IT'S TIME TO WINTERIZE THAT DISH

By Robert Smathers, home TVRO hobbyist

Now that winter is upon us (some areas more than others), it is
time to go outside and check the dish -- what you do to
"winterize" your dish now could prevent many headaches later
(especially when it is 30 degrees outside, six inches of snow on
the ground, and you have a problem with your dish).

The following information is what I do each fall to make sure my
dish stays in top working order.  Actually, I personally do these
about 4 times a year, but it is up to you on how often to do it.

1)  Check your cables.  The elements can take a toll on cables
(in New Mexico, the hot summer sun "bakes" the cables and they
dry out and crack every few years.  If your cables are cracked or
give you intermittent performance, you should replace your
cables.

2)  Oil your actuator arm.  I have had problems in the past with
not oiling the arm when I should have.  Two things happen:  It is
harder to move the dish (friction occurs) and it is harder on the
motor to try to move a dish that doesn't move smoothly.  By
properly oiling the actuator arm, you should have a smooth moving
arm and your arm should last longer.

3)  Check the gasket on the actuator arm motor.  This year I
noticed the gasket was broken and water was seeping into the
motor.  I immediately fixed it and therefore I have avoided any
additional damage to the motor.

4)  Tighten the bolts on your dish.  With winds, rain, snow,
hail, etc. the bolts have a tendency to work loose.  On my dish,
if some of the bolts are loose, a horrible noise is made when I
move my dish from satellite to satellite.  I tighten every bolt
(the ones holding the panels together, the bolts that hold the
dish to the mount, the bolts that hold the actuator arm on, and
the bolts that are at the pivot points of the mount and the
pole).  By tightening the bolts on the actuator arm, you keep the
arm straight and no side forces are created to limit the life of
the arm (be sure the arm remains straight when the dish moves --
no forces should exist where the dish arm is being bent as the
dish moves).  One caution is in order -- don't tighten the bolts
on the pivot points too much.  The actuator arm motor will work
too hard and it will burn out faster.  Keep those bolts tight
enough that the dish can move somewhat freely.

5)  Seal the connections of the LNBs and the polarotor or servo
motor for polarity.  I use rubber tape with an outside layer of
electrical tape.  The last thing you would want is corrosion to
occur inside the LNB (at the connector just inside the case) and
bad performance would occur.  I even seal the polarizor
connections to make sure water stays out -- corrosion could occur
resulting in bad electrical connections.

6)  Clean out the feedhorn.  I don't have to do this because I
have a plastic cover over the front of the feedhorn.  If you have
a feedhorn that is not covered where the metal probes are, then
you may need to clean out the miscellaneous junk (nests, cobwebs,
dirt and dust) that usually collects inside the feedhorn.  These
contribute to loss of useable signal.  When you clean out the
inside of the feedhorn, be sure not to touch the probes (I've
seen satellite feedhorn manufacturers say this may cause damage
and/or void a warranty).  Keeping the feedhorn clean of nests and
other obstacles allow the probes to rotate smoothly as well as
give you the maximum useable signal (you wouldn't get signal loss
due to satellite signals going through nests, dirt, etc).

7)  Make sure the feedhorn is properly centered.  I do this every
so often just to make sure I get the maximum performance from my
system.

8)  Check the pole that the mount is connected to.  If the pole
is not perfectly vertical, the dish won't track exactly right
across the arc.  If it is not perfectly verticle, you should
correct it to make sure you can move across the arc accurately.
This step is especially important for setups where Ku band is
used due to the wavelength of the Ku band signals.

9)  Clean off the dish's surface.  If you have old bird droppings
or other odd accumulations on the dish's surface, clean those
off.  The parabolic shape will be improved.  Not only will it
improve the operation of your system, it will make your dish look
nicer.

By following these nine steps, you are doing something that will
decrease the chances of dish problems popping up at a time when
you least want to deal with them.