BUD Cover Ideas?

[Captain Midnight]

I found this dish cover advertised in an old supplier catalog and was wondering if anyone had tried covering their bud to help prevent snow buildup or spare hail damage? I think it would be worth trying to craft a cover since I live in Arkansas with plenty of hailstorms.

 

[primestar31]

You know that shrink-wrap plastic they use on boats for storage over the Winter? That will work perfectly on a C-band dish to protect from hale damage. You just have to make sure you don't shrink it so tightly, that it clam-shells the dish.

For that matter, you can probably buy Flex Seal liquid rubber paint, and paint your dish surface thick enough to protect from the average hail.

 

[Radioguy41]

Mild hail likely won't do any significant damage to the dish that would affect performance and heavy hail will go right through whatever cover you might use. Not worth the expenditure, IMHO.

 

[Comptech]

Just run nekkid, you will be fine. Many of hail storms here and my dish and feed horn are fine. On a side note, I was mowing today and backed up to my ku dish and knocked it off kilter, oh well something to do tomorrow.

 

[Cham]

Think I remember someone suggesting using car wax on the dish to allow the snow to slide off easier. I think tried that with a Ku dish. It worked ok but just never got around to doing it again. Wouldn't help with hail though.

Could also build a geodesic radome around the dish like at radar sites. Not likely much of a return on investment. Would get the neighbours talking though.

 

[Captain Midnight]

Think I remember someone suggesting using car wax on the dish to allow the snow to slide off easier. I think tried that with a Ku dish. It worked ok but just never got around to doing it again. Wouldn't help with hail though.

Could also build a geodesic radome around the dish like at radar sites. Not likely much of a return on investment. Would get the neighbours talking though.

I had one neighbor from 4 houses down actually pull onto my grass and stare while I was unloading my BUD at my new house. I *politely* requested he mind his own business.

 

[Cham]

Maybe he wanted to help and just too shy to ask?
You never know what people are thinking...