Easy to install mobile C-band dish

[richb74]

Guys,
I work for a network and we use a 6' antenna with ring mount from Anderson Inc. we use to downlink our program. The antenna can pick up our analog signal off of AMC 10 but cannot pick up our digital signal off of AMC 11. I am looking to replace the antenna with a 2.4 meter. Anyone have any suggestions of manufactures who make an easy to install C-band antenna. I already have a quote from ATCI for their flypack. Thank you for your time.

 

[Lone Cloud]

So this will be a fixed setup, aiming at one satellite only?

 

[FaT Air]

Oh boy, we're hobbyists into restoring and using neglected c band TVRO dishes. The 10 footers being the ultimate goal for many. One member has one from probably sometime in the 80's that is still mounted on the trailer for travel to shows BITD. Think it is around 11 - 12 foot. Somehow folded up for travel.
It's well known that a 6 ft will have problems, here and there, as it's beam width is greater than today's satellite spacing. Bigger IS better. Beam width decreases as dish diameter increases.
ATCI is one of the few mfg I am aware of, at the moment, but googling '2.4 flyaway' came up with #122  2.4m Vertex Flyaway Antenna So there are some in the used mkt.
(I'd probably RED-GREEN a 10 foot steel mesh on a boat trailer, LOL. )

 

[richb74]

So this will be a fixed setup, aiming at one satellite only?

Lone Cloud,
Thanks for the reply. This will not be a fixed setup. We use it on our remote production truck. It needs to be easy to build and torn down when finished. The EIC on the truck told me he was able to receive our digital signal at one time which I find hard to believe. In my experience I have never used anything less than a 10 foot dish to pick up a digital signal on C-band. I currently have the 6 foot ring dish set up over at our uplink to see if it can receive a digital C-band signal and it can not. Thats why I was asking if anyone had a suggestion. I was hoping maybe a 2.4 meter dish would be able to pick up a digital signal. Let me know your thoughts. The dish has to be small so it fit into the truck when not in use.

Rich

 

[truckracer]

I guess some type of mesh 10' dish would work as long as your workers are willing to do the labor at each setup and tear down.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Anyone have any suggestions of manufactures who make an easy to install C-band antenna. I already have a quote from ATCI for their flypack. Thank you for your time.

What is your requirement for this mobile c-band set-up? To monitor the live feed or to reliably obtain content for the remote location productions?

 

[ACRadio]

Looks like he is with QVC, as they have an analog signal on AMC 10 and a digital signal on AMC 11. I have a 13.6db signal with a 10 ft Channel Master on their digital signal, which is a reasonable signal. At 5/6 FEC it should be doable with a 2.4 meter. I can't get my 2.4 meter over there but I'm sure some folks around the country can check with their 8 footers.

 

[ACRadio]

I just saw a report from New York...7.5 ft dish is receiving QVC fine...

 

[ken2400]

I wonder what ever happen to the flat dish. I could see something like that in four parts

 

[Lone Cloud]

The Flyaway dish mentioned by Fat Air looks as close to what you want as anything I can find. It claims a 20 minute setup time, which seems pretty reasonable. If you have the room on your van roof to erect it, you might be able to cut down the setup time by having bolts or lugs permanently installed in your van roof to connect the tripod legs. The dish is segmented and that would help you, but it is also fiberglass reinforced. I don't know what that means except that if there is a lot of fiberglass used, it is likely to be very heavy.

Yours is a very specialized application, not much seen on this site. Nevertheless, I hope something we wrote heps you.

 

[rv1pop]

TBN and Paul Crouch may still have equipment they may want to get a price for. When they were doing originations several times a month they had 6 mobile rigs. I do not know if the have any now. They seem to do originations only at their studios and they MIGHT be using fiber. Brian has regular dealing with them for Second Chance, so he might know or be able to find out. (SatelliteAV).

 

[richb74]

ACRadio,
Thanks for the reply. You are correct. Iam with QVC. I will try the 2.4 meter dish and report back our. The EIC just uses the dish for program return out on the raod. Thank you for your time and help.

Rich

 

[richb74]

ACRadio,
Thanks for your help. Will check it out.

Rich