TV Satelite Dishes

Danny, I agree 100%. many of the newer tripod have adjustable legs which do make it easier to setup. Once you start heading into central Australia you can experience signal strength issues. with the anything less than 80cm. The guy in Katherine will tell you need a 1.2 metre dish, we managed with the 80cm.

Interesting comments, I used a tripod for about 5 years a real PITA requiring four wing nuts to be loosened etc to adjust the elevation, plus three legs to be pulled out and pegged down. I then moved onto the triangular base model when they first came out... magic - only one large knob on a extending pole to set the elevation. I have never had a problem on any sort of ground and we bush camp all the time. I use the WDH bars from the caravan across the base and it has never blown over with these weights on - unlike the tripod that had to be pegged securely.

From unzipping the carry bag to getting a very good TV signal originally on analogue and now on VAST - 5 mins max and I only use a very cheap $25 sat signal finder.

My dish is only 68 cm and I have been all over the west top to bottom, around the Territory and east, west and north of Alice and most of central and northern Qld - again never a problem getting a signal.

I reckon the dude in Katherine must have a lot of 1.2 m dishes he is trying to get rid of. Just my opinion.

John

Each to his own I suppose. I found the triangular one too flimsy and a PITA and went to a sturdier low mount tripod and dish. Only one wingnut for the elevation setup. Unless it is a cyclone I don't bother pegging it down.
Maybe it depends on the quality of components.

As OBJ said,
I paid $10 at the local recycle yard at the tip, works perfectly, the last trip that we took the telly was for 20 weeks outback and gulf country and failed to get reception on 5 nights only.

I used a section of star picket with the "fins" ground to make a taper at the top, then a piece of pipe in the normal clamps of the dish jambs down over the taper after the piece of picket is driven into the ground.

Scrubby.