pictures added (go back to first post)
A home made dish heater
This is a little early, but in time so that you can get ideas for doing something like this before winter when the weather is good.
My dish is a 3lnb (18X20) and is a Tip of the Hat to Stuart Sweet, who created an image of a gold Slimline. I was losing a bit of paint on my Dish, so I repainted it. I used Metallic Gold Spray paint, and I like the results. As you can see, the reflector, arm, and LNB are all gold. The Mast is also Gold. It is highly reflective, and my signal strength went up by 5 points.
The second picture shows the parts that I used to make the Dish Heater. The black coil is 12 feet of Water Pipe Heater tape, and the orange block attached is the Thermostat. I used 9 plastic Clothespins with rubberized grips/ Because they are plastic, they are not damaged by weather at all.
The roll of tape is a metal foil tape, Not Duct Tape, and is also 100% weather proof
third picture is from below dish, and shows a front view where the heat tape is clipped to the dish. I started at the bottom near the Arm, and went up, around the top, and down the other side. There is a lip on the outside of the reflector and the Clothespins hold the heat tape right against the backside of the reflector. I used clips every 1/8th of the circle (about every 40 degrees or so) You can see some of the clothspins, but not all.
Four shows the back side of the dish. As you can see the Azmuth, elevation and Tilt settings are also gold. On the near side you can see the hear tape pressed against the rim of the dish by the clothspins. The Tape goes all the way around the outside of the dish, then turns 90 degrees, (This can be seen on pic 3 next to the blue clip at the bottom) The heat tape runs up the arm, weaves over, under and then over the tubes of the LNB assembly, then under, over, and under the tubes and then a third time Over, under and over. this provides enough heat to keep ice from forming on the LNB. This can be seen on pic 4, The cable then runs down the other side of the arm (note the foil tape to hold the cable against the LNB Arm) then around the assembly on the back of the reflector. This loop, combined with the loop around the outside of the dish provides enough heat to keep the dish Ice free. After looping around the assembly, the cable goes down the mast, and the thermostat is taped to the mast with Foil tape. this controls the whole thing and turns it on when the temperature drops to 33 degrees.
My dish is a 3lnb (18X20) and is a Tip of the Hat to Stuart Sweet, who created an image of a gold Slimline. I was losing a bit of paint on my Dish, so I repainted it. I used Metallic Gold Spray paint, and I like the results. As you can see, the reflector, arm, and LNB are all gold. The Mast is also Gold. It is highly reflective, and my signal strength went up by 5 points.
The second picture shows the parts that I used to make the Dish Heater. The black coil is 12 feet of Water Pipe Heater tape, and the orange block attached is the Thermostat. I used 9 plastic Clothespins with rubberized grips/ Because they are plastic, they are not damaged by weather at all.
The roll of tape is a metal foil tape, Not Duct Tape, and is also 100% weather proof
third picture is from below dish, and shows a front view where the heat tape is clipped to the dish. I started at the bottom near the Arm, and went up, around the top, and down the other side. There is a lip on the outside of the reflector and the Clothespins hold the heat tape right against the backside of the reflector. I used clips every 1/8th of the circle (about every 40 degrees or so) You can see some of the clothspins, but not all.
Four shows the back side of the dish. As you can see the Azmuth, elevation and Tilt settings are also gold. On the near side you can see the hear tape pressed against the rim of the dish by the clothspins. The Tape goes all the way around the outside of the dish, then turns 90 degrees, (This can be seen on pic 3 next to the blue clip at the bottom) The heat tape runs up the arm, weaves over, under and then over the tubes of the LNB assembly, then under, over, and under the tubes and then a third time Over, under and over. this provides enough heat to keep ice from forming on the LNB. This can be seen on pic 4, The cable then runs down the other side of the arm (note the foil tape to hold the cable against the LNB Arm) then around the assembly on the back of the reflector. This loop, combined with the loop around the outside of the dish provides enough heat to keep the dish Ice free. After looping around the assembly, the cable goes down the mast, and the thermostat is taped to the mast with Foil tape. this controls the whole thing and turns it on when the temperature drops to 33 degrees.
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Two dishes? How are you neighboors liking that setup? Mine would have pitch forks and torches.:lol:curt8403 said:This is a little early, but in time so that you can get ideas for doing something like this before winter when the weather is good.
My dish is a 3lnb (18X20) and is a Tip of the Hat to Stuart Sweet, who created an image of a gold Slimline. I was losing a bit of paint on my Dish, so I repainted it. I used Metallic Gold Spray paint, and I like the results. As you can see, the reflector, arm, and LNB are all gold. The Mast is also Gold. It is highly reflective, and my signal strength went up by 5 points.
The second picture shows the parts that I used to make the Dish Heater. The black coil is 12 feet of Water Pipe Heater tape, and the orange block attached is the Thermostat. I used 9 plastic Clothespins with rubberized grips/ Because they are plastic, they are not damaged by weather at all.
The roll of tape is a metal foil tape, Not Duct Tape, and is also 100% weather proof
third picture is from below dish, and shows a front view where the heat tape is clipped to the dish. I started at the bottom near the Arm, and went up, around the top, and down the other side. There is a lip on the outside of the reflector and the Clothespins hold the heat tape right against the backside of the reflector. I used clips every 1/8th of the circle (about every 40 degrees or so) You can see some of the clothspins, but not all.
Four shows the back side of the dish. As you can see the Azmuth, elevation and Tilt settings are also gold. On the near side you can see the hear tape pressed against the rim of the dish by the clothspins. The Tape goes all the way around the outside of the dish, then turns 90 degrees, (This can be seen on pic 3 next to the blue clip at the bottom) The heat tape runs up the arm, weaves over, under and then over the tubes of the LNB assembly, then under, over, and under the tubes and then a third time Over, under and over. this provides enough heat to keep ice from forming on the LNB. This can be seen on pic 4, The cable then runs down the other side of the arm (note the foil tape to hold the cable against the LNB Arm) then around the assembly on the back of the reflector. This loop, combined with the loop around the outside of the dish provides enough heat to keep the dish Ice free. After looping around the assembly, the cable goes down the mast, and the thermostat is taped to the mast with Foil tape. this controls the whole thing and turns it on when the temperature drops to 33 degrees.
Home made, huh? No kidding!curt8403 said:
yes, it is a police car. The neighbor is a police officer.Draconis said:
Hooded LNB.. Yes, it is Dish. it was for locals when we had dish (before 2004) it is inactive
Might as well take it down then, that way less DirecTV nuts will razz you about it when you photograph your dish.curt8403 said:yes, it is a police car. The neighbor is a police officer.
Hooded LNB.. Yes, it is Dish. it was for locals when we had dish (before 2004) it is inactive
If you leave the foot up there you should be no problems with leaks (I still have the foot from my old 3 LNB dish on my roof).
Besides, I hear that those old dishes are good as a Wok, or as a big frisbee.
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