8.5’ Spun Aluminum Buttonhook Dish

[mr_rye89]

Grabbed this dish on Tuesday, for free! The dish itself measures like its not warped, the actuator and reed switch seem to work. Dunno about the Chaparral feedhorn/lnb/motor. Really heavy duty mount and goes on a 3” mast. Oh and I dismantled it by myself. Assembly won’t happen right away due to wind

 

[Magic Static]

An oldie but a goodie Looks like an old LNA setup. You will need to upgrade that.

 

[primestar31]

That's a flop-over type polar mount. Try to find an off-set model to transplant onto it.

 

[mr_rye89]

put it in this weekend, was waiting for the new ball joint and Titanium LNBF to get here. So far I can get 107 (seems to be my zenith bird) 111, and 113. Nothing east or west of that.....

declination isn’t really adjustable but it seems right for my latitude, and yes the actuator is on the wrong side.......

 

[mr_rye89]

I got 127 but had to tweak the elevation, may need to slew back to see if I still hit the other birds. NASA TV booming in

 

[primestar31]

put it in this weekend, was waiting for the new ball joint and Titanium LNBF to get here. So far I can get 107 (seems to be my zenith bird) 111, and 113. Nothing east or west of that.....

declination isn’t really adjustable but it seems right for my latitude, and yes the actuator is on the wrong side.......

Photo #2, on the polar mount bottom swivel point, remove the bolt on the two flat pieces of metal. Cut the metal pieces back, or find a way to bend them into a right angle. Or replace that on both sides with a piece of right angle angle-iron facing each other and weld them on, one on each side. Have holes drilled in them, and place at least a 1/2 inch 6" long bolt or all-thread with the head welded to the new angle iron piece on the side facing the dish. The threaded end will be double-nutted to the new angle iron piece on the bottom part on the pole side.

The double-nut comes in play where each nut is on a different side of the new piece of angle iron. You adjust the length to ADD or SUBTRACT needed declination. So in effect, the dish face would tilt IN more at the bottom, or maybe even OUT more, depending on where you live.

This is NOT the same as just adjusting the elevation rod!

Does this make sense?

Here's a photo I borrowed from another post here, credit for the photo goes to the original poster. This is from a SAMI dish, like the one I have.

 

[mr_rye89]

I think so. That's a pretty clever way to get declination on this mount. I may try to sketch my inerpretation of what you said and post it later. Thanks for the tip

I'm guessing the mount was locally built (by rednecks!). On the elevation adjuster, the threaded ends were partially cut, heated and bent around where they attach to the mast/polar swivel. I broke one this weekend and had to weld it back.

 

[mr_rye89]

Here’s my goofy sketch, yours looks like it only adjusts on the bottom.......

 

[primestar31]

Here’s my goofy sketch, yours looks like it only adjusts on the bottom.......

Nice, however, you ONLY need it on either the TOP or the BOTTOM, not both for Declination adjustment. Whichever works best for you. Once you find the proper adjustment length and "tilt" you never have to change it again.

 

[mr_rye89]

I know my declination might be off, but I can’t get anything east of 107 (which is 1 degree from true south in my location) no matter how I adjust it. I’m going to be Double checking the buttonhook tonight as I may dismantle the dish and fabricate a declination adjustment on the mount this weekend. I calculated the focal distance and have the LNBF there but the scalar isn’t quite in the right spot.

 

[a33]

BTW. Did you already measure the present, built-in declination offset angle of the mount?

For CNM, Lat=34.6N, (modified) declination offset angle should be about 5.0 degrees.
When the present built-in angle is very near, some spacers between mount and dish (on top, or on bottom) might also help to fix the difference?
But I have no experience with buds, myself.

Greetz,
A33

 

[mr_rye89]

As of last week I have declination adjustment. I’ve been able to hit 87, 91, 99, 103,107,113, 125, 127...... I think 97 is blocked by a tree, and I don’t get some of the transponders I should be getting. I’m looking at getting a digital angle gauge......

What’s a good way to find true south? I’m inept with a compass, my hiking GPS doesn’t seem to know where it is, and I’m not sure about the one on my IPhone.....

 

[primestar31]

What’s a good way to find true south? I’m inept with a compass, my hiking GPS doesn’t see. Im to know where it is, and I’m not sure about the one on my IPhone.....

DishPointer - Align your satellite dish Enter your dishes site coordinates at the pole base (get from Google Maps) on here, and scroll about 2/3rds down the list on the side for "True South / True North". A overlay map of YOUR property will appear, and you can line it up with local landmarks.

 

[Captain Midnight]

DishPointer - Align your satellite dish Enter your dishes site coordinates at the pole base (get from Google Maps) on here, and scroll about 2/3rds down the list on the side for "True South / True North". A overlay map of YOUR property will appear, and you can line it up with local landmarks.

THIS. True South adjustment of the mount on the pole for me is very much overlooked by many installers. You can get the angles from calculators but the south adjustment is something you have to find yourself.

 

[mr_rye89]

Update: I think it's at true south, I also got a digital angle gauge and really dialed everything in. I am getting most every transponder I punch in. Dishpointer worked really well, thanks for the advice.

I think I might be geting a Vbox soon, we'll see if it works with my (crude) actuator.

 

[mr_rye89]

Necro thread alert! I have been enjoying this dish for over 2 years, I did get a vbox to move it but my actuator is crude with its 3 magnets on the main wheel, reed switch, and NO limit switches. Let’s just say it loses counts. Anyways a few weeks ago I decided to move it to the east to make more room for my solar panel farm and to see if I could get 58w. Success! I can now see 55.5w thru 135w. Pic is of dish at 58w