Now that winter is here :o , I got a couple of questions for the experts.
1. Do you guys use heaters to de-ice your dishes?
2. Does anybody heat their actuators?
Is ice/snow buildup a big problem for TVRO dishes?
I've never had a bud before and this is the first time I am using it during winter. So far no problems (no major ice storms or severe cold yet), but I just wanted to hear from the experts/veterans about how they handle winter conditions, if at all...
By the way, I came across this site about de-icing, but I think their products are for commercial headends:
http://www.de-ice.com/
Anyone De-icing their dish?
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Re: Anyone De-icing their dish?
I just brush-off the snow from my solid 2.4m dish.I have this year changed to a Venture actuator and sofar it has being excellent .It comes with an accordian bellow cover.I had those lower cost arms(SJ)and i coated the moving tube with white lithium grease.I would be using it still,if i didn't overextended it,slipping it out of the tube.Never frozed up on me either.The white lithium grease is waterproof and sticks pretty good.Didn't have bellows on the (SJ) and was good for years.
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Re: Anyone De-icing their dish?
There are professional de-icing kits available, essentially an insulated conductor about 50ft in length. You simply snake it on the back of the dish and connect to a 120V AC power supply that will heat the dish when the temperature drops below freezing. You can also snake it around the actuator to keep that from freezing up too.
Only needed if you are in a really, really cold place though...like northern Alberta, Alaska, etc. Still useful in other places if you hate removing snow accumulatation off your dish and want to spend the money on a de-ice kit.
Only needed if you are in a really, really cold place though...like northern Alberta, Alaska, etc. Still useful in other places if you hate removing snow accumulatation off your dish and want to spend the money on a de-ice kit.
12ft Mesh Dish
C-Band Enthusiast since 1983
C-Band Enthusiast since 1983
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Re: Anyone De-icing their dish?
Ha Ha ! You jinxed me.The arm frozed overnight.It was -24C with a -33C windchill.I guess i should have greased the new arm instead of taking a chance on the bellows.
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Re: Anyone De-icing their dish?
A lot of actuators just won't move when the temperature drops below -30C.skink wrote:Ha Ha ! You jinxed me.The arm frozed overnight.It was -24C with a -33C windchill.I guess i should have greased the new arm instead of taking a chance on the bellows.
The best thing to do is get a 10ft long de-icing kit (used for warming water pipes - check your hardware store) and wrap it around your actuator (including the motor). When you are not using your dish, keep the stroke arm inside the actuator housing to keep it warm. It will keep your actuator warm and running smooth all winter!
I've been doing this for 10 years without a single problem!
12' Cosmos Primestar (refurbished)36" SuperJack Actuator
Chaparral Corotor Feed (Norsat 8115, 4106A)
ZGemmaH7 UHD, OctagonSX88 HD, Edision UHD, DSR-6000, DSR-6050
Clarke Belt: 22W - 133W
Chaparral Corotor Feed (Norsat 8115, 4106A)
ZGemmaH7 UHD, OctagonSX88 HD, Edision UHD, DSR-6000, DSR-6050
Clarke Belt: 22W - 133W
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Re: Anyone De-icing their dish?
Perhaps our sponsors can look into selling de-icing equipment for TVROs.
Although I haven't experienced any freezing problems with my dish yet, I really like the idea of not having to go outside and brush off the snow after every winter storm.
Although I haven't experienced any freezing problems with my dish yet, I really like the idea of not having to go outside and brush off the snow after every winter storm.
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Re: Anyone De-icing their dish?
I emailed tek2000 about it, but they don't sell de-icing kits. They said they would look into it...tvroadmin wrote:Perhaps our sponsors can look into selling de-icing equipment for TVROs.