AMCI perf on AJAK motor:

[Anole]

I found this dish a while back and described it in the Adventures in Dish Hunting 2009 thread.
VoomVoom did some research in old satellite magazines, and didn't find the manufacturer.
If anyone can help, that would be appreciated. See below.

Now that I'm convinced I have the go-ahead, here are the pre-harvesting pictures and description:

0 - Perforated 8' (?) dish, on 9' rusty, 3½" pole.
I was there to give it an early PBblaster shot on all the hardware prior to picking it up next weekend.
The dish is really beautiful against the sky.

1 - Base of the pole. The owner didn't want any concrete bashing.
Darned good thing. After last weeks Birdview harvest, including serious concrete destruction, I'm never doing that again!
Figure I can cut the 9' tall pipe off about even with the edge of the dog-run base (4 inches?) and be done with it! -

2 - A little setting-sun on the side of the mount, gives it a gold glow.
The ring on the back of the dish is rusty, so that begs the question, is the dish steel, too?
It shows no signs of deterioration, and is a dull gray color (in case you can't tell in the pix).
The mount has some rust peeking through the original finish.
The pipe is ... well, you can see: it was never protected from the elements.

3 - is a close-up of the above (different camera shot)
Could use a little TLC, but manageable, I think.

4 - other side of motor, showing pipe, motor, and mounting ring on the back of the dish.
Note the label. This appears to be the manufacturer.

5 - we turned the label right-side-up and it's quite readable after all these years.
Has anyone ever heard of this odd company name??

6 - note the company logo on the horn cover.
Not a particularly notable logo nor typefont.
Here, you can peek at the scalar, and a hint of how it's supported.
Looks like the LNB arms are just bent over...

7 - The rim of the dish seem to have a gentle roll-over to it.
Very hard to photograph. But here is the edge.
Note the thick metal, and round-punched holes.
Seems like it should have a molding of some sort on the edge.

8 - As for the size of the holes, I'll let you be the judge.
Pretty sure this'll run Ku just fine, though! -

Think this should be happy beside my Birdview?
It's almost a clone of the Perforated Birdviews, but I'm sure the real BV owners will object to that characterization.
After all, they do have a reputation to uphold! -

More next week, as we pull down this (hopefully) light weight aluminum (?) dish, and 63 lbs motor.
Not really afraid of this one, after the Birdview!
Stay tuned ... film at 11.

 

[linuxman]

It is a beautiful dish in the picture with the sky and trees as a background.

The reflector appears almost as thick as a Birdview, and could very well be a copy of the design.

I have put a portion of your close-up holes in a comparison close-up shot of the Birdview perfed holes. The Birdview holes are not big enough to allow a whole #2 pencil to pass through. Almost 1/4 inch in diameter. Your holes look to be about 1/8 inch in diameter, and should do a fantastic job with ku signals.

Course the AJAK H-H mount is just icing on the cake.

We will be looking forward to the pictures of the move of both dishes.

Take a look at the comparison shot:

 

[1captain]

In all Anole, that dish looks like it would be a good performer, an when you get it up an running you will really like that Ajax mount. but nice dish, now on the holes in the reflector they look smaller than a birdview perf, if some one could lay a bill up to a birdview an count its holes to compare, but they do look smaller in picture, I counted 22 1/2 for the lenghit of the $20 bill, should of used a $100.

"concrete bashing" what is that TO MUCH WORK, me here I have always cut the pole just below ground level, either sawsall or tourch, like tourch much better quicker, an you can heat the pole after cutting about 3/4 of it an they lay down nice an easy.

good luck with an agin very nice dish, whish you where close to Fla, try to talk you out of it, but don't think it would work.

 

[phlatwound]

Definitely looks like a keeper!

I'm sure you already tried, but Google wasn't my friend when attempting to look up AMCI.

If it just had the sticker (and not the feedhorn logo) I would be inclined to think it was just referring to the retailer/installer....but CC, NV is a long ways from LA.

Happy harvesting!

 

[Anole]

holy cow!

I brought up the picture of the $20 bill and the perf holes and blew it up a bit on my computer.
The zero in the upper left "20" was about 3/8 on the actual bill, and about 6/8ths on the photo.
So, roughly 2:1
I measured a perf hole on the picture at around 3/8, making the actual size somewhere in the vicinity of 3/16th.
This wasn't terribly accurate, but with a pencil measuring 5/16th, I think we have a Ku-winner.
Now, if the parabolic shape is just accurate! -

Thanks for all the kind words.
From reading the forum I learned to recognize a goodie when I see it, so thanks again for the fine education.
It's what made me drop my mouth open in amazement, and yell: "Hands Off!" when I first saw this dish! -
Needless to say, the AJAK was most certainly the "icing on the cake"!
Really made a believer out of me!

In college, photography was one of my hobbies.
I still know how, but all the things you need to think about when photographing a dish would make a book!.
Perhaps we should at least come up with a check list.
I've done it seven times now, and missed so much that was there for the seeing.
The excitement of the moment is quite distracting!

 

[linuxman]

I measured a perf hole on the picture at around 3/8, making the actual size somewhere in the vicinity of 3/16th.
This wasn't terribly accurate, but with a pencil measuring 5/16th, I think we have a Ku-winner.
Now, if the parabolic shape is just accurate!

I think it will be great for Ku signals provided the surface accuracy and the parabolic form are a good design.

Always remember, it is not just the size of the holes, it is also the size of the metal left behind when the holes are stamped. There has to be enough surface metal in between the holes to reflect the Ku signal without refraction.

 

[turbosat]

another winner

That is also a very nice dish! Never saw one like it, almost clear!! I think it will be great for ku. No help on that manufacturer from the Satellite bible I have, never heard of them.

 

[Anole]

Thanks for looking in your documentation, Turbo.
You know, as the C-band business declined, it's quite possible the company transitioned onto a parallel field...
Don't think it's AMCi, nor American Marble Comany Inc., though.


I find perforated dishes are just very photogenic.
Loved the black Birdview perf which Linuxman used to use as an avatar! :up

I have other shots of this one which don't look nearly as good.
One has a severe moire pattern on it, and so that would make a really ugly avatar.
Just hope when I get it installed, I can get as gorgeous a shot to post!

 

[mikekohl]

AMCI was located near Lake Tahoe, and I installed a few in southern California back in 1989 and 1990. Excellent antenna; if memory serves me correct, one of those antennas went into the television archives area at UCLA in Los Angeles.
Its performance beat the heck out of a locally made 10-foot fiberglass disaster that we happily tossed in pieces off a 3-story roof. I was quite shocked at how well the AMCI worked, and you should definitely have a good performer even if it is over 15 years in the field.

 

[SatPhreak]

That looks like a beautiful dish and you can't go wrong with the H-H motor. A little wire brushing and paint on the mouting ring and pole will only make it better looking. It looks most likely that the mesh is aluminum since there is no rust on it. Judging from my fingers to a $1 US bill compared to your picture, I figure the holes are probably about 1/8"-3/16" which would make it a good performer for Ku. Great find! Best thing about it is no hail dings in it either.

 

[Anole]

what the hail ?

That looks like a beautiful dish and you can't go wrong with the H-H motor.
Best thing about it is no hail dings in it either.

Yea, a real looker, if I do say so myself! - :up
I slightly preferred a Birdview perforated if I'd had the choice between that and their solid.
A little brushing and painting (motor mount, dish ring, & pole), and this should satisfy me.

Hail ? What the hell is that ?
We hardly even have rain! -

AMCI was located near Lake Tahoe, and I installed a few in southern California back in 1989 and 1990. ...
I was quite shocked at how well the AMCI worked, and you should definitely have a good performer even if it is over 15 years in the field.

Finally, someone who's actually heard of the company!
Thank you SO much for your input, Mike! - :up

I'm told the owner is one to over-buy, or get the best.
I knew I had something when I walked around the corner and recognized the AJAK.
Anyone who'd pay for that motor, wasn't afraid to spend a dollar.
So, the dish being at least pretty good isn't a big surprise.

I'm guessing maybe AMCI had a hot reputation for those in-the-know, back then.
Maybe word got out about how well they performed.
You obviously had your hands on a few! -
Surprising though, I've found no mention of AMCI on the web or in old satellite magazines.
This one company seems almost forgotten by history.

Have to wonder if maybe they got the west-coast sales that Birdview might have lost, due to their price or longer distance from their factory?

Thanks again for the great story!

 

[Anole]

take-down, & moving day:

This is what happened after lunch on my Birdview moving day . . .

I already had the rented stake-bed truck.
So, fresh off a successful Birdview move, we went to get the AMCI.

As you see in the pictures above, it was standin' proud, high above the back yard.
I had already visited twice, shooting it with PBblaster, and crankin' on the hardware.
Wasn't really expecting this to be a big deal.
Learned on the BV move, to leave the concrete alone if the pole disappears into it! -
This dish was high enough in the air, that I still reclaimed 9 feet of 3½ inch pipe, so no concerns there!

We did have some trouble with a couple of the bolts between motor and dish.
But, a trusty sawzall and grinder made short work of the trouble-makers!
We twisted the dish about 90° on the pole , then lowered it to that chain-link dog run as the first step.
Two of us stood on ladders, and the owner was on the fence/dog-run, helping guide it.
Next, we eased the dish down onto the ground.

Man, that thing is light! With the feedhorn and arms, it can't be over 50..70 lbs.
A far cry from the Birdview, starting out at 100 lbs for the dish, and no telling what for the feed+arms!
Quite literally, two of us were able to carry the dish using just one hand, as long as we kept it balanced.
When we tipped the dish up on edge to go through a gate, it was difficult to grip, so it took more effort.

The pole surrendered to a combinatioin of sawzall and grinder.
I even managed to pull out the entire cable run from dish to receiver, and get it all!
...and the Toshiba TRX-2000 analog receiver, too. - score -

We reused our 2x6 lumber and bolts, attaching the dish to two 10' long boards.
The bolts holding the motor to the pole came out like they were new, but the motor didn't want to come off the pole.
So, we carried both to the truck and lashed them down as a pair!
Everything got packed, strapped with the ratchet straps, then I put on a few extra safety straps to make sure the load didn't shift.

Sorry for some of the crummy pictures. It was getting late, and my shots weren't working.
So, I tried flash. Well, that might work indoors, but outside it was pretty anemic.
I did some photo enhancement of the last two, to show the final configuration - please excuse the colors. -

Feeling more confident running my 2nd load for the day, we went home at around 40 mph!
Unloading by streetlight wasn't so bad. Even carrying the dish to the back yard was okay.
We did bump the none cone off with the fence, though.
If I'd known it was held on with only friction, I'd have never driven with it on! -

We had dinner, then I came home for a shower and debriefing with some other satellite buddies on line.
What a day. Two buds. Two very nice BUDs.


... well, stay tuned for the on-going saga of getting the dish planted 'n running!

 

[linuxman]

Another nice job!

Very professional.

It is going to make a fine dish!

 

[Natedawg63]

Congrats on the nice find... Looks jus like a Channel Master perf sat a local TV station has. Bet she will be a great performer! Can't wait to see the final results when it's up and running.

Nate

 

[Anole]

dish at new home - mine!

I finally took a look under the hood.
Laser brand HEMT HLNB 7000, 62db, 35°K standard LNB.

Regular Chaparral feedhorn.
I didn't check to see if it was a patent-infringing model, but it's doubtful.

I half-way expected better. This owner was known for high-end toys.

Don't have a date on the system, but I believe it's early 90's vintage.
Will get better info from the -former- owner later, since I have a friendly pathway to him.

Well, the dish came with a very nice Toshiba TRX-2000 analog receiver.
So as a first test, I may just try to see what the old girl will do, as-is.

 

[Techfizzle]

google says that the address of the building it was made at is for sale

 

[turbosat]

Anole are you going to put up both c-banders? Or just use this last one until the BV refurb is done?

 

[Anole]

Turbo -

I was just adding another picture of the one AMCI dish, and some additional facts.

For instance:
We couldn't get the motor off the pole, so we cut the pole down with the motor atop it!
Actually, that wasn't really a problem. Sawzall and grinder. 10 minutes?
Nine feet of pipe came down gently with that 63 lb motor, thanks to lots of hands under it.
You'll see it strapped to the truck still assembled.

I have both this pole/motor and the Birdview pole & motor in the garage.
Only the dishes are out back... and I have yet to decide exactly where to plant them.
I figure I'll practice rust-removing on the AMCI pole first, as it is the worst.
Then maybe work on the AJAK motor brackets with whatever rust/paint skills I learn.
By then, the magnet wheels for the Birdview may be ready, so I might change gears.
Plus, I'll want to be well practiced to do the delicate de-rusting and re-painting of the sweet Birdview mechanicals.

As to which dish to put up first, I'm torn.
I'm afraid if I put up the AMCI and light weight AJAK, I might never work up the fortitude for the Birdview!
Mostly 'cause it's h.e.a.v.y. ! -

But this weekend was just the two BUDS: Birdview in the morning, and this AMCI in the afternoon.

edit: I just re-read your question. Stupid me. I want to put up both the Birdview and the AMCI.
Either one could be ready in about equal time. I'm just trying to follow in the footsteps of the greats!

 

[Anole]

paints:

I wanted to use Hammerite rust-control paint.
Unfortunately, ya just can't get it any more around L.A.
I know, after getting all the local dealers off the manufacturer's web site, I visited 'em!

I was told by a buddy's Dad, who's been in the paint 'n hardware business for 40+ years, that Hammerite beats RustOleum paints.
In the end, I did settle for some of the RustOleum hammered products.

And for a rust preventative primer, I wanted to use the best.
The same gentleman recommended Rust Destroyer.
After looking at the sister-product, Rust Knockout, I tried to find some.
In the end, I located Rust Destroyer at Home Depot, and bought that.

Also, you see a can of Loctite Extend.
I began by looking for this product, but as my research progressed, I felt there were better solutions.
I'll experiment with it and see how it works out.
This goes on clear , and turns black when it reacts with rust.
You need two primer coats and then later a final coat for best performance.

Attached is a picture of the products and colors I'll be working with.
Got the Hammerite in black only, and may reserve that for the Birdview, or the pole.

The chunk of tubing in front of the paints, is one custom-bent for me by a buddy.
It's for those hard-to-reach-places.
And stuck to it, are a 100 little magnets to be used in advanced magnet-wheels.
They are all pointing the same way, with the same polarity, so one end can be marked with some hot-pink finger nail polish.
I stand corrected, it's Think Pink.

Lastly, we have a shot of the AJAK mount.
You can see in the upper left, the main drive gear.
Upper central is the worm gear.
To the right, is the reed switch, on the Bakelite magnet cover.
The great big screw at the bottom, is the elevation adjustment.

Some of this info has been shared and discussed with a close group of friends, but I wanted to publicize it for all members to laugh and snicker at. -
Will keep ya advised as I work on the many areas it takes to get two motorized dishes up 'n running.

 

[linuxman]

Always good to watch progress being made even if no one responds to your posting.

Those of us who are interested will keep reading.

Looking forward to your next report!