Adding dish....

[radio]

this week. You've seen "the farm" (shown closeup with older aiming) and far away (proposed front yard.)

A Birdview arrives this afternoon. The decision being: will it go in to replace the black mesh (full view, long cable) or...on the end to the right...(same notation) or....plant it in the FRONT yard with minimal cable! (always a plus around RF, and we've got LOTS of RF.)

If it goes in front, I could still use it for my main motorized dish, just run the motorized part of the current setup that way, and use the current (center) Birdview as if it's a stationary dish. It would shorten the cable by about 125 feet...but as of yet, I've had NO issues with long, buried cable on any of the feeds so that's not a real issue. My apartment's in the front where you see the windows, so you can imagine the wiring coming all the way from the current dish farm toward the building then all the way toward my apartment is quite long. Working, but quite long.

Also could have our logo painted into the dish since it would be facing the direction most people drive-from town. (I know, desecrating a birdview...but I'll leave their logo in it, too I have a NOS patch I will have reproduced for all the dishes...)

The incoming BV is from a friend's setup which we already changed to run modern equipment including diseqc positioning after installing a rotary encoder for the pulses.

Thoughts? (other than "clean that sidewalk and front....that's on the list...)
The original farm was put where it is to be close to the RV which was the original receiver location, and at the time, there was no apartment....

 

[radio]

Dish arrived. Pole will go in this week. Not sure which location yet. This "farm" or on its own near the building's apartment.

 

[KE4EST]

I would put it near the apartment.
Looks nice!!

 

[danristheman]

Hey radio hopefully you check with the landlord so it doesn't violate OTARD rules he he ha ha. That is a nice Birdview you go their.

 

[FTA4PA]

I think it deserves a spot of it's own by the apartment.

 

[radio]

every day I'm here, I'm grateful there are no rules.
With one more on the way, we'll have 4 large dishes, a six footer and numerous ku's.
No zoning here, no rules, no close neighbors, though I bet they shake their head at me now and then.

 

[danristheman]

Radio are you out in the country or still live in near city limits?

 

[radio]

a mile out of town,

 

[danristheman]

That's good, are you looking for more dishes for your farm there? There is some around here in Steuben County Indiana.

 

[radio]

Always, but very picky about the type. Used to "know" where most of 'em were down there. Did nearly a decade as morning host on WLKI. (I'll probably always be the longest continual host for mornings they had.) GREAT area, nice people.

 

[danristheman]

Do you have a certain type you are looking for what is the best one to get?

 

[radio]

I've opted for the front yard, just "camera side" of the sidewalk and dirt area, with a total of UNDER 50 feet of cable for LNBs and motor/sensor.
If I can get COMPLETELY shielded motor/pulse cable, grounding one end, this Birdview may run with no modifications to a positioner. The current positioner drives a step-up voltage device which sends about 30 volts to the current Birdview's rotary encoder/sensor. With +4 volts in the air/wires at all times from our transmitter, the +5 on and off was not strong enough to overcome it, but 30 was. On a short run, fingers crossed for proper grounding and a more "universal" setup allowing less modifications but still a fully functioning system. Pole goes in this week.

 

[radio]

Been pondering this....with the shorter run on all cables, there's no reason why aluminum flex conduit couldn't carry the cables and help drain off any RF from my station. Can run it right up to the wall entrance at the apartment and right up TO the birdview motor housing, even bond it to the BV and a ground rod on the far end. The really LONG run we have now may have been an issue for that, but ....can anyone think of a reason NOT to do this? It's protection AND RF rejection, and aluminum so no rusting issues, plus it's not watertight, so water will pass through it instead of building up and causing ice damage..(something we had to worry about when running our 5kw cables to the towers....had to use plastic drainage tile so no ice could expand and pierce a high wattage line....sealed pipe was a no-no. Might end up with a smoother running BV than the system we have now!

 

[armadillo_115]

You mean underground or in contact with soil? I don't know about aluminum conduit.Maybe it has some kind of special exterior coating? But regular aluminum can not be used for a ground wire underground because it corrodes and literally dissolves in the soil.

Also,you can't connect aluminum to copper without a special connector.(Stainless,IIRC)

 

[radio]

Only thinking of using as a shield/ tunnel. A ground wire shield alongside any length of wire or a foil shield doesn't cut it here. I'm no expert on long term exposure underground, but it certainly would make the run an easy one, and the RF nonexistent. I suppose we could use copper tubing or pipe, instead... if your suspicions of decay are an issue.

Either way, it would be a jacket use for (tunnel/ease of running ) about 35 feet, and for RF rejection only. We bond aluminum boxes to our copper ground system at the station no problem, done very commonly with bolts, clamps, etc So far, at two years no issues with the copper strap reacting with aluminum boxes..Maybe copper's a better idea, comparable cost, but a better idea.

The ATU (antenna tuning unit) houses (boxes) that have our high wattage coils and matching networks are all aluminum, but grounded to our copper system at the base of the towers just fine. Anything that affords me RF rejection.... I'm all for it. Can't hurt to give it a whirl but maybe copper...would be better. Thanks for the heads up on the possible corrosion....didn't cross my mind....after living in an aluminum trailer for 8 years....aluminum seemed fairly indestructible...but I'm no chemistry expert! Thanks for the input!

 

[radio]

Pole goes in....8 bags of concrete later.....it's vertical and plumb.
**EDIT** we actually ended up using 11 bags for this Birdview.

This'll be c/ku with shorter run of control cables. Fingers crossed for no RF issues when finished.
50 feet or so, including exposed wiring to nosecone.

Our Friday night host Popeye John did the work...as we prepare for an open house on Thurs Afternoon.

Hoping to set the dish ON tomorrow mid afternoon giving the concrete about 24 hours to be stabilized...If I recall, that was the minimum we waited when I used to sell these...maybe it was 2 days, but I won't be doing anything except placing the dish ON...hopefully tomorrow. Standard quickcrete used, not the fast setting stuff.

 

[radio]

Finally, after a long wait to get people here...
Birdview #3 is set, awaiting underground conduit and new wiring, plus a new hole in the wall to make then fill for this single dish.
Maybe I'll luck out and with shorter leads for RF and motor/sensor I'll have the best of the 3 going. Right now, it'll be it's own "system" but, if it works well,
I'll integrate it into the existing ones.

The neighbors must think I'm nuts. Oh well, I'm in RADIO. That's crazy to begin-with.

 

[waylew]

The neighbors must think I'm nuts

the neighbors thinking you're nuts is a good thing,they won't want to set you off

 

[radio]

I like that perspective!

 

[Borisov-54]

Excellent work - = = radio.
The question, and that the mast stoit.I which antenna is installed on it. ???