satelitte dish

[ncampbell]

I have an old dish in the yard that I am going to take out. Anybody got any ideas for what to do with it? A guy around here used one as a roof for his gazebo. Any suggestions?

 

[Tig]

I was toying with the idea of using a cpouple to beam a WiFi signal out on the lake and back. That way I won't have to log off early at work to get out ice fishing at a decent hour in early winter.

 

[alltoys]

Have you heard of Free To Air Satellite??

Since you have a large dish you can pick up many sats that have free tv.

Do you still have the motor to control where it points the dish?

 

[ncampbell]

no, the dish was here when we moved in and just a big ugly eyesore. It is right beside the barn in a spot I'd like to put an equipment shed. It will be coming down but it just bugs me that I can't come up with a project for that big round shape, maybe it'll just be scrap.

 

[Tig]

Perhaps it could be the base for a large fountain.
Looking for inspiration I googled Red Green, satellite dish. Among other results I found:
Episode 265 - "Life Is A Circus" Red does a giant stir fry in a satellite dish.
Episode #247 "The Drive-Thru" Red makes a futuristic hybrid gas electric car out of two golf carts and a couple of satellite dishes.

 

[PILOON]

Stand it on a base and trowell cement all over the dish mesh to create a large bird bath!
OR
Scoop a hole in ground to fit the dish and cover/trowell cement into mesh and you have an instant pond!

 

[RonMar]

Cover it with mirror film and turn it into a solar collector?

 

[radioman]

Cover it with mirror film and turn it into a solar collector?

Close - I have seen a project where someone took a black abs tubing and made a hot water collector with the dish. He looped it around till it filled the dish and piped it to his hot water tank.

 

[ToadHill]

Make a snow disk for the whole family to ride at the same time.

 

[BrentD]

You can always turn it into an amateur radio telescope and listen in on the Jupiter / IO flux tube. It's supposed to sound like whale song part of the time... Or you can tie it in to the SETI League network and help with the search for alien life.

I've also been planning on using a couple of dishes mounted face to face to make a flying saucer prop for the local haunted house that Crimestoppers has every Halloween.

 

[ragkar]

Those dishes are called "BUD" big-ugly-dish

 

[zzvyb6]

They make nice fountains or planters. Use exterior grade plaster or cement to seal it. Make a base from cement blocks or patio stones. Has to be high enough off the ground to keep the dogs from jumping into it....

Cheat by using wood for the borders and trowel on the cement for looks. Mine had aluminum spars so I couldn't weld much to it. My next one will be a fountain. (no box top).

 

[crbr]

Have you heard of Free To Air Satellite??

Since you have a large dish you can pick up many sats that have free tv.

Do you still have the motor to control where it points the dish?

K-band maybe. C-band is scarce of open feeds.

I am waiting on the P-4 compromise.

Dish has announced their cutoff dates soon.

FTA is all that remains, but that is limited to certain setups.

I pulled my C-band out with my tractor and disposed of it at the scrap yard. The actuator is still good but no need now.

 

[Heavyduty]

I saw a lady at the river turn hers upside down and framed screen all the way around. She then put a swing in the middle. Made a nice skitter free gazebo.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

If you have kids make it the roof to a play house or a small sitting deck for you and the Misses. Paint the inside with stars and a moon. So even if it is raining you can sit out there and enjoy.

 

[silverdollar6]

Get a giant dog and use it as a frisbee.

 

[radioman]

Get a giant dog and use it as a frisbee.

LOL, like clifford the red dog ?

 

[EddieWalker]

...the dish was here when we moved in and just a big ugly eyesore...

I think this sums it up pretty good. Try putting an ad on Craigslist or some other classifieds paper for somebody to come pick it up for free. That would be my first choice. If nobody shows up, haul it off to the dumps. The time and money that you put into trying to make it into something nice will just leave you with less money and you will still have the ugly dish.

Eddie

 

[Tig]

One that I have seen have quite a bit of high quality aluminum. Sell it to the scrap yard and go out for lunch.

 

[Soundguy]

Turn it into a huge disc plow for a 200hp tractor1.. after you weld 1" plate all over it first though

soundguy