Recent content by Hermitman

I've used my dual actuator dish for tracking inclined satellites. You'd also be amazed how much signal increase you can get with a click or two up or down, especially in the Ku band. Plus its a nice toy to play with if you're into the bells and whistles part of this hobby. Good luck.

All I've used for years is plain electrical tape. The first couple of wraps are tight so they form to the fitting and seal tight. And then wrap it a couple of more times just to give it a good cover. I also fold over the very end so I have a tab to pull on when I want to remove it to swap out...

That could be a "heat of the day" issue.

This happens on mine also. When you turn the unit off, it doesn't really turn completely off. The receiver is still try to pick up data from satellites. The flip/flop may be for a purpose while the unit is off, like trying to reset the lnb for the best signal or looking the guide data to...

Something to consider for the cheap do-it-yourselfers. Attached is a picture of a servo control unit. Its made by cutting the servo control sections from a Uniden UST-6000 circuit board, screwing them together and connecting some wires. Ugly, yes but it works like a champ. The slide switch...

If you're looking for more pulses per degree of movement, why not use the actuator motor itself. While DC voltage is fed to the motor to make it move, the voltage at the motor itself is actually pulsating DC. This is due to the communtator contacts moving under the brushes. Someone should be...

If your house is a wood stick construction with a truss and plywood roof, it may be the moisture content of the wood because of winter. Winter really drys out the wood and that can cause shrinkage which will alter the various angles of house walls and roofs (although slightly). Or maybe, the...

I'm using a Chaparral Monterey 140 on my dual actuator. It controls both actuators and polarizer setting. You just select the satellite you want and it moves there and adjusts polarity. I'm running it on a 10 foot Orbitron with a Corotor. The 140's are hard to find but worth it, in my...

MODERATOR, please remove reference to FTV so they don't scramble it again. Thank you.

Something to consider about CBS and others saying they encrypted signals because of ITC postings on Ricks - of course they would say that. If they actually gain their information by logging on private forums, they have to protect their methods and procedures, making Ricks a handy diversion...

I'll throw my 2 cents in the pot. When an organization decides to encrypt a program, its not based on whether a few thousand FTA'ers are watching a feed but if someone is taking their signal and making money with it. Its about money and not letting others make money on your dime. They also...

Respectfully, I would like to know what the "XXX" company is? If they're out of business, it would nice to know who not to call for programming. Good luck.

Here's a couple of url's that might be useful. These pages concern the design of a SETI antenna scalar ring and feedhorn but the theory is the same. The first one has general information and concepts. The other is a xls spreadsheet for designing a feedhorn and scalar ring. Be advised, the...

It almost sounds like an IC power regulator chip is cycling from normal operation to an overload condition then back to normal operation, over and over. If everything else fails, try disconnecting the coax to the dish and any other external accessories (to reduce electrical load) and see if the...

The ground is a sand, gravel, rock mix. This area has the glacial deposit from the last ice age push down from Canada. Its not really that hard to dig down through but I think the coarseness of the mixture seems to lock the soil together when put under pressure. Good luck.