VE2AZ converted a TVRO dish to 1296 Mhz for Moonbounce.Converted to 1296 Mhz antenna, looks like a small helix is feeding it.Here are some examples of dish recycling by Hams: Don't use a straight through adapter as torque from the large coax and connector can tear the SMA antenna jack from the PC board inside the Baofeng. To hook these to your radio you would need an adapter cable to go from the PL259 or N connector on the coax from the external antenna down to the radio connector. You might hear the satellite with something handheld, like this portable yagi made by Arrow Antennas from aluminum arrow shaftsĪ more practical choice for adding range is a 2m/440 vertical or a 2m/440 yagi. However, you don't necessarily need a 10 foot dish for this. You might be able to hear the SO-50 satellite with a gain antenna, but this depends on the noise figure of the Baofeng and I'm a bit skeptical. With more gain you can get into repeaters a little further away. This kind of handheld radio is suitable for use with local repeaters. Now the Baofeng uv-5r is a 144 Mhz / 440 Mhz handheld radio with 5W output. Once these channels were encrypted and consumers were asked to pay, the huge dishes started disappearing from homes and into the landfills. These were popular in the early 1980s to receive pay TV channels like HBO direct from the satellite, unencrypted, without paying. That's what you want to play with, if you have the time, energy, and patience.

How are you going to point it? Smaller antennas may work just as well.Ī modern 'Dish TV' or 'DIREC TV' (R) that is about a foot across is practically useless for amateur radio transmitting and receiving.īelow is a stock picture (Wikimedia) of an old 1980s style home satellite tv dish, about 8 to 15 feet across. Would make a conversation piece or odd recycling project.

A big project and probably not practical starting out.

Photo reflector from satellite dish