Is this a good deal from Sadoun?

[Scott Greczkowski]

looked like a good package
maybe if you check location of where the dish will be located
i can't remember how tall the house is and view from the back yard might be obscured, unless PG lets you install it a rooftop level

if it going to be in the back yard you might consider the 2.4 meter dish with Polar Mount

The arc is in the front of my house, the only way to do it is in the front yard.

But if I clean things up outside, I think she might let me do it.

 

[Pismire]

Years ago I dug under the foundation for my cband dish. One would never know there is coax coming in. Doesn't take much so you wouldn't be disturbing anything critcal. Just a thought.

 

[Techfizzle]

boot covers are good for areas with a lot salty air or heavy sand winds

but for the average joe, they are not needed

 

[rainmaker]

Just tell her the 1.2 meter went on steroids and bulk up a little Scott.

 

[eurosport]

The one thing I remember about the boot covers, is that condensation moisture can build up inside them, possibly causing the actuator arm to rust faster than a "naked" one.

 

[brentb636]

Wow I go to a Picnic, get sunburn on my bald spot and come home to this.

Some good news (maybe) currently we have lots of coax cables coming in from outside that come up and in our windows.

My wife said that if I clean that up so no more coax is coming in the windows then maybe I will get my wish.

So in my house on the second floor there is a crawl space which runs the length of the house. I mapped things out at the picnic and it looks like I can get rid of all the coax coming in the windows (and there is a lot of it) and that I only need to bring 4 to 5 coax cables in.

So I am planning on making a small hole in the outside wall from the crawl space and bringing those 4 or 5 wires in. What I am wondering is do they make some kind of cover that will shield the hole coming into the house. Something that is slanted like this
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I think something like that will make the install look neater and will make it easier to add cables in the future then just drilling holes for each coax in the wall and having the cable come in.

So far I found this but I am not sure now many wires I can fit through it. It also looks like this is made for the inside, and I need something that will work outside.

I found a spool of C/KU Ribbon Cable that someone PMed me about (thank you!) so I am good to go there.

Also for the actuator should I look at ordering a Boot Cover for this like this?

This looks like it could be an exciting project.

I'd vote for a single , larger hole that could accomodate all the coax cables ( and a few spares), then fill it with expanding foam to seal the entrance point. I have two such holes , at my foundation level, and it looks just fine. Please have your wife call my wife to OKAY the idea of ME getting a 6 foot dish.
I'd love the option, and haven't given up yet.

 

[jwgreen68]

Wow I go to a Picnic, get sunburn on my bald spot and come home to this.

Some good news (maybe) currently we have lots of coax cables coming in from outside that come up and in our windows.

My wife said that if I clean that up so no more coax is coming in the windows then maybe I will get my wish.

So in my house on the second floor there is a crawl space which runs the length of the house. I mapped things out at the picnic and it looks like I can get rid of all the coax coming in the windows (and there is a lot of it) and that I only need to bring 4 to 5 coax cables in.

So I am planning on making a small hole in the outside wall from the crawl space and bringing those 4 or 5 wires in. What I am wondering is do they make some kind of cover that will shield the hole coming into the house. Something that is slanted like this
|\
| \
| \
| \
| \

I think something like that will make the install look neater and will make it easier to add cables in the future then just drilling holes for each coax in the wall and having the cable come in.

So far I found this but I am not sure now many wires I can fit through it. It also looks like this is made for the inside, and I need something that will work outside.

I found a spool of C/KU Ribbon Cable that someone PMed me about (thank you!) so I am good to go there.

Also for the actuator should I look at ordering a Boot Cover for this like this?

This looks like it could be an exciting project.

Scott, maybe a dryer vent cover will work. It could be painted to match your house.

 

[rainmaker]

I have never used a boot cover on my actuator and the dish has been there since 93 with no problems. would recommend installing grease on the actuator arm once a year though.

 

[Larry1]

Plastic electrial conduit running out and down will tidy it up. The coax will have a tough time being pulled through the elbow, but if you put the cable through each piece first, then fix the elbow to the straight pieces will make the job easier. It is just a P.I.T.A. to pull another cable througth it later.

 

[turbosat]

They used to make cable- pass-thrus back in the good old days of c-band, but I don't recall seeing them lately. Trouble was, they were only big enough to put a couple of cables through. Like Scott, I need one big enough to let a good-size snake thru. Guess that's why I never put one in , lol.

 

[rainmaker]

Satellite Ribbon Cable Wall Plate (for Ribbon Cable)

check here they carry what Turbosat was talking about.

 

[Inno]

I have never used a boot cover on my actuator and the dish has been there since 93 with no problems. would recommend installing grease on the actuator arm once a year though.

Greasing the arm itself won't do much, it's the screw inside that needs the grease.
I used to run my arm out until it's extended as much as possible with the power supply then when it reaches it's limit I'd unscrew it the rest of the way by hand, counting how many turns it took. Then you can remove the tube that covers the actual screw and clean and re-lube it. When re-assembling it thread it on by hand the same number of revolutions it took to remove it then with the power supply. If you are careful you won't have to do too much re-programming with your receiver. I believe with my receiver if you re-learn 2 or 3 of the satellites it will figure out where the rest of them are based on previous settings......sometimes a bit of tweaking necessary.
Having said that though, I've seen them go for a LONG time without maintenance......but it's when it's really cold out that it will fail so it's best to take care of it while the weather is warmer.

As for the boots, eventually the material will dry out and crack and look terrible. I have only had one actuator with it on and it didn't last too long. Someone else also mentioned that any moisture that gets in will be trapped in there with the boot. I've never seen any proof that they make the actuator last any longer than without.

I think though for Scott's purposes he won't have to worry about maintenance for a long time. When many of these 20+ year old actuators were first installed they were the primary TV source and as such moved back and forth across the arc many times a day. For the part time satellite enthusiast it could last for a very long time.

 

[jayelem]

Satellite Ribbon Cable Wall Plate (for Ribbon Cable)

check here they carry what Turbosat was talking about.

That's a pretty nice wall plate and only $4.95

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Yup that plate looks like what I am thinking about. I wonder how many cables I can pass through it.

 

[rainmaker]

Greasing the arm itself won't do much, it's the screw inside that needs the grease.
I used to run my arm out until it's extended as much as possible with the power supply then when it reaches it's limit I'd unscrew it the rest of the way by hand, counting how many turns it took. Then you can remove the tube that covers the actual screw and clean and re-lube it. When re-assembling it thread it on by hand the same number of revolutions it took to remove it then with the power supply. If you are careful you won't have to do too much re-programming with your receiver. I believe with my receiver if you re-learn 2 or 3 of the satellites it will figure out where the rest of them are based on previous settings......sometimes a bit of tweaking necessary.
Having said that though, I've seen them go for a LONG time without maintenance......but it's when it's really cold out that it will fail so it's best to take care of it while the weather is warmer.

As for the boots, eventually the material will dry out and crack and look terrible. I have only had one actuator with it on and it didn't last too long. Someone else also mentioned that any moisture that gets in will be trapped in there with the boot. I've never seen any proof that they make the actuator last any longer than without.

I think though for Scott's purposes he won't have to worry about maintenance for a long time. When many of these 20+ year old actuators were first installed they were the primary TV source and as such moved back and forth across the arc many times a day. For the part time satellite enthusiast it could last for a very long time.

the reason I grease the arm is it helps keep moisture out and eliminate winter freeze up of the actuator.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Ok still working all of this out... and a few more questions...

Should I consider upgrading the actuator from an 18 inch to a 24 inch? There is only a few $$ difference in the price.

I have an old GI 650 which I could use to move the Dish, however I would rather use the GBOX (VBOX). I should have no problem taking the signal out of the Fortec box into the 650 so I can scan for Analog singal correct? (And are there still Analog signals out there)

Also just looking at pushing my limits and seeing if I can go as far as a 7.5' dish. Would it make that much of a difference? I am not looking to subscribe to anything, just want to scan the skies. Anyone know of any good sites that have good pricing on a 7.5' dish? I checked out Skyvision and almost had a heart attack.

 

[toucan-man]

Anyone know of any good sites that have good pricing on a 7.5' dish? I checked out Skyvision and almost had a heart attack.

Have you ever noticed any BUDs when taking a drive in the country? I got my 7.5' mesh dish for free. (They really do blend in, we've driven past a few only to notice them later.) Paid $30 for my 10 footer. These were both found next to farm houses.

Good luck sir!

 

[tdti1]

Depending on your budget, and the fact you may put up a undersized reflector looking into a quality dish would be a good idea, Anderson, DH among others should have the size you are looking for.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Ok just talked with my wife and just placed my order with Sadoun.

I ended up going with the MK6 C/KU system
Motorized combo Satellite Dish with HH Motor, LNBF, Offset Prime Focus Fortec Star Winegard


I upgraded the actuator to this one...
QARL-3624 HV-24 24" Stroke 36V Motech Heavy Duty Actuators

This was the actuator recommended by Mr Sadoun for this setup. While an 18 would have done me fine, I remember that the bigger the better in the actuator area.

So now the order is placed... now I just got to wait until tommorow night to get my tracking number from UPS.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

So anyone from the Connecticut area want to help me put this up?

I will also have two FTA dishes to give away...

a 1.2 Meter Fortec
And a 36 Inch Fortec.

Sorry I am not shipping them.