New to the Fta world

[Penguin0456]

So I'm thinking about picking a 12 foot dish tomorrow and was wondering if their is anything I should ask or look for.

It's fairly old and the current owner says it does ku and c. It is motorized so there's that, Fiberglass. Other then that idk.

Let me know what you think.

 

[wvman]

So I'm thinking about picking a 12 foot dish tomorrow and was wondering if their is anything I should ask or look for.

It's fairly old and the current owner says it does ku and c. It is motorized so there's that, Fiberglass. Other then that idk.

Let me know what you think.

The first thing you need to do is a site survey to see if your dish site has an unobstructed view of the satellites. The dish won't do you any good unless you have at least a partial view of the arc. Are they asking anything for the dish? Fiberglass dishes are more difficult to move and setup. A new receiver and LNBF would be a good investment, and maybe a new motor drive box. If the dish moves right now, that's a plus. It would interesting to see what electronics are on it. Pictures would be helpful.

If at all possible, I'd try to move it in one piece. If you decide to take it apart, be sure to make everything so it goes back together exactly as it came apart. Be sure to measure the pole so you get the right size pole to plant at your location. There are satellites up there with several FTA channels worth watching. It sounds as if the current owner may have used the Ku side. There's a lot of people in here who do Ku, but I'm not one of them.

You can get a lot of help in here. to FTA.

 

[Penguin0456]

I'm a electronics guy and I've always wanted to a large dish. I've never actually used a fta setup but I have done some research. From what I understand he hasn't used or moved it and more then a decade. The site it is being installed has had one prior but has been decommissioned.

 

[wvman]

I'm a electronics guy and I've always wanted to a large dish. I've never actually used a fta setup but I have done some research. From what I understand he hasn't used or moved it and more then a decade. The site it is being installed has had one prior but has been decommissioned.

Even after being dormant for ten years, there's still a chance the actuator arm may still be usable. Sometimes, the seals remain in good shape and kept moisture out of the inside. Even at that, it may still be salvageable with a little elbow grease. Titanium offers a dual output LNBF that will allow you to use two receivers, and he offers a programmable dish mover. You can check out the condition of these things once you get it on the pole. You can get a list of available channels at sathint.com or lyngsat.com.

Half the battle is having a prepared site to work with. I have five BUD's and had to set poles for 4 of them. I like having individual dishes for each satellite, that way you don't have to worry about moving from satellite to another, but that's a personal preference. One movable dish will do just fine. Good luck with the setup. Hope it works out for you. There are a lot of good folks in here willing to help.

 

[Greg Mueller]

If it's still on the pole and not off and leaning against something it is probably not warped (maybe) so you are probably safe in that respect.
You won't need a mover to get going, you could just use a hand crank like they did in the early days.
Mostly just concentrate on having fun.

 

[FTA4PA]

So I'm thinking about picking a 12 foot dish tomorrow and was wondering if their is anything I should ask or look for.

It's fairly old and the current owner says it does ku and c. It is motorized so there's that, Fiberglass. Other then that idk.

Let me know what you think.

Welcome to Satellite Guys Penguin0456! Great advice from wvman. If getting a new LNBF and receiver I'd suggest the C1-PLL from Titanium Satellite and the Amiko Mini HD265 from Michael Electronics. Both are members here and will give you a quality product with excellent support. Be sure to post up a few pics of the dish when you get your dish.

 

[Lone Gunman]

This is a really good hobby and many of us have actually "cut the cord" and no longer pay for TV! It's NOT a substitute for dish or direct but it can fulfill your needs depending on what you have to have as far as entertainment is concerned. But more on that later.

As mentioned up the page, pictures will go a long way in showing us exactly what you have!!

I'm also a big fan of moving a dish intact, ie, not taking it apart, IF POSSIBLE. I've moved an 8 footer, two 10 footers and the last move was a 10.5 footer, all mesh dishes which were all in one piece.

Also remember that when the dish was last parked at the position it's on now, there's about a 99% chance that it was parked ON a satellite so try not to move the actuator or motor until AFTER you get it mounted on the new post. If the dish isn't too far away from where you will mount it now, what I do is put the dish on the post just snug the bolts down lightly then connect a receiver/meter to it and turn the dish/mount on the post and look for a signal. My longest move was 16/18 miles due east of where one of mine is mounted now and it came in fine at the new site and I only had to fine tune it to get it where I could use it.

If you need it, help is only a keyboard away and there are some really smart ppl on this board, There's usually several different ways of doing some stuff so just take your time, ask questions then make the final decision on what you need to do and do it.

Disclaimer: As usual, your mileage may vary and your prayers will be answered in the order in which they were received!

 

[Penguin0456]

Here's a picture of it.

 

[Penguin0456]

So I got it home. It is still most in one peice I couldn't lift it with the mounting hardware so I took it off that. However I did keep the dish in one piece.

 

[Greg Mueller]

Here's a picture of it.

Try some "30 Seconds" (Home Depot) and a truck washing brush on the mold

 

[Penguin0456]

I guess I should added this in my other post, but the actuator looked pretty good. My next question is if I can be pointed into the right direction of what I should do next. Such as how deep should the new pole be? How do I control the actuator?

 

[KE4EST]

Welcome to SatelliteGuys Penguin0456!!
To control the actuator you will need a vbox or the best would be to get a Titanium ASC1.

 

[Penguin0456]

So far the only thing I can identify is that the lnb is a gardiner c95-50. The dish appears to have at some point in its life been altered to have a different lnb on it, because it has a universal looking mount on it.

Although old and will be replaced, can I test this anyway to verify it works still?

Also can I be pointed to perhaps documents that kinda give me proper terminology. And how this system works?

Thanks

 

[KE4EST]

BUD manual

 

[Lone Gunman]

BUD manual

Fat Air is smiling at you!!

 

[KE4EST]

Fat Air is smiling at you!!

Yes, I am sure he is. I sure miss his posts and input.

 

[Magic Static]

Yes, I am sure he is. I sure miss his posts and input.

And the Fat Air "Combo" I liked that dish

 

[Penguin0456]

So a question I have found is, where do you get the pipe that you plant in the ground. I need 4 inch od, but everywhere I ask about a steel pipe was ridiculous like 450 for 12 feet. Is it cast iron

 

[FTA4PA]

So a question I have found is, where do you get the pipe that you plant in the ground. I need 4 inch od, but everywhere I ask about a steel pipe was ridiculous like 450 for 12 feet. Is it cast iron

Locate well drillers in your area and ask if they have any old well casing in the correct size for your mount - you can probably get it at a good price.

 

[waylew]

Is it cast iron

No,you want steel.Try checking recyclers or scrap yards too.