OK, I'm ready to slip into the C-band world. I have been using KU for a while, and just got my hand s on a free unimesh 6-foot (?) dish. First thing i noticed was the 3 cables going into it? What are they? How can I test que actuator on it? I'll post a picture later on today.
C-Band move
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Here's a picture of how an old BUD is wired up. (Courtesy of Geo Orbit site)
Briefly:
- two big wires to the motor that moves the dish
- two little wires to the reed switch that senses motion of the dish
- three little wires to the servo motor on the feedhorn to adjust between Vertical and Horizontal polarity
- 1 or 2 coax to the C-band and Ku band LNBs mounted on the feedhorn.
Briefly:
- two big wires to the motor that moves the dish
- two little wires to the reed switch that senses motion of the dish
- three little wires to the servo motor on the feedhorn to adjust between Vertical and Horizontal polarity
- 1 or 2 coax to the C-band and Ku band LNBs mounted on the feedhorn.
Hi, or you could use a GBOX dish mover with a DVB receiver. You would still need to control the servo motor for the polarity. A Pansat 3500 SD can do this.
For testing the actuator you can try hooking up two car batteries in series for 24 volts and hook up the two larger motor wires. The direction of movement can be reversed by flipping the wires.
Hope this helps, DC
I'll second what Delta Charlie said, above.
Though, you may get the motor to move on just one 12 car or motorcycle battery.
I'll wait 'till you post some pictures of the dish, mount, and feed, before going crazy with more suggestions.
Also, it'll give you a chance to properly measure across the open end of the dish.
People have been known to guess wrong when eye-balling the size of a BUD.
Though, you may get the motor to move on just one 12 car or motorcycle battery.
I'll wait 'till you post some pictures of the dish, mount, and feed, before going crazy with more suggestions.
Also, it'll give you a chance to properly measure across the open end of the dish.
People have been known to guess wrong when eye-balling the size of a BUD.
People have been known to guess wrong when eye-balling the size of a BUD.
I went to pick up a nice 10 footer this spring, and it turned out to be a 7.5' Unimesh.
But from a distance...
Pictures
Funny you said that, toucan-man! I picked these up this past weekend. Before I got to the location, one of the previous owners said this was a 6-foot, the other guy said I would be getting a 12-foot!!! Turns out they are exactly the same size - 8 feet, if the arc counts. The average is correct... lol
The black one is a Unimesh, the gray one, a Sodom (?).
First of all, I disassembled the feedhorn structure on the black one for transportation, and didn't think about making any marks. Putting it back together, it occurred to me that the feedhorn must have a fixed position in relation to the rest of the dish. In fact, somewhere on the lnb mount I see a couple of arrows under the word "Polar axis". How do I go about figuring out where each arm goes? Which of the axis of the dish is the "polar axis"?
On a different note, I still am to decide which dish to use, assuming both are working. By looking at the pictures, can anyone tell which one will be best? Do any of these can do KU as well?
Also, since all I have is a Sonicview 4000 and a CS 8000 HD, I guess I can only start by using these fixed on a certain bird. It will work, right? Is the aiming process similar to that of a KU band?
Thanks, guys!
I went to pick up a nice 10 footer this spring, and it turned out to be a 7.5' Unimesh.
But from a distance...
Funny you said that, toucan-man! I picked these up this past weekend. Before I got to the location, one of the previous owners said this was a 6-foot, the other guy said I would be getting a 12-foot!!! Turns out they are exactly the same size - 8 feet, if the arc counts. The average is correct... lol
The black one is a Unimesh, the gray one, a Sodom (?).
First of all, I disassembled the feedhorn structure on the black one for transportation, and didn't think about making any marks. Putting it back together, it occurred to me that the feedhorn must have a fixed position in relation to the rest of the dish. In fact, somewhere on the lnb mount I see a couple of arrows under the word "Polar axis". How do I go about figuring out where each arm goes? Which of the axis of the dish is the "polar axis"?
On a different note, I still am to decide which dish to use, assuming both are working. By looking at the pictures, can anyone tell which one will be best? Do any of these can do KU as well?
Also, since all I have is a Sonicview 4000 and a CS 8000 HD, I guess I can only start by using these fixed on a certain bird. It will work, right? Is the aiming process similar to that of a KU band?
Thanks, guys!
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Nice Catch! Wish i has some buds around here others didnt want anymore.They both look to be in good shape,cant tell from pics what kind of shape the actuator is in!I dont know anything about the LNB's you got but sure others here will help you out.
I would lean toward the feedhorn that has the two C-band LNBs on it.
The other has a single C-band LNB and a servo to select V or H polarity.
The servo is not easily controlled by the receivers you mentioned.
Be on the lookout for a 2x2, 2x4, 3x4, or other sort of multiswitch.
You would hook the two inputs of it to the two LNBs, and then have 2, 4, etc outputs to go to your receiver(s).
For a discussion of multiswitches in this role, check out Pendragon's thread:
Naughty Mods II: 4x8 Switch with All 18V outputs
But the LNBs you have, probably will work fine on 13 volts, so you don't really need to DO the mod.
The other has a single C-band LNB and a servo to select V or H polarity.
The servo is not easily controlled by the receivers you mentioned.
Be on the lookout for a 2x2, 2x4, 3x4, or other sort of multiswitch.
You would hook the two inputs of it to the two LNBs, and then have 2, 4, etc outputs to go to your receiver(s).
For a discussion of multiswitches in this role, check out Pendragon's thread:
Naughty Mods II: 4x8 Switch with All 18V outputs
But the LNBs you have, probably will work fine on 13 volts, so you don't really need to DO the mod.
Yes, then you'd be all over it.
Dual LNB C-band feed + Gbox, and any standard FTA receiver could run it fine.
(and the multiswitch, of course)
I'd pick whichever dish had the better motor/mount.
Maybe post more pictures if you want help deciding.
Then, put the dual LNB feedhorn on THAT dish.
Dual LNB C-band feed + Gbox, and any standard FTA receiver could run it fine.
(and the multiswitch, of course)
I'd pick whichever dish had the better motor/mount.
Maybe post more pictures if you want help deciding.
Then, put the dual LNB feedhorn on THAT dish.
Yes, then you'd be all over it.
Dual LNB C-band feed + Gbox, and any standard FTA receiver could run it fine.
(and the multiswitch, of course)
I'd pick whichever dish had the better motor/mount.
Maybe post more pictures if you want help deciding.
Then, put the dual LNB feedhorn on THAT dish.
Hey, what is the dual LNB for? Shouldn't it be a C-band LNB and a KU band LNB instead?
A good working dual LNB feed is a little better than your other feedhorn with the servo.
Two LNBs lets it get both Vert and Horiz polarity at the same time, so no servo required.
The down side is you need a multiswitch to hook the two LNBs together.
AND, your LNBs don't look like they're in great shape.
Another way to go, is with a dual-band LNBF, such as the Ck-1 or DMX741.
It replaces the feedhorn and LNBs and slides right into your scalar. (flat plate with rings on the business side)
One cable goes to the C-side of the LNBF, and one to the Ku-side.
Then, by selecting 13v you get Vertical, and 18v you get Horiontal, just the way the receiver wants.
And you could use a 22kh or diseqc switch to let your receiver choose which band to receive.
Try your 12 volt battery to the two largest wires as suggested below.
The motor should run, but there is nothing to stop it from going too far.
The good news is, it'll run slowly on 12 volts.
Reverse the wires to go the other way.
And do NOT hook power to the reed switch contacts - you'll vaporize 'em!
The motor should run, but there is nothing to stop it from going too far.
The good news is, it'll run slowly on 12 volts.
Reverse the wires to go the other way.
And do NOT hook power to the reed switch contacts - you'll vaporize 'em!
And do NOT hook power to the reed switch contacts - you'll vaporize 'em!
Now you got me scared LOL
Wires
OK, so the big wires you mention must be the red/white pair on the left, right? Red/positive, White/negative? The red/white/black group in the middle is for the servo (when applicable), correct?
OK, so the big wires you mention must be the red/white pair on the left, right? Red/positive, White/negative? The red/white/black group in the middle is for the servo (when applicable), correct?
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