OK, I went to the dump and picked up a big fat roll of chickenwire, rusty but not too rusty, and some bent cattle panels and pieces of corrugated roofing. And there was a huge aluminum satellite dish disassembled in quarters. I tell you, I've always thought they were blights on the landscape but close up this was a thing of beauty. It's all aluminum ribs covered with mesh, aluminum also I think, black, and I couldn't walk away from it! So I took 2 pieces home, wired them together and it looks like the prow of a canoe sitting on the ground, about 5 feet tall. I think it would be a perfect shelter for young goats but what to cover it with to make it water proof? A tarp is the only thing I can think of. Have any of you turned a satellite dish into something else? I think there must be lots of possibilities--it provides a lot of shade and maybe could be put over vegetable plants that need shade? I would love to hear other ideas. I'm thinking of going back for the rest of it but want to know if I'm just too trashy or crazy or what!

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), September 20, 2001

Answers

A big old birdie bath! =)

-- Jennifer (none@none.com), September 20, 2001.

Well, assembled the dish is about 10-12 foot in diameter, and it isn't solid, it's covered in a fine mesh, so I think it'd be too hard to turn it into a bird bath! I've never looked closely at one before so maybe they're all made differently?

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), September 21, 2001.

I have one I just removed from our new homestead......I have seen them used for the roof of a round gazebo...hmmm....maybe!

-- Jason (AJAMA5@netscape.net), September 21, 2001.

You could trowl ferro cement on it to make a nice strong structure for your goats. Would be fun to do. A few sites to look at. http://www.ferrocement.net/archives/msg04251.html That shows progress photos of some creative man's home and new addition. That is how you do it. This site might help if you want to learn more. http://www.ferrocement.net/links-begin.htm one more http://planetaryrenewal.org/ipr/ultralc.html

-- ed (edfrhes@aol.com), September 21, 2001.

Or, you could get your amatuer radio license and use it :) www.arrl.org
Make a duck pond?
make a kiddie pool?
plant a flower bed in it?
make a decorative pool with a path and flowers around it?
raise goldfish?


-- Brendan K Callahan (Grinnell, IA) (sleeping@iowatelecom.net), September 21, 2001.

We used one for a hay rack to dry grass for rabbit feed.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), September 21, 2001.

recycle @ ~40cents/lb and buy something else...

-- Jim (jedeweese@earthlink.net), September 21, 2001.

Seen one used for a Gazebo roof.

-- jay vance (jay.l.vance@worldnet.att.net), September 21, 2001.

Around here I've seen them used turned concave side down and up on poles as covers to keep the weather off round bales being fed out in the fields.

-- Lori in SE Ohio (klnprice@yahoo.com), September 21, 2001.

Could be used as a shade shelter for animals or humans. Could support it in some way and use it as a roof for a trellis. Plant grape vines around the supports and would make a great garden addition.

-- Tom S. (trdsshepard@yahoo.com), September 21, 2001.

I once used one to house a mean rooster. It was light weight enough that every other day or so I could drag it to a clean patch of grass in the yard.

-- Mel Carroll (frank.a.carroll@worldnet.att.net), September 21, 2001.

This time of year I'm thinking of frost protecters in the garden to squeeze a few more days out of the garden-is it light-weight enough to cover plants?

-- kelly (markelly @scrtc.com), September 21, 2001.

Brendan mentioned what I've used ours for already. Planted flowers in the smaller one that was left here when we bought this place and made a duck pool out of the bigger one we "outgrew". Just lined it with heavy plastic. I'ts east to clean, just siphon out and refill. A heavy towel fastend on one side makes it easy for ducks to exit. :)

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), September 21, 2001.

There's a whole posting on this in the archives somewhere, with really good ideas. Try a search. My favorite was to line the inside with a highly reflective material, rig up a pot hanger at the focal point and create a highly effective focussing solar oven!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), September 21, 2001.

You could cover it with thin sheat aluminum and make a concentrating solar collector out of it. I've seen this done before and it works pretty good for achieving really high temperatures.

-- Carter (chucky@usit.net), September 21, 2001.

use it for a clothes dryer by hanging clothes on hangers through the mesh...

or use it to showcase a windchime collection....

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), September 21, 2001.

Thanks all; so many good ideas make me wish I had 10 of these things. My Dh (dear husband)likes Jim's idea best "recycle @ ~40cents/lb and buy something else... "

Elizabeth

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), September 22, 2001.

One he** of a big snow disk

-- Jack C (injack1@aol.com), February 26, 2002.