New KU Dish from Gas Station

[chapelrun]

Yesterday I saw trucks and backhoes at a local gas station - - - it looked like they were going to tear down the place. Of course I stopped and asked if I could have the dish on the back of the building. The guys said sure and I could get it tomorrow.

So after work today I went back got the dish and the pole it was on. Dish is over 4 feet across. I'm wondering how I might motorize this beast.

Pretty cool find.

 

[Blindowl1234]

Nice find! I missed one at a taco bell a few years ago. There one day,then I went back the next and building and dish were gone

 

[WesTheTinkerer]

That is cool! I've been eying a gas station and a Blockbuster video store. I was going to call the realtor listed outside and see if I could get in touch with the owners. I put an ad on Craig's List but only got a reply from a guy with a ten footer and I just don't have the room to set that monster up. Besides I live in a historic district and my neighbors wouldn't mind but the Historical Society would. One guy e-mailed me asking if I was interested in buying his DirectTV dishes even though I had said in my add what I wanted. When I told him that I wasn't interested he went nuts on me saying, " I'm going to report you to Craig's List!, You said you buy satellite dishes! What you are doing is wrong!" Anyway I'm glad that you got a free dish. Rock 'N Roll!

 

[WesTheTinkerer]

Nice find! I missed one at a taco bell a few years ago. There one day,then I went back the next and building and dish were gone

That happened to me not long ago Blindowl. A six foot mesh dish on top of an Pizza Hut turned Bar and Grill that shut down years ago. I'd been looking at that dish for ten years and as soon as I wanted it, dish building and all just disappear.

 

[Anole]

...I went back got the dish and the pole it was on.
Dish is over 4 feet across.
I'm wondering how I might motorize this beast.

Oh, round. I can tell from the feedhorn.
Out here, most gas station dishes are 4' wide rectangular Prodelins.
Judging from the feed arm, I guess you 've got a round 1.2m Prodelin.
First rate dish; congratulations!

Kinda heavy.
I'd strip as much mount as possible to reduce weight if considering a DG380.
Maybe fabricate your own bracket (it's been documented on the forum).
Alternately, you can graft the dish to a BUD mount and drive it with a jack.
Talk to TurboSat, he did one that way.

 

[primestar31]

You need a polar mount for that beast!

I doubt the latest model of the DG380 would be able to move it for long, if at all.

 

[phlatwound]

If you have a Birdview H-H mount laying around you could do it like this:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads...fset-on-Birdview-H-H-mount?highlight=prodelin

 

[turbosat]

Yep, primestar said it, don't think the 380 could handle it for long without some major strip-down. Seems like 25-28lbs was the rated maximum weight, can't recall where I read that. You might be able to achieve it by removing the mount, using a square piece of aluminum or something like that. Polar mount would do it nicely, too.

 

[KE4EST]

That is a nice find. I have been eying a dish just like that a Gas station across the line in GA. Maybe one of these days I will stop and ask about it.

 

[danristheman]

One good thing about the recession is all the closed down businesses great way to get satellite dishes.

Dan Rose

 

[Tron]

I have that same 1.2M Prodelin, and it is HEAVY. The dish is thick, even for a molded dish, and the mount and LNB support arms are monstrous. I would recommend aiming it at a favorite Ku-Band bird and leaving it stationary.

 

[guacharaca]

I see lots of those type of LNBs on remote ATM machines. I am curious if it is single polarity.

 

[pollux]

looks like a Hughesnet internet dish

 

[chapelrun]

I have that same 1.2M Prodelin, and it is HEAVY. The dish is thick, even for a molded dish, and the mount and LNB support arms are monstrous. I would recommend aiming it at a favorite Ku-Band bird and leaving it stationary.

After moving the dish from the truck - - - I think you are right!

i think this would be a great 103W dish for NBC - - I think I will install it beside my Channel Master.

 

[Tron]

That is exactly what I plan to use mine for... Just as soon as I can get around to some of my FTA projects!

I was actually supposed to have that done before the Olympics, but other things came up, and I ended up squeaking by with a 36" motorized dish.

 

[chapelrun]

Today I got this dish up in the air and pointed at 103W. The way this dish is configured I can only get one polarity, in this case H - - - but that is OK because everything I want is H.

At first I was not getting any NBC channels to scan in - - - but then I rotated the LNB 26 degrees counter-clockwise (standing in front of the dish) and they came right in. I don't think I have the dish dead on yet but did pretty well considering it got dark so early.

Maybe some PIX tomorrow.

 

[Anole]

I suspect you'll be satisfied with the original LNB.
So no reason to graft that feedhorn to a newer LNB, then have to cobble up a way to mount it.

Poke it with a fork; I think it's done! ?

 

[chapelrun]

You are definately correct!! The setup to skew the LNB is so cool. You loosen two screws and you rotate the LNB anywhere you want in about 10 seconds. Tight the two screw back and you're done. Very well engineered Prodelin dish.

 

[chapelrun]

Some PIX

Here are some PIX of the dish. Notice the skew adjustment on this dish.

 

[KE4EST]

Looks good, and I like that skew adjustment.