Galaxy 25 kaput?

[DavidBodner]

Has Galaxy 25 at 97W had a problem? It seems that there are none of my signals coming from that satellite.

At first I thought it was my equipment. But after doing electrical checks, and then reaiming the dish at the satellite at 101W and getting channels, I'm pretty sure it's the bird itself that has a problem.

I know it's useful life is near the end and that it's due for replacement late this year with a more powerful satellite.

So, what's the scoop?

Dave

 

[updatelee]

Im watching Al jazeera right now as I type this...

 

[bidaw]

Good signal here!

 

[Wescopc]

Works fine here in Oregon.
Bob

 

[voomvoom]

Got here in the middle of Georgia........

Al

 

[grusome]

Might sound like a conspiracy going on, but, it's working for me too.
Sounds like a hardware problem at your end.
grusome

 

[DavidBodner]

Thanks, everybody. Yes, it does sound like a hardware problem. But I just checked about ten minutes ago, and even the high powered scrambled stuff is gone??

The thing that confuses me is that when I do a fast re-aim at 101W ("fixed" dish) I get everything great. Without even readjusting the elevation.

Hmm!

I will keep you up to date on this mini-mystery.

I miss my daily fix of Russia Today and Al jazeera! And that weird guy in his apartment in London with the bank account info down the bottom. Wish I understood Farsi!

Dave

 

[DavidBodner]

An update.

There were two possibilities that were obvious after you told me that G25 was ok, but also it's now dark out - so I have to wait till tomorrow to complete the warm trail to solve the mystery

There is an enornmous oak tree that could have grown? into the path, but I thought I had 6 degrees vertical clearance. I checked it about an hour ago: the tree is still! at 30 degrees and Galaxy 25 is at 36+ degrees. It's a good thing it's not the tree, because I have no other view of G25, and it's my favorite bird.

My mount is a homemade ground mount and it's massive - at about 300 pounds. I thought the elevation part of the mount was very stable - but it may have slipped a couple degrees. And that would account for why 101W adjusts so well just by altering azimuth (because 101W IS a little lower elevation) .

The irony is that I was within about two weeks of installing highly stable and sensitive homemade vernier adjustments on both the azimuth and the elevation adjustments (turnbuckles on threaded rod). I have one already on the azimuth but it's not quite stiff enough (3/16 rod) and it's being made stiffer (3/8 rod). The existing 3/16 rod (& turnbuckle) will be put on the elevation (where stiffness is not a concern; stress only in upwards adjustment, downwards it's all gravity).

In the meantime tomorrow I will do a rough temporary realignment of elevation with the azimuth pegged. I suspect I will see at least the strong scrambled stuff.

Thanks for the "heads up" on this, my favorite, satellite.

More tomorrow,

Dave

 

[Anole]

We've had a few turnbuckle and threaded rod stories on the forum of late.
So, you'd better come through with pictures.!

Give a few measurements, and maybe we can even calculate your turns per degree.

 

[Mr Tony]

it does sound like the elevation might be off. If you're on the east coast the levation would be different for both. Here in the midwest (MN) the elevation is almost the same (like a .1 degree difference) so it does sound like that

I know its working and signal still strong

 

[DavidBodner]

Hi Anole and Others;

This wasn't a problem in the turnbuckle system. The underlying wooden structure (basically treated 4x4s) had progressively settled/twisted ever so slightly out of shape.

I was just out there this morning getting everything approximately plumb and reinforcing my fastening system with heaver weight bolts. I designed my system to rest approximately plumb on any uneven ground surface, and I moved it several times last year. Since it's a fixed dish arrangement it doesn't need accurate plumbness like a positioner setup. I can adjust problems out with the turnbuckles - assuming my basic structure doesn't deform! That has now been corrected.

I am now getting a few assorted odd channels (including the royalist Iranian guy in his London apartment!) at low signal strength, but not my favorite channels. This is just by adjusting by watching that cheapo little meter at the dish whilst adjusting. I don't expect any better with that thing. Now, later over the weekend, I'll take a small tv out to the dish, back feed video from the tv, and adjust on one of my favorite channels using the on-screen level meter.

Later this year or next I'm going from a 80 cm dish to a full 1 m. And it sounds like the new bird will have higher power! Of course the newer (larger) dish may even be a little more delicate to aim - but I think my upgraded turnbuckles (which I have partially complete) that will be installed in a couple weeks should settle that.

I will keep you posted, and I will eventually get a picture of my dish/mount on here,

Dave

 

[DavidBodner]

Yes, Iceberg, the elevation effectively had sagged about 2 degrees because I didn't have heavy enough bolts in one part of the structure.

I just corrected that, as noted above,

Dave

 

[DavidBodner]

Hi All -

I have the extra supports done to hold my elevation steady, and I am now able to easily "turnbuckle" from 97W to 95W on azimuth and back again. All channels on 97W working fine now, and also have been checking out CCTV9 (China, English language) on 95W.

The following link describes a dish arrangement to look at 2 satellites without moving the dish:

http://satelliteav.com/shop/item/DEA1

I am thinking of ordering this package later this summer so that I can have both 97W and 95W available through the satellite receiver.

Is this kind of arrangement, to double aim at two satellites, like in this link, something that is recommended?

And is the one shown the best package, or are there others that are better out there - maybe with a 1 meter dish??

Thanks for all your help,

Dave

 

[Anole]

...alternately...

edit: . . . . . . . (comment removed) . . . . . . . . .

It's a dish, bracket, and LNB assembly designed to solve that one problem.
For a more general solution, you might focus on this interesting thread.
Almost the exact question is asked ... and answered.


Of course, hanging around here...
... someone may sketch you up a drawing of how to put motors on those turnbuckles ....
.

 

[Wescopc]

The following link describes a dish arrangement to look at 2 satellites without moving the dish:

http://satelliteav.com/shop/item/DEA1

I am thinking of ordering this package later this summer so that I can have both 97W and 95W available through the satellite receiver.Dave

That SatelliteAV setup is for 4° - 95-97 Sats are 2° apart, don't think this setup it will work for you.
Bob

 

[DavidBodner]

Thanks -

I will check out that link for a generalized solution.

And I hadn't considered that 4 degrees was a specific amount - I naively assumed that it was a maximum that was stated and that I'd be fine at 2 degrees. So much for assuming!!

Get back to you all in a couple days after I digest this.

Just got done taking the (greased!) 3/16 rod/turnbuckle off and replacing it with the 3/8 replacement. Already I can feel and see the improvement in being able to adjust with far less "backlash" (bow in the 3/16). But what a mess dealing with that black lithium grease - ugh! - time for a bath!

I thought of servos for the new turnbuckle - if someone's got a diagram I'd love to see it.

This is a great way to learn. 50 years doing tv antennas didn't even come close to preparing me to deal with this level of aiming accuracy/precision.

Dave

 

[Anole]

bird spacing and LNB spacing

One thing that's not been clearly pointed out, is that if the two birds you want are right near your longitude, they appear farther apart in the sky.
If both birds are down on your horizon (across the country), then for the same orbital spacing , those two birds appear closer together to you.

And of course, if the birds appear closer together, then the LNBs need to be closer together, all things being equal.
I didn't realize you were going for 2º spacing.

Looking at the math, a longer focal length dish will help.
And, so will those small diameter LNBs (available in universal, too).

I think you've just discovered why motorized dishes are so popular.

 

[DavidBodner]

Hi Anole -

I'd love to put in a nice plumb pole and add the positioner, but we probably are moving in a year or so. Maybe after we move to a more permanent location I will do that.

The reason I have such a jury-rigged Fred Flinstone mount here is that I needed to move it around to several locations on my property and I also needed it to be rugged - since we sometimes have vicious winds coming up out of the gorge we live next to. The need to move it was because I have little view of the Clarke Belt and each site provided less than a third each of the whole belt. Now that I've found the only spot I like I could put a pole in concrete, but if we're moving in a year or so... well, why bother.

At the moment I basking in the fact that my 3/8" rod and turnbuckle works great - no bow on compression, and no resulting backlash.

I will keep you posted,

Dave