1.5 Precision dish install

[Archived-1]

Thanks Alex, I guess there was for 1.2 dishes then the 90cm is 2 inch and the 1.5 is 4 inch so the must have fitted them to 1.2

 

[Captain Jack]

Yeah, I got mine with the 1.2m Precision dish that I had, so definitely works for 1.2m. Not sure what others they were meant to be suited for but it can be modified to take a larger dish.

 

[Archived-1]

Yes pal modifying them is the way to go, I will make a mount for the 1.5 and 1.8 and put the 1.2 on the 1224, the 1.5 mount will be modified to fit a 2.4 fixed on 36E with a lnb mounted for 38E in hope I can get what I want from there.

 

[Archived-1]

Looking more into a bigger dish, how do the primesat perform, this 2.3 comes with a mount and in my price range, but are they any good please ?

http://www.satellitesuperstore.com/fixed-dishes.htm#primesat2300fixed

 

[moonbase]

Thanks Alex, I guess there was for 1.2 dishes then the 90cm is 2 inch and the 1.5 is 4 inch so the must have fitted them to 1.2

Martin,

The Precision polar mount that I posted details of above was supplied by Precision for their 1.5m dish. Precision also supplied a ground stand with 3" pole for their 1.5m dish. The stuff I have here all came direct from Precision as matching kit for a 1.5m dish in 2002. I think that in earlier years they may have supplied a different gauge of mounting kit but in 2002 the official Precision specification was a 3" pole for a 1.5m dish.

The other thing I noticed that has changed is that the Precision 1.5m dish I have here has a tubular steel ring all the way round the outer perimeter of the dish where the dish face curves round to the back of the dish. The dish face curves round and wraps around the tubular steel ring. I assume this acts as some type of reinforcement but I am not sure when this change was introduced?

Rgds

 

[moonbase]

Looking more into a bigger dish, how do the primesat perform, this 2.3 comes with a mount and in my price range, but are they any good please ?

http://www.satellitesuperstore.com/fixed-dishes.htm#primesat2300fixed

Martin,

Precision = Bentley
Primesat = Skoda or Lada (take your pick)



I have seen several Primesat dishes and in my personal opinion they are moderate quality. The paintwork is quite thin and prone to scratching down to bare metal at the fixing points. However, I am probably biased after using Precision dishes for so long.

 

[Captain Jack]

Hm, I'd look/wait for a similarly priced Andrews/CM dish instead. There was a 2.4m dual optics on eBay not long ago for a song... has been bought since.

Only installed a 1.4m dish and it was OK. Wasn't impressed with the polar mount it came with (also from SSS), though but might be better with the heavier duty stuff.

 

[Archived-1]

Thanks lads, i will give the primesat a miss then,

Dave,

Well my 1.5 is on a 4 inch pole and the two 90CM are on just over 2 inch the mounts that attach to them haven't been tampered with and looks the genuine article, they must have done a standard and HD and you have the standard.

 

[Archived-1]

Dave,

How does the 1.5 perform compared to the 1.8 CM ?.

 

[Archived-1]

A closer look the 1.5 mount will be ok for a 4.5 pole .

 

[moonbase]

Dave,

Well my 1.5 is on a 4 inch pole and the two 90CM are on just over 2 inch the mounts that attach to them haven't been tampered with and looks the genuine article, they must have done a standard and HD and you have the standard.

Martin,

I am confused, the top right picture shows a 3" outer diameter cylinder, what is this from?

A Precision 1.5m dish will not match a channel master 1.8m dish due to the lesser surface area that is gathering the signal. The surface area of a Precision 1.5m dish is approximately 1.76 square metres compared to a Channel Master with approximately 2.55 square metres. The Channel Master has approximately 45% more surface area gathering the signal.

I have not compared a Precision 1.8m dish with a Channel Master 1.8m dish where the surface areas are approximately the same size. However, if I had a choice of these two dishes I would choose the Precision.

 

[moonbase]

Martin,

I have attached a picture below of the cylinder part of the Precision polar mount I have. The internal diameter is just over 3" and the wall thickness is approximately 3/16". It is a lot more robust than the polar mount that was distributed by Precision with their 90cm and 1.2m dishes.

I think that because the steel mounting ring on the back of the dish is the same size for more than one dish size there are various sizes of ground stand and mount found on installations due to compatibility with the same size steel mounting ring on the back of the dish.

 

[Archived-1]

I am confused, the top right picture shows a 3" outer diameter cylinder, what is this from?

Thanks again Dave, ok all this is one setup from the 90cm dish.

 

[Archived-1]

Hi I've picked most of the bits up for the 1.5 PM, hopefully get this all welded up in the coming days.

 

[moonbase]

Martin,

OK, got it now.
That looks to be a fixed azimuth mount for the 90cm dish, it does not look to be a polar mount for motorisation?
If I understand correctly, the two Precision dishes you have are both with fixed azimuth mounts and not polar mounts?

The fixed azimuth mount you have for your Precision 1.5m dish that fits onto the 4" pole can be used as a fixed azimuth mount for Precision dishes larger than 1.5m provided the rear steel mounting ring is the same size. For the larger Precision dishes they used a 4" pole. I think you have an original Precision 4" pole ground stand with matching fixed azimuth mount that was used for a range of dishes and in this instance it was used for a 1.5m dish but it can accommodate a larger dish.

What I have here is an original Precision 3" pole ground stand with matching polar mount that can also be used for larger dishes subject to the 3" pole being rated as stable for the dish size. In this instance, I have a 1.5m Precision dish mounted, however, the polar mount can accept larger dish sizes subject to the dish rear steel mounting ring matching the 3 fixing points on the polar mount.

I think that has cleared up my confusion.

 

[moonbase]

Hi I've picked most of the bits up for the 1.5 PM, hopefully get this all welded up in the coming days.
View attachment 84060

4mm or 5mm steel or even thicker?

 

[Archived-1]

4mm or 5mm steel or even thicker?

Yes Dave all proper stuff 5mm angle iron and tube including Inox nuts/bolts, I can make any mount I want up to 2.4 for less than £50, pointless me buying one, £24 spent so far on this another £10 will see it through

 

[scopus]

Martin,

I am confused, the top right picture shows a 3" outer diameter cylinder, what is this from?

A Precision 1.5m dish will not match a channel master 1.8m dish due to the lesser surface area that is gathering the signal. The surface area of a Precision 1.5m dish is approximately 1.76 square metres compared to a Channel Master with approximately 2.55 square metres. The Channel Master has approximately 45% more surface area gathering the signal.

I have not compared a Precision 1.8m dish with a Channel Master 1.8m dish where the surface areas are approximately the same size. However, if I had a choice of these two dishes I would choose the Precision.

I would say my CM1.8 has the edge over the Precision 1.8. I had the Precison before the CM

 

[Archived-1]

I would say my CM1.8 has the edge over the Precision 1.8. I had the Precison before the CM

Thank you scopus, so i guess it will go down the line the 2.4 CM will beat anything out there size for size.

 

[moonbase]

I would say my CM1.8 has the edge over the Precision 1.8. I had the Precison before the CM

Scopus,

Thank you for the feedback The CM probably has the edge over the Precision in terms of signal level due to the offset focus design where the CM feed arms and LNB holder do not block the signal path to the face of the dish.

Personally, I would still choose the Precision due to the aesthetics of appearance and much lighter weight. It's just me, I prefer the look of a prime focus dish to an offset focus dish and I also like how light and easy the larger Precision dishes are for handling. If the signal level was critical I would simply get a larger prime focus dish to meet my needs.

Having said that, the CM 2.4m dish is a very good dish. The last one I saw go on eBay recently was a 2 piece unit and it went for a bargain price of £399. That included a high quality dual axis tracking mount with actuators, amazing value for whoever bought it.