Help with Winegard Declination

[Velosity]

This is my first post! Recently a hail storm trashed my Big Dish (Unimesh) and figured that was reason I couldn't tune into KU signals (I just was upgrading to KU when it hailed) and the mesh seems to have too big of holes in it anyway. I ran across a Winegard with a Ajak 180 degree H-H mount, similar to what linuxman posted a short while ago (And I got it for nothing). I bought it locally so I didn't think I needed to mess with the elevation and declination adjustment. But it seemed the elevation to be a degree off and the declination is like a degree off and I can't seem to figure out how to adjust the declination. I sure I am being dumb, but does anyone know how to adjust the declination on this type of mount????

I don't seem to be getting an even signal accross the sky and I hope this will help me to download the mapping. I can't seem to get the green "DC" light to come on G1-3 and I lost all channels above 24 because I did a master reset on my DSR-20 after I got my new dish.I have talked to NPS and they said I just need to better tune my signal. This dish is deeper than my Unimesh and I figure maybe I have to be more precise in my tuning. So I am trying to eliminate all the tuning I can do at the dish.

Thanks for any help!

 

[linuxman]

First of all, you need to accurately measure what the declination is now.

Take a measurement on the main axis bar with a digital angle finder or a protractor with a string and a weight.

Then take a measurement on the back of the dish with a flat piece of steel across the big circle in the center of the dish and subtract one from the other.

That will tell you how much declination you have now. Verify it with this site, using your latitude and longitude and the satellite you want to hit.

Only then do you need to move it using the top bolts in picture 3 of your pictures above.

My guess would be that your whole assembly needs to be twisted one way or another.

The Pinnacle is a great dish and the H-H mount is fantastic, but a pain to tune in especially with a co-rotor feed-horn. An adjustable Seavey feed-horn is need for that deep a dish, but way too expensive for me.

Fred

 

[voomvoom]

Welcome to the Forum Velosity. In your first picture, are those Solar Panels in the background, or Square Satellite Dishes?

Al

 

[linuxman]

Oh Yeah!
Welcome to Satelliteguys forum!!!

You can see how tunnel visioned I am, I didn't even see the panels. You can tell us more about them too, but maybe another thread somewhere.

Fred

 

[Velosity]

Welcome to the Forum Velosity. In your first picture, are those Solar Panels in the background, or Square Satellite Dishes?

Al

LOL. They are Solar Panels. We supplement our power with Solar.

 

[Velosity]

First of all, you need to accurately measure what the declination is now.

Take a measurement on the main axis bar with a digital angle finder or a protractor with a string and a weight.

Then take a measurement on the back of the dish with a flat piece of steel across the big circle in the center of the dish and subtract one from the other.

That will tell you how much declination you have now. Verify it with this site, using your latitude and longitude and the satellite you want to hit.

Only then do you need to move it using the top bolts in picture 3 of your pictures above.

My guess would be that your whole assembly needs to be twisted one way or another.

The Pinnacle is a great dish and the H-H mount is fantastic, but a pain to tune in especially with a co-rotor feed-horn. An adjustable Seavey feed-horn is need for that deep a dish, but way too expensive for me.

Fred

Linuxman - Thanks. I will not be traveling home until this weekend and will measure as you suggested the declination. I used a 9" digital level to measure the difference but I did it on the circular steel that actually holds up the dish, not on the dish itself.

Gary
Thank you.

 

[turbosat]

Nice dish-should work well. Now, you have puzzled me. Which is it- I got it for nothing, or I bought it locally!

 

[Velosity]

Nice dish-should work well. Now, you have puzzled me. Which is it- I got it for nothing, or I bought it locally!

I didn't proof read very well what I wrote; I got it for nothing. The guy was glad I took it, he was going to cut it up into small pieces so he could throw it away. After I got it home I was pleasantly surprised to find it had a dual lnb's with a chapparal feedhorn. I replaced the c-band lnb with the one I already had.

 

[Velosity]

This weekend I did as suggested by Linuxman: I took a straight edge against the back of my dish and I found it still 1 degree off (needed 6.24 degrees from my location). I added the declination by moving the bolts as shown in my original picture 3. Then I moved to the furthest most east and west satellite and pushed up and down on the dish while someone else watched the TV and ended up moving the dish on the post about a 1/4 inch to the west. Now it seems to arch across the satellites very well. Still had problem getting the mapping and digital channels (currently only had analog channels) to download. NPS said I needed to tune G1 - 3 in better, I didn't believe it, because I was getting a 90 signal. I finally did the options 6778 and did the manual tunning and I GOT IT. Yahoo!!! Now I am finally back to trying to get the KU to work again and I still can't figure out why it isn't working. Another challenge! Thank you Linuxman.

Gary

 

[linuxman]

You are quite welcome!

Glad I could help you.

There have been so many who have helped me on this forum and I was always thankful for their help.

Fred