What is the Best Dish?

[CbandLover]

Been scouting buds for awhile in my area. See all different kinds, mostly Unimesh and Wingards and some others. I don't even bother with fiberglass/solid as I have no interest. What should I be looking for in terms of mesh that is worth asking the owners if I can take it? Your thoughts? Easy disassembly a must if possable.

 

[charper1]

I have had experience with Sami, Paraclipse, and Orbitron (may have been a renamed major brand) All were 10' small perf mesh. I do not know which may no longer be in business, but I had great results with all 3. The Orbitron was one I helped a friend install at his property.

 

[mkm4]

The mesh dishes are all about the same, but the less panels the better.
Avoid fiberglass at all costs. You never know what condition they are in internally.
The solid aluminum are the best.

Check the mesh to see that it is undented and that the holes are small enough for Ku to work. If you can slip a pencil through the holes, it is too big for Ku.

Avoid the "button hook" style feed holder. (Why? I don't know, but that's what many say to do.) They come up from the center of the dish. Look for the ones with four legs instead.

 

[tdti1]

"Avoid the "button hook" style feed holder. (Why? I don't know, but that's what many say to do.) They come up from the center of the dish. Look for the ones with four legs instead."

This is mostly because when upgrading a older button hook feed to a dual band feed assembly the feed tends to sag and go off of the center leading to poor reception and interference, they do have a guy wire to help from sagging feeds, but I like the tripod and quadpod supports myself though many good dishes do have the button hook feed support. Also snow and time tends to have an affect on the botton type.

 

[Diamond Jim]

The solid aluminum are the best.

I have been real happy with my spun (solid) aluminum dish (see photos in Spun Aluminium thread) for over 20 years, very low maintainance. As for the button hook, it has been on the dish since purchase without any problems. You will notice that it is white, it was bare steel and when it began to rust I sanded it down real good and painted it with a couple of coats of rust proof primer and paint. I have had to do this twice, and it seems to be holding up real good. Originally it was a C Band only, I added the Ku LNB a few years later. I have not experienced any sagging yet, but I am prepared to use a guy wire if the need arises. Snow? No problem, I keep a broom by the door in the garage and I knock it off as soon as it accumulates. As for rating the dish on a scale of 1 to 10, I would have to give it a 9. The motor and arm have gone out on it, which is expected, but that has nothing to do with the great reception I get on all the satellites from AMC 7 (137) to AMC 6 (72).

 

[CbandLover]

Jim,
I sure did see the pics of your dish, and it is really sweet. Is the gain a whole lot more since it is solid, or is there a real difference with mesh and yours? Also, I heard a Paraclipse is built for wind. That true?

 

[Diamond Jim]

To be honest, I don't know which is best. I have always been told that mesh was not good for Ku band. Of course when I bought it, there was no Ku so it didn't matter. When I wanted to go with Ku my satellite guy looked at the dish and said "good, the solid dish is the best for Ku." He went on to tell me that the Ku bandwith was so narrow that it would pass through the mesh. I have never had a problem with wind, but believe me I have watched it with some major wind and it has never moved at all. Fact or fiction, I don't know. But you would not believe the great reception I get on this baby.

 

[tdti1]

A solid will always outperform a mesh antenna, the mesh causes signal loss, and so less waves are directed back to the feedhorn, but on C-band it is hard to notice though on Ku you will see a difference, I personally use a mesh dish, I would like to get a solid 3.8m but then I need to do a whole new install.