Flop on Actuator Bracket - Could this be the Problem re Pics?

[jsattv]

After 3 weeks of Adjustments on my 12 Foot Mesh Dish - mostly to Inclination and only to Declination when a high wind knocked out the previous setting of 6.61 degrees, I have NOT been able to get any Satellites except for: 99.0W, 97.0W, 95.0W, 101, 103, and 90.9-(C band). If I try to go beyond these limits I cannot get anything!!

The most frustrating part is that 99.0W and 97.0W are just boomimg in with Q levels on 5 Tp's on 97.0W - my south Satellite in the High 80's. So it is very hard to understand how the Dish Tracking could be so far out for the Far East and Far West Satellites when it is so good for the Satellites that I am able to receive??

Back Actuator Bracket Flop- Could this be the Problem??
One question I have is can the Back Bracket of my Actuator be the problem? That is I took off the fixed Bracket and installed the bearing type of Bracket from Another Actuator.... but it Flops up and Down when I grab it, see pics. (The grease on this bracket has long since dried out). The 3rd picture is the way the Back Actuator sits if I grab it and turn it. Would the older fixed bracket be better for Tracking on the Farther East and West Satellites? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

 

[sergei]

just looking at one of the pictures it looks like the actuator tube may have moved in the rear clamp, you can see what looks like wear/rust spot below the clamp position. Moving it back should allow the dish to move the full arc...if I'm right you can watch your dish and see if the dish makes the full arc east to west and not getting early dish limit error...... If it does just move the actuator. Also check you pole mount to be sure it locked down good, maybe the mount moved and the north/south axis is off now, since this came up after the wind......something to check.
As long as the actuator is parallel then the play should not hurt anything you just don't want the tube binding when dish turns.

 

[Lak7]

That bracket joint should be able to move / piviot. To check for loose points, from the edge of the dish, gently tug and pull. If anything is loose, you may have issues on windy days. C Band is very forgiving, unlike Ku.
You said the wind changed your declination, can you explain a little more. I can't see your adjustment, but your mount looks pretty heavy-duty. Is it possible your Pole or Mount was knocked out of Plumb? One tip I learned the hard way: make sure your dish is at "Top Dead Center" when setting declination. I was also taught to set the declination measuring the Dish vs the "Ring" on the Mount
This may help.......
Footprints by Dish Size - Adjusting the Polar Mount for Prime Focus Antenna - C/Ku-Band Satellite Systems - Tuning, Tracking, Azimuth, Elevation, Declination Angles, F/D Ratio, Focal Distance, Inclinometer, LNB/Feedhorn Assembly, Actuator Assembly, C

 

[jsattv]

That bracket joint should be able to move / piviot. To check for loose points, from the edge of the dish, gently tug and pull. If anything is loose, you may have issues on windy days. C Band is very forgiving, unlike Ku.
You said the wind changed your declination, can you explain a little more. I can't see your adjustment, but your mount looks pretty heavy-duty. Is it possible your Pole or Mount was knocked out of Plumb? One tip I learned the hard way: make sure your dish is at "Top Dead Center" when setting declination. I was also taught to set the declination measuring the Dish vs the "Ring" on the Mount
This may help.......
Footprints by Dish Size - Adjusting the Polar Mount for Prime Focus Antenna - C/Ku-Band Satellite Systems - Tuning, Tracking, Azimuth, Elevation, Declination Angles, F/D Ratio, Focal Distance, Inclinometer, LNB/Feedhorn Assembly, Actuator Assembly, C

Thanks Sergei and Lak 7. Sergei, I rechecked that rear bracket and it has a mark on it from the previous Fixed Bracket,..... but I'm not so sure that it has moved?? I did change it 2 weeks ago so that the Actuator was placed BELOW the Bar Mounting Bracket - instead of above it, but you raise a good point in checking out the Travel from East to West of the Dish. Also how do you know if the Dish is oriented or sitting where it needs to be facing South? I did acquire 127.0W previously but can't get it at all now, so Do I just run the Dish East and West to see how far it goes to find out where the Internal Limits stop the Dish?

Lak 7 what do you mean by "Top Dead Centre", not sure I understand that term? Sorry for all the questions but this is the first time that I have ever done this type of work.

 

[Lak7]

Top Dead Center - Meaning at the absolute Highest point.
No regard to what Sat you're pointed, where, if the actuator was not attached, the Dish would balance in the middle.

"If I try to go beyond these limits I cannot get anything!! "
Do you mean the Dish does not move, or the Dish moves but no signal?

 

[jsattv]

Top Dead Center - Meaning at the absolute Highest point.
No regard to what Sat you're pointed, where, if the actuator was not attached, the Dish would balance in the middle.

"If I try to go beyond these limits I cannot get anything!! "
Do you mean the Dish does not move, or the Dish moves but no signal?

Thanks Lak7, what I meant is the Dish still moves, but I cannot receive or pick up any Satellites past 90.9W in the East direction, or nothing past 103.0W in the West direction, it almost seems that there is Not enough Signal Quality to go any farther East or West!! In reading the Geo orbit pages think it says that once you've found your True South Satellite (which I have done, it is 97.0W on KU Band) - it recommends capturing the far East and far West Satellites by making small adjustments to the Dish on the Pole. But how can I capture them if I don't know where they are?

 

[Lak7]

No Ku or No C Band? Can you could start with C Band, it's much more forgiving, Ku is very precise. To get a rough estimate of Sat location, you could use the Pulse Count from, say 97west and 99 west, subtract the smaller from the larger. That will give you how many "clicks" for 2deg. Use that number to multiply by the number of degrees difference to the next Sat.


Example: Say from 97 to 99 is a 20 Pulse Count difference, or 10 Pulse per 1 deg. To go from 97 to 127 is 30deg. 30 multiplied 10 is 300. Add 300 to the 97 count reading. Drive the Dish to that number and start looking.

 

[jsattv]

No Ku or No C Band? Can you could start with C Band, it's much more forgiving, Ku is very precise. To get a rough estimate of Sat location, you could use the Pulse Count from, say 97west and 99 west, subtract the smaller from the larger. That will give you how many "clicks" for 2deg. Use that number to multiply by the number of degrees difference to the next Sat.


Example: Say from 97 to 99 is a 20 Pulse Count difference, or 10 Pulse per 1 deg. To go from 97 to 127 is 30deg. 30 multiplied 10 is 300. Add 300 to the 97 count reading. Drive the Dish to that number and start looking.

Thanks a lot Lak7, the counts on the VBox III re my Actuator are as follows:
97.0W = 952,
95.0W = 930,
99.0W = 974,
101.0W = 989,
103.0W = 001,
90.9W = 896,
Can't pickup 93.0W,

So from 97 to 99 there is a 22 count difference, or as you mentioned 11 pulses per 1 degree?? So to go to 127, I need to go to 30 X 11 = 330 on the VBox III??

 

[Lak7]

30 x 11 + (plus) the Count for 97
330 + 952 = 1282
I know my VBox V only has 3 Digits, so may be 282?
Your counter tripping over Zero may be an issue, I don't know.
I noticed that your 2deg Pulse counts are not consistent per 2deg:
97 - 99 = 22
99 - 101 = 15
This is not an exact Science, but should get you close.

When you say can't pick up 93, is the Ku AND C Band, or just Ku?

 

[jsattv]

30 x 11 + (plus) the Count for 97
330 + 952 = 1282
I know my VBox V only has 3 Digits, so may be 282?
Your counter tripping over Zero may be an issue, I don't know.
I noticed that your 2deg Pulse counts are not consistent per 2deg:
97 - 99 = 22
99 - 101 = 15
This is not an exact Science, but should get you close.

When you say can't pick up 93, is the Ku AND C Band, or just Ku?

Lak7 thanks, you are correct in the V Box III and my Actuator not being consistent to 101, it seems okay from 97 to 95 that is 952 - 930 = 22. For 97 to 99 it is 974 - 952 = 22. Not sure what you mean in the first part of your post re the tripping over zero stuff??

Re 93.0W, I cannot get 93.0 on Ku Band and unfortunately there is NO listing for 93.0 on C Band in my Satellite Receiver Menu. (I do get 103.0W on Both C and Ku band but the Ku Band as you mentioned is not as strong as the C Band Satellite).

 

[Lak7]

If you don't have a particular Sat listed(93 for C Band) you have to Add it.

The Zero thing, with the VBox hitting Zero in the middle of your arc, didn't know if it would cause any issues.

Ku on a BUD is Very picky, you may have to adjust the elevation / declination.
You cound park it on 103 and raise / lower the elevation, counting the number of turns( or "faces" of the Nut) to see if Quality improves.

 

[jsattv]

If you don't have a particular Sat listed(93 for C Band) you have to Add it.

The Zero thing, with the VBox hitting Zero in the middle of your arc, didn't know if it would cause any issues.

Ku on a BUD is Very picky, you may have to adjust the elevation / declination.
You cound park it on 103 and raise / lower the elevation, counting the number of turns( or "faces" of the Nut) to see if Quality improves.

Thank a lot Lak7. I'll have to find out how to add a satellite to my Receivers' List.

You are correct in that Ku is definately harder to pickup on my BUD - except for 97.0W which is okay. On C Band 99.0W is running S = 76 and Q = 99 to 100!! I definately think that Elevation may be out since even when I dial in on 97.0W if I push DOWN on the Dish the reception does get better. But with most of the Ku Band Sats I am only seeing a S = 59 or 60, so I hope adjusting it in the upward direction helps?

 

[Lak7]

If pushing Down helps 97, make the elevation adjustment and check a Sat to the East or West to see if there is any change. Don't forget to look at the chart that Sergei posted above.