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Thread: Need help with Gilat 1.3m solid dish.

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    Default Need help with Gilat 1.3m solid dish.

    Hi everybody,

    I managed to buy a secondhand Gilat brand solid 1.3m dish. The dish would probably be 15 - 20 years old. I have tuned it to Intelsat 19 with good signal level but no signal quality.

    I have tried changing all the system settings and have it back to 10700.

    The chap I bought it off seemed to indicate that it may have been used for some sort of satellite-internet transmissions. It came with a long white elaborate reflector mechanism that I had never seen the like of before. The arms for the LNB are very long too - I am just wondering if the focal point is out for normal satellite television pick-up?

    Any help would be appreciated please.

    David.



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    Is it an offset or prime focus dish?

    What LNB are you using and how have you mounted it? (Eg: those dishes typically don't have LNB mounts that fit a common 10700 FTA TV LNB/F)

    Posting some pics of your dish/LNB would be helpful.

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    Gilat are providers of VSAT (very small aperture terminal) equipment for use in satellite-based internet, network and data services. As such, they are used for both transmit and receive.

    The only Gilat () dishes I have seen were offset and as mtv has stated, conventional LNB mounting might prove difficult.

    A Gilat model number (or picture) would certainly be useful.

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    David071 (26-03-17)

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    Thanks mtv and tristen.

    I have spent sometime trieng to sort the dish to receive signals. I have sent a photo of the dish lying on the roof but I have disconnected the lnb earlier. The arms for the lnb are about 1.2m. long and obviously the centrearm is shorter.

    I have sent a photo of the old reflector that came with the dish and that was attached to the lnb arms.

    Next week-end I might send a photo of the dish upright with the lnb attached if needed.

    I hope you guys can glean something from the photos I have sent.

    By the way I set up the old 1m dish for Intelsat 19 and hit the satellite in less than a minute.

    As I said in my previous post I get good signal level from the 1.3m dish but nothing from signal quality.

    Thanks for your help.



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    Let's get the terminology correct.

    The only 'reflector' in that setup is the dish itself.

    On the end of the arms is a combination of a feedhorn, waveguide combiner/separator, LNB (receiver antenna and downconverter) and BUC (transmitter antenna and upconverter), which is required for a two-way satellite internet connection.

    The only thing your pics confirm is that it is an offset dish.

    Much more information required.

    We need pics of how you have converted it to use a standard LNB/F, or at least post an explanation of what you have done to convert the LNB holder and what LNB/F you are now using.

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    The angle of the side-arms doesn't look right somehow. Like they're way too low to meet at the focal point.

    I mean, I know VSAT dishes have a slightly different angle to more conventional offset dishes, but that just looks way off.
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    Quote Originally Posted by AdrianR View Post
    The angle of the side-arms doesn't look right somehow. Like they're way too low to meet at the focal point.
    That's because it appears they are not connected to the LNB holder... eg: just hanging down.

    You can see in the pic the bottom arm is not connected either, which suggests none of the support arms are connected at the LNB holder end.

    The holder is still attached to the LNB, which has been removed from the dish.

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    Thanks guys all is good.

    I had the dish mounted on the tin roof and for some reason I was getting nil reception on signal quality. I ended up moving the dish to our back verandah and I am getting 80 plus% signal quality.

    What a difference of reception.

    Thanks.

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    Some pics and an explanation of the LNB modification would still be good to see, as it may help others considering using that type of ex- internet dish.

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    Quote Originally Posted by David071 View Post
    Thanks guys all is good.

    I had the dish mounted on the tin roof and for some reason I was getting nil reception on signal quality. I ended up moving the dish to our back verandah and I am getting 80 plus% signal quality.

    What a difference of reception.

    Thanks.
    Yeah, that might explain getting the high signal level but no quality - all just lots of noise (due to the tin roof) and no actual signal.
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    Quote Originally Posted by David071 View Post
    TI had the dish mounted on the tin roof and for some reason I was getting nil reception on signal quality. I ended up moving the dish to our back verandah and I am getting 80 plus% signal quality.
    It shouldn't make any difference, as those internet dishes were commonly mounted on metal roofs.

    Providing the signal path was clear, a metal roof should not have been an issue.

    High signal strength but poor signal quality is usually related to LNB skew incorrectly set, but can also be to interference, or a false reading. (Eg: dish not aligned to the correct satellite)

    I'd still like to know what LNB/F you are now using and how you fitted it to the support arms.

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    Default Re gilat offset dish

    I have used these a couple of times no problem,if you remove the lnbf you then have a mount the same diameter as a prime focus lnbf mount ,all I did was cut the plastic casing away from the throat of a standard offset lnbf and it bolted straight on,worked fine

    jake

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    Quote Originally Posted by mtv View Post
    Some pics and an explanation of the LNB modification would still be good to see, as it may help others considering using that type of ex- internet dish.
    Any info and/or pics?

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    Hi mtv,

    The modification was very simple. I knocked the white contraption off the end of the arm of the dish. Drilled a hole through the middle metal arm and then bolted the lnb and bracket on. Super easy and the dish works great!

    I have forwarded a pic of the dish in the backyard of the property aimed at 160E - Optus D1.

    Cheers!

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    Quote Originally Posted by David071 View Post
    Hi mtv,

    The modification was very simple. I knocked the white contraption off the end of the arm of the dish. Drilled a hole through the middle metal arm and then bolted the lnb and bracket on. Super easy and the dish works great!

    I have forwarded a pic of the dish in the backyard of the property aimed at 160E - Optus D1.

    Cheers!
    Nice dish!

    What material is the reflector made of?
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    Hi Adrian R,

    The dish is made of like a fibreglass material - 1.3m solid dish - quite heavy!

    It really works well and I could not believe how easy it was to modify! As I said I have it pointed to 160E and getting solid signals from ABC/SBS.

    It fits in well with the garden and is hidden out of sight from the back verandah of our house.

    Enjoy the week-end!

    David.

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    Quote Originally Posted by AdrianR View Post
    Nice dish!

    What material is the reflector made of?
    I have one in the shed & they are made of fibreglass, I suspect with an in-bedded steel mesh for the reflector.
    They are reasonably heavy.
    Cheers, Tiny
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