Finally Got The Beachcraft Flying!!

[Phoxx]

It took a few days to make the missing parts (Top Hinge Plate & Actuator Loop) but thanks to some picture from you guys, I did it. Got it mounted on the pole and had a heck of a time getting the declination right(or close).

As far as I can tell there is no adjustment for declination, somebody tell me if I'm wrong. So I had to make the top hinge plate act as the only macro-adjustor. Drilled a hole 8" back from the top mounting bracket (got the measurement from a picture a friend sent) and mounted in the center of 3 holes on the top of the dish axis. Lot of playing here as the bottom mount of the dish axis also had 3 adjustment holes-- a kind of fly-be-night arrangement, but it worked, at least I've got the center of the arc. I don't know how I'm going to fine adjust the dish. Anyone have a suggestion??

 

[turbosat]

Can you make an elongated slot in the top part, to allow some movement? Like a flat piece of steel with a slot burred out in it so you can adjust that declination in and out. If it ain't there-ya gotta invent the adjustment. Nice looking dish but it sure doesn't have much of a frame to hold the dish-never saw one that the motor just attached right to the dish. I bet it will work fine though.
phoxx>I edited your picture to show what I meant, hope it works out.

 

[waylew]

If the bolts to the dish are long enough you could try some auto body shims.You could use washers but then you'd have to completely remove the bolt.

 

[Anole]

Two things to discuss...

#1. see the picture below. It is from Geo-Orbit site, so go there if you need more info.
It shows how a dish will track with too much or too little declination.
If you can't set the declination properly to start (a matter I'd like to argue over), then at least you can determine if you need to dial in more or less.

#2. studying your pictures and mine, it appears there are several holes to set declination, on each end ofthe elevation bar.
If you use the elevation bar to set your elevation (doh!), then the bolts to hold the dish brackets MUST both be the same distance from the elevation bar as each other.
Moving the bolt at either end, throws off the geometry (tracking) of the dish!
What you may do to adjust declination, is use different holes in the bracket that connects onto the back of the dish.

If this wasn't clear, I can mark up a picture.
I'm fairly certain that absent factory instructions, these comments are critical to setup.

 

[Phoxx]

I think you are right, I did move the bottom bolt to the last hole, and while thaqt helped, according to yhour picture, it provided too little declination, resulting in getting the top of the arc, but not either end. Weather is bad today(storms). will go out and play tomorrow. Your picture is very helpful, thanks. I'll try setting both bolts in the last hole, I have a feeling you are right, that will solve my problem.

I'm afraid. turbosat, to make an elongated slot, if it doesn't hold tight the dish may slip in extreme weather conditions and cause the declination angle to change. However, I really like the idea, and if I can't fix it by swapping holes, then I going to give your idea a try.


Thanks everyone for the help. I'll keep you posted.

 

[mjac]

If the bolts to the dish are long enough you could try some auto body shims.You could use washers but then you'd have to completely remove the bolt.

Ahh, Thanks for the auto body shim tip.
I don't have the same dish as the OP but I do have one that does not allow the end user to adjust declination. Back in the day an installer would order mounting plates sized specific for the job location and bolt them on.
I am moving the dish and will need to change the declination angle a bit. Nothing drastic but not having to pull the bolts completely out will save a bunch of hassle.

 

[turbosat]

phoxx I totally misunderstood your bracketry, I can see now that your dish pivots on that top bolt>so elongating that would be problematic.
Hard to tell from the hardware, exactly how much of it is fabbed. I think that one would have me scratching my head awhile, but I think you understand where the adjustment has to be, for declination.

 

[Larry1]

mounted in the center of 3 holes on the top of the dish axis. Lot of playing here as the bottom mount of the dish axis also had 3 adjustment holes

Can you post a picture of these 3 holes? I would assume that using different combinations of the holes would provide different declination settings.

 

[Phoxx]

I don't really have any pictures of the axis with the 3 hole showing. I did, however, get the dish to track the arc by using the same two hole top and bottom, in this case the center hole. I measure the angle on the axis bar and the front of the dish, added them together at the 91-degree setting, and they equaled 43-degrees. According to the dishpointer web site my declination is 6.5-degrees and elevation is 33-degrees, which equaly 39.5-degrees. Not at all what I'm getting. Maybe I am suffewring under a false premise; The axis angle + the dish face angle = total elevation, when measuring at your southern most sat(91-degrees Galaxy-17, almost dead south to me.) Something isn't right, but I'm tracking good so far. I have set up sats between 87-degrees and 118-degrees. So, now I have another problem; reached the west end stop. Tomorrow I'm going to have to slide the actuator down the tube to get the west end stop to be around 135-degrees, without killing the east end of travel.

Here are some pictures to show the holes as best I can, you will have to use your imagination.

 

[rv1pop]

OK, I finally have to respond to the title.... My first thought was,"Well Jimmy Beach would have been so happy to hear that." He evidently died at the controls of his, years ago, but turned it into the mountains so not to injure anyone on the ground. We think of him often.