Unknown Ku dish with possibly bent LNBF arm

[FTAer0024]

Last weekend, I bought a used Ku dish (unknown brand) with LNBF, marked 'Atlanta DTH model 6200'. The LNBF was made in 2003. The dish is in great shape, faded gray, ovally shaped, the oval measures about 32" vertically and 34" horizontally. Has fine elevation adjustment rod in the back, that screws in and out to move the dish up and down. Now, the reason for this post is my concern that the arm apeears to be slightly bent horizontally (left-right) I measured the distance from the LNBF to the edge of the dish, and it is about two inches shorter on one side (and that much longer on the other side). Can I just bend the arm to bring it to exactly the center of the dish? Or could it be that the arm is not bent and is supposed to be off center, like that? Thanks.

 

[Mikey11]

i have never heard of a dish that was made where the lnb arm aimed off center.....my bet would be its bent.....i would try to fabricate some home made side support arms so after you bend it back it stays in the proper spot....pics would help with diagnosis.....

 

[Anole]

The dish (in particular that elevation adjust) sounds familiar.
- pictures please, front 'n back
- what's the dish made of?
- I'd bend it so the LNBF is centered
- you may put the elevation off a bit (or it may be off)
- are there elevation markings on the mount?

What you do is put the dish on a plumb pole, aim it at your true south (or nearly so) bird, and see how the elevation reads.
If it's off, bend the LNB support arm, 'till it's correct.
That should put you right on the money.

 

[Lak7]

Since the damage is already done, no harm in trying to straighten it.
I think I have the same Dish, and I added side-support arms to stabilize the arm.

Are you going to motorize the Dish?

 

[FTAer0024]

I will snap some pictures tonight and post them tomorrow.. I am curious to find out who it was made by.. even though it is old, the build quality seems to be higher than the 3 month old Winegard dish I have now. I like how all the bolts fit in their holes exactly with no slack, unlike the winegard dish..

The dish (in particular that elevation adjust) sounds familiar.
- pictures please, front 'n back
- what's the dish made of?
- I'd bend it so the LNBF is centered
- you may put the elevation off a bit (or it may be off)
- are there elevation markings on the mount?

What you do is put the dish on a plumb pole, aim it at your true south (or nearly so) bird, and see how the elevation reads.
If it's off, bend the LNB support arm, 'till it's correct.
That should put you right on the money.

 

[hwm]

That sounds like the dish that came with a Bob Jones University distance learning setup. I have one I bought off a local CraigsList. It is a very sturdy dish.

The LNBF holder arm should be centered.

 

[Anole]

Wonder if it looks like this?

Lak7 shows Bob Jones University dish & elevation adjuster rod:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/c-band-...tures-dish-hunting-2008-a-14.html#post1495561

 

[FTAer0024]

pics

Here it is:

Wonder if it looks like this?

Lak7 shows Bob Jones University dish & elevation adjuster rod:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/c-band-...tures-dish-hunting-2008-a-14.html#post1495561

 

[SatelliteAV]

Definitely a BJU dish. Chances are if the arm was bent side to side, it may have been bent in the vertical axis as well. It must be corrected before motorizing or it will not track the arc and the signal quality will be low.

 

[hwm]

Yes, the pictures above are just like mine, a BJU dish.

They are very sturdy, it must have taken a big hit to bend the LNBF arm.

I can take measurements and pictures of the LNBF arm position on mine, if that will help you out.

 

[FTAer0024]

hwm, yes, that would definitely help, thank you. Some horizontal measurements and some vertical measurements, like from LNBF mount clamp to the top most point on the edge of the dish. I want to make sure the arm is not bent vertically.

Yes, the pictures above are just like mine, a BJU dish.

They are very sturdy, it must have taken a big hit to bend the LNBF arm.

I can take measurements and pictures of the LNBF arm position on mine, if that will help you out.

 

[hwm]

hwm, yes, that would definitely help, thank you. Some horizontal measurements and some vertical measurements, like from LNBF mount clamp to the top most point on the edge of the dish. I want to make sure the arm is not bent vertically.

I will do that. Give me a few hours to get to it.

The LNB arm should be centered on the dish horizontally. I will get pictures and a measurement for the vertical position of the arm in relation to the top edge of the dish.

I would suggest you check the dish for warpage too. Stretch two strings across the face at right angles. They should touch in the middle.

 

[hwm]

Pix of BJU dish measurments.



Click on the images above for a full size view.

The side support arms are 29.5 inches Center to Center of their bolt holes.

Hope this helps.

Uploading pictures to this site on Dialup is frustratingly slow.

 

[DK_Sat]

Those dishes were used by Directv to, for there International channels serves on Galaxy 3C at 95.0w ,
The dish came with 2 LNBs the center was for Galaxy 3C and the second LNB was clamp down with a chip bracket for Directv at 101.0w

 

[Anole]

Excellent pictures. Thanks for posting hwm! - :up

The ADTH dish (BJU) is characterized by the deep lip on the front, and the nice elevator screw adjustment on the back.
(and apparently the round LNBF support arm)
All three are unique or at least uncommon on dishes, so far as I've seen.

Though of average size, I suspect it's an excellent choice for a beginner.
The deep rim prevents warpage.
The screw adjust prevents frustration. - :up

Funny, I hadn't seen a similar dish in DirecTV usage.
Here's the only one I've seen, and it's not too common around here.
But, I'll keep on the lookout.

 

[DK_Sat]

The dish on the ling is the new International dish that Directv is now using for there International serves, Before they were using the larger dish that i thing was made by Eagle.

 

[FTAer0024]

The dish was not warped, and the arm was not bent vertically. I think it is centered perfectly now. Now, gotta get some new hardware to replace those rusted bolts and nuts. Can't wait to see how it does, compared to my current 30" Winegard dish.

Thank you all for your support!

Those dishes were used by Directv to, for there International channels serves on Galaxy 3C at 95.0w ,
The dish came with 2 LNBs the center was for Galaxy 3C and the second LNB was clamp down with a chip bracket for Directv at 101.0w

 

[hwm]

The dish was not warped, and the arm was not bent vertically. I think it is centered perfectly now. Now, gotta get some new hardware to replace those rusted bolts and nuts. Can't wait to see how it does, compared to my current 30" Winegard dish.

Thank you all for your support!

I think you will like this dish. The signal gain is maybe a tiny bit more than the Winegard 76cm. The construction is robust, and you're gonna love that elevation screw for fine tuning.

 

[DK_Sat]

I sold mine, that is a very good dish.

 

[FTAer0024]

hwm, do know what the offset of this dish is? It seems like it could be 10 degrees. When the angle meter shows 50, the dish scale shows 40.

That sounds like the dish that came with a Bob Jones University distance learning setup. I have one I bought off a local CraigsList. It is a very sturdy dish.

The LNBF holder arm should be centered.