Look what I found today! (2024)

Looks like a Paraclipse 12" Looks like it is sitting on a large metal mount.
Pretty sure I can score this for little or nothing.
Biggest issue is the mesh is beat to death.
Where/what can I use to remesh and what would be the cost.

What else should I look at in terms of condition?

In my opinion, one of the most iconic and well constructed C-band dishes. Likely to outlast roaches! Many of us previous owners are in love with the look, but not so much with the performance. Decent C-band, but the KU band has significant side lobes.

The hundreds of clips securing the mesh will drive you crazy. Learn from my mistakes... Always wear gloves when removing installing the clips! The aluminum mesh can be sourced from a local sheet metal supplier, but it will cost a pretty penny to resurface. It will be pretty when it is restored, but you probably would be better of with one of the other finds in your area.

What about running it just purely for C band?
I may be able to Source a good 10 foot but it seems everything I've been finding recently is 8 foot.

I made a call to see what the cost would be 114 square feet of quarter inch steel mesh.

You have been right before titanium

hank123 said:

Looks like a Paraclipse 12" Looks like it is sitting on a large metal mount.
Pretty sure I can score this for little or nothing.
Biggest issue is the mesh is beat to death.
Where/what can I use to remesh and what would be the cost.

What else should I look at in terms of condition?
View attachment 119636 View attachment 119637 View attachment 119638

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Since it has all that xtra cross-ribbing, I'd consider perforated panels. I don't remember the measurements for the panels, but if you watch how you cut the wedges, you should easily get two wedges per sheet and it would be stronger and less likely to hail dimple and you should be able to get it with 1/16 inch holes. The perforates panels could be fastened down along the ribs with washer head screws. The rest could be pulled down with some stiff copper wire like what's inside an alternator rotor.

You might check the local scrap yards to see what's available. Scrap's going pretty cheap these days. I picked up ten 21 foot sticks of 3 inch carbon steel gas line a couple weeks ago for $15 a stick. It sells for over $150 a stick new. Had only one bent piece.

Thanks for the great ideas guys.
Ill need a bit more then 13 square feet to cover. Trying to find a source that has large sheets could be a problem
It looks like it has Galvanized Steel Stucco Netting on it now. The holes are large.

And no way I would want to stitch and hammer out the dings. It is trashed mesh. It would have to be replaced. It has J hooks holding down the mesh.
From some of the stuff I have been reading its something like 500-800 of them. If some are missing it will take some time to make them.
This also looks like one of the first models. It has to be pushing 30 years old.

It appears to be the original mesh. If so, it is aluminum.

Does it have a declination adjustment? The photos do not show. I seen to recall that the earliest versions did not.

Make sure that you carefully save the nylon/poly sleeve insert in the AZ tube. Without this insert, the dish will have significant slop.

Check the widest panel measurement length or height. Maybe instead of buying sheets, purchase the appropriate width from a roll by the foot. Lable and remove teh current panels and use as templates for the new material cuts. I agree that it would be much easier to use tapper aluminum screws to attach the mesh to the supports. The clips would take a crew of two or three several hours and dozens of cuss words to install.

Titanium said:

It appears to be the original mesh. If so, it is aluminum.

Does it have a declination adjustment? The photos do not show. I seen to recall that the earliest versions did not.

Make sure that you carefully save the nylon/poly sleeve insert in the AZ tube. Without this insert, the dish will have significant slop.

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Where would the declination adjustment be?

I would not break down the dish at all. Move it in 1 piece. Its only 10 miles from my house.

Page 15 on the assembly manual shows the adjustment of the declination.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/posts/3486447/

My Paraclipse had a linear actuator without a counterweight. I don't recall seeing any counterweight versions here on the West Coast.

If the unit does not have the declination adjustment, the top bracket hole could be elongated into a slot to allow for adjustment. Suppose it could also be permanently modified (tab cut and welded or new hole drilled) to the calculated offset angle.

Here's a pic of the back of mine,you can see the adjustment and the adjuster I made to keep it from slipping;
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/posts/3466983/

waylew said:

Here's a pic of the back of mine,you can see the adjustment and the adjuster I made to keep it from slipping;
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/posts/3466983/

Click to expand...

Thank you for posing this. I will have to take a look again in the next week. Loads more more and I am just some FNG to this FTA stuff.

I hate to pump, Titanium's ego as some would say, I think I can hunt down a 10 footer that would take less work and perform better.
No matter what I know where it is, I dont think shes going anywhere if I did want to snag her one day.

hank123 said:

I think I can hunt down a 10 footer that would take less work and perform better.

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Hank, I recall quite a few Craigslist dishes from Colorado the last few months.Shouldn't be too hard to find you one out there.

armadillo_115 said:

Hank, I recall quite a few Craigslist dishes from Colorado the last few months.Shouldn't be too hard to find you one out there.

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Yes, and there seems to be a lot of them in that area on AJAK H-H mounts also.

I think AJAKs were manufactured in Colorado, or somewhere out west.