[NLRS] DirecTV/Cal Amp feed

[Donn - WA2VOI/0]

Hi David.
As Jerry said, not a long shot at all.

Depending on the exact type, they convert easily to being a feed for suing the 
DSS dishes on 10GHz.  The one Jerry had is the easiest to convert; the other 
very popular type has a metal septum (ridge) running along the interior of the 
waveguide.  You CANNOT use a drill to remove this type of septum... you need an 
end mill (and a drill press -- do NOT try to drill out either type with a hand 
drill.  At BEST you'll destroy the feed and at worst, you'll hurt yourself up to 
and maybe including broken bones.)

There is a third, somewhat newer type that uses a "septum polarizer" that is NOT 
CONVERTABLE to a 10GHz feed.  This type starts out as round waveguide and ends 
up as two rectangular waveguides, both of which will not support 10GHz signals.

The only way to tell which type is which is to remove the white plastic front 
cap and look inside.

I know of at least one local who has done conversion to a 10GHz receive pre-amp 
and it measured quite well at Microwave Update last year.  I don't know the 
details, though.  I suspect that harvesting and using the parts would be a lot 
more difficult as we don't know anything about them.

73 Donn
WA2VOI/0


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Palm" <thepalmhq at gmail.com>
To: "NLRS List" <nlrs at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2009 4:59 PM
Subject: [NLRS] DirecTV/Cal Amp feed


>
>
> This is a long shot, but is there anything that can be done with this thing
> for ham usage?  Somebody just gave me a few of them:
>
> http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/DirecTV/Cal-Amp-150517-DSS-Dual-LNBF.htm
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