MY CRAIG'S LIST 7.5FT C-BAND TREASURE

[T4Runner]

Thanks to Toucan_man agan for the lead for this dish. I picked it up last night after work. I bit the bullet and told my wife the day before... it's not like she hasn't experienced it before with my 10 dishes...

The dish is in good shape and included a 14ft 3" steel pipe for the $30. I will probably remove the 5ft C-Band dish I have mounted and replace it with this one after refurbishing it.

Here's some pic's:

 

[T4Runner]

Okay, I checked the dish tonight and this is what I found: Diameter =7 ft 6 inches, Depth = 15 inches (stringline test), the LNB and feedhorn is fixed and does not appear to be adjustable? it is a "Precision" brand on the side of it. It measures 32 1/2 inches from the center face of th dish to the LNB. 33 inches from the center of the dish to the face of the feedhorn. I cannot get to the actual LNB yet as I unhooked my vehicle from the trailer and it tips too easy w/o extra help. Probably my 200 lbs moving the center of gravity...

The actuator is a 24 inch (2 inch diam) Venture brand.

The aluminum mesh is in great shape. Can anyone tell me what brand this dish is? SAMI maybe? I'll take more pics if necessary.

 

[T4Runner]

Two more pics

 

[DK_Sat]

The dish looks like is made by "Perfect 10" , The feed cover is not the original that came with the dish.
The "Precision" brand LNBs and feed hornes were sold by Astrotel in California.I am using a Precision" brand LNBs on my 7.5 Unimash dishe they are very good LNBs

 

[T4Runner]

The dish looks like is made by "Perfect 10" , The feed cover is not the original that came with the dish.
The "Precision" brand LNBs and feed hornes were sold by Astrotel in California.I am using a Precision" brand LNBs on my 7.5 Unimash dishe they are very good LNBs

Thanks, DK. I will start doing some more "googling" to find out more about this dish before I ever install it. The feedcover was like new and says "USA" on the side so that makes perfect sense about it not being the original.

 

[wildbill47]

I have used that type and size for years works ok. Just use a good lnb and you will have a winner. Good for you.

 

[T4Runner]

I was out mowing my weedpatch today and thinking about the type of c band coax wire (7strand?) that I need and it hit me it will do me no good to use the old LNB as I only have two old Pansats that can actually set the skew and change the polarator? I want to use the Openbox S9 as it pulls the S2 channels, etc. that most are changing to...

So, do I use one of the many dual polarity C Band LNB's I've got around here or is it worth the difference to keep the old original 17k LNB that must have it's polarity changed?

 

[T4Runner]

UPDATE on this project:

I replaced the orignal 17k Precision LNB and feedhorn with a WSI DMX242 that I had on hand. I set the foc length to 38 after calculating the f/d for the dish. The mesh on this 7.5ft dish is triangular openings, not small circles like I have seen on others. It looks a lot like the SAMI pictures on their website and matches diameter focal depth and dish depth, but I could find nothing to confirm the brand.

I removed my 5ft echostar C Band from it's pole by myself and parked it behind the garage for free to someone who wants it like it was given to me.

I have attached a few pictures of my rube goldberg settup for easy installation of the 7.5ft dish on my old 3 1/2" pole... grabbed my neighbor at his convenience, gave him a pair of gloves and the two of us stepped up from two lawn chairs (not in pic) onto my two wooden ramps placed across 4 SEARS cheopo sawhorses. Plopped it onto the pipe and said thank you to the neighbor (5 min). Grabbed my inclinomator and meter and set the polar angle for my latitude. Hooked my meter up and swung the dish left and right from my due South of 118.7W (Anik F3) and nothing.... stepped back and stared at it for awhile... raised the elevation a couple degrees (looked low) and BANG! Nice solid signal on the wrong sat. I was on 121W. (My Superbuddy overcomes my igorance most of the time by telling me what sat I'm on). Then I realized I still had to connect the old Actuator. It is a very solid 2" diameter and 24" arm. I had cut my new wire to the old actuator on the 5ft so I didn't have to open it up.

Wired up my VBox, but had to open the actuator to see what color wires were wired to what. The motor wires are always easy as they e the heavier wires.

I then went in the house and fired up the VBox and my OpenBox S9 and I had 70% quality of ANIK F3 @118.7W. I spent the next few hrs playing with find satellites on the arc and seeing what channels it picked up. I am averaging 70% quality on most sat's from 87W to 135W. I still have tweaking of the LNB and adjustment of the arc to do yet, but after I reset the VBox when sitting on my East sat and storing most C Band sat's from 87W to 135W and was amazed at the speed of the VENTURE 24" ACTUATOR speed! It is very fast compared to my old STAB 120 Horiz to Horiz KU motor. That big dish moves like greased lightening.

Third time, Toucan: Thanks for the tip on the Craig's list dish.

 

[Anole]

Looks great. Good job. - :up
Loved the story. Made it really sound easy.

Let us know how the S2 signals are on that 7½' and the 242.
Should be fine, I believe.
If not, there are a few alternatives.

 

[toucan-man]

You're welcome x3. There are ads on Craigslist -- "free satellite dish removal". I suspect any dishes they find are destined to be scrapped.

We can't save every dish, but we must try. Great work. I take it you like the performance of the 7.5' compared to the 5'.

 

[T4Runner]

... I take it you like the performance of the 7.5' compared to the 5'.

I will NEVER fool with C Band again with anything less than a 7.5ft. NOW I understand all the thread coments. Solid signal before adjusting that I did not lose overnight or when the sun came up like the 5ft. However, that 5ft will go to someone that may try it and call it a winner.

Anyone in Central California want a 5ft solid c band dish? FREE like I received it!

 

[Anole]

Slap a prime-feed Ku LNBF on the five footer! - :up
You'll be the envy of everyone.

PS:
According to one of our Canadian cousins, a 5'er with a C-band LNBF, will do the new 4Dtv okay up there.
I hear it's even a bit better down in central US.
So, maybe for someone who wants a dedicated 410 system...?