Down With The 3ABN Dish, Back To Fortec Star 80CM!

[Larry1]

Don't forget to get some anti-sieze compound for the bolts. Tightening and loosening the bolts repetively causes them to heatup and weld themselves together. The compound lubricates the bolts and cuts down the heat. Have you noticed that when you have been loosening and tightening the bolts that they were hot? Once heated up the strength of the bolt changes. Be carefull though, you only need a very small amount and if you get it on your finger, it will endup everywhere. Wondefull stuff.
Sorry about your dish, hopefully Sadoun will have a dish for you at his sale.

 

[FTABman0]

Great Tip!!

Don't forget to get some anti-sieze compound for the bolts. Tightening and loosening the bolts repetively causes them to heatup and weld themselves together. The compound lubricates the bolts and cuts down the heat. Have you noticed that when you have been loosening and tightening the bolts that they were hot? Once heated up the strength of the bolt changes. Be carefull though, you only need a very small amount and if you get it on your finger, it will endup everywhere. Wondefull stuff.

Great Suggestion Larry!
Great Idea!!
Does not help me now though but somone else!!

I noticed now that my motor, if pushed up the shaft and dish moves about an inch or two! I never noticed any movement before! I hope the motor was un-touched damage wise after yesterdays Fiasco! It's been raining all day to reset and fine tune the 80 CM dish anyway. I got it parked on G 10R K for tonight!

Sadoun is getting my money next! Going 100 CM Fortec Star and a brand new Sadoun PowerTech DG380! Anyone have a Fortec 100 CM? Looking on the forums after this post for maybe a review. Curious on the performance of one! That is about as big as I want to go.

I am thinking that the Moteck Digipower SG2100 is not supposed to have any slack in the dish mount arm! For those asking, it does it at every point East to West on the arc. I do not see it dropping down farthest east at 30.0 W or farthest west though for the weight holds it down and no, there is no slack in it left or right. It only moves when you push up the dish. I am thinking it is not normal! The motor has been great though. I have had it up for three years with no problem! I have put it through its paces back and forth on the blind scanning! If the wind damaged it or someone tells me they have one and it don’t move up with the dish it gets replaced! Might just go ahead and replace it anyway, the Sadoun DG380 specs are great!

I know I should have bought from a sponsor anyway! Need not hear that. God struck me down yesterday for betrayal!

Having a Religious brand dish never done me any good! If was going to use it for Christian TV reception purposes maybe!

My wicked intended use for this dish for the secular channels brought Gods Wrath!

Sorry Sadoun, lesson learned!

BUY FROM SPONCERS!

Going to church on Sunday!

New luck on the horizon cometh SOON for the B-Man Hopefully!!

 

[Anole]

re: motor -
I cannot picture the slop you are describing with the motor.
Sounds like you broke the bolt that connects the dish mount to the motor shaft, but you can do an autopsy and see if it's something simple like that.

If you should determine there is an actual fault with the motor only, then read this Backlash Adjustment PDF and see if it describes your problem.
If not , then I'm at a loss.
At least you got three good years of service.


re: 100 cm Fortec dish -
Had a multi-thread discussion with JsatTV last year about his 100cm Fortec.
This mount situation applies to the 120cm dish, too.
See if you think it is of concern to you. Lots of folks get along fine with 'em.

JsatTV and his trouble with elevation adjustment on Fortec dish:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...-fortec-star-dish-elevation-2.html#post889050
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...-re-fine-tuning-1-meter-fortec-star-dish.html
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...h-stab-hh-120-motor-tips-lessons-learned.html

 

[FTABman0]

Moteck SG2100 Slop

re: motor -
I cannot picture the slop you are describing with the motor.
Sounds like you broke the bolt that connects the dish mount to the motor shaft, but you can do an autopsy and see if it's something simple like that.

Anole,

Here is a short movie clip of what its doing.
I will try today to re-post the movie!
For some reason it does not want to open.

 

[Peter Iowa]

Just want to say my 3abn dish is different and it's over 4 years old - and didn't
have the problems you did - mainly "Peter" problems with sore back, moving it many
times, and being lazy with regards to solid pole mounts not cemented down...

 

[FTABman0]

Just want to say my 3abn dish is different and it's over 4 years old - and didn't
have the problems you did - mainly "Peter" problems with sore back, moving it many
times, and being lazy with regards to solid pole mounts not cemented down...

Hi Peter,
I would not have the problems that I did if I would have checked the arms right out of the box! I guess since it is brand new a figured that everything is straight and the way it should be but the thing is we don't get to see these in transit! You know they are treated rough on the trucks since the box is a bit heavy.

My mount pole is 100% plum and right on the level with 2 main support brackets (one on the pole itself and one on the roof) bolted down and in my building with heavy grade lag bolts! The pole would support a VW! Well, you get the picture!

My box that it came in was tore up a bit and some packing was damaged inside the box upon getting it out. I should have seen that right off those things could have been bent.

Your 3ABN is the older type that did not have the 2 brace arms. You can see if you stuck 2 arms on your LNB arm and one is the wrong size or bent how it could throw the focus off one of these new ones. I think the focus on one of these is pretty tight to begin with. From what I have gathered and read here on the forums these new 3ABNS have a tight focus point and an inch off would affect the satellite signal. It did, but found it out too late before the wind got her 3 days ago. I had the problem corrected before the storm took her out.


I should have known that for the fact on the DBS birds were no problem (Stronger TX TP Power) but the KU birds were weak or not there at all. I am not too new to this KU hobby and never had any problems setting the thing up when I got my first FTA system 3 years ago. I used to install DirecTV systems here locally and know a thing or two about how to set them up.

Bottom line, if you get one of these dishes (90 CM or bigger) is take time to inspect all hardware and make sure that things are not bent during shipment this goes big time to a possible warped reflector. Makes sense that the bigger the dish would be affected by warpage during shipping because of its size. The carriers that bring them to you manhandle the boxes also. I have learned valuable information the last couple weeks and that is priceless! It will save you time and headaches and backaches to check for damaged or bent parts! Not to say less time up and down ladders! :up

Have a good one!

 

[FTABman0]

Slack in my Moteck SG2100 Satellite Dish Motor.

re: motor -
I noticed now that my motor, if pushed up the shaft and dish moves about an inch or two! I never noticed any movement before! I hope the motor was un-touched damage wise after yesterdays Fiasco! It's been raining all day to reset and fine tune the 80 CM dish anyway. I got it parked on G 10R K for tonight!

re: motor -
I cannot picture the slop you are describing with the motor.
Sounds like you broke the bolt that connects the dish mount to the motor shaft, but you can do an autopsy and see if it's something simple like that.

Anole,
HERE is a link to the motor problem I was talking about. Sorry I was late posting this but I had trouble uploading the MOV file to the site.

I just went and made a YouTube account today just for future videos if I have more to show later.

Now since my 3ABN rip down I have problems getting any bird past 89.0 West now! Nimiq 2 is my true south but it is gone! From 89.0 West, that bird, Galaxy 28 is fine with high Q and going from there west I have every bird in the arc there is to pick up. Past the G 28 bird back east the signals are just not there.

I suspect that this slop in the motor is the problem! Maybe now after you see the video you see what I was talking about in my post about the motor.

Kevin

 

[jayelem]

I suspect that this slop in the motor is the problem! Maybe now after you see the video you see what I was talking about in my post about the motor.

Just watched your video ............ saw the slop you're talking about , I'm dealing with a similar problem with my STAB HH100 ever since we got Supersized wind gusts in January.

BTW in your You Tube Video where did you get the background music from , sounded like the music used in movies from the adult entertainment industry ...... LOL

 

[FTABman0]

Slack in my Moteck SG2100 Satellite Dish Motor.

Just watched your video ............ saw the slop you're talking about , I'm dealing with a similar problem with my STAB HH100 ever since we got Supersized wind gusts in January.

jayelem,
Mine had the extra weight too when the wind took the 3ABN dish. Tonight I found that the bolt that went through the motor to the mount arm for the dish was loose! I had given it a big tighten and it is very snug now.

It doesn’t move now. I am going to get a new motor soon anyway. I have not had the time to fine tune since that discovery was at 11 PM. I will hope for no rain today and get it back to where I started before the 3ABN came.

I am going to get the problems ironed out today and just stay with the 80 CM for now.

I did notice also that my pole got smashed in a bit from over-tightness of the motor to the pole. I know that is a bit of my problems now also. Something I never saw on a 6 foot ladder before actually going on the roof with an extension ladder looking down at the motor and mount.

From the ground you can't see it so it looks ok! Plum pole and straight & level! The unseen problem is that the motor is not level to the pole for the top is slightly further inside than the bottom about I would say a degree or two due to the pole being smashed a bit!

And you know a couple degrees in this hobby will make or break ya!


Another lesson learned there too. Unseen problems like that can mess things up.
I am going to run a smaller thicker pipe in through the mast for re-enforcement today to fix that problem.

FOR YOU NEW GUYS----> Just don't tighten the motor mount too tight on factory mount poles, they WILL bend for they are not that strong.

I got that now the long hard way! I see now with the problems with bent parts on the 3ABN and the motor mount the way it was I was just shooting myself in the foot. Between those two easy to fix problems there was a solution, but overlooking all possibilities and the obvious first will save you a lot of time and aggravation in the long run!

BTW in your You Tube Video where did you get the background music from , sounded like the music used in movies from the adult entertainment industry ...... LOL

The music on the You Tube Clip is a looped sample of Don Felder’s - All of You from the Heavy Metal Motion Picture Soundtrack.

on that one! Would be great for that now that you think of it!

I needed that after the week I have had!

 

[Anole]

heavy-handed

Congrats on finding the cure to your wiggly motor shaft. -

Now if you ham-fisted guys just wouldn't torque the hell outta things, maybe they'd survive better. -


I say this not for you but for others who may eventually read this thread:

do not use any wrench to tighten the coax to the motor!

you can rip the connectors off the internal PC board!

 

[ng54]

I have had problems over tightening also, galvanized and painted pipe. Recently went
to the metal shop and bought some 2" schedule 40 pipe. Made a huge difference in the ease of the horizontal adjustment step.

 

[iafirebuff]

"do not use any wrench to tighten the coax to the motor!

you can rip the connectors off the internal PC board!"

That is very IMPORTANT! I learned the hard way!