Satelitte Dish for a Antenna?

[pblumer]

Is this the same story as the TV antenna or is it better. My neighbor has a old one and just wants to get rid of it I told them I would take it but needed to check how they do with scanners and such.

Thanks,
Patrick

 

[MacombMonitor]

Is this the same story as the TV antenna or is it better. My neighbor has a old one and just wants to get rid of it I told them I would take it but needed to check how they do with scanners and such.

Thanks,
Patrick

The typical satelite dish antenna is useless for normal scanners. They are usually designed for frequencies at least twice as high as most scanners receive. They are also very directional. You might be able to make a good high gain WiFi antenna out of it, for wireless computer networking.

 

[jred184]

I have heard of people using them to make a wireless network bridge spanning over a couple of miles. It was in a computer magazine called CPU (Computer Power User). I think it was in one of their 2002 issues.


JRed

 

[buttsrob]

I have heard of people using them to make a wireless network bridge spanning over a couple of miles. It was in a computer magazine called CPU (Computer Power User). I think it was in one of their 2002 issues.


JRed

You are correct. I've personnally made a 23+ mile WIFI connection using the following instructions:

http://www.wwc.edu/~frohro/Airport/Primestar/Primestar.html

Incidently, a dish - with the proper antenna mounted at the feed - should work quite well for scanning 800 MHz and up. (Remember it's HIGHLY directional. You have to know where to point it or have a rotator).

The tuned frequency on a satellite dish is determined by the LNB (low noise block) not the dish. The dish just reflects and focus the RF at the feed point (LNB or whatever antenna element you put there).

Small dishes like this won't work well below the upper end of UHF because, as the wave length get's too long, the dish cannot focus an entire wave -or even a quarter wave.

 

[SCPD]

The small 18-20" dishes made by DirecTv and Dish Network have an LNB designed to receive frequencies in the 11-12 Ghz spectrum. The LNB also needs voltage from the satellite receiver to operate. Unless your scanner can receive frequencies that high or produce the 19 volts needed to power the LNB.... S.O.L.? The LNB would be useless to you but try experimenting with the reflector with different feedpoints.