Any fall FTA projects?

[Mr Tony]

Yes I know Autumn in the weather calendar just came but for some of us our good days of outdoor FTA projects can be dwindling (we're expecting frost here this weekend in Minneapolis) so I ask

What are your Fall FTA projects if any?

 

[Mr Tony]

yesterday I replaced some bad (old) cabling from the roof to the basement and cleaned up the wiring

today was a daunting task....the 6 foot dish that sits on the table the "back" of the table had sunk from the rain and snow over the years (the table has some weird hard cardboard in between the top and bottom of the circular part) so the dish on the back had sunk a good inch+ resulting in the dish actually wobbling unless the sandbags were just right....so I took off 2 of the 3 sandbags and literally spun the table 180 degrees so the "front" of the table was in the "back" and that was a solid part of the table. Then I had to try and turn the dish but it was stuck in that hard cardboard so that took some balancing so the dish wouldnt tip. Got it spun around and reaimed at 99W.. actually lowered the elevation a good inch on the elevation knob and now 99W comes in better

I'll take pics tomorrow of how that table looks

 

[LocutusOfBorg]

I'm trying to make my crippled Paraclipse perform better. For some reason, I can get horizontal transponders but not vertical transponders. Not sure if I want to fight the wasps to check out the feedhorn. But, I do know I'm getting 13V out of the Azbox but the 18V is measuring about 15.5V. These are open terminal measurements. If I recall correctly 18V is for H and 13 is for V. But, the Birdog isn't locking on any vertical transponders, either. So, I probably didn't adjust the Geosatpro C2 LNBF properly or it's defective. Maybe I'll get an opportunity to check things this week. But, it doesn't look like it'll bring in the DVB-S2 stuff. I'd like to replace the Paraclipse and have 2 top performing antennas.

Also, I want to play with the actuator on the KTI since I have more "room" to extend it out another 13 or more inches and possibly get better pointing accuracy and stability. Eventually I'll weld the mount bar to the mount ring.

One of these days I'll quit messing with this stuff and actually watch some TV.

 

[brex2001]

Fall FTA projects

Here's the short list(ahem):

1) Get the 10 ft Orbitron up in place of the 7.5 ft Perfect 10.

2)mount a C-band orthomode feed horn on this dish

3)get all the multiswitches & diseqc switches into one rain-tight box mounted under the eave out by the dishes

4)plant a pole in the back yard, setup that 7.5 ft dish for W5

5)plant a second pole for the 6 ft Sadoun PF, mount the PF flat scalar feed horn & P270 Ku lnb (ala Iceburg Ku rainfade buster )

6)pull new RG6 dual cable & control wire for the 2 new dishes underneath the house to living room

7)get my HTPC back up & running with a new DVB-S2 pc card

8)think about why I didn't get started sooner

 

[ACRadio]

I just found a good deal on 2 bags of PPC waterproof RG-11 compression connectors and a compression tool for RG-11. The RG-11 compression connectors have finally gotten affordable. I'm going to replace all my outdoor crimp connectors, then cut the coax to length at the switch panel in the basement and change all of those. I couldn't do this until I got the cable buried, which finally happened this spring. I got a new First Strike meter a few months ago and since I've been on the mend I haven't got to put the "super tweak" on any of the dishes, so that's on the fall to-do list. The 12 footer won't get up this year...maybe next spring.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Next week I am going to put up my 1 meter lawn chair dish and aim it at the Cuban satellite.

I just purchased that WSI 6' Cband dish, it should be here Friday. I plan to being figuring out what to do with it next week. I plan to have it up and working before the end of October.

My four ku dishes are all cross-eyed. I plan to re-aim them and switch a few around so that the bigger one (not the lawn chair dish) is aimed at the PBS satellite.

I currently have them from left to right aimed at 101, 83, 97 and 125

I want to put them in order, 83, 97, 101 and 125. The dish that's at 97 is the largest of the four, I want to swap it with the 125 dish so that the Oklahoma PBS channels will be more reliable. Oh, and add to the left side, the dish I will be adding for the Cuba satellite. I think it's 30 or 35.

I want to see if I can coax the dishes into a little better signal too. It's pretty good as it is but why not try for perfection? I have plenty of time on my hands, might as well.

And sometime in the early spring I want to see if I can get that giant 10 foot dish put up. I'll have to pay someone to do that, it's way too much for me to handle.
But through the winter I plan to work on assembling it and trying to make new parts to replace the missing parts. I fixed one dish with an old lawn chair. Seriously..

I'm thinking that I might take the dish that's on 97 and put it on a motor. I bought a motor last year but have never installed it because, well, I can't figure out how to hook it to these dishes as they were never meant to be motorized.

I have limited tools and limited skills and limited knowledge so all of this is a big challenge to me. Not to mention my physical limitations of strength. The only thing I have going for me is red headed stubbornness. I have an endless supply of that.

 

[DJdish]

I´m planning to run some tests on locking sats that I should be able to receive down here, and depending on that:

Try to set up multiple LNBs on the dishes I already have to maximize their use.
or
look into getting some new dishes.

One of my priorities is to try locking on AMC 21 @ 125w for the PBS channels, I know that theoretically I´m just barely outside the footprint but having received a report frome someone down here who got the signal has encouraged me.

 

[Wescopc]

Just installed a WSI SG9120 on my SatAV 1.2 meter dish, put the T-90 in partial retirement - using two LNBs (101W & 97W) for a receiver in the bedroom. Getting full arc 72W - 129W. Removed the 2 deg LNB setup that I had for 123/125W. Slower then using switches with the T-90 but much better reception with the 1.2 dish. So far I would recommend the 9120, the dish clamps and holds well to the 65mm shaft, I added a third U-bolt just to be safe.

 

[Tron]

Living in New Orleans, this is the time of the year that I start revving up my outdoor projects. The heat finally goes away, and crisp, dry cool air offers a welcome working environment. More importantly, hurricane season starts to wind down.

Here are some projects I'm considering:

- I need to re-mount both of my motorized dishes on D* Slimline poles. These are fantastic mounting poles for motorized systems because they can be easily adjusted in every direction to level the motor. The monopoles provide excellent support, and the whole mount bolts to a common Superdish/Slimline NPRM base.

- Once the motorized dishes are on their new NPRMs, I will have a free 2 3/8" NPRM. I will use this mount for my T-90, and hopefully get it set up.

- I want a fixed dish on 30W ASAP ...

- There is still a 1.2 meter Prodelin in the backyard that needs to be set up on something. That is too fine a dish to be sitting idle. 103W is the leading candidate.

Now, the big question is, how many of these projects will I accomplish?

 

[AcWxRadar]

I don't truly have an agenda for the 2010 fall season. I had several projects that I wanted to engage throughout the summer, but it has been a very unorthadox season here. The weather and the river and work schedules did not cooperate with me to my liking.

My one desire was to permanently install my motorized dish, right where it has been located on the temporary tripod... temporary for the past couple of years! Ha Ha.

I wanted to install a 1-1/2" galvanized water pipe in concrete at the tripod site for my permanent mast and trench my cable from the site to the house.

The tripod wasn't meant to be a permanent installment, and it works excellently for most of the year. However, when the thaw goes out of the ground in the spring, the anchor posts and the foot pads start to loosen and I am at the whim of any of the Nebraska spring winds which push the whole assembly around and put my aim off course.

Setting the new mast in at a depth of around 40 to 48 inches and anchoring it in concrete will place it below the frost line and prevent my dish from moving if the topsoil softens and gets mushy in the spring.

I have the hole augered and the 1-1/2" pipe standing by with the concrete at hand in the garage, but I have some details to work out, mostly time and weather coordination to finish the project.

Another thing that I had in mind was a video project to go along with the installation process, to record it step-by-step for training purposes. I have never seen a really detailed guide in video form before. My brother and I have learned quite a bit from all the people we have met on this and other satellite related sites and I believe that we could orchestrate something on video that would be really excellent. It would beat any verbal description all to heck. Seeing the process unfold before your very eyes makes a big difference. As they say, "seeing is believing" and "a picture paints a thousand words".

Well, maybe, just maybe... I will skip some of the things that I am SUPPOSED to do and do this instead. Hmmm?



RADAR

 

[rodder]

I Got To get me Dmx741 Lnbf to working on ku have not had any luck yet.

 

[Corrado]

Now that I have 7 dishes up and running I'm going to rearrange some of my outside cabling. I already did my big project for the year and that was my 4th C band dish install.

 

[stogie5150]

Ahem...LOL

http://www.satelliteguys.us/c-band-satellite-discussion/223133-c-band-back-day.html


I am painting the cobbled together mount as we speak.


I am already wondering why I let myself talk myself into these things...

 

[ebo]

Get my new motorized ku dish setup running for deer camp

 

[rv1pop]

Next week clip clip clip ---

. It's pretty good as it is but why not try for perfection? I have plenty of time on my hands, might as well.

And sometime in the early spring I want to see if I can get that giant 10 foot dish put up. I'll have to pay someone to do that, it's way too much for me to handle.
But through the winter I plan to work on assembling it and trying to make new parts to replace the missing parts. I fixed one dish with an old lawn chair. Seriously..

I have limited tools and limited skills and limited knowledge so all of this is a big challenge to me. Not to mention my physical limitations of strength. The only thing I have going for me is red headed stubbornness. I have an endless supply of that.

OK Dee_Ann,

I do not like it when someone knocks my friends! You shold be able to get perfection, you are a redhead!
You have fixed one before, you can do it again! Keep up the good work. And you have good skills and Excellent teachers. Your knowledge base (here) is extensive. Around our old neighborhood, the strength part could be easily handled by a PB&J or toasted cheese sandwich offer to some of the "bottomless pit" teen age guys around.

My brunet had a bit of red! I like to call it auburn. Oh well, it is mostly white now. But I know how that works! MOM can do everything - even if she has to say, "Honey, can you help me!"
POP

 

[ParaclipseCKu]

The big projects are about finished. Just got my Dual Ortho feed and LNB's today and hope to get that up on the 10ft dish next week. The only other thing before it gets good and cold is cleaning up some cabling outside and mounting all my switched on a piece of wood in the house.

I'm sure by the time that is all done I'll think of something else!

 

[coinmaster32]

I'm trying to make my crippled Paraclipse perform better. For some reason, I can get horizontal transponders but not vertical transponders. Not sure if I want to fight the wasps to check out the feedhorn. TV.

Sounds to me like a wasp nest has blocked the vertical probe on the lnb, either that or the h/v voltage switch has failed.

 

[cracklincrotch]

I'm hoping to get my 12 footer up to replace my 7.5. Got a 16' 4.5" pole, dish is all painted, all new bolts, mount repainted, actuator greased. Just need to dig a 5' hole 20" around and get myself about 25 bags of premix. Oh, and $$$ for it.

 

[n8fq]

1. Turn the buttonhook around, re-adjust feed
2. Install the feed cover (sooner or later SOMETHING's going to get into the feed sitting bare like it is now)
3. Guy the feed (still trying to figure out how I'm going to get a string up to and through the top of the dish)

 

[LocutusOfBorg]

Sounds to me like a wasp nest has blocked the vertical probe on the lnb, either that or the h/v voltage switch has failed.

No wasp nest in the feed. Just wasps hang around the house a lot more at this time of year. Anyway, I hope that the feed is OK since it's brand new. Too windy today to mess with it anyway.