The Lizard King

[AcWxRadar]

Here is a cool item.

I was watching Montana PBS on Saturday night or early Sunday morning. The show was called the Lizard Kings. It was all about the many lizard species in Australia and some other parts of the world.

They were focusing on Monitor lizards. Some were small (handful size) and they covered all sizes up to the Komodo Dragon. Fantastic show!

They attached a "lizard-cam" to one monitor and followed it around the Red Sand Desert of Australia with a video camera.

What was really interesting is that one of the team members here was carrying a satellite dish with a modified LNBF to pick up the signal from the "Lizard Cam". The dish appeared to be about a 76cm dish and the guy was carrying it around and pointing it in the general direction of where the lizard and its broadcasting camera was heading.

Really neat show! Thought you might like to hear about it. You know, other uses for sat dishes!

RADAR

 

[AcWxRadar]

Lizard King Pix

I managed to record the show and take a few snaps of the dish I was referring to. This AZBox is awesome!

RADAR

 

[Anole]

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Sometimes folks use 2.4ghz WiFi hardware with dish reflectors.
Just mounting a USB WiFi dongle at the focus will get ya going.
Not sure how well it works.

 

[Cadsulfide]

I had just watched the DOORs movie tonight, and thought at first you were talking about Jim Morrison! -
.

Me Too!

 

[SatelliteAV]

Very cool application!

One of my first TV production jobs was carrying a microphone mounted on a plexiglass parabolic dish for golfing events.

WiFi works great on a 76 or 90cm. Have played around with point to point connections with a standard WiFi and wireless card with external antenna connection and easily get several miles range. Much less than 382KM record, but it was fun!
Story Link

Soldered a probe to a BNC chassis mount and mounted in a tuna can. Then mounted the tuna can in place of a LNBF. Flipped the dish over so the arm was on top of the dish and the open tuna can facing downwards.

 

[Fizbi]

Saw that show too. It was very educational.

Here is another similar use of the technology using a modified dish.
A camera is strapped to the back of a falcon and you can see the scientists tracking the bird by keeping the dish pointed at the bird! It looks like they have to keep the dish pointed at the transmitter to collect good video.

Please excuse the commercial...



Cool stuff.

 

[AcWxRadar]

Very cool application!

One of my first TV production jobs was carrying a microphone mounted on a plexiglass parabolic dish for golfing events.

WiFi works great on a 76 or 90cm. Have played around with point to point connections with a standard WiFi and wireless card with external antenna connection and easily get several miles range. Much less than 382KM record, but it was fun!
Story Link

Soldered a probe to a BNC chassis mount and mounted in a tuna can. Then mounted the tuna can in place of a LNBF. Flipped the dish over so the arm was on top of the dish and the open tuna can facing downwards.

I have been wanting to try the WiFi dish idea for point to point WiFi between my home and my cabin. The cabin is down the hill, just out my back door and just shy of one mile distance away. The problem I have is getting over the tree canopy. I would have to elevate the dish quite a bit, but it would be excellent to have it working.

RADAR