Today I was able to acquire a used actuator at my local sat dealer. It's the same unit that I have currently - so not only do I have a replacement gear but all the other parts for spares.
Thanks to all for viewing my question and for the answers received.
PS: The sat guy said that NPS was planning on cutting programming at the end of this year. Has anyone else heard this? Does anyone have a source for a comprehensive list of FTA channels?