sky dish - the detailed spec?

[closetosoton]

a colleague at work has asked this question:

"As I live in a conservation area I need planning permission to install a
satellite dish. The council want details of the dish (colour, size,
material, etc) ideally including a photo for the planning application. I
haven't found these details on the Sky web site yet and wondered if
anyone who has Sky might have such info readily to hand."

does anyone know of a link providing all the info in one handy place? (would be zone 1 for south UK)

-cts

 

[rolfw]

Problem is that the spec is slightly different on the different types of dish CTS, can measure up a dish face for you later, but just heading out now.

 

[spiney]

Sat dishes are available transparant (usually), also coloured (sometimes), which one depends on what the Sky installer might get (ask!).

For example, see 1st two items on following webpage (then click on pictures):

www.parabolic.co.uk/catalog/default.php?cPath=22 .

Googling "transarent satellite dish" will get other examples and prices

There's also (possibly!) the LX2000 sat antenna, if you're not allowed any sort of dish at all.

 

[closetosoton]

thanks for that i found a source for the "pipe" LX2000, anyone actually tried one?

http://websites.uk-plc.net/Satellite_Parts/products/Dishes.htm

-cts

 

[rolfw]

I've seen loads of reports about it, but not with enough information to tell me how it works, how you need to point it etc, plus the price is a tad prohibitive.

 

[Analoguesat]

The colour can be anything you want - just spray paint it with car body paint.

Avoid metallic finishes (use primer maybe), crackle finish, and dont paint the lnb!

The pic is originally off the ses site, there is a dish on this half timbered building

 

[Lancelot]

Wondered where that came from. I remember seeing that in a VERY old WotSat.

The pipe antenna is a bit bigger than it looks in the pictures I hear.


L.

 

[Analoguesat]

Theres a review of the LX2000 pipe antenna here:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_4/pulsat-lx-2000-satellite-antenna-12-2003.html

 

[spiney]

The lx2000 is a "dielectric antenna", ie, the long bit is specially constructed plastic, microwaves impinging onto its surface then "travel through" at different speeds, eventually all arriving at the receiving element (dipole?) exactly in phase, thereby concentrating the signal (like a dish). Also, as you'd expect, a bigger surface area gets a stronger signal (like a dish!). However, there's some absorbtion within the dielectric, so a dish is usually much easier (and cheaper).

The tests i've seen (magazines) suggest it's roughly comparable to a 43cm minidish, maybe a bit worse, but should do for Sky in south england.

Conservation area sat dish rules seem to depend on the local council, but most have websites, so it's worth Googling "satellite dish conservation area <your locality>".

To contact Sky installers directly, look in Yellow Pages under "satellite", local ones should know about local council rules.

 

[spiney]

About above dielecric antenna, to make things clearer, I should probably have used the word "lens", ie, collecting the radio waves is like using a magnifying glass to focus from a wide collecting area onto one small point, giving a much stronger (hence usable) signal.

(This analogy is entirely valid, exactly the same physics in each case).

The dish is exactly like using a concave mirror to achive the same thing. Normally, we use dishes, since they're much easier and cheaper to make.

 

[Lancelot]

Spiney !! you've gone green
Now one of the revered members of 'Sleepy Hollow' then.
Congratulations


L.

 

[Topper]

Spiney !! you've gone green
Now one of the revered members of 'Sleepy Hollow' then.
Congratulations L.

And in just five months you'll have others green with envy ! Just think you now have another forum to catch up on. Happy reading

 

[Analoguesat]

Quick - erase all the scurrilous posts about spiney ;)

 

[spiney]

Hmmmm . .. be as rude as you like, because I don't understand it !!! (is there a rude joke involved?).

I Googled, and did find that place in USA, but don't otherwise see the relevance.

(it now rather feels as if sombody's pinned a "kick me" note on my back .......).

 

[rolfw]

Look at the bottom of the forum index page Spiney.

 

[spiney]

Ah, thanks Rolf! Must admit, I don't often look "down there" ......

Lancelot, why the sudden enthusiasm for Alistair Simm? Although, I share it, he could be "peculiarly sinister", and nobody else did drag half as well!

And now Ronnie Barker's just gone to that "great venue in the sky ......".

 

[spiney]

On Alistair Simm, again, towards the end of his life he was absolutely superb as the cynical world-weary judge, in A P Herebert's Misleading Cases, a series of half hour comedies.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/m/misleadingcases_1299002111.shtml .

Knowing the BBC, no doubt they "wiped" most of these, keeping just 1 or 2 as
"examples"!

A P Herbert was a barrister, who later wrote books and plays, sort of a "John Mortimer of his time". Most famous for the above, also "Bless The Bride".

(Apparently, Lancelot, it's Alistair Sim, with only one "m", which I just discovered when looking for this: www.britishpictures.com/photos/photo018.htm ).

(Added later) I looked quite hard for pics of Alistair Sim in drag (in St Trinians), 'fraid this is best I could do:

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004CI8D.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg .

What's all this do to with transparent dishes. Er, well, not much ....