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So size matters, even more on C-band.
Unfortunately, good 180cm dishes are not cheap, and the used ones only comes up occasionally.
Also, they require much sturdier mounting poles and polar mounts == more hassle, and more expense.
Then perhaps the heretic question:
If you just want to dabble into C-band, to see what it's like, perhaps there is a low-cost alternative as a try-out? Could it be ... gasp ... a 6-petal tin dish?
If size is everything, and C-band is much less intolerable of surface inaccuracies, then one of the Chinese or Taiwanese tin-dishes might do the job for a season's worth of experimentation.
Notwithstanding the manufacturing quality (or lack thereof), these dishes are very likely designed for C-band operation. At least they are often marketed as such, if judging by the Asian web sites.
Can't quite make out who is manufacturing for whom, and which are originals and which are blatant copies. But there a lot of them about! (Furniture land seems to be trying to peddle them.)
The sheer size will, however, put off a sizable portion of our members - they live in/near city, where 180 cm dishes are not readily, erm, erectable. Nevertheless, some of us have less such problems, some may choose to put them in the back yard, some have understanding neighbors etc.
Now, the mount (pedestal/pillar type) that come with these things are sh*te, so we need some form of polar mount. Some (Fortec Stars in the US at least), can be ordered with a polar mount.
Those are scarcer here in Europe. But as the dish does not present a lot of weight, perhaps it can be grafted onto any other "normal" prime focus polar mount - these seem to be available postal order from china. Or re-used, I have one here for a 140 cm dish - it could probably do the 180 without too much stress.
Yes, I know I have lambasted these dishes in the past; but that's when they're marketed and sold as Ku-band dishes for fringe reception. Does not work.
But as a single-season, or a-few-season C-band dish, it just might work??
So there you have it: a challenge to go forth, low-cost, into C-band land with a crappy tin-dish, which might just work for C-band only reception!
PS: I think I managed a triple negation in one of the sentence above - not everyday you commit one of those!
Unfortunately, good 180cm dishes are not cheap, and the used ones only comes up occasionally.
Also, they require much sturdier mounting poles and polar mounts == more hassle, and more expense.
Then perhaps the heretic question:
If you just want to dabble into C-band, to see what it's like, perhaps there is a low-cost alternative as a try-out? Could it be ... gasp ... a 6-petal tin dish?
If size is everything, and C-band is much less intolerable of surface inaccuracies, then one of the Chinese or Taiwanese tin-dishes might do the job for a season's worth of experimentation.
Notwithstanding the manufacturing quality (or lack thereof), these dishes are very likely designed for C-band operation. At least they are often marketed as such, if judging by the Asian web sites.
Can't quite make out who is manufacturing for whom, and which are originals and which are blatant copies. But there a lot of them about! (Furniture land seems to be trying to peddle them.)
The sheer size will, however, put off a sizable portion of our members - they live in/near city, where 180 cm dishes are not readily, erm, erectable. Nevertheless, some of us have less such problems, some may choose to put them in the back yard, some have understanding neighbors etc.
Now, the mount (pedestal/pillar type) that come with these things are sh*te, so we need some form of polar mount. Some (Fortec Stars in the US at least), can be ordered with a polar mount.
Those are scarcer here in Europe. But as the dish does not present a lot of weight, perhaps it can be grafted onto any other "normal" prime focus polar mount - these seem to be available postal order from china. Or re-used, I have one here for a 140 cm dish - it could probably do the 180 without too much stress.
Yes, I know I have lambasted these dishes in the past; but that's when they're marketed and sold as Ku-band dishes for fringe reception. Does not work.
But as a single-season, or a-few-season C-band dish, it just might work??
So there you have it: a challenge to go forth, low-cost, into C-band land with a crappy tin-dish, which might just work for C-band only reception!
PS: I think I managed a triple negation in one of the sentence above - not everyday you commit one of those!