10' Orbitron to a good home (Me/NH)

[B.J.]

I plan to be replacing my 10' Orbitron within the next week or so, with a new SAMI. Unless I can find a good home for the Orbitron, I'll probably be carting it off to the local dump. I know that there are a couple people here from the Maine/NH area, so I thought I'd check to see if anyone was interested in the old dish.

The Orbitron has dents in about 1/3 of the mesh panels, due to knocking snow off in the winter, so it doesn't work very well on Ku anymore, but it works pretty well on C-band. It locks almost all the S2 signals on sats that aren't blocked by trees. The H-H mount has given me a bit of trouble, which along with the poor Ku performance is the reason I'm replacing it. The mount tends to get stuck if I move it down toward the western horizon, and I think it will require a complete disassembly and cleaning an lubrication to get it back to being dependable, and I figured that if I'm going to that much trouble that I might as well put up a new dish that gets Ku better.

Anyway, it's probably headed to the dump, but I just thought I'd check to see if anyone needs a C-band dish. If someone is interested, I'll be more careful about how I take it down.

Also have a 6' dish too (it's either a Channel Master or Winegard.. can't remember), that's also headed to the dump.

 

[Babadem]

I plan to be replacing my 10' Orbitron within the next week or so, with a new SAMI. Unless I can find a good home for the Orbitron, I'll probably be carting it off to the local dump. I know that there are a couple people here from the Maine/NH area, so I thought I'd check to see if anyone was interested in the old dish.

The Orbitron has dents in about 1/3 of the mesh panels, due to knocking snow off in the winter, so it doesn't work very well on Ku anymore, but it works pretty well on C-band. It locks almost all the S2 signals on sats that aren't blocked by trees. The H-H mount has given me a bit of trouble, which along with the poor Ku performance is the reason I'm replacing it. The mount tends to get stuck if I move it down toward the western horizon, and I think it will require a complete disassembly and cleaning an lubrication to get it back to being dependable, and I figured that if I'm going to that much trouble that I might as well put up a new dish that gets Ku better.

Anyway, it's probably headed to the dump, but I just thought I'd check to see if anyone needs a C-band dish. If someone is interested, I'll be more careful about how I take it down.

Also have a 6' dish too (it's either a Channel Master or Winegard.. can't remember), that's also headed to the dump.

I wish I lived close to you and had a truck the move them.

 

[rv1pop]

Yikes, sacriledge.. To the dump? Recycle maybe???? Or (shudder) a solar cooker or a gazebo -- help -- SOMEONE PLEASE to the rescue!

Way too far from here and up north also, so I would not be going that far for winter..

PLease someone keep him from commiting the (Satguys) unpardonable sin!

 

[outbackjack]

B.J. i would love to give it a shot but again i dont think it would fit in my old suzuki aerio. i dont even think the aerio would make it to your location (beater car). and if it did and i put it on top i might get air born

 

[outbackjack]

B.J. is the 6 footer come in pieces or is it solid and can have an actuator on it? that might work if it can be seperated into pieces.

 

[B.J.]

I'll have to check, but I think the 6' dish has 4 sections that connect together. I'll check to see if the bolts are rusted or if it will come apart easily. I really haven't used this dish much. About 10 years ago I bought a used Monty 50/55, and the dish came with it. I put it together, and tried it out just leaning against the house, then didn't use it for a few more years. Then I wanted something bigger for Ku, and mounted it on a small tree, however it didn't work well on Ku. I think that water got into the ribs, and froze, and the thing may have changed shape a bit, I'm not sure. I was able to get it to work on a few C-band sats while on the tree, but never used it because I really wanted it for Ku at the time. It's mount is a very lightweight polar mount that came with a lightweight 18" actuator. I don't think the actuator is functional anymore.

I was planning to keep the feedhorns from both dishes.

The 10' dish is one of those that have about a dozen or so ribs with slots in them, and a dozen triangular mesh panels slide into the slots. About 4 or so of these mesh panels have been dented by my knocking snow off in the winter. I had been planning to pull out these panels and put them on the garage floor and try to flatten them with a rubber mallet. The ribs connect to a center plate which attaches to a hub that has an 8 deg declination angle, and you adjust declination by rotating the whole dish/hub so that down is 8deg, and horizontal is 0 deg declination.
The H-H mount is very heavy with big gears. The thing started getting stuck recently, but I convinced myself that it was actually the big bushings that the thing rotates on needed lubrication. I installed a grease fitting, but I think that it really needs to be taken apart and cleaned and lubricated. But the biggest parts once taken apart are the mesh panels, however I won't know till monday whether it will come apart easily. I was hoping to leave it up to watch NFL on Sunday, then take it down Monday, and hope to get the pipe moved, and the new SAMI up by the next NFL Sunday. Got my new SAMI sitting in the garage, and got the declination set prior to putting it up.

Both dishes are in need of work, but the big one is working fairly well on C-band and works on stronger Ku transponders, but generally poor on Ku. The sticking mount is what convinced me to stop using it. I'm not sure how well the 6' works, as I haven't had the feed on it for a couple years. When I take the big one down, I might just plop it's feed on the 6' temporarily to see what it can get.

BTW, location is in Sweden, Me, 7 mi north of Bridgton about 18 mi east of Conway, NH.

 

[B.J.]

I just went outside to check out the dishes and took a couple pictures.
http://www.eskerridge.com/bj/sat/wine-front.jpg
http://www.eskerridge.com/bj/sat/wine-side.jpg
http://www.eskerridge.com/bj/sat/wine-back.jpg
http://www.eskerridge.com/bj/sat/orb-front.jpg
http://www.eskerridge.com/bj/sat/orb-side.jpg

The 6.5' dish turns out to be a Winegard. It's a 4 section like I thought.
The bolts that hold the sections together look a bit rusted, but I was able to turn the nuts on one that I experimented on, but I'd use penetrating oil or WD40 before trying to take apart. The ribs that the paint is coming off are the ones that got water in them and expanded on freezing. The main sectional ribs seem OK, and the shape is not obviously affected.

The 10' dish has 18 panels, not 12.

 

[Dishman Dan]

They look too good to go "techfizzle" on them!!!...

Is the Winegard still used or is it being "stored" on the natural post???

I thought that might be a good way for me to store spare BUDs!!

 

[B.J.]

They look too good to go "techfizzle" on them!!!...

Is the Winegard still used or is it being "stored" on the natural post???

I thought that might be a good way for me to store spare BUDs!!

No, not being used. I put it on that tree just to temporarily test it out, because I was trying to get a Ku sat that was blocked to the 10' dish. Actually had it tracking the arc on the tree for a while, and was moving it using a battery powered hand drill, after taking the motor off the actuator. However, although I was able to find C-band sats, I couldn't get it to work on Ku, so I gave up on it and just left it there. Later, I found that the Ku probe on the CoRotor was bent about 45 deg, so that might have been part of the problem, since I was peaking it on C band then searching for Ku, so the polarity may have been way off.

I actually aligned it on the tree using one of those ArcSet things. I set the angles using my 10' dish, then went over to the 6' dish and replicated the angles there, and managed to get it to track a good bit of the arc, although the tree was still growing, so I had to change it. If I could have gotten it to work, I would have planted a non-growing pole for it.

 

[brex2001]

H-H mount pics

B.J.,
When you take down your Orbitron & H-H mount, could you please take some pics of the H-H drive?
I haven't replaced my 7.5ft dish yet with the SX-10 Orbitron i picked up for free locally.
I believe I have all the necessary things to build one:
1)30:1 worm & sector gear drive boxes to cannibalize for parts
2)a DC gear reduction drive motor, sprockets & chain
3)Hamlin surface mount reed switches, 1/4" dia. magnets, phenolic for the wheel
4)miscellaneous steel for materials needed to build the polar mount
5)machinist's tools & machinery needed to perform the work(lathe,vertical bandsaw, drill press, tig welder, surface plate for setup & layout)
6)just a few years experience

It would be greatly appreciated if not too much trouble.

Thank you in advance.

 

[B.J.]

B.J.,
When you take down your Orbitron & H-H mount, could you please take some pics of the H-H drive?
I haven't replaced my 7.5ft dish yet with the SX-10 Orbitron i picked up for free locally.
.....

...

Sure. I've already started taking pictures of the replacement. I have the new SAMI mount on the garage floor, and I've carefully adjusted the declination on it while it's on the ground, and I'll probably get the elevation close while I'm at it. Looks like it's a lot easier to get those things adjusted before you have the dish up. I was also concerned that this dish has a bigger "ring" than my old SAMI, in fact I don't even think that my old SAMI even had a "ring". But I was thinking that a 24" actuator might not be big enough if the connection point is out further, hooked up an old 24"actuator to make sure that it has sufficient extension to move the dish through the useable arc. Turns out the 24" is plenty long. I occasionally see posts from people buying 36" actuators for 10' dishes, and this sure seems like overkill. The 24" will move the dish all the way from the western horizon to the point where the actuator jams in the east, and a 36" wouldn't take the dish any further. Perhaps other dishes have different connection geometries which allow more travel with a longer actuator.

But Monday, I hope to get the Orbitron off the mount, and the mount off the pole, and I'll try to take some pictures. I did want to investigate to see why my old H-H was jamming, by taking it apart once the weight is off it, so I'll take some pictures. I've already posted some pictures of the magnet wheel/reed switch section of the mount somewhere, and I think some generic pictures of the whole mount, but I'll have to see if I can find those pics.


EDIT: I found where I posted one picture of the mount, showing half moon gear, worm gear and magnet wheel reed switch area.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/c-band-...zon-horizon-motor-bad-sensor.html#post2079693

I'll take some better pics once I get it down.

 

[outbackjack]

B.J. i decided to buy the one from Robbie which is in transit now. I had to weigh the factor of my car breaking down or the big brown truck delivering to my door. but if your ever in the downeast area and want a 4 foot patriot that has a polar mount come and get her. its in my garage and i will never get to using it for a fixed sat.

 

[chapelrun]

Somebody has GOT to take this thing!!

I sure hope someone takes you up on your offer BJ - - - looks like a beautiful dish.

Anyone near BJ ? The price is right !!! :up