inherited BUD with house - info?

[teaprofessor]

9' mesh, SR-2012 C/KU Stereo Receiver (Radio Shack)

Previous owner left BUD system with the house. I'm just now getting around to trying it out. All I have is the owner's manual for the receiver. I'm looking to expedite my research time/learning curve. Suggestions?

 

[Cadsulfide]

Welcome!


Are you getting any channels on the reciever? Can you post some pix of the dish?

 

[dfergie]

Welcome to SatelliteGuys! have you hooked it to your TV yet?

 

[phlatwound]

I'm assuming that yours is an old analog receiver, and there's not much left as far as analog signals, but enough to at least see if your existing stuff is functional.

You can add a DVB receiver and get all kinds of FTA channels, or a 4DTV receiver for subscription pakages...or both.

 

[teaprofessor]

Thanks, everybody, for responding. I think I have a complete Radio Shack system. I have not hooked it up to my TV. I have a line that consists of four cables all linked together that runs from the dish to the house. Two of the cables I can figure out by the manual, for the Polarization Motor and the Actuator. I think one goes to the C input terminal, and the other to the KU input terminal?

Any idea about this cable type? Will I screw things up if they are reversed?

 

[phlatwound]

Thanks, everybody, for responding. I think I have a complete Radio Shack system. I have not hooked it up to my TV. I have a line that consists of four cables all linked together that runs from the dish to the house. Two of the cables I can figure out by the manual, for the Polarization Motor and the Actuator. I think one goes to the C input terminal, and the other to the KU input terminal?

Any idea about this cable type? Will I screw things up if they are reversed?

Sounds like a standard ribbon cable.

Can you see your feedhorn (it's on the arms in the center of your dish), or is it covered? You may have a C-band only setup on your dish, in which case you don't even need to hook up the cable to the Ku input.

Pics of your dish and feedhorn (uncovered) would help us to help you.

 

[teaprofessor]

I changed my avatar and also uploaded another image to my album. Not sure how to direct to my album, but it is there.

 

[dfergie]

You can attach a shot by either pushing the new reply button or in quick reply go advanced and look below that for manage attachments and post here...

 

[phlatwound]

I can't tell for sure from your pictures, but I'm guessing that is a C-band only setup.

If you can determine where your dish is pointing I would attempt to hook up your C-band coax and see what you can come up with.

Last time I checked (it's been a month or 2) there are 24/7 C-band analog signals on:

(W3) AMC3 @ 87W: tp 20 (Doc Scott)
(G4) G16 @ 99W: tp 16 (Sheperd's Chapel)
(W4) AMC4 @ 101W: tp 16 (PBS)
(F3) AMC11 @ 131 W: tp 7 (C-Span)
(G1) G15 @ 133W: tp 5 (Classic Arts), tp 11 (EWTN), tp 12 (shopping channel)
(F4) AMC10: tp 9 (QVC), tp 10 (HSN), tp 19 (C-Span2)

The sat designations in parenthesis (W3, G4...etc.) are the old sat names that I have in my Toshiba analog receiver, you may have similar in yours.

The next sat designation (AMC3, G16...etc.) are the new designations (and those may have even changed by now, I can't keep up ).

Next designation (87W, 99W....etc.) are the orbital locations in the sky.

"tp 20" = channel 20 on the respective satellite.

 

[teaprofessor]

images

Thanks!! Here's two images. I'll be delighted to take others.

 

[phlatwound]

Thanks!! Here's two images. I'll be delighted to take others.

I saw those 2 in your album....but a shot from the other side of the feedhorn and one of the back of the dish would be nice.....the more the merrier!

 

[teaprofessor]

I just posted a bunch of new images to my album. I think the outside wire is the one that goes to the motor assembly in the back of the dish, the other three go to the feedhorn.

 

[Lone Cloud]

Cool! but there are some possible expenditures to take advantage of what's up there.

You might need an lnb- You might need an FTA or 4dtv hidef receiver. You might need cable if what you have there is gone. Also., I didn't see an actuator (dish mover). If it's only aimed at one satellite, if we knew which one we coud tell you what's on it.

Doubt the old RS stuff will work

 

[Mr Tony]

looks like its C-Band only. The cable curled under (like a drip loop) is probably for KU if you added it later

 

[phlatwound]

Cool! but there are some possible expenditures to take advantage of what's up there.

You might need an lnb- You might need an FTA or 4dtv hidef receiver. You might need cable if what you have there is gone. Also., I didn't see an actuator (dish mover). If it's only aimed at one satellite, if we knew which one we coud tell you what's on it.

Doubt the old RS stuff will work

Yeh, that 65 degree LNB might not do well for digital, that's kind of a fossil these days, but if it's functional it should pick up some analog?

It looks like it has an H-H mount that is driven by a pretty typical looking actuator motor, I've never seen one like that but surely someone around here has.

teaprofessor, if you hook it up in your house and can't get things to work you might try taking your receiver and a little tv out to your dish, and hooking everyting up with some new short cables......I'll send you a piece of new ribbon cable if you need some.

 

[Cadsulfide]

On the bright side, a BSC421 c band lnb can be had for ~$35, a FTA reciever for about the same, well worth the investment, as a lot of guys would jump at the chance to get that dish for their systems. See if it works as is. Read as much as you can about c band, there's a lot of cool stuff up there.

 

[Anole]

Pretty decent looking old hardware.
I viewed all your pictures in your gallery. They really tell the story.
A few suggestions to get you going:

- here's the Geo-Orbit site. It'll get you a good basic understanding of the parts and adjustments.
Use it for education. I wouldn't go adjusting anything just yet.

- while not the first thing to do, I'd clean and grease those exposed gears and bearings with molybdenum disulphide grease
And see if you can fit a cover for the gear train - I'm sure it had one originally.

- I'd also try to get some signals on the existing LNB before changing it out to something better
(and that's a cheap one) !

- the blue box is the polarity servo, and it may or may not work, so decide if it's necessary to replace it or change out the whole LNB and feedhorn

- oh, and to run the motor, the receiver need feedback pulses from a microswitch or magnetic reed switch on the motor/mount.
Look for it and make sure it's functioning if your dish moves only a jerk and stops.

 

[Greg Mueller]

I dream of finding a horizon to horizon mount
You've got "good bones" there

 

[teaprofessor]

Hey, EVERYONE, you are the BEST!! Thanks for the input. I sprayed everything with WD-40 Sunday morning, but I held off working on moving the dish until late last night when I was able to borrow a grease gun. I greased the the gear axle at the zerts (sic) and will apply some moly to the exposed parts today.

The dish seems to rotate East-West without problems, but appears to be fixed North-South (?). There are bolts that can be loosened allowing for a new configuration, but it is not motorized.

Being a complete newbie, I will glady read the info. on the geo-orbit site, ASAP. My helper saw something come up on the TV when we were testing the East-West rotation, but I've not had time to mess with it myself yet. More news, as it happens! Thanks, again....

 

[turbosat]

Sounds good so far. Moving east/west is all it's supposed to do, to track the satellite 'arc' in the sky. Once the north/south angles are adjusted foryour latitude, you don't have to mess with them any more. It'll become more clear as you learn, but you're really just lining up two half-circles, one your dish makes as it moves east/west, and other one the sats are lined up on in the sky.