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Originally Posted by elgemcdlf
For C Band you really need at least a 8.5' dish. For Ku you really need a solid dish. So as we look at this a solid dish 8.5' or larger would cover your needs. ..... |
I know this no longer relates to the original question, because he has size restrictions, however the above comment is just not correct. You do NOT "need" a solid dish to do Ku, and I would NOT recomend a BIG solid dish to ANYONE except professionals.
I know where this came from, ie the problems you had aligning your 8' dish on Ku, and listening to people like me complaining about side lobes, and reading posts from people who work for TV stations saying that their solid dishes are better than mesh, however the bottom line is that there are millions of hobbiests out there doing C/Ku with mesh dishes. In reality, except for the small all metal ones, most solid dishes are no different from mesh dishes except that the mesh is encased in fibreglass or something. There are solid dishes out there that won't do Ku, because the mesh inside the solid structure is too wide or out of shape, and there are mesh dishes that won't do Ku for the same reason. But for a hobbiest, a mesh dish is MUCH easier to handle, and will work just fine for most people.
Yes, in all likelihood, a smaller solid dish will perform as well on Ku as many big mesh dishes, but if you get a half decent quality mesh dish, it will do fine on Ku and you'll have everything you need in one package.
There are personal reasons such as size restrictions, why people would choose options other than getting a 10' mesh dish, but needing a solid dish for Ku should NOT be one of these reasons. Mesh dishes DO work for Ku, and there are hobbiests all over using mesh dishes for Ku.