Pot-lid satellite dish a rural Thai best seller

Satellite dishes made by students sell like hot cakes

By Sutthiphong Saterangsee The Nation on Sunday

Improvising on an in-house attempt to find a cheaper way to view educational TV programmes, a primary school in Chaiyaphum is now making good income from selling portable, home-made satellite dishes made out of pot lids.

Wisit Suesat, a sixth-grade teacher at the Nong Kong Kaew public school in Nong Bua Rahew district, who "discovered" this technique, said it was difficult for teachers and technical staff to adjust existing equipment and the direction of large satellite dishes when the signal was weak or lost.

It regularly cost the school Bt2,900 to get someone to fine-tune the reception.

The teacher formed a team of five of his students to try utilising various materials such as dishes and found that aluminium pot and pan covers could substitute nicely for metal reflectors, after one year of trial and error.

Relying mainly on aluminium kitchen utensils donated by villagers, they start by hammering the materials into a parabolic shape, then assemble a stand from steel. The dish and stand are then attached to a receiver that can catch all KU band news and entertainment channels available in Thailand, besides free educational channels.

Each set costs Bt500-Bt2,500.

"The selling point of our satellite-receiver kit is its compact size, with a diameter of no more than 35 centimetres, besides the low price. They now sell like hot cakes," Wisit said.

Anucha Kulsiri, one of the students, said he would make his living making satellite-receiver kits when he grew up.

"It's not hard for me to make one now. You just lift the dish 35 degrees up and turn its direction to the southwest," he said.

Kittisak Theschaiyaphum, another team member, explained the "simple" steps in making the antennas.

"Pick a lid of a proper size. Remove the handle. Pound it into the right shape. Spray-paint it and drill holes that will be used for screws to attach it to a stand," he said.

Prasong Phornsophin, a |senior education officer, said he was expanding this home-made satellite-receiver-kit project to more than 300 schools, to |provide them with an extra source of income.



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