Re: [amsat-bb] Looking for dish information

[Dquagliana@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 01-05-12 07:24:29 EDT, you write:

> Can anyone recommend a good source for parabolic dishes (raw) for use with
>  Mode S.  

Down East Microwave (DEM) (see www.downeastmicrowave.com) 
sells a couple dishes including a nice 60cm spun aluminum dish.   
It's very light weight and has predrilled holes.  Standard disclaimer: 
I don't get anything from DEM, I'm just a satisfied customer.

If you want to go cheap(er), James Miller, G3RUH, made a parabolic 
dish out of  a used 60cm parabolic "lampshade" and used it with 
success on mode S.   See his articles on www.amsat.org.   

Ed Krome, K9EK, has also mentioned that he once used a cooking wok 
(see photo in "Mode S: the book").  His book also has a section 
on building your own stressed parabolic dish with wooden dowels 
and window screen material.   I'd bet he has a few more good ideas
too.  Ed?

There's an old "73 Magazine" from the 90's that had an article 
on a mode L dish made of shaped metal tubing bolted to a pipe 
flange with windows screen material rivetted to the tubes.  

Others have tried the old metal snow saucer sleds as a dish.
These are harder to find these days, and the one I have is quite 
heavy (it's not aluminum, it's steel).

Me? I've got a DEM 60cm dish, but I'm also going to try a 
plastic snow saucer sled covered with metal tape.  (One for 
receiving QSOs and telemetry,  one for the transmitting end 
of QSOs).  Also, the plastic saucer is very lightweight and
slightly flexible (so it won't dent). 

Douglas KA2UPW
dquagliana@aol.com
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