Had a major hail storm with golf ball sized hail this afternoon. Ripped right through several mesh panels as well as broke several windows. Probably damaged the roof also. The panels are no longer available unless I buy mesh and make some new panels. I'll see what insurance is willing to pay, if anything.
hail damage
- Thread starter ZetaMale
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That's terrible! If you want to spend some time working on it, I've fixed damage like this before. You need a car body hammer, and a hand-anvil metal block to hold on the other side of the mesh. If needed to go that far, use pliers to bend the torn mesh flaps close together. Use the block and hammer to re-flatten them as best you can. Hopefully they didn't actually stretch too much, if so, just overlap carefully. Then, use picture hanging wire to stitch them back together. Then you can spray paint over the stitched area, and it'll not be very noticeable at all.
Not only that, but if you spend a little time and do it carefully, it won't make a whole lot of difference signal-wise.
If there are numerous golf-ball-sized holes in the dish that are near big dents in the dish that didn't open up, it seems like a panel replacement is the only option. The panels are stamped in such a way that each tiny flat of the mesh should reflect the signal directly towards the feed horn. What you're trying to make is a section of a paraboloid rather than something that is parabolic lengthwise and flat side-to-side.
I guess the big question is where to find such panels though... I had looked up a few places online and it was really expensive, without being certain that it would be a good fit
Does anyone know if Tek2000 sells mesh as a spare part?
I just recalled purchasing this product last year after seeing that a user here had mentioned having good results with it.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Construction-Metals-Inc-Kwikmesh-12-in-x-20-ft-Gable-Vent-Screen/3284684
It is galvanized steel (instead of aluminum) and although I have not used it yet it looks just like the mesh on one of my dishes.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Construction-Metals-Inc-Kwikmesh-12-in-x-20-ft-Gable-Vent-Screen/3284684
It is galvanized steel (instead of aluminum) and although I have not used it yet it looks just like the mesh on one of my dishes.
I helped repair a 10 foot Unimesh using aluminum sheets, non-perforated. We measured the mesh while it was still attached to the ribs. Took the measurement and bought aluminum sheets slightly wider and longer than the mesh. You can get two replacement panels out of one sheet.
When you're finished, you end up with a solid dish. It worked really well. It makes a nice job, especially if it's cut with a shear.
You can paint them, but these were white from the factory. It doesn't hurt the performance, white, black or bare aluminum. I saw a spun dish that was painted camo. It was hard to see just driving by. It had trees, bushes and vines painted on it. It set in front of the tree line behind his house. It was a little more visible during winter, but you still had to look hard to see it driving by.
I did a little bit reshaping of the panels. I get 98% SQ on ABC feeds but I don't get any audio anymore and there's just a black screen with no messages about missing a signal. Did they do something with the ABC audio or is my mesh really that bad? I doubt that the SQ is that good considering I'm using a LinkBox 9000i on the antenna. I guess I should quit being lazy and dig out the XR-3.
ABC 99w Network Feeds Transitioned to DVBS2 HEVC 4:2:2
I believe the 4140 feed remains 4:2:0 during the transition.
I believe the 4140 feed remains 4:2:0 during the transition.
RE: Straightening damaged panels?
If the panel is not mounted on the dish, then the best way to fix it is with a big 2" or 3" rubber mallet on a smooth flat concrete garage floor. The rubber will flatten the metal without actually damaging the mesh. Work both sides until it lays kinda flat on the floor. I did this on an 8ft SAMI dish with screw on panels I had a few years back and it worked well.
If the panel is not mounted on the dish, then the best way to fix it is with a big 2" or 3" rubber mallet on a smooth flat concrete garage floor. The rubber will flatten the metal without actually damaging the mesh. Work both sides until it lays kinda flat on the floor. I did this on an 8ft SAMI dish with screw on panels I had a few years back and it worked well.
Before the hail damage but after the ABC change, I was able to get audio but no video. Now, I don't get audio either. That's the point that I was trying to make.
I guess a rubber mallet would be cheaper than new mesh. Hopefully, I'll be able to fix the mesh well enough to record ABC and play back on vlc. As near as I can tell, the 9000i doesn't stream. Anyway, I'm going to wait until the adjuster gets here tomorrow. Probably won't matter much with a $2000 deductible - depends on whether or not I can adequately repair the mesh, buy/cut new mesh, or have "custom"/professional mesh done.
Only H.264 according to the specs. 4120H30000. I guess it's time to buy another receiver (already)?
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