Birdview Project Question

[Lone Cloud]

My 9 foot Birdview project moves ahead! As stated in my other thread "Birdview Project w Photos", The mast modification came next and was done.

I drilled six holes through the Biordview mast, Then drilled and tapped into my existing 3 1/2 inch mast, put 3/8 " bolts through and tightened and loosened until the outer mast was plumb. I initially wanted to cut the top off the Birdview mast, fill it with concrete and then reattach it, but opted instead for cutting a 3 inch by 2 1/2 inch port near the top and dropping the concrete through there.

I got the motor unit up and in place all by myself with the help of a little block and tackle rig I have. Now the question.

How does a person know when the motor and dish are in the exact due south position? Is there a way to tell, or is it a 'best guess' type of thing?

As soon as I get my scalar ring honed out a bit more and get the dish painted, it's going up, so I'll soon be at the point where I need to know exactly where due south is - meaning the highest point of the dish.

I am within about a week and a half of actually getting stations, then I have to find a home for my spare big dish I just took down

 

[linuxman]

How does a person know when the motor and dish are in the exact due south position? Is there a way to tell, or is it a 'best guess' type of thing?

Use an ordinary compass far enough away that the needle won't be moved by any steel, and line up the elevation tube/beam so that it points to due South.

That's how I have always done it.

 

[Lone Cloud]

Perhaps I misstated my question. I know the compass method. In fact I have a piece of plywood with the polar offset angle for my location drawn on it, as well as the true south angle.

I get the dish to its high position, put some little c-clamps level on each side of the dish, then rest the plywood jig on there. Then I line up the compass needle with the polar offset angle.

The problem is, I don't know how to get the Birdview to the exact highest position, so that turning it around the mast will get it exactly to the due south position. If it's off a couple of degrees it will basically miss the Clarke belt except near the due south satellites.

For example, with my HH motors on my Ku dishes, I click on "Go to Reference" and they line up at the highest dish position. I hook up my jig, rotate it, motor and all, around the Ku mast, and after that it's fine tuning only.
I don't think there is a "Go to Reference" for the Birdview, If there was something built in to the Birdiew receiver and potentiometer, I now don't have either the receiver or potentiometer.

Are there maybe a couple of marks somewhere that line up?

 

[Anole]

I thought you just motored over to an adjacent bird, then turned the entire dish & mount on the pole to peak it.
Just don't go more than a couple of satellites away from your true south for the first try.
Once that's good, you could work your way east & west across the belt, going further out each time.

Is there a better way?

The Geo-Orbit site is a wealth of BUD tuning info, but their idea on this page may not work on a Birdview.
I was discussing the trick of leaning on the dish with Linuxman a while back, and he said the mount and dish were too stiff.
See the alignment drawings at the bottom of that page for the rules.

 

[Lone Cloud]

Thanks, but the only way that jumps out at me is lining up the bracket with due south.

This would mean basically lifting the dish to point straight up and locking it temporarily in position. Then, hoping the Birdview people welded the two "u" shaped tongues up with precision, make the tongues exactly due south and tighten. Then drop the dish back down to the correct tilt angle.

 

[linuxman]

This would mean basically lifting the dish to point straight up and locking it temporarily in position. Then, hoping the Birdview people welded the two "u" shaped tongues up with precision, make the tongues exactly due south and tighten. Then drop the dish back down to the correct tilt angle.

You could work from behind the dish where everything is exposed for lining up on south.

To get the dish on the True South Satellite requires the motor. The True South Satellite (TSS) is the satellite that is closest to your South.

Find the satellite that is closest to your Longitude and that is your TSS. Once you have signal on that satellite, you have to motor to farthest West and Farthest East satellites to make the final whole assembly swing to get the entire Clarke Belt.

 

[Lone Cloud]

Yes, either way, front or back, but I still have to count on the steel bracket "tongues" being welded on precisely. Of course I can then go as far east and west as I can go and then tilt a bit forward and back to see how the birds there line up.

I've had luck with my plywood jig. I used it to aim the 8 foot BUD I just took down. Getting it close to begin with cuts down a lot on climbing ladders and tweaking this way or that.