Thread: which actuator for a 6 footer?

is the 18" enough? how wide will it track the arc from 79w longitude? what are the differences with the 24" version? in this case.

i am planning on motorising my new 6 footer but after reading stll have this questions.

I was able to track from 55.5 to 139 with an 18" on a 10' BUD from 88 west.
I never tempted any thing past that until I got a 24" Heavy Duty Arm, for fear of flopping the Dish.

It usually depends on the Mechanics of the Dish vs. how long the Arm can travel. As the Arm extends, it will come in contact with the Dish at some point, a longer Arm will not fix that.
You can use a broom handle in place of an Arm to help get an idea of how much of the Arc you might be able to get.

thanks lak7.

Finally, got the heavy duty 36" arm , and it is almost taller than me, lol. well , with 5.5 almost anyone or anything can be taller than me anyways, lol. I will be installing it tomorrow and using a VBox II to drive it. The canadian distributor did not have a heavy duty 24". Eventually I know I will grow to closer a 10 footer at some point in the future so decided to go with this one but I am having second thoughts as to whether it will actually give me better accuracy than a heavy duty 24 or 18". Unless of course I modify the polar mount and then grab the dish further away from the polar axis pivot point.

HD -
Yes, there's a thread around here somewhere and that didn't quite do the job.
I suggested a full solution, but then the thread died.
I should mark up a picture of how to do that and make it work.
No reason you shouldn't get full travel (and more accuracy) when you use a bigger/longer jack, and often ya won't.

edit:
See if my answer at the end of this thread makes sense.
If not, I'll get out Paint and mark up a picture to make it clearer.

I totally agree with you, I even had read that thread already. No need for a picture, I am even considering installing a pole farther back and to the right so the arm is parallel to the mount (so when it faces true south it pushes the Dish perpendicular) but first will test using the included fixed plate to grab the dish further away from the pivot point. I still have to fill the gap between the mount and the 2.5" Sched 40 pole (3" OD). The mount is actually 3.5" ID , I forgot to measure it when I assembled it and bought the pole based on all the documentation that says 75 mm pole recommended. I still blame the americans for the mistake, lol. I will be using a short ABS plumbing 3" pipe.

Everything is large and heavy, even for this 6 footer , so I am waiting for extra help. weather nice today as per the canadians brutally weather standards. will keep gathering info and planning in the mean time.

Originally Posted by hd fan

I totally agree with you, I even had read that thread already. No need for a picture,

Thanks, glad it wasn't wasted effort.
I was a little surprised at the findings of wrdavis.
Hadn't really realized the full extent of the shortcomings of that mount geometry.
I've focused on H-H mounts, which have their own unique personality.

I am even considering installing a pole farther back and to the right so the arm is parallel to the mount (so when it faces true south it pushes the Dish perpendicular) but first will test using the included fixed plate to grab the dish further away from the pivot point.

No need for a picture; I'm reading ya fine.
That'll probably give you a little more travel to the ... uhhh ... to one side, without affecting the other ??
Confusing. Now you know why I've opted for H-H mounts -

We probably need a good how-to or FAQ on the geometry of the standard polar mount.
I've not seen one in all my travels.

weather nice today as per the canadians brutally weather standards.
will keep gathering info and planning in the mean time.

For some reason, I was picturing Pro96 (who lives about 50 miles from me), and trying to get the joke.
The high will be 68°F today, rising to 76°F next Wednesday. - - (20°C - 24°C)

hurra!!!! or whatever, lol!. I finally installed the jack and it is working , no ku yet will fine tune it tomorrow. I can go from 55.5 to 135 (although I just have tried a few satellites yet). after 55.5 it starts making a weird noise apparently because the arm pushes the Dish bracket ring, will look more into it tomorrow. i have not set the limits , non of them yet , but will do tomorrow. BTW the fixed plate on the fortec has a way to be installed so the arm is parallel to the center axis and grabs the clamp further back , no need to install a extra pole for the arm. I think that the 18 heavy duty would have been sufficient for this 6 footer , but heck now a need a bigger dish for the more difficult signals, lol.

I could not fill the gap with the ABS 3" pipe since the mount cap is 3 1/4 ID , luckily after they gave me the 3" Schedule 40 I measured it and decided to take a 2.5" Schedule 40 instead back when I bought the pole. I wonder if 3" Schedule 80 steel pipe would have been less than 3 1/4" OD then.

I am going to set the limits , at least at the positioner, since with the CS 8100 I am not very confortable using other than USALS. It has a motor option but I better set the limits just in case.

Just to summarize , the 18 hd arm (hd better for the higher pulse count than the TD regular) would have been enough for this Fortec Star 6 footer since the arm only travels around 13 or 14 inches from 55W to 135 W and that is using the farthest point and locating the clamp as far back as I could on the mount. I have not been able to use the remote control and therefore have to use the 2 front buttons, will check the batteries just in case. will see how to set the hardware limits as well.

Ya 18" is good for a 6' I have a 24" on the 10' and can go pretty far east with ease.