Latest Update at my Satellite Station

[arlo]

one_db looks on top of it. 12g landscaping power cable from Home Depot, Lowes, etc. will do for actuator power at quite a distance.
Box store coax bugs me. Although all of the amplification of the signal is done at the lnbf. And pushes a good signal that is easily handled by 3 GHz coax. I would expect that everything will be buried in the dirt. I'm more focused with dB loss/100 feet like you will see from the likes of Belden and the others who provide a specs sheet. I'd stay away from the cheapest, but the most expensive isn't a need.
Just don't use screw on F connectors.

Actuator sensor cable needs to have a dedicated shield. 2 wires plus shield for reed switch actuator sensors. 16g seems to work just fine here. Stranded, of course.
Run it in PVC or black poly pipe. PVC is okay because you can run the cabling through each section on the ground first and couple them later. For a long run in poly pipe the good old string and baggie tied to it and a shop vac on the other end will give a pull string. Maybe pull two strings and leave one inside for future use. Use nylon or something that doesn't degrade over time

 

[cyberham]

It's great getting all this good advice.

My motto when it comes to most hobby activities, especially satellite stuff, is best explained by this clip from Apollo 13. In summary, use what you have to accomplish what you need/want.
Square Peg in a Round Hole

Since the VBOX7 has been successfully acquired and is confirmed en route to me, I will remove my Von Wiese jack now, open it up and see what it looks like inside. I might try moving it with a power supply just to watch it move.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I had one and it worked great!

 

[arlo]

I'm always on this. A protective measure. Remove the gearbox first and see if you can turn the actuator shaft by hand.
Then power the motor (count the output shaft turns so you can reverse the motor leads and get it back where you started).
Doing so will keep you from powering the motor in a stall and save the limit switch diodes from shorting or opening due to over current.

 

[cyberham]

I'll keep this in mind. I decided not to use my (good) power supply that's the heart of my radio station. I'll wait for the VBOX to arrive. The Von Wiese is on my work bench waiting. It actually appears in good condition after I wiped the spider webs off.

Added: I tried to loosen the nuts on the Declination bolt. No movement. One appears rusty; the other doesn't. So I coated them in PB Blaster to leave overnight. Maybe they'll budge in the morning. Otherwise, I may have to live with the 44 degree declination setting from Nova Scotia.

What I Found:

 

[k4otl]

I'll keep this in mind. I decided not to use my (good) power supply that's the heart of my radio station. I'll wait for the VBOX to arrive. The Von Wiese is on my work bench waiting. It actually appears in good condition after I wiped the spider webs off.

What I Found:
View attachment 182504

View attachment 182505

Looks like mine, the "eye" bolt had broken off, I figured out through trial and error at the hardware store that it takes a male 1/2"-20 thread to a 1/2" bore eye bolt, cheap on amazon: Amazon.com

 

[cyberham]

Looks like mine, the "eye" bolt had broken off...

You mean this one? It's not broken. Though I won't be adjusting the rusty bolt.

 

[arlo]

A good soaking in penetrating oil. Some raps with a hammer. A heat with a torch and quench and more p. oil never hurts. Wiggle-wiggle!

 

[TRG]

You mean this one? It's not broken. Though I won't be adjusting the rusty bolt.
View attachment 182506

This stuff works great. Make sure you use it outside though. The smell can be overwhelming if used inside.

 

[cyberham]

This stuff works great. Make sure you use it outside though. The smell can be overwhelming if used inside....

Exactly what I'm using. It's good. Hauled it across Canada when I moved since it loosened the mount bolts years ago and impressed me then. Even outdoor it smells bad.

 

[FTA4PA]

This stuff works great. Make sure you use it outside though. The smell can be overwhelming if used inside.

View attachment 182525

Excellent stuff! Like the Frank's Red Hot commercials - I put that $%*# on everything!

 

[cyberham]

A good soaking in penetrating oil. Some raps with a hammer....

PB Blaster (overnight soak) + respectful hammer blows = Success.

I'm now ready to adjust declination when necessary.