This dish has "the bends!" Anyone had luck with revitalizing 'em? I get to take it home....

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"On the Air" in MI
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Oct 13, 2007
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West Central Michigan
Its only a few miles from me, buddy of mine's dad has it....they are on the "pizza" world since about 10 or more years ago.....

It's a Winegard dish, best use may be for W-5 SRL for someone....but she's been damaged by something very tall. (it was either a semi trailer or a forklift, both tend to be on this property for business. The shape is bent back on itself on what we would call "lower left" as you look into the dish. about from 7 O'clock to 10 or 11 might best describe it. Frame bent.

Will it bend to fix, or more likely break? Re-shapeable? Mesh seems rolled, not crimped or bent. Actuator likely shot, (no biggie.) I'm sure I can have the (tall) pole free, too and my buddy can cut it off, so we can shorten it on its "next life."

Got this from the same person who just gave me their former DTN (Channlel master .75 meter dish when I changed their DTN dish for a system upgrade for them.--DTN only wanted the LNB back, not the whole dish, likely from shipping costs.) Not sure what I want to do with the smaller DTN dish yet! Will put that story in another more proper thread.

Do I have metal scrap, or potential here? I'm spoiled by installing and using Birdview....but always up for a new challenge if I can bring someone to the H2H/SRL side!
 

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Looks to me like the mesh got the worst of whatever it was. If you're looking for a bud, you're looking for a bud. And this is one. You could probably get it pretty close to the right shape by eye. What's the worst that's going to happen? Poor reception? You can always recycle it yourself if/when you come across a better one. I'd grab it if it was me. But, that's me.
 
Dunno, that one is horked up pretty good and there's no way to get the mesh out to straighten it. GAWD, I never seen a Winegard dish with a button hook LNB mount before?? I got a 12 foot Conifer on the ground 40 miles from the house to bring home with a button hook that was originally installed in 1983. Dish is good and I have a late model LNBF to put on it once it's up on the post.

If you take the button hook off and lay the dish on something flat (concrete driveway or garage floor) it will give you something to work with. Some pieces of 2x4" lumber can do wonders when you got a large RUBBER mallet. Whether the mesh comes back though is a crap shoot. Probably zero chance of getting a new panel for it. As others have said, if it 's free then the price is right and you'll only have time and effort in whatever you wind up with. The actuator is probably worth taking it down and home so "Go fer it Bubba"!

FYI, I straightened a bent mesh panel that was on my 7.5ft SAMI Dish with a rubber mallet on a concrete floor in my garage and it worked GREAT and I'm getting within 10 to 12 points of the quality I get on my 10ft Winegard with it. Your mileage may vary though! ;-) Good luck!!
 
My 10' mesh got hit by a tree limb and looked like a giant black potato chip. Took it down and without feedhook laid it on the garage floor. Wrestled and bent it until it laid flat.

Mine had 12 ribs and a couple were bent. I took a scrap of wood panel and made a template of the good ones and bent and beat the bad ones to the same contour. Had to flatten it out on the floor again. Also taped diameter about 8 ways to get it round. My mesh was removable after prying the aluminum strips around it, so it could be laid on the floor and malleted.

I had another time that the mesh was stretched badly by a golf ball. Took it to a sheet metal shop. The guy ran it back & forth through a pair of rolls and it flattened. Some of the mesh holes were ovals and others squeezed almost shut but it flattened.

Still using that dish for C & Ku even though I've picked up a few spares since.
 
It an 8 footer and it looks like the one I got a few years back that was sold by Zenith and manufactured by Winegard and the actuator should still be good as I'm using mind on another dish and it's heavy duty. Get it as what do you have to lose, and if not repairable you can sell it for scape and make a few dollars. Just remember it's a heavy mount to get down.
 
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