Need some help - 8 foot Unimesh install

comfortably_numb

Dogs have owners, cats have staff
Original poster
Pub Member / Supporter
Nov 30, 2011
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35,463
New Mexico
Pole is mounted and level, dish is mounted on the pole. Actuator is attached but not bolted down. Slowly moved dish across the arc but haven't been able to lock anything. What are we doing wrong?

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This wouldn't be a cause for your dish not receiving, but my instructions say your jack is on the wrong tab on the mount. Since you're west of Denver, the jack should go to the other tab.

Added: Forget this. I never realized Albuquerque is almost due south of Denver. I thought it was further west.
 
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Elevation beam facing S, elevation setting per location latitude. If the dish was obtained fairly locally and this wasn't moved, it should already be close. I notice there is apparently no declination adjustment, which is pretty crude- there may be some amount of declination built in (extra length of metal on the top pivot vs. the bottom) but I cannot tell. This could affect ability to line up on the full arc once start getting signals
 
Elevation beam facing S, elevation setting per location latitude. If the dish was obtained fairly locally and this wasn't moved, it should already be close. I notice there is apparently no declination adjustment, which is pretty crude- there may be some amount of declination built in (extra length of metal on the top pivot vs. the bottom) but I cannot tell. This could affect ability to line up on the full arc once start getting signals
Declination bolt is right there on the bottom, photo #2 in post #1
 
For me, the first target would be to have your setup aligned to true south, and/or receive a satellite near true south.
I'm not sure what you have done already, regarding that?
And how have you set your axis elevation angle, and your dish declination offset angle?

When you have found a satellite near south, the true south fineadjustment can be checked with the bottom picture of this pdf: www.repentnow.com/adjustsatellitearc2.pdf

After the true south aiming is correct, the combination of elevation/declination angles towards the extremes can be checked; see the first two pictures of the pdf.

(Because the fineadjustment of a dish is usually done when a true south satellite is already found, I prefer fine-adjustment drawings with a due south satellite already on the followed arc, as in the linked pdf. These drawings fit in better with the systematics of the approach that I use. Do you folks not also try to first receive a near-south satellite?)

Greetz,
A33
 

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