Fun To Be Had With a 10-Foot Satellite Dish? 386
An anonymous reader writes "I'm moving to a rural community in the central United States. On the property is a satellite dish in excess of 3 meters in diameter that seems to still be in excellent condition. I already enjoy shortwave radio and was wondering what interesting TV feeds I might be able to catch with the dish. What kind of equipment would I need and how much should I expect to spend? If it's not useful for that purpose, what other fun projects might I use it for?"
UVB-76? (Score:5, Funny)
UVB-76 [wikipedia.org] has been broadcasting new stuff the past few days...
If you're looking for fun, you're doing it wrong (Score:5, Funny)
You might even get airborne, in which case you have a real flying saucer. At the very least, it would scare the crap out of the snow-boarders.
Re:How I use my parabolic dish... (Score:3, Funny)
Broadcast a cryptic signal for years (Score:5, Funny)
Then change it one day and watch the internet implode.
get some bean dip (Score:5, Funny)
and some giant fritos...
Re:Astronomy? (Score:3, Funny)
Have Fun with the neighbors (Score:5, Funny)
Point the dish at your nearest neighbors house to make them paranoid.
Re:Astronomy? (Score:5, Funny)
I don't get it. How would a 10' dish help him achieve first posts? And why bother?
Re:Moon bounce (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Sound Mirror (Score:2, Funny)
So may I suggest using the dish for a bit of covert surveillance of neighbours.
I don't think having a 3M dish pointed directly at your neighbours could be classified as "covert"
Re:Alien signals from space (Score:3, Funny)
Giant eye (Score:1, Funny)
Paint a giant bloodshot eyeball on it and point it at a paranoid neighbor.
Improper Use of the 3 Step Process (Score:5, Funny)
You are hereby served notice regarding your improper use of the UGI patented "3 Step Process". The UGI (Underpants Gnomes International) have established that all "3 Step Processes" must take the form of
If you continue to use your errant "3 Step Process" legal action may follow.
IAAUGL
The Underpants Gnomes International do wish to make a constructive suggestion. The use of A B C instead of 1 2 3 would not be in violation of the UGI's patent.
Screw you guys. I'm going home.
Re:UVB-76? (Score:5, Funny)
I am almost absolutely positive ... I could be wrong though.
Hey! Stop plagarizing my project status reports!
Re:Broadcast a cryptic signal for years (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Broadcast a cryptic signal for years (Score:3, Funny)
Since governments don't actually acknowledge number stations, what would be the harm of starting your own?
To give it an even geekier twist it could start with "three... one... four... one... five...".
Re:Improper Use of the 3 Step Process (Score:4, Funny)
IAAUGL
I Am An Underpants Gnome Lawyer?
Probably. Or he choked on an orange while dictating.
Can you help me... (Score:1, Funny)
I have a whole planet with vast resources and a global interweb full of most of human knowledge. Is there anything I can do with it?
Re:If you're looking for fun, you're doing it wron (Score:3, Funny)
Up here in Michigan we throw rocks or poke at cornered wolverines.
No, the animal.. not the panzy college students... they just whine in the alleyway when you do that to them... No fun at all.
GO SPARTIANS!
Re:Sound Mirror (Score:5, Funny)
then paint...
" I'M NOT LISTENING TO YOU!"
on the dish.
That will throw them off.
Re:If you're looking for fun, you're doing it wron (Score:5, Funny)
GO SPARTIANS!
Your alma mater must be so proud. :-P
Re:UVB-76? (Score:1, Funny)
THAT IS A SHORTWAVE TRANSMITTER.
You don't need a Satellite Dish to receive it! In fact, it wouldn't help. You just need a long piece of wire!
You are an idiot. Go back to designing your MySpace page, and leave the thinking to the big boys.
Re:Get a second... (Score:1, Funny)
Be sure to bury it a few feet into the ground in an empty field, scatter the dirt around it, and light off an M-80 (or functionally equivalent firework) in the area and hope someone calls in the authorities. Keep that video camera handy (for the spectators, not the authorities, since that would be illegal to record them)!
Re:Have Fun with the neighbors (Score:2, Funny)
Also add a throbbing red light to the horn so it lights up the collector area of the dish at night.
Then periodically go into you back yard and laugh maniacally and/ or clentch your fists in their general direction and say "soon".
Use it for assertiveness (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Have Fun with the neighbors (Score:4, Funny)
And then, while they're out in the yard, you come out in some sort of hazard suit and, within earshot, speak into your cellphone, "Alright honey, switch it on...Ok, there, Perfect! It's fully operational!"
Re:Audio Eavesdropping (Score:1, Funny)
...which means you could get creative by playing various pre-recorded sounds in front of it while pointing it at the horizon... if you're pointing it at water (especially an inland lake), just loop the suspense music from Jaws....