[BC] Re: Sat dishes vs snow

[Cowboy]

On Wednesday 04 January 2006 03:07 pm, Dennis Cope wrote:
>When you find something let me know.  Where I work we have dishes from 85'
>to 40' and so far everything, except heaters,, don't work.

 /snip/

>We have spent thousands of dollars trying to find a way to keep the snow out
>and we have to be on line 24 hours a day or no weather satellite pictures
>for anyone..  If you find a way to keep snow out please let us know..
>
>GE/Americom would like to know also...

 Now, that's a horse of a whole 'nother color !

 On a dish that large, and with that kind of budget......

 How's this ?

 A pump, and some creative plumbing, and a catch basin.

 Rig a piece of perforated tubing, which you may have to fabricate
 yourself ( or hire me to do it for you ) to ring the top 1/2 of the
 perimeter of the dish, adjusted to put the holes toward the dish.
 Actually, several bathroom shower heads from Lowe's or similar
 could work as well.
 A small pump to constantly feed de-icing fluid, keeping a constant spray
 on the dish during a snow storm.
 A catch basin under the drain edge of the dish, which feeds the pump.

 As long as the fluid keeps moving, even in sub-zero weather, it would
 need to be very, very, very diluted to not work.
 ( which will eventually happen, if the fluid isn't changed often enough, as
 snow melts into it )

-- 
Cowboy

http://cowboys.homeip.net

Old soldiers never die.  Young ones do.