actuator arm question

[Mapleleaf69]

here is my question about the actuator arm. if your arm has slipped on the mounting bracket lets say about 1 inch will this cause the dish not to track the arc properly.ive got my arc set from 87w (signal about 40%) to 131w (signal about 30% to 40%) neighbours tree just catches my 131 sat. now my signal around 99w to 121w is about 70%, so does this make any sence why im asking about the armulator.its really cold out and i dont wanna go out and make adjustments if not nessacary and i could screw up whats taken me 8 months to tune in now.

 

[truckracer]

It wouldn't cause it to not track the arc exactly but it will cause your positions to be off on the positioner counter significantly. In that case all your satsuma would be off several clicks east or west.

 

[Mapleleaf69]

it seems as though if i wanna increase signal at either end of my arc i have to adjust the dish up or down to increase one end but then the other end looses signal.also when my dish goes as far west as it can, the actuator arm is at its limit by the time it hits 131w.when the dish is at its peak at 83w there is more movement for the dish to go east then west. thus asking if the arm is out of whack.

 

[Lone Gunman]

What I like to do on actuator setup is to first run the motor to the west limit switch stop but you need to make sure you don't bottom the inner tube out inside and break something. If you don't know exactly where your physical limit is on that inner tube, disconnect it from the dish and unscrew it or turn it out by hand enough to give you some room to work. Once you get comfortable with that, then manually run the actuator to the west limit switch where you will get an error on your receiver/dish mover. Once you are there, then turn the inner tube back in to make it as short as possible without running under the weather seal on the end or bottoming the inner tube inside the actuator. If it bottoms out then turn it back out a few turns to make sure it doesn't bind up while it's operating. Connect the actuator back up to the dish and loosen the clamp on the outer tube to move the dish (don't run the motor to do this!) to the lowest point west that you want to receive but make sure you go past that point enough to allow you some room to peak that satellite.

On mine I can get from 30 counts past 139W (electrical limit switch stop) all the way back to 40.5W and possibly beyond without anything binding up on both my SAMI and my Winegard dishes.

As far as signal getting weaker at the ends of travel, that could be something as simple as rotating the dish on the post and or, an elevation or declination adjustment being off.

So who set this dish up to begin with?

 

[trinity13]

it seems as though if i wanna increase signal at either end of my arc i have to adjust the dish up or down to increase one end but then the other end looses signal.also when my dish goes as far west as it can, the actuator arm is at its limit by the time it hits 131w.when the dish is at its peak at 83w there is more movement for the dish to go east then west. thus asking if the arm is out of whack.

The actuator arm only controls the dish movement.
You are having to adjust your elevation at your extremes (east/west) because your alignment is off.

 

[Mapleleaf69]

What I like to do on actuator setup is to first run the motor to the west limit switch stop but you need to make sure you don't bottom the inner tube out inside and break something. If you don't know exactly where your physical limit is on that inner tube, disconnect it from the dish and unscrew it or turn it out by hand enough to give you some room to work. Once you get comfortable with that, then manually run the actuator to the west limit switch where you will get an error on your receiver/dish mover. Once you are there, then turn the inner tube back in to make it as short as possible without running under the weather seal on the end or bottoming the inner tube inside the actuator. If it bottoms out then turn it back out a few turns to make sure it doesn't bind up while it's operating. Connect the actuator back up to the dish and loosen the clamp on the outer tube to move the dish (don't run the motor to do this!) to the lowest point west that you want to receive but make sure you go past that point enough to allow you some room to peak that satellite.

On mine I can get from 30 counts past 139W (electrical limit switch stop) all the way back to 40.5W and possibly beyond without anything binding up on both my SAMI and my Winegard dishes.

As far as signal getting weaker at the ends of travel, that could be something as simple as rotating the dish on the post and or, an elevation or declination adjustment being off.

So who set this dish up to begin with?

well not sure who set it up to start with cause i got it from my boss a few years ago. all we did was move it to my place then put it up.it used to work 100% but in the spring a wind storm screwed it all up. now ive spent eight months working on it when i have spare time.i wish i know someone around my area that could set it up properly for me but cant afford to pay someone so i just monkey with it myself.

 

[Smile]

You can not pick a dish from some place and put it somewhere else without readjusting it.
It is not difficult if you know how to do it.
Follow the next steps.
1. ensure your mounting pole is leveled perfectly
2. choose a satellite which is nearest to south in relation to your own geographical position (gps location).
3. put your motor and mount to the middle position.
4. turn the complete mount (not by using the motor) till you receive the chosen satellite. ---> the azimuth is now set correct.
5. turn the dish to one outer satellite.
6. if you need to point your dish more down to receive the signal you need to lower your elevation.
if you need to point your dish more up to receive the signal you need to higher your elevation.

I know it is a very short description. These are just the basics. Search the internet for a more detailed description if you need it.