storing as its a 7.5' solid. I figure only being about $350 bucks into what i have set up now aint too bad. Of course that also means ill be spending more later, and i lucked out on basically getting ribbon cable, motors, feedhorns, and already had an ancient dishmover. I also agree that you really should start with a 10', and you really only need a foot more clearance all the way around the dish then you would have had to make for the 8'. My wife warmed up to the idea pretty fast after she seen the stuff i was getting, and she was very against the idea at first.

 

[coltonjared]

Be nice if there was a way to mount one on the roof then the trees wouldn't be a problem at all


Sent from my iPad using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[Shicks4]

Ive seen dishes on poles 15 to 20 feet in the air, but it makes maintenance, and adjustments a real danger unless you have equipment that can safely raise you up to the dish. I happen to have a mancage that i can put on my skidsteer to do this work if i wanted to as my dish is mounted on a pole that is 9' above grade. I have been working off a little giant ladder that has the platform attachment recently. but im not usually up there very long and im aware of the risks if i should fall. Id really consider avoiding putting your dish really high if it is avoidable. If you study dishpointer and look at what satellites have TP that are clear and you want to watch generally the majority of them are not down at the horizon, and even if there is a few down there you really need to weigh the pros and cons of not picking up or picking up those feeds. If i were to put a dish at my house i would have to put the dish on a fairly significant pole similar to what my neighbors had (they removed it 5 years or so ago before i had any idea what was up there) I certainly wouldn't have wanted to change the lnb on it as high as it was.

 

[armadillo_115]

You think you got it bad because the boss doesn't want a huge BUD now...you just wait until you get it working. You'll be lucky to even SEE the darn remote while she's at home.

Which means finding a spot for a second BUD later.

 

[Jason S]

You think you got it bad because the boss doesn't want a huge BUD now...you just wait until you get it working. You'll be lucky to even SEE the darn remote while she's at home. Which means finding a spot for a second BUD later.

Same scenario here.
I showed the better half how to use the first C-band dish, a 7.5' KTI, I still got to use the remote occasionally. Once the 10' dish went up, that remote has all but disappeared!