2nd motorized setup, different LOS

[vfrjim]

I wanted to add a 2nd motorized dish to my little dish farm but the problem is usually that from my location, most HH motors cannot go from 12.5w to 148w but limit to around 135w. So, I was wondering if you could set up a motor so that you could go from maybe 72w to 148w? USALS? Disecq 1.2?

Any ideas of how to set this up?

I have a Stab 100 and a Winegard 1m hanging around to do this. Ideas?

I am at 41.7N 71.5W

 

[turbosat]

Couldn't you do that with the diseqc switch? Just tell your receiver that certain sats are on Port 1, and others are on Port 2, for ex.? The receiver should pass the motor control signals thru the switch, but I do not know for certain as I don't use that kind of motor on my system.

 

[Mr Tony]

from 135-148 on KU the only thing is 148W

And in RI the elevation for 148 is less than 2 degrees (1.3 from Providence) so I don't think that was possible

 

[vfrjim]

from 135-148 on KU the only thing is 148W

And in RI the elevation for 148 is less than 2 degrees (1.3 from Providence) so I don't think that was possible

I really think that I have clear LOS of 148w (I will verify it this week with a stationary dish) since my neighbors cut down all the trees to the west of me.


But IF I do get it with my stationary dish, is it possible to ADJUST the range of a HH motor to track the arc over there?

 

[Mr Tony]

you would need pretty much a clear LOS as far as you can see to get a 2 degree setting

I think the range on most motors is 60-70 degreees so it may not be possible

 

[vfrjim]

So, there is no way to install the motor NOT due south to trick the motor in thinking that 148w is in range in that it tracks the arc but only to a certain point East?

Maybe in the settings, telling USALS that you are at a different location?

 

[Mr Tony]

nope. It has to do with the elevation of the dish. The reason we use the true south satellite is that is the highest satellite in the sky at a location

No way to trick USALS...only option honestly is a 2nd dish. I use to have a dish at 30W because my motor couldn't get all that way east

 

[jayelem]

you would need pretty much a clear LOS as far as you can see to get a 2 degree setting

I think the range on most motors is 60-70 degreees so it may not be possible

Sadoun's H to H motor DG280 supposedly has 80 degrees of movement , I don't know if this is right out of the box or if an adjustment has to be made.

Likvid said the DG280 made under another label is very good , I'd certainly like to hear a review if anyone here has tried this motor out.

 

[vfrjim]

I heard from Sadoun that the DG380 will be coming out later this month, hopefully it will and I can try that since a Winegard 1m dish is VERY heavy. More then happy to review it for Sadoun.

 

[starman345]

I tried a Stab HH100 with my Winegard 1M, it wouldn't lift the dish off the horizon without my helping hand, even when it did move the dish between the birds at the top of the arc it moved very slowly. It was the only Stab I've owned and I may have got a bad one but I keep reading similar reports elsewhere so I think my experience may be typical.

 

[vfrjim]

Today, I walked around my neighborhood with a 18" dish and my Satlook meter (thankfully most of my neighbors work during the day) and found 148 degrees west. At least I know what the signal looks like when I Hit it (if I hit it) from my yard. It is a crapshoot at best.... Unless I get a telescoping mast, but who knows... Boy 1.4 degrees is not much.

 

[Larry1]

Do not forget that 1 degree of motor turn DOES NOT EQUAL one degree of the satellite spacing. To go from 72w to 148w (148-72=76) does not equal the motor turning 76 degrees. The amount the motor turns is dependant on your location. Here is the calculator to see how far the motor has to turn. (from your true south or zero degree position)
MOTORIZE YOUR WORLD = = PRODUCTS = =

From the goto calculator, to go to 148, your dish needs to turn 82.4deg. For a motor that requires 82.4x2=164.8deg of movement. Now, if there were some way to open up the motor and place the zero point at one end of the movement, you would still need 82.4deg of movement. Now on my motor, when it gets further away from the zero point, it has a harder and harder time to move the dish. I think that even if you could move the zero point on the motor to one of the ends, the motor would be unable to turn the dish far enough due to the stresses on the motor. (but I could be wrong)

 

[vfrjim]

the 1.4 degrees that I was referring to was the elevation, it really does not give much room for clearing trees...

 

[Tron]

You found a satellite at 1.4 degrees elevation? Must not have been any grass around for miles

 

[vfrjim]

You found a satellite at 1.4 degrees elevation? Must not have been any grass around for miles

Your right, especially when I was standing on the ground

I was on the peak of a hill that has an elevation of 279' above sea level and drops to 144' above sea level in less then 100'. There is nothing above 279' for about 3 miles.

 

[Anole]

how badly do ya want it ?

Today, I walked around my neighborhood with a 18" dish and my Satlook meter ... and found 148 degrees west.

That must've been a sight! -
The good news is, DBS circular is easy to hand-hold, they have a lot of power, and the circular bird is amazingly easy to find compared to linear.
So, even that far away, 18" was all it took, once you had Line Of Sight.

from 135-148 on KU the only thing is 148W

Well, hills and heights notwithstanding, what was the point of motorizing the western arc ?
Are there more Ku birds over there you wanted?
If so, wouldn't you need 30 to 36" ?
How 'bout a fixed dish for 148ºW?
There , you could get away with 18".

But, if there's still some reason I've missed, it might be possible to motor down to 2º above the horizon.
Just not with the typical H-H motors.
If you're really serious, have you considered a polar mount and jack?
I would think you could tweak the geometry of one to handle your needs.
But if worse came to worse, a fixed 148º could still be used in conjunction with a motor for other western birds.

 

[vfrjim]

Well, I have two dishes that I wanted to use. A 1m Winegard and a Geosatpro 90cm and I was thinking of motoring one side of the arc with one (I can hit AB1 with it) and the other side with the other dish. But, after finding out how far down that I need to clear, I think that a 18" fixed dish on 148w will be the only viable option, especially if I have to raise it high up on my garage (the wind will play havoc with it that far up, especially a 1m Winegard and will have to guy wire it) So, it looks like this thread is not of any use to anyone anymore since I will resort to a fixed dish. But one thing does come up here is that 148w can be hit on the East coast as long as you are shooting down a mountain

 

[Tron]

And I told my friend in Brooklyn that he couldn't get 148w... But, in his case, he can't. He's on the eastern side of Manhattan, and I think Manhattan is too tall and will get in his way

Now, if he could rent an office on the west side of the Empire State Building......

 

[Anole]

Considering how good vfrJim* did on his hand-held 18", I'd go signal-sniffin'.
There's nuttin' like the smell of rare DX, early in the morning.
You might just find a slot between buildings, or discover the signal is reflected or refracted.
Nothing ventured . . . -

*So... is that: Visual Flight Rules?

 

[vfrjim]

*So... is that: Visual Flight Rules?

No, it originates from my passion in Motorcycles, my favorite was the VFR750.

I am in the process of borrowing a Portable Tripod mount to "find" the signal in my yard, hopefully I will not need 30' of pipe to get it