Satellite Dishes Make Lovely Snow Scoops … unless you think ahead and protect them with these practical cold-weather tips
November 29, 2017 http://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/0004/satellite-dishes-make-lovely-snow-scoops/340822 ------------------------------ * By John Bisset <http://www.radioworld.com/author/john-bisset/article>* If you use heaters on your satellite dishes, this is a good time to check them to make sure they work. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Steven Donnell, a frequent Workbench contributor, has heaters on all of NHPR’s dishes. As a part of his fall maintenance program, he checks the AC current the heater draws when the heaters are on. This can be done easily at the heater controller or in the AC disconnect box at the base of the dish. In addition, NHPR has installed toroidal transformers that sample the AC current draw in the mains feeding the heaters. This inexpensive technique allows staff to monitor heater operation through one of the meter channels on their Burk remote control equipment. If the heater controller boxes are outside at the dish, Steven recommends a close internal inspection to make sure there are no unexpected residents living there. In one instance, Steven had a heater fail because the controller box was infested with hundreds of tiny ants. Apparently, the exoskeletons of ants are fairly good insulators. After enough ants got squashed across the contacts of the main relay for the heater, it was enough to block the heaters from turning on. Because National Public Radio still uses Galaxy 16, the NHPR dishes are at a fairly low “look angle.” Check your dish. If it is pointing up, think of it it as a snow scoop. Unless you add a dish cover and/or heaters, you’ll be slogging through the elements this winter keeping the dish clear of snow. Steven also poses a question for readers: Do you have experience with the heaters used in Prodelin three meter dishes? Steven has a pair that are four years old, and he has experienced issues with the wiring that interconnects the heater pads. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
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