What's the best way forward?

[COBill]

I have (had) a 10' Winegard QuadStar mesh dish, CoRotor II+ feed horn, great NorSat C and Ku band LNBs.

I have an old Manhattan DVB receiver bought from Mike Kohl when he was shutting down and it's being driven by a 4DTV with capacitor issues such that it's SD output has a lot of interference on it.

My Ajak H-H motor still works, and the 4DTV still gets the dish pointed in the right place.

However… last year my dish was finally destroyed once and for all by 3" hail that punched holes THROUGH many of the panels, though those on the top half of the dish are OK, the bottom half of panels were punched through and forced out of their frames.

Given the current state of what's up on the birds, I am trying to figure out the best route forward, since I still have a pole in the ground:

1) Buy a new 10' dish and 24" actuator from Tek2000.

This seems "easiest."

2) Buy mesh from Tek2000 and try to fabricate new mesh panels

I'm not sure of this would even work given the age of the dish and the dents the hail made in the frames.

3) Trash the Winegard and put a 36" Ku only dish on the pole.

Since most DVB bouquets are on Ku anyway.

I did look for a donor QuadStar for over a year but had zero luck.

Picking up a new receiver is the easy part; all the wiring out to the dish is still good and the system worked perfectly for PBS until the hail storm.

What would people recommend as the best route forward?

Finally is there anyone in the Denver area I might be able to pay to help me with the 10' options?

Thanks in advance!!

BTW, if my 4DTV finally dies as an actuator, I still have a GI 650i that will work for that too!

 

[Lee60]

I remembered a ol' thread about a similar repair.
8' dish finally repaired

I'll let others respond to your other questions.

I'll add a pointer. Massage the dents out by rubbing them out. Pounding them out as a last choice because you don't want to stretch the panel anymore than it already is.. I would try a body panel dolly or a extra large socket.

Good Luck with getting things up and running again.

Lee

 

[ZetaMale]

A C-band dish is probably the best way to go but there's only 1 dealer that sells consumer grade dishes (that I know of). I have a TEK2000 12 footer with the reflector still sitting on the ground because the assembly is not going well. I've been working on the assembly off and on for 3 weeks. The holes on some of the panels just won't line up and they're not even close enough to enlarge the holes. The manufacturer says to assemble the panels with the hub mounted but I've read about others that say that isn't any easier. So, I don't recommend the TEK line of antennas. My KTI dish was a LOT easier to assemble. I'm wishing that I had replaced the mesh on my old dish instead but the mesh isn't all that inexpensive and if you get it professionally cut it'll cost a LOT more. If there were more services on Ku I would have recommended just buying a 1.2 meter offset dish instead.

 

[mikekohl]

I have (had) a 10' Winegard QuadStar mesh dish, CoRotor II+ feed horn, great NorSat C and Ku band LNBs.

I have an old Manhattan DVB receiver bought from Mike Kohl when he was shutting down and it's being driven by a 4DTV with capacitor issues such that it's SD output has a lot of interference on it.

My Ajak H-H motor still works, and the 4DTV still gets the dish pointed in the right place.

However… last year my dish was finally destroyed once and for all by 3" hail that punched holes THROUGH many of the panels, though those on the top half of the dish are OK, the bottom half of panels were punched through and forced out of their frames.

Given the current state of what's up on the birds, I am trying to figure out the best route forward, since I still have a pole in the ground:

1) Buy a new 10' dish and 24" actuator from Tek2000.

This seems "easiest."

2) Buy mesh from Tek2000 and try to fabricate new mesh panels

I'm not sure of this would even work given the age of the dish and the dents the hail made in the frames.

3) Trash the Winegard and put a 36" Ku only dish on the pole.

Since most DVB bouquets are on Ku anyway.

I did look for a donor QuadStar for over a year but had zero luck.

Picking up a new receiver is the easy part; all the wiring out to the dish is still good and the system worked perfectly for PBS until the hail storm.

What would people recommend as the best route forward?

Finally is there anyone in the Denver area I might be able to pay to help me with the 10' options?

Thanks in advance!!

BTW, if my 4DTV finally dies as an actuator, I still have a GI 650i that will work for that too!

Denver is a large metro area and thousands of C and C/Ku band dishes were installed over the years. I would suggest taking a look at the local Craig's List, and if that does not work, make a listing under "Wanted" on same list to see if anyone might have one to give away for your trouble of dismantling and removing. There may also be some unused dishes at commercial establishment (bars and restaurants), especially in suburban and rural areas that may be available if you ask the right person. Look for a dish pointing all the way east or west indicating its non-use, or if you see one pointing in the normal direction, stop in to the establishment and order a drink. Look for clues that the dish is not in use, such as a collection of DirecTV or DISH Network receivers in use, cable, or internet delivery of sports. Once you have started a conversation with the owner, and if they show interest, ask if you can inspect the dish. Sometimes all it takes is asking, and you might come away with a free or low cost solution to your problem. I would stay away from the Chinese made options you have mentioned, because they will never stand the test of time with your wild variations in weather, likely failing in high winds or hailstorms.
BTW, I am still on the fringes of the satellite industry, but with little or no new hardware being produced, am hoping for something to happen in the next few months. Have a day job about 40 miles away from where I used to live; still in SW Wisconsin.

 

[JFOK]

COBill,

My two cents...
The easiest route would be to buy a new dish from Tek2000. They’re not cheap and certain sizes and types might not be available currently due to the Covid situation. I bought a solid 8 foot dish from them last fall. Assembly was relatively easy since I had experience assembling dishes and any questions I had, were answered by members here. The enclosed directions in one word...sucked. It was just a blown up diagram.
I assembled the dish on the ground and with the help of my wife, lifted it in place. I’m very pleased with its performance and it has survived several storms with high winds with no damage. Appears to be well constructed.
A cheaper and more time consuming alternative is to replace the damaged mesh.
You could also, as Mike Kohl suggested look for a used dish that someone would gladly part with for little or no money.
Good luck,

John

 

[GetBit03]

Repair it. NO WAY would I spend a lot of money on a new c band dish this day in age.

 

[COBill]

BTW, I am still on the fringes of the satellite industry, but with little or no new hardware being produced, am hoping for something to happen in the next few months. Have a day job about 40 miles away from where I used to live; still in SW Wisconsin.

Thanks, Mike.

The problem with used dishes is that most of the Denver metro area has been hit by 2.5" hail or larger sometime over the past 30 years, so virtually every existing 10' dish of any age has been pummeled and dented, though the others don't have the holes punched through the mesh that mine does.

I hope you remember me from Gary's FNL days, I still have a marathon or two recorded to VHS Hi-Fi.