I would like to have some suggestions and/or advice on how to keep my 90cm Fortec dish from quivering in the wind. It is currently mounted on top of a tripod on the apex line of my roof. There had been some 20 mph (32 kph) winds blowing the last couple of days - making the reception of several satellites unwatchable. I'm using a 1 1/4" EMT conduit as the mast in the tripod and I tightened down the motor-mast bracket the other day which increased the quality of my southern satellite (Echostar 9) from 47 to 60%. I've been fortunate to get by on watching KCBU (AMG - Price, Utah) as it's one of a few stations which doesn't drop out in the wind compared to all of the other local TV stations on G10R/18. Interestingly enough, the channels on AMC 2/4 do not drop out while all of the channels on G19 drop out. How can I get the motorized dish assembly to not quiver during a light to moderate breeze? Would mounting the motorized 90cm dish on a cement filled pole solve this problem?
having reception problems
- Thread starter spacebug42
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Most likely it would solve the problem. If you have good view of the southern sky I would def put it on a pole in the ground. Easier to work on, of course. Now, if you have to have it on the roof, to see over trees or obstructions, you should be able to brace it so it stands firmly. Check our sponsors out , top of page here, some of them sell various mounts, I'm sure there's more than one that will fit your needs. But for me, they'll be on the ground so I can get to 'em!
I'm using 2" EMT conduit, ground mounted in concrete and filled with concrete on my 90cm dish, with good results. My larger dish, a 1.2m is mounted on a 2" rigid conduit pole filled with concrete. Also good results.
I suspect that your tripod and pole combo simply have too much flex to solve your problem. Mount a pole in the ground , if LOS issues allow, and you'll solve your problem.
I suspect that your tripod and pole combo simply have too much flex to solve your problem. Mount a pole in the ground , if LOS issues allow, and you'll solve your problem.
will try installing the pole
I just had a crazy thought in my mind which I'm going to check on right now. I know I got my 90cm dish aligned on the azimuth, motor elevation and dish elevation, but I was thinking - what if it might be at the point where the dish is attached to the motor shaft? Perhaps it might not be tight enough and it's also possible that the dish may be off just a skelter. There's only one way to find out - haul the receiverand the HD PC monitor up on the roof to check the alignment. This will have to do until I can make time to put in the pole. For tomorrow or Saturday, I will find a spot in my backyard where I will have good LOS and put in the pole and concrete. This of course will pre-clude installing an underground conduit to route the cables between the house and the pole for the dish.
I just had a crazy thought in my mind which I'm going to check on right now. I know I got my 90cm dish aligned on the azimuth, motor elevation and dish elevation, but I was thinking - what if it might be at the point where the dish is attached to the motor shaft? Perhaps it might not be tight enough and it's also possible that the dish may be off just a skelter. There's only one way to find out - haul the receiverand the HD PC monitor up on the roof to check the alignment. This will have to do until I can make time to put in the pole. For tomorrow or Saturday, I will find a spot in my backyard where I will have good LOS and put in the pole and concrete. This of course will pre-clude installing an underground conduit to route the cables between the house and the pole for the dish.
Bingo - solved my problem!
I want to update everyone on my reception problem. In my last post, I said I had a crazy thought that perhaps the hardware which holds the dish to the motor shaft might be loose and the dish could have been off a little. Well, I'm happy to say that it was the key to the whole problem. All three bolts (the bolt that goes through the shaft and the two behind the shaft) were loose. I tightened the bolts and was not surprised to see the quality of the reception of my southern satellite jump from 64% to 77%. I tried to wiggle the dish by hand and it wouldn't move. The reception of all of the channels returned to normal and I got the best surprise of all - AMC9 came in clear for the first time. I spent two hours last night watching Airwolf and Emergency! on RTN West. It goes to show what can happen when you don't tighten all of the hardware (very likely blinded by all the excitement and anticipation of seeing all those FTA channels).
For now, I'm postponing on the idea of mounting the dish on a seperate pole. I solved my reception problem and I'm happier than I was before the loose hardware discovery.
I want to update everyone on my reception problem. In my last post, I said I had a crazy thought that perhaps the hardware which holds the dish to the motor shaft might be loose and the dish could have been off a little. Well, I'm happy to say that it was the key to the whole problem. All three bolts (the bolt that goes through the shaft and the two behind the shaft) were loose. I tightened the bolts and was not surprised to see the quality of the reception of my southern satellite jump from 64% to 77%. I tried to wiggle the dish by hand and it wouldn't move. The reception of all of the channels returned to normal and I got the best surprise of all - AMC9 came in clear for the first time. I spent two hours last night watching Airwolf and Emergency! on RTN West. It goes to show what can happen when you don't tighten all of the hardware (very likely blinded by all the excitement and anticipation of seeing all those FTA channels).
For now, I'm postponing on the idea of mounting the dish on a seperate pole. I solved my reception problem and I'm happier than I was before the loose hardware discovery.
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