1 Meter Dish On Roof Hammered By Wind Storm - Now MidBand Sats Only - Need Advice!

[jsattv]

On Aug 8 we were hammered with a massive wind storm. Both my neighbors had their fences blown down on the East Side. There was major tree damage and hail stones, the Winnipeg airport estimated the wind to be as high as 120 Kilometers per hour (75 MPH) at the peak of the storm. This immediately knocked out my 1 Meter Dish and Stab HH 120 Motor.

Motor Latitude Knocked Out Of Calibration:
Took Pictures next day to survey the damage and first thought that the HH 120 Stab Motor Shaft had been bent, but on closer inspection discovered the Motor Latitude was completely out of kilter - see pics 1 - 3. Undid the Latitude Bolts on the Roof and reset the Motor Latitude back to 49.9 degrees then reset the Dish Elevation using the Sat Receiver and a small TV.

Problems:
The problem I'm having is the Dish is not tracking Sats in the far East or far West anymore. I have no problems from Galaxy 26 - 93.0W up to Galaxy 10 - 123.0W. But cannot pick up 127.0W - or on the East Direction can no longer get 72.0W, and 79.0W, the exception is ONN 74.0W which I can get with only 25% Q. (Before the Storm the Dish and Motor were tracking all Sats from East to West).

Checked the Pole for plumb in 3 directions and added 2 washers to the North / South direction to ensure plumb.

Azimuth Bracket looks NOT completely Level? - See Picture
Went back up and took pictures on Aug 17 since when I look at the Motor the 2 clamps securing the Motor to the pole do Not seem to be completely level. Tightened the Clamp Nuts as tight as I could - see pics 4 and 5. Could this be part of the problem?

After this latest Storm - very scary stuff - I'm also wondering if it could be just a matter of time before the whole Dish and Motor get blown off the Roof, so I'm considering getting a 21 to 24 foot Steel Pole and re mounting everything on a concrete Pad right in the middle of my garden!! Funny thing my much smaller Subscription Bell Express Vu Dish wasn't affected at all by the Storm, but these Big Fortec Dishes, well that seems to be a problem.

Any comments or hints on how to regain back my Far East and Far West Sats, or relocating the Fortec Dish on a pole, would be appreciated.

 

[caddata]

...we were hammered with a massive wind storm...very scary stuff...

Looks like everything worked like it should have. By this I mean the dish twisted at it's adjustment points. Had the elevation and azimuth adjustments not moved you could have damaged your dish or bent the post or worse, stripped out the gears in the motor. The only mistake you made during your tweaking and setup was not marking it after it was optimized. I always mark the adjustments so they can be realigned after a windstorm. And believe me, we have a few windstorms here in Florida. My Fortec has survived two hurricanes and countless thunderstorms with high winds. After the storms, realignment takes about a minute.

I notice several stripped threads on some of your u-bolts. Replace them and realign your dish. Make sure to not over tighten the nuts. Mark it when it's optimized and you'll be back in business.

Good luck on your realignment.

Harold

 

[turbosat]

Also, check top of pole for level, if you didn't. Sometimes it will fool you.

 

[Anole]

optical illusion ?

I noticed in your first picture, and confirmed in the last three, that the bracket holding the motor appears to be warped.
If it is, I think it would cause the problem you described.

To check, the only thing I can think of, is to take a level or angle meter up to the roof and verify the post is plumb (you have).
Then, check to see if the top of the bracket holding the motor to your pole is horizontal.
It appears not to be.

If I'm right, there are two things that come to mind as solutions:
1) replace the bracket holding the motor.
2) measure the sag of the bracket and raise the motor elevation to compensate.

The 2nd idea isn't one I'm comfortable with, but it's free to try.

 

[brotherhood]

sorry to here that bro

 

[jsattv]

Looks like everything worked like it should have. By this I mean the dish twisted at it's adjustment points. Had the elevation and azimuth adjustments not moved you could have damaged your dish or bent the post or worse, stripped out the gears in the motor. The only mistake you made during your tweaking and setup was not marking it after it was optimized. I always mark the adjustments so they can be realigned after a windstorm. And believe me, we have a few windstorms here in Florida. My Fortec has survived two hurricanes and countless thunderstorms with high winds. After the storms, realignment takes about a minute.

I notice several stripped threads on some of your u-bolts. Replace them and realign your dish. Make sure to not over tighten the nuts. Mark it when it's optimized and you'll be back in business.

Good luck on your realignment.

Harold

Thanks Caddata, TurboSat, & Anole for the comments. Re the Motor U Bolts, - they were stripped and re threaded previously. (That's why I've used the anti-seize compound). The Elevation is marked with a felt pen but not the Latitude which can be reset by the degrees location marking (50 degrees for my location), on the side of the Motor. Luckily I have 2 new stainless steel U bolts supplied by Fortec Canada which I can replace the existing ones with. But it's a lot of work taking the Dish and Motor off and on.....

Anole, which Motor U Clamp looks out of line - Top or Bottom? Or Both?

Harold / Caddata, are you saying that this setup likely can support High Winds? I've had to reset the Dish Elevation at least 10 times in the last 3 months!! It sure was a lot of work setting up this Dish for a Roof Mount Setup but if it's survivable maybe I should wait and see.

One other thing is that in winter when its 35 degrees below zero and there is 12 inches of snow on the roof - I won't be able to access the Dish from about Dec to March.
Any comments would be appreciated.

 

[caddata]

....12 inches of snow on the roof....

You're correct, accessability is a prime concern. You may need to get raw satellite news broadcasts after severe weather of other bad event to be informed and it might be hard if you can't get to the dish to realign it.

As far as the mount, it appears to be "beefy" enough. However, a wood dowel in the top of the post would allow tighter clamping without deforming the metal.

Hope you get it going again, soon.

Harold

 

[Anole]

1000 words

Anole, which Motor U Clamp looks out of line - Top or Bottom? Or Both?

Okay, let me draw you a picture!

Based on what I can see . . .

- yellow angle is more than 90 degrees
- green distance at B is longer than green A
- green distance at B2 is longer than green A2
- if the bracket is aimed due south, then move the motor at C, in the direction shown.

 

[jsattv]

Okay, let me draw you a picture!

Based on what I can see . . .

- yellow angle is more than 90 degrees
- green distance at B is longer than green A
- green distance at B2 is longer than green A2
- if the bracket is aimed due south, then move the motor at C, in the direction shown.

Thanks for the wooden dowel suggestion Harold. Yes the Fortec Ground Mount is pretty solid up on the Roof, but recalibrating / realignment will definately not be possible during our winter from Dec to March!! So I'll see how things go if I get this latest problem resolved.

Anole, thanks for the great drawing showing that the Azimuth Bracket is indeed not even on the pole. If I were to do the "C" adjustment, then I guess you are suggesting that I would need to INCREASE my Latitude from 49.9 to say 51 or 52 degrees, - ie start with very slow increments to try and get the angle back to 90 degrees? Not sure if this makes sense, but I did notice that if I loosened the Top U Clamp Nuts a bit, that the far East and West Sats would appear again. (I have already re-leveled the pole to make sure it is plumb).

Or I guess I could take off the Dish and Motor and remount everything with the new U Clamps I just received from Fortec Canada and see if the Motor Bracket fits evenly on the pole again? Have to wonder how that storm could have caused the Azimuth Bracket or U clamps to get warped, since from this top view picture everything seems to look okay. See attached.

 

[Anole]

1000 words wasn't enough?

Maybe I'm seeing it wrong because I don't have a proper picture, but the answer seems quite simple:

Set the nuts on the U-bolts however you want them, and then leave 'em alone for the following steps.
Point to your nearest south satellite and dial it in.
The bracket at the yellow angle in the picture needs to be exactly 90º to the post.
If it's sagging and 93º, then move the motor bolt at red C in the direction of the arrow by the same 3º , to compensate.
You will need to lower the elevation with your custom threaded elevation rod to get back on your bird.

Follow the STAB instructions on page 6 of their manual to realign.

 

[jsattv]

Thanks Anole, my Sat Receiver only has "USALS" so I previously used pages 9 - 10 in the Stab Manual to align the Dish & Motor. But there is really good info on page 6 Diseqc1.2 mode setup, - and 7.5 case 4 in that Grasping the Dish from the Top and Pushing Down on the Dish does result - big time in a Better Picture Quality whether I am on a far East or Far West Satellite. I'll give your advice a try. Thanks.