Adventures in dish hunting and what we find

[linuxman]

Thanks Doc!!

I'll give it a try when I get it home.

The first thing I thought of when I spotted it was your dish.

I remember reading about how much you love that dish, and how good the reception is on it. Even when covered in snow.

I am going to pick up the Pinnacle on Saturday as long as the weather holds.

Fred

 

[drhydro]

Fred, it does great in snow until the weight of the snow pulls the elevation off ;-) We had about 2 inches of extremely wet heavy stuff on the lower edge of my BUD that took out c band monday, nothing a couple of minutes with a snow rake didnt take care of. Before I cleaned the snow off I pulled up on the lip of the dish and signal improved to normal, so it had to be the weight affecting the elevation angle.

 

[linuxman]

I saw that storm head your way. It passed through here a couple of days before it got to you.

Glad it didn't do any permanent damage.

I haven't lost C-Band entirely through the whole winter with the old BUD, but I think that was due to the fact that most of our stuff was ice and it kind of balanced out on the dish. I lost some signal, but not altogether.

Lost Ku lots of time because of snow and ice. I even lost Ku on the Primestar once because of ice. I hosed it down with water, and it returned to normal.

 

[chefwan]

crazy how things like that happen huh. just think about the little dish's i bet they was mad when the ice and (wind) my way hit them my parents was calling asking me if my dish was out but i said YES.. they said see that dish isnt so good after all i said i guess not its on the ground...wind broke a bolt holding the elevation rod up

 

[chefwan]

I saw that storm head your way. It passed through here a couple of days before it got to you.

Glad it didn't do any permanent damage.

I haven't lost C-Band entirely through the whole winter with the old BUD, but I think that was due to the fact that most of our stuff was ice and it kind of balanced out on the dish. I lost some signal, but not altogether.

Lost Ku lots of time because of snow and ice. I even lost Ku on the Primestar once because of ice. I hosed it down with water, and it returned to normal.

how do you have your primestar wired into your 4dtv ?

 

[linuxman]

how do you have your primestar wired into your 4dtv ?

Sorry, I don't have the Primestar into the 4DTV, and I didn't have the 4DTV until just recently. (after all snow and ice)

The Primestar is run by a Coolsat 5000 on an SG2100 motor.

When we had all the snow and ice, the old BUD was being run by the Pansat 3500 with a VBox II.

 

[linuxman]

Went and got the Pinnacle today. I couldn't stand it!!

I had to fix the panel that was pushed in by the lawn mower.

I pulled off the piece of the outer rim, and gently tapped it back into shape with a hammer and 2x4. I pushed down on the perfed sheet, and every thing pretty much popped back into position. It isn't perfect, but it is pretty darn close.

I then did the string test at 3,6,9, and 12 position. Then I did the string test at 1:30,4:30,7:30, and 10:30 which included the damaged panel. The string met in the center perfectly in both tests. No warpage at all.

Here are a couple of pics. The one is a little dark, but as you can see versus the others in this thread, the panel is straight again.



I also changed out the old Winegard and put in the replacement dish in. I will post pictures and tell about that in the Big Dish thread tomorrow after it is all hooked back up.

Fred

 

[gabshere]

good work , i couldn't tell it had been damaged before looks good

 

[linuxman]

Thanks George!!

I couldn't believe how well it went back into place. Like Drhydro said, the material is very resilient.

Fred

 

[Corrado]

BUD went up recently

I have been a dish hunter for the past 2 years with the help of my young son. This time of the year is best, the snow is gone, no leaves or bees yet. Last year we spotted the 12' Sami dish in the background laying on the ground partially disassembled. The next week it was up. Last week we noticed someone just installed a 10' dish in front of it. I'm not sure who uses them,they are behind a commercial building that lists a plumbing company next to pizza place. But it's good to see C band still in use.

 

[drhydro]

Glad to hear it worked out for you Fred!

 

[linuxman]

Thanks Doc,

Now all I have to do is finish up the dish for the 4DTV, and get the Pinnacle operating.

I can only handle one major project at a time.

Fred

 

[linuxman]

Got the non-penetrating mount for the Pinnacle set up and ready for the H-H mount and dish.

Opened up the AJAK H-H mount today, cleaned it all up, lubed it up good with both spray on and put on with your finger type grease to the gears and chain.

Sprayed the Pinnacle with Krud-Kutter, and then scrubbed it down with Dawn dish washing liquid and hot water. That removed most of the dirt and pigmentation/oxidation from the paint. I am going to wait until fall to paint the dish black or super dark charcoal gray.

Just have a couple more things to do, and run the wires inside before I put the dish up on Friday. Supposed to be a lot of rain between now and Friday. But a clear weekend.

Fred

 

[linuxman]

I was driving home from a client in St. Louis yesterday, and spotted another Pinnacle.

I have driven past that spot hundreds of times and never saw this dish. It is kind of surrounded on three sides by pine trees and I just never noticed it. Got off at the next exit and drove to the motel parking lot where it's at, and went into the trees to have a look. It is just like mine except no AJAK H-H mount. Just the standard Winegard mount. It is in pretty good shape. A few more hail dings than mine, but definitely worth snagging. I'll save it for a day next fall.

Well that gave me an idea about another old motel just further up the road towards home. I got off at that exit and drove to the lot looking on the roof, but no dish. This is an older Holiday Inn, and I know they had to have one somewhere, so I drove around back and snuggled right up next to the building was this monster.

Must be 20 feet across. Solid steel pieces bolted together on a huge tri-pod mount with a H-H motor on the back for movement. A maintenance guy walked out and saw me admiring the dish. He asked if I wanted it. I told him I would love to have it. I just had to figure out a way to get it, and a place to put it. I can just see the look on my wife's face when I drag that baby home.

I could start my own cable company here in town with that hummer.

I didn't have my camera with me for either dish. I will try and remember and take it with me next week and get pics of both dishes.

Fred

 

[caddata]

.... A maintenance guy walked out and....asked if I wanted it.....

Dang Fred! You should have been a Bounty Hunter. Dog would have been a taxi driver had you taken up the trade. I've never seen, or heard, of anyone with your ability to sniff out an old dish.

Keep up the good work and posts. I'm disappointed if I have to go more than a day without another installment in this saga.

Harold

 

[linuxman]

Hey Harold,

It is just like hunting mushrooms. Some people can be in the woods and walk right over the top of them and never see them. I have even watched people step on them and not see them.

It takes a bit of eye training to find them, but once you have it, you never lose it.

Same with dishes. You just train your eye to see them. I guess I have my eye trained by now.

The shame is, I just can't take them all.

I am hoping to at least take some good ones, and the ones I can take apart, I can store in my warehouse until friends and family decide they want to try FTA. But all Birdviews will go on my roof even if I have to take something down to make room.

 

[gabshere]

i would love to see a photo you are the king hunter

oh and i found another solid birdview
now i have to find out who to talk to

I can store in my warehouse until friends and family decide they want to try FTA. But all Birdviews will go on my roof even if I have to take something down to make room.

i agree Fred get all you can , the way people are hunting up scrap metal around here i'm supprised any are left so Save the Dishes

 

[linuxman]

oh and i found another solid birdview
now i have to find out who to talk to

Cool

I agree Fred get all you can , the way people are hunting up scrap metal around here i'm supprised any are left so Save the Dishes.

Everyone else should do the same.

I'll get pictures next Thursday.

Fred

 

[Corrado]

I took this photo the other day. Judging by the sign on the dish, I wonder if the owner is tired of people asking about it. The trees in the background must be a problem.

 

[colbec]

No doubt the tree just in front of the dish was a problem too! Looks like a northern garden, white spruce in left middle distance, and the tree immediately behind the dish looks like a Norway maple. I would say it was cut down to a stump about 6 years ago and since then has sprouted up from the base. The owner has not cared since at that time they switched to small dish.

Judging by the slant on the pole I'd say it was fair game for a removal. Just tell them you will leave the pole for them to hang the sign on!