Is it safe to get a used dish?

[designer]

Goal is to get C band and KU on the same dish. Would it be possible to get a used older dish that would work? Or is the design different now? Any specifics I would need to know before looking?
Thanks,

 

[mkm4]

It should work. The dish should be at least 10 foot though. You can check a mesh dish if it will work with ku with a pencil. If a pencil can fit through the holes in the mesh, it won't work with ku.

 

[drhydro]

Used dishes are fine as long as they meet the following specs:
1) dish should not be warped or damaged in any way
2) most fiberglass dishes have a c band only mesh inbedded, i would steer clear of fiberglass for that reason.
3) for reliable KU band reception, if the dish is a mesh dish, make sure that a #2 pencil will not fit thru the mesh.
4) most people recommend at least a 8.5' dish for reliable c band reception. Smaller dishs could have "bleed thru" due to the close spacing (2 degrees) of satellites today
I have a used Channel Master 10' mesh (actually pierced aluminum) dish that i picked up last fall, dish is at least 12 years old but works great.

 

[tdti1]

A used dish will work great, just keep in mind what drhydro posted above.

 

[designer]

Thanks for the tips!

Oh, can any dish be motorized?

 

[dfergie]

Thanks for the tips!

Oh, can any dish be motorized?

Most use the same type of arm/mounts except birdview if I remember correctlly...

 

[tdti1]

Thanks for the tips!

Oh, can any dish be motorized?

When looking you will see the arm and you will no, some are H-H, and some are fixed dishes, but not many fixed out there for consumers, unless its a bar strip club or headend most of them will have an arm.