Which C-band LNB for 6 foot dish? Actuator?

[stogie5150]

I am dangerously close to having enough money to order the 6 foot Fortec....which LNB will work best on it? I know I probably need a HOT lnb for such a small dish, right? Should I go ahead and get a combo c/ku all in one or will a dedicated cband feedhorn/lnb work better? I have two motorized Ku dishes so I don't really need Ku...

Also I see that Sadoun has replacement actuator motors, will that fit on my existing tube? I do not know what kind of actuator it is, it only had a sticker and it is long gone. I took the motor apart and it is full of fine powder, so its probably worn out, but I don't know anything about it other than that. I was planning on just using a hand screw jack on it to keep from running another wire, but on that dish the other day I got had a positioner box with it so I am now considering an actuator if I can do it on the cheap.

See, not asking much...

 

[tdti1]

You should get a dish with polar mount, there are some very good dishes out there with polar mount, I personally would also look at a 8.5' or larger dish.

 

[stogie5150]

You should get a dish with polar mount, there are some very good dishes out there with polar mount, I personally would also look at a 8.5' or larger dish.

Can't have any bigger than 6 foot. WAF.

 

[turbosat]

Ive got a cheap 'alleged' 15degree astrotel lnb on my 5' cband, it does pretty well. Everybody says get a Norsat, I'm sure they are great lnbs , and might even help a little, but with dishes this small, the problem will be the interference from adjacent satellites. That is more apparent on the west end of the sat arc, of course, because of the sats with so much activity on them are close together.

 

[tdti1]

Can't have any bigger than 6 foot. WAF.

Is 6' max? what about 6'6" or 7.5' haha, just go as big as you can, and if you are buying new you mite as well spend a bit more and go with a quality reflector.

 

[Anole]

Well, cool your jets there buddy, and take a breath.
I'm sure there's a good solution for your C-band-envy.

First, let me tell you a little story about a girl I used to go out with.
She was pretty tall.
A good 10" taller than my norm.
She insisted she was only 5' 11", but in truth, I think she was 5' 11" & 3/4"
..or maybe 11" & 7/8ths...
... or maybe she was just 6' tall and didn't want to admit it!
With heels, she easily matched my 6' 2" altitude.

So the question is, was she 5'-something? 5' 11"? or was she 6' tall?
It's all a matter of salesmanship, propaganda, or "spin" as they like to say.
Personally, if I could find a dish that was 6' 18", I think I'd call it "6'-something", and leave it at that.
Who's gonna get out there with a tape measure and call you a liar?

Might also want to get a much bigger BBQ to go under it, so as to make it look smaller


Now, back to our regularly scheduled rantings . . .

If you've got Ku covered, I wouldn't get anxious about the dual band LNBs.
They don't seem so exciting on Ku, as you'd hope.
However, they all have C-band-only little brothers.
BSC321, BSC421?
Geo C1 single output, and Geo-C2 two output.
Eagle Aspen band-stacked. (no H/V switching required)

A while back, I found a deal on an 18" actuator.
Don't know if it's long enough to move you around, but probably has the thrust.

Biggest problem I see, is getting a mount to put the dish on.
That Fortec comes without a polar mount.
Now, I'm all for building one out of bedframes with a welder, and would love to discuss such, but maybe that's not an option for everyone.

 

[stogie5150]

Biggest problem I see, is getting a mount to put the dish on.
That Fortec comes without a polar mount.
Now, I'm all for building one out of bedframes with a welder, and would love to discuss such, but maybe that's not an option for everyone.

Actually, Brother Anole ,I have access to all the angle I would need, leftover from my utility trailer project last fall...a (once) certified welder, torches, and all. BUT, Sadoun has the 6 foot Fortec with or without a polar mount on his website. 189.00 with the polar mount plus shipping of course. Website says 35.00 shipping to my door. That's doable.

I have several issues with going with a bigger dish. Biggest one is WAF, but I don't really like the looks of the bigger dishes in the landscape either. IF, and that is a BIG IF, I could find a 7 or 7.5 at the SAME price point I would TRY to get it past her on the price point alone. I am working on a strict budget here. Probably not over 300.00 complete.
But the few 7/7.5's I've seen are DOUBLE price-wise what a 6 is, and I don't have the scratch for that. Plus shipping alone for a 7.5 is what I am spending for the 6 before shipping, or damned near it.

OH, and thanks for the LNB ideas, too. Keep them coming! :up

 

[Anole]

the six-foot WAF

Yea, we laughed over your 6' WAF in other threads, so I already knew your answer.
Was just trying to lighten the mood.

Sadoun has the 6 foot Fortec with or without a polar mount on his website.
189.00 with the polar mount plus shipping of course.
Website says 35.00 shipping to my door.

And, at that point, we're pretty much done. :up

I won't even hold out any further hope for the 6' offsets, one of our brothers tried to get us.
Well not for you..... I, on the other hand, really know how to hold onto hope!

But to clear up one thing, I believe the suggestions for the 7.5 foot dish, may have been for a recycled (can you spell: free?) dish.

As for LNB ideas, I am just trying to filter through the stuff I read, and pass on what I think I understand.
It's always great, when one of the importers/dealers/developers wanders in with some facts we didn't know.
SatAV popped up yesterday in a 90cm dish thread, and heaped some major enlightenment upon us. :
Lacking that, I'm going to be slinging around the most logical deductions I can see.

 

[stogie5150]

Problem is, down here, back in the c-band heyday, everyone used 10' dishes. So that is what you see. I do not think I've seen a smaller one down here...at least one that is on a single family home, there's always the ones on the gas stations and such. I know where there is one that I think is 8 foot but its solid one piece fiberglass and its 20 feet in the air looking over a house....

One of those things I guess...

 

[stogie5150]

shhhhhh...keep quiet....I mentioned a 7.5 mesh dish today and she didn't veto it...

 

[Anole]

Okay, then!
six-foot, eighteen it is! :up

But I would be seriously averse to paying for a new one.
Keep an eye peeled for a used one.
Even down to putting a listing in the local paper.!

A road trip to the next city (or county) over, might be in order. . .

Go over to Arkansas and beat Gabsphere out of his 7.5
And while you are there, take a look as he compares the popular C-band LNBs with some oldies.

 

[gabshere]

i just recovered a 7 1/2 fter but it was in bad shape ......
i also have my eye on one and its in the 6 ft range but is in mint condition

man i need to get my 10 fter up and going

 

[stogie5150]

Okay, then!
six-foot, eighteen it is! :up

But I would be seriously averse to paying for a new one.
Keep an eye peeled for a used one.
Even down to putting a listing in the local paper.!

A road trip to the next city (or county) over, might be in order. . .

Go over to Arkansas and beat Gabsphere out of his 7.5
And while you are there, take a look as he compares the popular C-band LNBs with some oldies.

I placed an ad on freecycle for metal big dishes...let's see what I come up with...I too liked to have had a coronary when I saw the shipping for a 7.5....even shipped to my wife's work ( they have a shipping dock there) still looking at 100 bucks.

Also I called the sat installer that my parents used 30 years ago, he was still in business, he remembered my family, he told me hasn't done a c-band residential install in five years, said he just did a commercial install Thursday with his last 8 foot mesh dish in his storage...missed it by that much. He said he'd keep on the lookout for me.

I was all over south Mississippi today...no BUD's but I DID see a 1m commercial dish on what was left of a building that was destroyed by Katrina. All that was left was the concrete posts, and there, sure as you please, the 1m sitting tight on top...I was gonna take a pic but the light was green....

 

[Anole]

I'd have parked the car and harvested that little flower! :up


With your installer on the lookout for you, your odds just went way up.
Say, any clue what he charged (or would have charged you ) for that last 8' dish?

 

[stogie5150]

I'd have parked the car and harvested that little flower! :up


With your installer on the lookout for you, your odds just went way up.
Say, any clue what he charged (or would have charged you ) for that last 8' dish?

No idea. He didn't say. He did ask me lots about Ku band digital though. I should have offered to show him my setup...might have scored a free dish...

The 1m Commercial was on private property still, 100 yards from the Gulf of Mexico, it was devoid of houses and such because of the water washing everything away, but it still belonged to someone. Plus it was 15 feet in the air and I had no ladder.
AND right next to a four lane highway. NOT condusive to stealth.

 

[stogie5150]

...had a guy email me today, has a 12 foot dish and a CATV/SMATV headend rack with 4 commercial C-band receivers...anyone need commercial equipment?

 

[lumpkin666]

...had a guy email me today, has a 12 foot dish and a CATV/SMATV headend rack with 4 commercial C-band receivers...anyone need commercial equipment?

I need 1 or 2 C-Band capable DVB rackmount recievers I'm thinking of just breaking down and buying a couple of the tons of traxis 2800's out there though :/

 

[stogie5150]

I need 1 or 2 C-Band capable DVB rackmount recievers I'm thinking of just breaking down and buying a couple of the tons of traxis 2800's out there though :/

I think what he has are analog. he said they were at least 20 years old...

I need to go dish hunting.... but too much yard work to go find a dish right now...

 

[gabshere]

well i like dish hunting but wintertime when all the leaves are down is the best hunting time .....

would like a 12 or 14 fter

 

[stogie5150]

well i like dish hunting but wintertime when all the leaves are down is the best hunting time .....

would like a 12 or 14 fter

What happens when the leaves are down is one of the reason I want the C-band reflector in the first place...

GO TIGERS!