Possible Solution to Ghetto Move Dish

[PopcornNMore]

This spring, one of my projects is designing a lazy susan type base for my 6' and possibly even my 8' satellite dish that now must be "ghetto" moved from satellite to satellite. Has anyone done this before? If so, do you have pictures to share?

I'm thinking of buying an industrial strength lazy susan that can easily hold 200 - 300 pounds like this:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Capacity-Lazy-Susan-Bearing-Thick/dp/B002TIKEQ6"]404 - Document Not Found[/ame]

Then I would build a platform that the stand of the dish would be secured to. The platform would then move freely via the lazy susan and a large bolt would be placed through the platform at the various satellite positions to lock it into place. I'm going to come up with a few designs and look for material to use for the platform that can withstand the weather. Any ideas or thoughts on this project would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mikelib]

Hi Popcorn,

Here is a post that outlines what you are trying to do only with a smaller dish.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...35-mood-make-something-linear-dish-500-a.html

I have used the lazy susan from Homedepot and it works OK on the 500 dish that I have set up, But I must tell you that there is up and down movement in the lazy susan, where the two pieces are joined. If you mount the lazy susan between two boards and mount the dish on the top board you can grasp the top of the dish and rock it back and forth about a 16th. It does knock the dish out of alignment on very windy days.

I will be making a new test setup in the spring and I will be using a piece of formica face to face with possibly a piece of Teflon inbetween and a bolt through the center. I would mount the dish on top board and see if it will spin easily. By eliminating the lazy susan the set up will have no top heavy back and forth motion. My goal was to see if I could then azimuth motorize the top board to make a 180 degree turn.

Hope this information helps, maybe some other sat guys will jump in with some suggestions
Mike Lib

 

[Mr Tony]

innovative idea

 

[PopcornNMore]

Thank you very much Mike for the information as well as the tip on the lazy susan. I will be sure to share my plans and ideas as the months go on before spring arrives.

 

[Anole]

Is this because you can't put in a proper pole, somewhere?
You might look at a recent thread by Tron, where he set up a relocatable dish on a pallet.

Any ideas or thoughts on this project would be greatly appreciated.

Yea, regardless whether you bury a pole or put it on a movable base, you'll still have to deal with dish elevation.
By finding a surplus BUD mount, and putting this motor * on it, all you'd have to do is take your "assembly" out to the driveway and park it on pre-made marks, and you'd be on the arc.


* Galaxy has a 24" motor on sale right now.

 

[Tron]

This spring, one of my projects is designing a lazy susan type base for my 6' and possibly even my 8' satellite dish that now must be "ghetto" moved from satellite to satellite. Has anyone done this before? If so, do you have pictures to share?

I'm thinking of buying an industrial strength lazy susan that can easily hold 200 - 300 pounds like this:

Then I would build a platform that the stand of the dish would be secured to. The platform would then move freely via the lazy susan and a large bolt would be placed through the platform at the various satellite positions to lock it into place. I'm going to come up with a few designs and look for material to use for the platform that can withstand the weather. Any ideas or thoughts on this project would be greatly appreciated.

That is EXACTLY the sort of equipment I had in mind for moving PortaBUD. Great find! That would certainly make moving the dish a lot less cumbersome. Now to design a good mounting platform to go onto the lazy suzan... Bolt head thicknesses must be taken into consideration as there will be little clearance between the plates. Looks like the holes are round, so carriage bolts wouldn't work...

 

[classicsat]

Personally, I wouldn't go with a lazy suzan. There would be too much lateral stress on it.

If you are not putting a polar mount on it (which is what I would do), you could make a base the ring fits in which has rollers.

Years ago I have seen a polar motor mount for a ring-base dish, which used an antenna rotator to rotate the bottom of the dish, the top having a declination pivot.

 

[Tron]

If you are not putting a polar mount on it (which is what I would do), you could make a base the ring fits in which has rollers.

I had envisioned something like that too. On the plus side, more minimalistic than the Lazy Suzan. But where to find suitable hardware?

 

[SatelliteAV]

Purchase a heavy duty terrestrial antenna rotor and have a muffler shop fabricate a motor post with a 30 degree angle (or maybe use an existing dish post from a dish mount). Mount the antenna rotor at an angle and set a declination angle on the dish.

You have made a poorman's HH motor. In the comfort of your favorite lounge chair you may now rotate the dish from satellite to satellite to your hearts content.

Addition: I would place two load bearings in the straight section of the fabricated motor post between the rotor and the bend, as the terrestrial antenna rotor is not designed to support the extreme lateral loads which would be generated by a dish in the wind.

 

[Dishman Dan]

I threw something out that might of worked! :rant:

I was scrapping out some stuff last summer and loading it up into dumpsters. My brother brought some stuff to throw in from his barn and had something that I thought I saved.

He brought what was part of a truck axle mounted vertically with a stand to hold it upright. It was on a flat base and had 4 support arms reaching out in a pyamid shape giving it stability. The wheel bearings did the rotating and are pretty heavy duty. I was going to put a flat plate on the hub and mount a BUD with a bowtie antenna to see what I can get OTA. I would put this in concrete but something like this could be fabricated and made portable!?!?!?

I do not know if I tossed it or someone that was helping me tossed it but I cannot find it!

 

[guapoharry]

Don't see how terrestrial antenna motors would be precise enough...

 

[SatelliteAV]

Don't see how terrestrial antenna motors would be precise enough...

Not talking precision engineering here. Great company with the lazy susans and it will even track the arc. Gets the dish into a rough position then bump to peak quality. Have seen this done in Mexico with 1.8 - 2.4m dishes and it works pretty well.

 

[guapoharry]

OK, we were talking C-band. Right...

Doesn't have to be so precise then. That makes more sense...

 

[gdavisloop]

Keep in mind, you have to change the elevation as well as the rotation for every satellite.
Especially with a large dish, that would be a pain in the butt.
Just get yourself a polar mount! They make (or made) hand-cranks if you don't want to run it with a motor.

You are trying to re-invent the wheel, but the wheel has already been invented better ;-)

--Gary

 

[PopcornNMore]

Keep in mind, you have to change the elevation as well as the rotation for every satellite.
Especially with a large dish, that would be a pain in the butt.
Just get yourself a polar mount! They make (or made) hand-cranks if you don't want to run it with a motor.

You are trying to re-invent the wheel, but the wheel has already been invented better ;-)

--Gary

But where is the challenge in buying a polar mount? This is not about money it is about coming up with a new way of doing something.

I want to be able to rotate the dish on this platform, place a bolt in a hole to keep it from turning and adjust the elevation to a pre-marked line on the elevation bar.

 

[tvropro]

You guys with your idea's are great. Myself I'll push buttons on my remote and let the actuator do it's thing.

 

[Tron]

I want to be able to move my 6 footer easily if a storm comes, hence "PortaBUD" and the ground mount. Dropping a 3" diameter pole 3 feet into the ground and cementing the base limits my mobility options...

 

[tvropro]

I want to be able to move my 6 footer easily if a storm comes, hence "PortaBUD" and the ground mount. Dropping a 3" diameter pole 3 feet into the ground and cementing the base limits my mobility options...

How about putting a polar mount & actuator on a small trailer. I've seen that before. It's nice to swing bird to bird with a remote.

My bud has 21 years of storms it has dealt with. Snow, ice, rain, hail, wind up to 90 mph. 100+ to -20 degree temps. Still standing and working well.

 

[PopcornNMore]

Or you could simply put the dish onto a movable platform and wheel it out of your garage when needed like Iceberg does. However, my neighbors already think I'm nuts by having so many dishes.

 

[PopcornNMore]

Now since I'm installing my 8' dish I'm thinking again about the lazy susan idea. I found these industrial strength lazy susans here (Lazy Susan Turntable). I'm thinking about using the 17" one along with plywood or some other material.