|
|
THIS MONTH'S
INSTALLATION FROM THE PAST (SEE STORY BELOW)
COX
CABLE-BAKERSFIELD OFF-AIR AND SATELLITE RECEPTION
HEADEND NEAR LAMONT, CALIFORNIA
1987
June 12, 2006
Sorry for the late appearance of this month's editorial. If
anything, you got a few more days to look at the pictures from the April
Satellite Expo trade show. Summer is now upon us, and we are
"trying to make hay while the sun shines". As always,
there are usually a few obstacles to every plan.
The Traxis DBS-3500, which we have been promising you more of since
running out BEFORE the April trade show, had more delays in shipment from
the factory, mostly due to parts shortages. We sincerely hope that
they will appear on our doorstep before the end of June. This is an
extremely friendly receiver, for those that appreciate logical and easy
access to editing and scanning functions. We will be offering them
at 109.00 plus shipping, and including a downloaded memory transfer from
our master receiver, freeing your time to watch television instead of push
buttons. Pre-orders are being accepted; just Email or fax your
request in, to be in line for the next large shipment of these machines.
In the meantime, we found a new receiver for the middle-to-high-end of the
spectrum. Fortec has a winner with their Mercury II free-to-air
receiver. It comes in at ten dollars more than the Pansat 2700, but
has a number of features to fight for. 6000 channel, 100 satellite
memory. Like the above Traxis DBS-3500, it has the ability to select
or edit individual satellites. The blind search functions are known
as POWER SCAN, and are able to be set by the end user in three different
configurations. This gives great flexibility in the Speed versus
Accuracy race. The ZOOM and multi-picture functions found on the
DBS-3500 are also available on the Fortec Mercury II. Channel
editing on this new receiver is as friendly as anything I have ever
seen. AC-3 Dolby Digital audio can be accessed from pass-through
jacks on back, on the way to a separate Dolby equipped stereo
receiver. If you don't mind paying a little more for something that
resembles a Cadillac in its functions and abilities, you should consider
the Mercury II.
If you are counting pennies, wait a few more days and the Traxis DBS-3500
will become available again. Get on the list so you are not
disappointed when they inevitably sell out quickly.
As of this writing we are down to ONE Ajak "Patriot" horizon to
horizon motor left. We thank you all for taking part in our sale of
these now-rare antenna positioning devices. As we said, when they're
gone, there will be no more. It is highly unlikely that there is
another stash of these sitting in anyone's warehouse.
We regret to inform you that some prices on antennas have increased with
this edition of our monthly catalog. Metals prices are still
escalating, forcing Superior Antenna (SAMI) to make a second increase
since January. We are compelled to pass it on, as we also must do on
many of our Star Choice products. In that department, we were hit
with a triple whammy. The Canadian dollar is near an all-time high
in recent memory, and a combination of increased costs from U.S. Customs
and United Parcel Service has added to the misery. Our average cost
of a system with the Elliptical antenna and Quad LNBF has increased over
50.00 this month. One way to lower the potential cost is to consider
other antennas besides those offered by Star Choice. If you are only
looking for standard definition English language fare, you only need one
antenna for the Anik F1R satellite. We have many cost-effective
alternatives such as round offset dishes in the 75 and 76 cm sizes, or the
Patriot 70 or 85 cm elliptical antennas, all of which can be obtained in
the U.S., and not have to literally be shipped twice. Should you
want High Definition options, or foreign language, access to 2
satellites is necessary. We still suggest looking at two antennas
from a standpoint of reliability; using separate 22 KHz switches to
access both satellites. The cost effective method would be two HOT
DISH 75 cm antennas, each with an Xtreme II LNBF rated at 0.3 dB.
Those needing two receivers can substitute a 2 output LNBF on one or both
satellites, depending on your requirements.
Please look at our latest technical addition, which is a link to an
independent testing of small and medium sized offset antennas, which we
did during the month of May. The following antennas were
tested: Primestar 75 and 84 cm elliptical antennas, Patriot 85 cm
elliptical antenna, Fortec Star 80 cm round offset antenna, Hot Dish 75 cm
round offset antenna, Winegard 2076 76 cm round offset antenna,
Paraclipse 90 cm Millennium round offset type. All were tested for
reception of Star Choice, and they work well. The numbers tell the
story...if you need any further technical interpretation, call or Email
for my opinions.
We have three 10-foot PERFECT TEN sectional antennas left, at the bargain
price of 400.00 (pick up in Plain, WI). You could use BAX GLOBAL
economy air freight, but they might not be a bargain to some locations,
due to the dimensional surcharges that are given to sectional type
antennas. When you ship a preassembled antenna, you literally pay
good money to ship much of the space outside the antenna box, but within
the grasp of the parabolic curve. Contact us for these remaining
antennas---unless you want to pay full retail for a new one. A basic
SAMI SI-10 starts at 679.00 plus motor freight, from Arkansas.
Need some weather
covers.....look at our "BARGAINS" section....there are over a
hundred of them left. Cover your LNBs and feedhorn connections from
sun and weather. Things last longer if they are covered up and
otherwise weatherproofed.
A repeat from last month: Anyone interested in
acquiring a 1.8 meter commercial offset dish from which to build a
multifeed Ku/DBS platform of LNBFs? If you have the ability to
travel to Plain, Wisconsin, to pick them up (trailer or flatbed
suggested), we are now investigating a source in the region. IF
enough inquiries justify it, we will bring in a few for your pickup, at a
cost of under 200 dollars an antenna. Price a new one, even without
the freight, and ask whether or not that is a bargain. Contact
GLOBAL to get on the list of interested customers.
Still another
area we are investigating is wireless Internet reception. If you
have a wireless router and wish to expand coverage a few hundred feet to a
thousand feet and more, grid as well as parabolic antennas with
appropriate feedhorns are available. Let us know your requirements,
and we may add those items to our offerings.
Wondering about the picture on top? In July, 1987, I worked on a
crew to refurbish a 60 foot X 290 foot "backstop" tropo antenna,
just south of Bakersfield, California. Pictured is an array of 60
foot steel towers, each spaced about 30 feet apart, originally joined with
steel wires strung horizontally at 4-inch intervals. Our successful
project involved removing and replacing those wires with new stainless
steel wire, properly tensioned to allow continuous reception of all seven
Los Angeles VHF stations (2-4-5-7-9-11 & 13) for Cox Cable in
Bakersfield. When completed, they were able to "downgrade"
from a microwave service that had been costing them 1500 dollars a month
per channel, to only needing microwave relay for UHF channel 28, KCET, a
PBS affiliate in Los Angeles. Funny how times change. This
structure was built sometime in the sixties. Resurfaced in 1987, and
now 19 years later---nobody even knows it existed. Bob Cooper was
investigating how to find this structure recently, and I was fortunate
enough to have saved color slides in a secret place so that I would not
lose them. It took about six weeks to remember where that secret
place was---but here it is. Visit Mr. Cooper's fascinating website
at www.bobcooper.tv and consider
ordering some of the many materials he has put together, chronicling the
history of television reception. If you dig deep enough, you may see
this photo in a few days on that website.
Until JULY,
MIKE |
