seeking AJAK Mount ?

[Anole]

I was just reading an interesting post by Glater, and did some research on the Ajak mounts.
The one he showed, looked pretty small, and was on a 7.5 foot dish.

Here's a quote I found while looking for these motorized mounts:
The mount we will discuss was one originally made by Ajak Industries.
I have bought several of these from TVRO dealers for $25 each.
New they sold for about $300 retail.
Unfortunately, Ajak stopped making this drive when the C band market dried up.
The good news is that virtually the same mount may be purchased new from KTI in Wisconsin.


KTI or Kaul Tronics Industries, was doing business in Wisconsin in 2002.
Apparently, California Amplifier bought them that year.

Well, enough of a history lesson.
Has anyone seen any mounts like these around?
Did they come in various sizes?
I'd always assumed they were just monsters for 12' dishes.
Probably not so.

I'm seeking knowledge... and if anyone is sitting on a basement full of 'em, well . . . I would like one.

 

[voomvoom]

I bought one from Mike Kohl about a year and a half ago. He came across some, I got one, I wish I had gotten 2-3 of them. When I decided to go ahead and get another or two, he had already sold them all. I have not put mine into play yet, I rigged it to a formerly fixed 5' solid aluminum dish, just haven't finished the project yet. So, I can't comment on it's performance.
There is a Satellite outfit in Cincinnati that has a website, I think it's Taylor Enterprises or something like that. I have seen a KTI 7-1/2' dish with an AJAX HH motor listed on it, but it's local pick-up only, I think?

 

[Anole]

Thanks for the input.
I'll look into it.
Just any feedback is valuable, so I appreciate all comments whether public or PM.

 

[voomvoom]

OK, it's Satellite Unusual:
Surplus Equipment from our Warehouse

down near the bottom of this page, just before the jeep....
there are actually 2 listed, one with an Umbrella Cover
I didn't see anything about local pick-up only??? I must of been wrong on that...

 

[Anole]

That's one heck of a web site to dig through.
Thanks for helping me locate it.
Will keep looking.

 

[linuxman]

Ok Anole my friend.

I have one on my Winegard Pinnacle dish, and have pictures of it inside and out. This is the original Ajak H-H mount. I know of another one about 5 miles from here, but they are still using it, and I would have to take the dish down to get it. They have promised to call when they are no longer using it.

Here are the pics:







Tell you what I will do.

You get a truck or trailer, drive on over, we'll get some help, and you can help me take the Pinnacle down, put the other solid Birdview up in it's place, and we will break down the 10 foot Pinnacle and I will give you the dish and the mount.

That will give you something to play with for months.

 

[Anole]

That's just cruel talk!
We're gonna have to get you a mean-lookin' avatar like Icebergs!


So, any idea if these things were all one size or if they made 'em in small, medium, 'n large?

edit: the mount posted by Glater and the one by Linuxman look quite different.
Found very old docs on original Ajak, which looks like Linuxman's unit. ( 63 lbs? )
It was posted to our manual section, by Iceberg. tyvm!

 

[linuxman]

So, any idea if these things were all one size or if they made 'em in small, medium, 'n large?

I don't know whether there were different sizes or not. I have only seen the one on mine until Glater wrote his post.

Found very old docs on original Ajak, which looks like Linuxman's unit. ( 63 lbs?)

Yes mine is pretty heavy. It will travel across the arc almost as far as the Birdview H-H mounts do. The AJAKs come with limit switches and the Birdviews don't.

 

[glater]

The only info I have found is Mike Kohl's old link (pictures have been removed) Shown below with antenna manufacturer supplied  mounting ring . The Ajak Patriot has a shipping weight of 33 lbs and it looks like it was made for the smaller c band dishes.

 

[Anole]

I guess when I first saw the big Ajak, I was impressed as one might be when encountering a tank.
The one Glater found looked much smaller and more friendly.
Hearing it's half the weight, supports that observation.

The small one looks somewhat like things I've seen in Europe.
However, the Superjack (?) models never appealed on price.
The Moteck H180 is just not big enough for what I want.

But, I'm learning a lot with this thread, so I'm quite pleased.
. . . and still scheming how to get over to St. Louis, and then back home with that Pinnacle! -


edit: neither docs say how big/heavy a dish they'll take.
It's obvious that Big Bertha will take on anything.
I'm just wondering now, how much of a dish the Ajak Patriot will handle??
A 7½ foot mesh can't be too heavy.
For instance, would it slew a Birdview, if I found one without mount? The 6' Prodelin offset?

I guess if Glater gets one, we'll see some under-the-hood pictures of the gears 'n things.

 

[linuxman]

But, I'm learning a lot with this thread, so I'm quite pleased.
. . . and still scheming how to get over to St. Louis, and then back home with that Pinnacle!

You would love the Pinnacle. It is a very deep dish and the true hobbyist's dream. It has a .28 F/D ratio and is 10 foot diameter with perforated mesh. It sits on a 4 inch or 4.5 inch pole. I can't remember right now, but if you wanted to experiment with your no scalar ring adjustment of the feed-horn that is the dish for you. There are no problems with side-lobe issues at all and it has to be tuned within a gnat's a$$ if you want to get a signal.

It has been said when I was writing that thread that the only way to get truly great performance from it is with a Seavey feed-horn (about $700.00 new). I got satisfactory signal with a Co-Rotor II and a Gold Ring. I had always wanted to get back to that dish and try the Mike Kohl method of adjusting the feed-horn, but about that time I got my first Birdview, and well, the rest is history.

Now I have a Birdview to replace it, and will have no need for it once the Birdview is up and running. I could move it over to where my 10 foot SAMI is running my family 4DTV, but the SAMI is doing an adequate job for them and the position the SAMI is in on the roof doesn't have a full view of the Southern sky therefore not needing an H-H mount.

So if you can get it worked out my green friend, come on over and we'll make the trade. Your hard work for my AJAK mount and the dish to go with it.

It's obvious that Big Bertha will take on anything.

You are correct! The way the mounting ring is manufactured, you could fit any dish on it and make it work.

And if you don't come and get it, I'll just store it away until some day I might get a giant dish to move with it.

 

[Anole]

really ?

I bought one from Mike Kohl about a year and a half ago.
I rigged it to a formerly fixed 5' solid aluminum dish, just haven't finished the project yet.

Sounds interesting. Did you ever post any pictures?
If not, then does it look more like the little Ajak Patriot posted by Glater, or the Big Bertha pictures posted by Linuxman?
Or, quite simply, is it around 30 lbs, or around 60 lbs? -

 

[voomvoom]

Nope, never got around to any pictures
It's the same Patriot as seen in glater's pictures, from your 1st post above, I know because I just took the flashlight and went out and looked at it
Not sure what you mean by the weight? But, I could pick it up alright. When I ordered it from Mike, I remember him being specific about it won't work with a 10' mesh, it wouldn't handle the weight. I told him I planned to use it on a 5' solid aluminum, and he said it should be OK.

 

[Anole]

thanks

Oh! - - Sorry to put you to the trouble in the middle of the night.
Hey, that's middle of the night over here on the left coast.
Must be the wee hours over where you are! -

Thanks for the info. Shame I didn't know what they were back then.
I might have put one on the shelf, too.
But, every year we learn something new.
I'll know it if I see another one. -
Getting a real education here among the BUDs.

 

[voomvoom]

It was no trouble this time, otherwise I wouldn't have done it. Whether it's the middle of the night or the middle of the day, makes little difference. They closed down where I worked 2-1/2 years ago, and I decided to try and get by on my meek Supplemental Retirement. I certainly ain't getting ahead, but I am making it. I can always look for work if/when I need to (so far I've been lucky enough, not to). Right now I'm just enjoying myself with my sat tinkering and the Internet and occasional visits from friends. I rarely leave the house more than a couple times a week, usually on or at the weekend. That extra 9+ hours a day, from not working, has been very nice. I watch a little more TV (maybe not too good), and I've Read more in the past 2-1/2 years than I did in the 33 years prior to that.
So, even in the Wee hours it's nice outside. Actually it's nicer than the hot afternoons, we have this time of year. Why don't you give Mike a call and see if he has one, or knows where you might find one? I'm sure he doesn't post everything he has or comes across on his Website, and he may have picked one up and it's laying around somewhere?

 

[Anole]

Why don't you give Mike a call and see if he has one, or knows where you might find one?
I'm sure he doesn't post everything he has or comes across on his Website, and he may have picked one up and it's laying around somewhere?

That's a very good idea, thanks Voom.
I PM'd him, and below are some of my questions with some of his answers.
I did get permission, but probably should have just pointed him to this thread to answer. -

AJAK Patriot motor ?
I was learning all about the old AJAK Patriot H-H motors the last couple of days.
I guess they are the little brother in the family.
Weigh in just over 30 LBS, compared to the big ones at 60+ LBS.
VoomVoom told me you used to have some, and he got one from ya.
Even though it's common knowledge you sold out, he suggested I give ya call and ask if you found any more?
I though it was worth a shot. New or used.

Any idea how big a dish they'd take? I see 'em outfitted with 7.5' mesh dishes, but I wanted to use a 6' Prodelin solid or (possibly) a spun aluminum Birdview, if I ran across one without the motor.
Do you have any guess if those might play well together?
I've found some docs on both the little Patriot AJAK and the big one, but neither really spec the dish load they'll handle.

Re: AJAK Patriot motor ?
AJAK Industries built what were considered the best HH motors for the consumer C-band market, until they folded in 1998. -<snip>- AJAK shut down production of their HH motors at their Florence, Colorado facility in 1998, after a divorce by the owner, who left the satellite industry to pursue other interests.

After the turn of the decade, a few companies, notably KTI and Paraclipse, tried using an attractive looking knockoff of the AJAK H-180 made by Jaeger in Taiwan. Well painted it was---but not very well machined. The antenna companies were on their way out, and quickly abandoned this product from Jaeger, as well as HH mounts for the consumer market. If Jaeger had gotten this right, perhaps somebody on this side of the pond might still be using it, but that was not the case.

AJAK made three different models of HH motor:
The deluxe model was known as the H-180, and was recommended for heavier mesh antennas such as those in the 12-foot class, in addition to those using 10-footers that wanted more power.

A medium model called the Aimer was aimed at the 7.5 to 10 foot mesh antenna market. It was not particularly suited to 10 footers in windy environments, because of increased stresses from this larger diameter.

A basic model called the Patriot was sold for use on 5 to 7.5 foot mesh antennas, and has been successfully modified with bracketing by some to power 1.2 and 1.5 meter offset antennas.

Please note that ALL Ajak motors consisted of the motor itself. Antenna manufacturers created their own custom matched bracketing to attach between the antenna back structure and the HH motor itself.

-<snip>- {concerning the Patriot:} It will NOT work on the antennas suggested, but would be a good companion to a mid-sized offset up to 1.5 meters in diameter.
__________________
Mike Kohl / Global Communication

Wow, thanks Mike!
That was a good history lesson on the motor and the entire family.

Well, I'm disappointed it won't do what I want.
However , if I were to run across one of the light weight mesh dishes equipped with the Ajak Patriot, I'd know what it was, and maybe consider it.

Thanks again for your generous contribution to the thread! - :up

 

[Satfaca]

Hi, I just registered to SatGuys for this particular answer.
I thought of adding what I still keep here at home - the manual for Ajak Aimer that originaly came with an Orbitron C-10 antenna.
Previous owner bought it somewhere in 1997, made "+100 miles" with it up in the sky, today still running as new, just that it got little bit noisy.

I am currently running an Orbitron SX-8.5 with it, however due to bad perfomance in Ku band I plan to exchange it for a 2.4 m Prodelin solid antenna.

I am also attaching some photos of the Aimer, obvious difference to H180 version is a smaller chain wheel.

 

[Anole]

So, that's what the little one looks like inside, eh?
Thanks for the great pictures.
And welcome to the forum! - :up

I can see why Mike doesn't suggest a very heavy dish.
It hangs precariously on just one end of the gear-driven shaft.
Quite a lot of side load on the bearings. -

In my questions above, I asked Mike if this motor would handle a Prodelin 6' solid dish, and he didn't think so
I'd be curious to see what will happen with an 8' model.
That would worry me, without strengthening the mechanics, a bit.
Keep us advised! And thanks again for the nice pictures!


edit: looking more closely at Glater's pictures, his motor has a mechanical connection to the dish from both ends of the gear-driven shaft... as it should.
I'm encouraged, somewhat.
But, upon closer examination, I don't think this is the little Ajak motor.

 

[Satfaca]

So, that's what the little one looks like inside, eh?

Not really, this is the middle size, small one is Patriot.
Mine's perfectly fine for a 6-foot solid dish, as said I'll put 8-footer on it.

 

[ECruzBUD]

Hi Folks,

I just joined this group.

I do have a AJax H-180 gear motor, but.... I do not have
a 24" mount to attach to it with the 10 foot mash dish antenna.

Do anyone knows where could I find a round mount where
I can attach the AJAX H-180 motor, to the dish??

In 2004 I bought a AJAX H-180 motor alone.
The seller from one place only had this, and did NOT
have a mount that goes with it to put on the big dish.

The 24" mount goes onto the back of the big dish.

Anyone knows places that still sells LEFT OVER mounts
for BIG DISH?? Or BUD.

Any infos that you might have, would appreciated.

Thank you.

Eugene