Hello out there. I've been messing about with a k band dish and receiver for several years now. It seems like there is less and less programming worth watching there. I found a 9-12 foot dish for c band but it will need some work and money to get it into a workable condition. Is there any programming on c band worth spending time and money to get this dish planted and operating? Should I lean towards digital or analog? Thanks
Looking for information
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to Satellitguys ted192C Band ROCKS! (IMHO) Check the C band list that Mike has at MPEG2 Central
PICTURES (We LOVE) Post up some pictures and get our experienced opinions.
NOTE: think you;ll need 5 or 10 posts until you can post them here, Use a photo sharing site till then, Oh links are also not possible till then. so make links www(dot)wherever@com/the link or such.
There's no reason to lean to analog today, it's all digital, with quite a few DVB-S2, h264, AAC
Lots of programming on C band,but it depends on what you are interested in.I am assuming you are in the USA?
First, there are tons of Spanish language channels,a few of which have English secondary audio.I receive 500 or more Spanish channels on my 10 ft dish, covering 55W to 127W only.There are a few more Sats to either extreme that I can't reach yet
As for English channels,I get maybe 150 channels.(Not counting channels that I have removed due to lack of interest) Many are channels that one can get with an Over-The-Air antenna IF they live near a large metropolitan area.Grit TV,MeTV,Ion,Movies,Network affiliates,etc.A few foreign channels from Japan,China,Russia that are in English.Some religious channels and some shopping channels as well.That's not to mention the occasional feeds that open up from time to time.
There are some radio channels if you are interested in that.
Do NOT expect to get HBO, Cinemax,or other premium channels.There are occasional premium channels that unscramble temporarily...but they are rare and not something you can depend on.We do not discuss those here in open forum.
There are few channels with languages other than English or Spanish.Unlike KU which has so many foreign languages that I have no interest in.
I can always find something worth watching on C Band.
You will want a dbs-2 receiver with HD capability if possible.Analog is gone and dbs channels are moving toward dbs-2.
That is just a brief description.There are members here who can address any more complicated question you may have.Good Luck!
First, there are tons of Spanish language channels,a few of which have English secondary audio.I receive 500 or more Spanish channels on my 10 ft dish, covering 55W to 127W only.There are a few more Sats to either extreme that I can't reach yet
As for English channels,I get maybe 150 channels.(Not counting channels that I have removed due to lack of interest) Many are channels that one can get with an Over-The-Air antenna IF they live near a large metropolitan area.Grit TV,MeTV,Ion,Movies,Network affiliates,etc.A few foreign channels from Japan,China,Russia that are in English.Some religious channels and some shopping channels as well.That's not to mention the occasional feeds that open up from time to time.
There are some radio channels if you are interested in that.
Do NOT expect to get HBO, Cinemax,or other premium channels.There are occasional premium channels that unscramble temporarily...but they are rare and not something you can depend on.We do not discuss those here in open forum.
There are few channels with languages other than English or Spanish.Unlike KU which has so many foreign languages that I have no interest in.
I can always find something worth watching on C Band.
You will want a dbs-2 receiver with HD capability if possible.Analog is gone and dbs channels are moving toward dbs-2.
That is just a brief description.There are members here who can address any more complicated question you may have.Good Luck!
Oh,let me add: Before spending lots of money on repairing a dish,look around your area.There are often free or low cost dishes that require little expense to restore.As fat Air said,post some pics.These folks can tell you if the dish is a worthy subject.A few dishes were dogs when pristine...and some are spectacular performers.
Thanks for the replies. Sorry, I don't have any pics. The dish I have says channel master on the mounting bracket and feed horn cover. I have it disassembled, it is aluminum framed mesh dish, one section is 5'2" from center to outer edge. So I'm guessing that it is around 11 foot diameter when assembled. I have all the external parts, dish, feedhorn, mounting bracket, positioner. The feedhorn is center mounted. Don't know if the positioner works, right now there is about 18" between the mounting bolt and dish connection bolt. It had an analog lnb when I got the dish, I bought a dual band digital lnb from Dms international to replace it with. I don't have any cable or position controller. I currently have a Manhattan rs-1933 hdtv satellite receiver connected to a k band dish, which I thought I'd use if I install the big dish. I don't know if the receiver can run the positioner. The mounting bracket has a 3 1/2" opening, where can I find info about specs to install so that it is about 6' above the ground?
Welcome to SatelliteGuys!
You have everything you need to dip your toes in the water with a temporarily fixed dish. Set the dish in the center position and secure with a lock bar. The dish can be aimed at a satellite until you decide if you wish to invest in motorizing. A ten foot dish will need approximately 5 foot of pole above grade to enable swinging the dish to the horizon without contacting the ground. Usually the dish is installed with at least a foot or two of clearance or more if you are in snow country. Plan on setting at least 3 feet of pole underground and below the frost line in several yards of cement. There are many install threads on this site that will help you decide how deep and amount of ballast.
To motorize the dish you will need a linear actuator. You can go cheap llike a SuperJack or you can buy one that will last. I would crecommend the Venture 24" or 36" - http://www.venturemfgco.com/maxi-ball-screw-actuator/ or the Von Weiss 36" - http://estore.vonweise.com/vw7636vdcactuator-1.aspx .
The receiver will not control the actuator. You can go cheap with a G-box or V-box positioner, but they are being built with less and less quality components and now base models are outputting even less amperage, or you can go with a higher end unit like out Titanium Satellite ASC1. If automation is not needed and you just want to manually move the dish, a used legacy analog or 4DTV IRD is quite inexpensive on Ebay / Craigslist (free) and can be used as a stand alone positioner.
Good luck! We are here to assist!
You have everything you need to dip your toes in the water with a temporarily fixed dish. Set the dish in the center position and secure with a lock bar. The dish can be aimed at a satellite until you decide if you wish to invest in motorizing. A ten foot dish will need approximately 5 foot of pole above grade to enable swinging the dish to the horizon without contacting the ground. Usually the dish is installed with at least a foot or two of clearance or more if you are in snow country. Plan on setting at least 3 feet of pole underground and below the frost line in several yards of cement. There are many install threads on this site that will help you decide how deep and amount of ballast.
To motorize the dish you will need a linear actuator. You can go cheap llike a SuperJack or you can buy one that will last. I would crecommend the Venture 24" or 36" - http://www.venturemfgco.com/maxi-ball-screw-actuator/ or the Von Weiss 36" - http://estore.vonweise.com/vw7636vdcactuator-1.aspx .
The receiver will not control the actuator. You can go cheap with a G-box or V-box positioner, but they are being built with less and less quality components and now base models are outputting even less amperage, or you can go with a higher end unit like out Titanium Satellite ASC1. If automation is not needed and you just want to manually move the dish, a used legacy analog or 4DTV IRD is quite inexpensive on Ebay / Craigslist (free) and can be used as a stand alone positioner.
Good luck! We are here to assist!
Definitely lots to watch and a great hobby. Many, including myself, have stitched up tears in the mesh and flattened out bent panels on dishes we have acquired. That 2" gash should be an easy fix - take a look at the damage on this one that I fixed.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/8-dish-finally-repaired.359369/
Thanks everyone for all the information. No one discouraged me when I said it was channel master, can I assume that it is worth repairing? Actually all it needs is bolted back together. The positioner arm has a label that says Von Weise gear company from Saint Louis. It is 36 vdc, 1.48 amp. As I said before, there is 18" between the mounting and dish attachment bolts. I don't know if it is fully retracted, fully extended, or somewhere in between. The rubber boots seem to be intact, although they should be replaced if placed into service. Anyone know if that is a good positioner?
You should have 4 connections on the back of the motor, under the cover.
You will notice 2 are normally smaller gauge and go to reed switch.
Then there will be to larger gauge wires that go to the motor.
You can rig up some wires and hook the two large ones across a 12 volt car battery and see if it will move, reverse the wires to move the other direction.
Channel Master made very good quality C-Band dishes back in the day, so yes a winner. They are actually more rare in some areas, because they cost more.
See if you can grab us some photos.
You will notice 2 are normally smaller gauge and go to reed switch.
Then there will be to larger gauge wires that go to the motor.
You can rig up some wires and hook the two large ones across a 12 volt car battery and see if it will move, reverse the wires to move the other direction.
Channel Master made very good quality C-Band dishes back in the day, so yes a winner. They are actually more rare in some areas, because they cost more.
See if you can grab us some photos.
My Von Wiese turns 30 this year. 
(sure it needs a little TLC now to correct some end play that's gotten excessive this year, I may give it a new sensor also. Only to get around to doing it)
Put that baby together and aim it at 99W or 107W (for now)
You could manually 'motor' it (power the actuator) with a 24/36 volt supply and a DPDT spring to OFF(center) switch if need be.
AND a fuse. (add 2 relays for motor braking)
Just be sure the internal limit switch is set properly.
(sure it needs a little TLC now to correct some end play that's gotten excessive this year, I may give it a new sensor also. Only to get around to doing it)
Put that baby together and aim it at 99W or 107W (for now)
You could manually 'motor' it (power the actuator) with a 24/36 volt supply and a DPDT spring to OFF(center) switch if need be.
AND a fuse. (add 2 relays for motor braking)
Just be sure the internal limit switch is set properly.
Unless its an easy fix, I wouldn't worry much about the 2" gash. If you consider the total surface area of the dish, the signal loss from a 2" gash would be negligible.
A more important consideration is whether the dish is warped or not.
I have the dish in its 4 quadrants in my garage, so repairing the gash can't get any more convenient. How do I tell if the dish is warped? Someone said I could find information on this site about installing a dish, where is that located? I looked briefly last night, but didn't find anything. I want the dish high enough so that I can mow around it with a lawn tractor, without hitting my head on it. What type of pipe and length should I need to do that? How big of a hole and how deep to plant it in? The mount will fit a 3 1/2" od pipe.
With it mounted, affix a string from 12 to 6 across the face. Then place another 2 to 8, and then another from 10 to 4. They should lightly touch where the cross one another.
Assemble the dish face down on the flatest surface you have available if possible, then mount ring and mount, Hoist to pole with 3 or more 'hands'. Some require assembly one panel at a time onto the mount that's on the pole. Snug bolts first, Then place strings an have helpers 'help' it into 'shape' while doing the final tightening.
Mine is on a pipe 5 ft above ground. Move dish to extreme east, mow the west. Move it west, mow the east.
What's your frost level? If 'planted' in ground the bottom of the hole should be below this.
Pole should be 3 inch schedule 40 (3.0 ID, 3.5OD)
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/ansi-steel-pipes-d_305.html
Got some tips here http://www.wisegise.net/BUD/3469/index.html
The 'floating slab' is mine.
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