Rusty arm

**Dishtrackted** · 29-01-16, 08:18 PM

Got on the roof today its looking brown and crunchy
Can you just buy a new arm or has anyone repaired them successfully or do I need a new dish and have to try and set it up again with my little beeper while swearing at my wife?

**mtv** · 29-01-16, 08:30 PM

If you're talking about the LNB support arm, you could sand it back and spray it, but otherwise, if it's not deformed in any way, the rust won't affect operation.

If there's rust on the dish surface, that's a different story.

No, you can't just buy a new LNB arm (unless someone has a damaged identical dish).

A whole new Ku dish isn't expensive to replace.

**Dishtrackted** · 29-01-16, 11:07 PM

I think its beyond sanding Im amazed its still up.
Just on the curve
I will have closer look when the weather gets better
maybe I could bolt a bit of metal on it and sandwich it to get me through the footy season
Just dreading the tuning really

on ebay they have 75 and 80 cm would there be a big difference in 5 cmm

**mtv** · 29-01-16, 11:16 PM

Originally Posted by Dishtrackted

on ebay they have 75 and 80 cm would there be a big difference in 5 cmm

If the arm is as badly rusted as you say, I wouldn't touch it, as it may fall apart.

For VAST, I would go for the larger size, especially for QLD. Personally, for that location, I'd go for a minimum 90cm for a fixed VAST dish.

What size is the existing dish?

**Dishtrackted** · 30-01-16, 09:49 AM

Havent measured too wet to go up for a few days,but it was an old Austar dish that cam with the house

**Tiny** · 30-01-16, 06:44 PM

If it's still got enough strength in it to stay there, you can prolong it's life with a wire brush, then a spray pack of cold zinc.
The cold zinc doesn't mind some surface rust to bond to, however the cleaner the better.

You can paint over the zinc for aesthetics.
If you want to add strength then go with a metal splint with self tappers or pop rivets.

BTW: a lot of ex Fox/Austar dishes end up at the tip, with people ditching the service & ripping the dish off the roof.
If your tip has a shop (ours does) that sells useful items that have been dumped, you can pick up a dish complete with LNB for ~$20.
I got one for nothing because a friend was watching a real estate agent loading a trailer full of rubbish & saw the dish, asked & the guy said it's going to the tip, so he said can I have it; he said no worries mate.
Then he rang me & said I scored you a dish if you want it.

**mtv** · 30-01-16, 06:51 PM

Originally Posted by Dishtrackted

Havent measured too wet to go up for a few days,but it was an old Austar dish that cam with the house

Austar/Foxtel typically installed 75cm in QLD (some may have been 65cm for southern areas).

Foxtel is a much stronger signal than VAST, which is why I recommend a larger dish for VAST.

The larger the dish, the more reliable the signal in rain, etc.