Which Dish?

[Swamp_Rat]

I am looking to upgrade my 1m to a 1.2 so I can play mini bud a bit. Which dish is better built for a motorized set up, the fortec or the geosat pro 1.2m. The mount on the geosat looks beefier but the deal from Sadoun at 199 delivered looks pretty good.
Whats your opinion?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Anole]

1.2m Geosat vs 1.2m Fortec dishes:

Unless someone has both, and can point to a performance difference, I'd go by what I've seen here on the forum . . .

- The GeoSat has a threaded elevation adjustment
- the Fortec has a friction elevaton pivot
- the Fortec has no actual elevation pivot axle (and in some threads we've put 'em in)

So, the GeoSat would be easier to install and adjust, without fabricating extra parts or solutions.

How its slightly shorter focal length might affect C-band, I cannot say.
Both seem to perform okay in the hands of users.
( Get a BUD! ) -

For motor, I would argue there's only one solution, the DG380.

. . . well, that's one opinion. -

 

[pendragon]

How its slightly shorter focal length might affect C-band, I cannot say.

C-band feeds are kind of like wide-angle lenses, which is appropriate for most prime-focus dishes, whereas offset dishes are more designed for the equivalent of a telephoto lens. There is some room for adapting/modifying feeds to work the opposite, however.

The lower f/D of the Geo is a better match to a typical C-band feed, but not by a country mile. Most would argue you should get a conical scalar ring for either the Geo or Fortec, but without specs or analysis I would first try the normal scalar ring pulled out to or even past the end of the feed mouth. If that doesn't work, try the conical. The danger of a blindly applied conical is that it may only illuminate the center of the dish.

On an offset dish any spillover in the illumination is mostly going to be to the sky, which is a lot better than for a prime-focus dish. On an offset one is interested in getting closer to illuminating the edges of the dish, whereas with a prime-focus the edges are a critical shield of the earth.

 

[Anole]

I was trying to not be verbose for a change, but Pendragon brings up a good point about scalars.
Here are two more scalar-related posts:

ACradio and flat scalar tune-up on mini-bud:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/c-band-...g-c-band-my-1-2-meter-dish-2.html#post1735458
(next to last paragraph is a must-read!)

Offset Scalar performance comparison:
Communication Satellite
(no reading - just pictures) -


Regarding 1.0m and 1.2m Fortec Star dishes, . . . here's some prior info about the pivot point.
If you don't have time to read it all (and there's a lot), at least look through the threads at the pictures.
You'll see what we're talking about.

JsatTV and his trouble with elevation adjustment on Fortec dish:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...-fortec-star-dish-elevation-2.html#post889050
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...-re-fine-tuning-1-meter-fortec-star-dish.html
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...h-stab-hh-120-motor-tips-lessons-learned.html

 

[Swamp_Rat]

Anole, I do already have a bud!
I just want to upgrade my 1m to a 1.2 AND be able to play a bit with the mini bud.
Channels like the Sportsman's Channel on 121 I'm sure would come in considering it is 90+ on my 6'. The mount on the Geosat looks a good bit more stout than the Fortec and the adjustment would make life easier. My big concern (considering it has to be shipped across the country) is that the metal on either is not as thin as a beer can. Want something stout that I can stick up on a piece of 2" schedule 40 and have it hold its shape. I have seen some of the smaller Fortecs and they look pretty thin compared to my 1m Winegard. I don't want to go back to the Winegard because the mount is weak at best and has bent over the last couple of years to the point it will not track well if in fact the guy I bought it from actually sold me a Winegard. I have never seen any of the Geo Sats.
I have actually followed those threads and hence the reason I want to try the mini, just want to make sure I get the best dish for it!

Thanks for the help!

 

[pendragon]

I can't speak for the Fortec, but the Geo is a reasonably strong dish. Properly packed it should ship just fine.

 

[meinename]

The Geosatpro took me about an afternoon from assembly to getting RTN peaked in as a fixed dish.

Oh and add stiff, flat, non-metal washers at the various joints on the elevation adjustment bolt.
Keeps it from jiggling that little bit that lets you lose the peak of the signal.

 

[Tron]

The GeosatPro dishes are manufactured by Azure Shine, and are quite sturdy. They have the added feature of side support struts, which help to keep the LNBF properly aligned.

 

[Swamp_Rat]

Thanks guys, looks like the Geosat is it!