Just Sharing This Experiment

[Gladstones]

Hi Good evening
Just done experiment by placing the dish on the ground to receive all the satellites
and received almost all the sats.
Aligned to the 30 west in the pictures.

 

[Analoguesat]

I started with a 60cm dish held up in snowdrifts long long ago.

Then I graduated to an 80cm propped up on housebricks, but those knocked too much paint of the rim & that rusted the (second hand) dish. Which came off the side of the road so it wasnt great anyway!

The best invention was using an old car tyre - that worked perfectly - a loop of wire round the tyre & over the arm stopped it blowing over. I cant try that here at the new gaff, its just too windy.

 

[jeallen01]

That's why many of us have done very much the same, or put the dishes on ground-mounted short poles - generally much easier and quicker (and usually cheaper!) than putting them high up on walls, etc.

 

[jeallen01]

I started with a 60cm dish held up in snowdrifts long long ago.

Then I graduated to an 80cm propped up on housebricks, but those knocked too much paint of the rim & that rusted the (second hand) dish. Which came off the side of the road so it wasnt great anyway!

The best invention was using an old car tyre - that worked perfectly - a loop of wire round the tyre & obver the arm stopped it blowing over. I cant try that here at the new gaff, its just too windy.

I remember seeing the pics in Wot Sat - but didn't have the space (or the expertise!) to do the same!

PS: but I did learn a lesson about sourcing dishes - I think that only 3 4 of mine were bought new and the rest came my way by various and much cheaper routes

PPS: next door neighbour just gave me another SKY Zone 1 & Quad, and a very nice and very long gooseneck that SKY kindly fitted a few years - I'll keep the latter, but anyone can have the dish & LNB if they care to call round here in W.London

 

[Analoguesat]

I remember seeing the pics in Wot Sat - but didn't have the space (or the expertise!) to do the same!

I just made it up as I went along.

@Gladstones - if you have a bit of space get yourself a couple of fenceposts & bang them in along a fenceline A cheap set of tv aerial brackets bolted to them and any old length of metal pole makes a great mount (as long as the location isnt tooo exposed)

 

[Gladstones]

I used a stool

 

[Analoguesat]

Thats a perfect botch of a temporary mount

ISTR someone used a bongo drum stand to mount a dish - there should be a pic of it somewhere in the old threads

 

[Gladstones]

I just made it up as I went along.

@Gladstones - if you have a bit of space get yourself a couple of fenceposts & bang them in along a fenceline A cheap set of tv aerial brackets bolted to them and any old length of metal pole makes a great mount (as long as the location isnt tooo exposed)

This dish is going back in the shed soon
Got one up motorised
Back garden is not south facing no chance there

 

[Gladstones]

Never tried to find all satellites on the ground not even 1mm up always think not possible.
Only line of sight is needed maybe lift the dish up for weak tps.

 

[Terryl]

Here is one way to setup a portable dish

 

[Gladstones]

View attachment 139532Here is one way to setup a portable dish

it’s much higher than mine

 

[Analoguesat]

This dish is going back in the shed soon
Got one up motorised
Back garden is not south facing no chance there

Our garden faced east at teh old plaxce & was surrounded by trees. I could see 55E to 5E, and that was it, apart from finding one slight gap in the trees where I could see 30W occasionally. I had the dishes in two seperate clusters, and at one point I think I had 9 up - the cabling was horrendous!

You make use of the space you have. As you seem to have clear LOS onto 30W have a try for 22W Reuters News. You may be able to get 22W & 30W on the same dish if you are lucky

 

[Analoguesat]

Never tried to find all satellites on the ground not even 1mm up always think not possible.
Only line of sight is needed maybe lift the dish up for weak tps.

The signal has travelled 22000 miles. A few extra inches isnt going to make any difference. The issue is simply LOS - lower dishes are more easily obstructed than higher ones.

 

[Satspot]

One of the grandchildren suggested using a wok and bending the handle to use as a feed arm. Just shows how small dishes have gotten over the years. Might even pick up those Chinese radio channels at 45w.

 

[purplemarina]

These are 2 dishes i used at the holiday apartment:

 

[astra19]

How about a dish on an upturned bucket?

 

[astra19]

Not pictured in the above is the terracotta plant pot stopping the bucket from toppling!