Arc Set

[goaliebob99]

I am looking for one, for the Tucson area? Does anyone know if these are still sold and where?

Gourmet...Entertaining ARC-SET
C/Ku Band Dish Alignment Tool

The Gourmet...Entertaining ARC-SET is truly a "must have" tool for aligning a steerable (movable) C or KU Band satellite dish antenna. The ARC SET comes pre-set to your location and is accurate within a 50-mile range of the pre-set location. The ARC-SET can align a dish within a matter of minutes and can even align a dish that is on a pole that isn't perfectly plumb! The ARC-SET works on all parabolic dishes and polar mounts.

I actually would be interested in making these if they are not made anymore if anyone has any details.

 

[FTA4PA]

I am looking for one, for the Tucson area? Does anyone know if these are still sold and where?

Gourmet...Entertaining ARC-SET
C/Ku Band Dish Alignment Tool

The Gourmet...Entertaining ARC-SET is truly a "must have" tool for aligning a steerable (movable) C or KU Band satellite dish antenna. The ARC SET comes pre-set to your location and is accurate within a 50-mile range of the pre-set location. The ARC-SET can align a dish within a matter of minutes and can even align a dish that is on a pole that isn't perfectly plumb! The ARC-SET works on all parabolic dishes and polar mounts.

I actually would be interested in making these if they are not made anymore if anyone has any details.

The site is not up anymore but here is a capture of it from the Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20100814102747/http://www.gourmet-ent.com/products/arc_ext.html

 

[goaliebob99]

Yea that's where I got my info. I think the guy that made these might have passed. I wouldn't mind making them again for hobbyest. I just need to know how they are made.

 

[KE4EST]

I know Scott got one a few years ago.

 

[Radioguy41]

I still have mine that I bought in the early 1990s. Invaluable in setting up a BUD.

It's listed as an available product here:

http://www.tvantenna.com/products/tools.html

This is interesting, it appears to show a live website but?

http://gourmet.isalestore.com/

 

[Magic Static]

Looks like a set of three round bubble levels in magnetic frames. The levels can be rotated in their frames in marked increments to any angle. Set your angles and zero the bubbles. Essentially you could do this with three small digital levels. They are getting fairly cheap nowadays.

 

[gpflepsen]

A digital inclinometer (or phone app) seems to get the same results for far less money. Free in the case of the app.

 

[goaliebob99]

Looks like a set of three round bubble levels in magnetic frames. The levels can be rotated in their frames in marked increments to any angle. Set your angles and zero the bubbles. Essentially you could do this with three small digital levels. They are getting fairly cheap nowadays.

This is what I was thinking as well.

 

[goaliebob99]

I ended up getting one of those digital angle finders from Freight Harbor. IE: an inclinometer. It tremendously helped with my issues. I was on the button for my elevation angle but was off by a few degrees on the declination angle, causing me to miss the edges of the arch. I am really spot on now.

 

[skysurfer]

Looks like a set of three round bubble levels in magnetic frames. The levels can be rotated in their frames in marked increments to any angle. Set your angles and zero the bubbles. Essentially you could do this with three small digital levels. They are getting fairly cheap nowadays.

you didn't have to set any angles as that was done by Gourmet Entertaining for your area when you purchased the arc set. All you do is place the proper segment of the tool on the dish in certain places (elev, extreme sat, inclination) and do an adjustment until the bubble is centered. After a few years the plastic would crack and the liquid vials leak and the tool becomes useless. I tried a few years ago to ask about if the product had a lifetime warranty so I could get my arc set replaced and got no response so that told me the company may have been out of business or moved on to other things for which they wouldn't be able to answer my inquiry.

if you knew the angle you needed for those three places, you could do it with a digital level.

 

[Cham]

The instructions are likely more useful than the device (as long as you know the angles and have a digital level). Would be cool just to have one. The device appears to have three bubble levels that seem to be geared to a turn-able screw that has a pointer that lines up to the angles scribed on the housing. Maybe one could be built with three of those small square digital levels attached in one plane and read directly to match the various angles.

if you knew the angle you needed for those three places, you could do it with a digital level.