I live in golden Colorado. Yes I have used dish pointer and all that dish align etc etc. I have the apps on my iPad , phone to see where the birds are in the sky when I'm outside. I have the angle finder. I don't know why I'm having so much trouble.... I dug the hole where I thought I'd have the clearest line of site.
Help with first c band install
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For your part of the USA I think to start with, you have the motor on the wrong side of the dish, SO YOU CAN'T FIND ANY SATELLITES ok so first question, how did you come to the decision that you put the dish, where you dug that hole I have done a lot of jobs where the owner tried to do it themselves, and literary picked the spot out of THIN AIR WHEN YOU say the clearest line of site, how did you know where the birds are at your location? I'm just double checking not making fun of you
Gary
Ok so per the manual I agree with u it's on the wrong side. But there is only 1 spot for the actuator arm. And it's on that side. I dint have 2 spots to mount the actuator like I see on most mounts.... I was wondering the same thing. And this is how. It was mounted before when I took it down. I didn't move that or touch it. I kept it mounted just where it is now. Like. I said before i have the dish pointer apps in my iPad and phone and I kook ed. To the sky some. Also if I put it anywhere else in the yard ud be to close. To the house or this tree. So I picked what I thiught was a good spot. I talked. To a guy here in CO Hank on the forum he said his arm is on the right side too. I'll take pics tomorrow you can see, maybe I'm missing something. Hopefully I am. But I only see one place for the actuator to be mounted too.
If your cam was a foot back, I could see, but where I want to look is cut off in the picture, I never saw a dish that was not made to take both sides. But how do you even know the guy you got it from had it working??
what is the make of the dish, so i can find more pics on line, so you don't have to take anymore?
Well not really, once you get over the top, which is called the zenith, the motor really can get stuck, and you have piss poor control of it, so who made it, made model number, it does not look like one I ever worked on, but there all the same, like women some just need more work
Ok for your area, I'm clueless what is the offset?
What is the elevation?
In your area the ACC. is on the left side, need a better image once you do that, you can run blind, by running the dish down in your area like half way, from the top, and move the dish slowly on the pole, left and right, no signal move the motor again at 1/4 inch out and again until you find one bird.
So let's see what kind of dish you have, trust me its not rocket science LOL its very easy I KNOW MY ARC HERE, but from your location I don't know the compass reading for any of the birds, once known, then a google earth view, we all can see where your birds are, you might be looking through trees, and have to move the site
What is the elevation?
In your area the ACC. is on the left side, need a better image once you do that, you can run blind, by running the dish down in your area like half way, from the top, and move the dish slowly on the pole, left and right, no signal move the motor again at 1/4 inch out and again until you find one bird.
So let's see what kind of dish you have, trust me its not rocket science LOL its very easy I KNOW MY ARC HERE, but from your location I don't know the compass reading for any of the birds, once known, then a google earth view, we all can see where your birds are, you might be looking through trees, and have to move the site
Well then its ok to use the motor WHERE I IS, YOUR PROBLEM IS NOW I FEEL YOUR DEG OFFSET IS WRONG WHAT IS THE DEGREE IT'S SUPPOSE TO BE FOR YOUR AREA? I can't see from the picture how or where it gets adjusted? so show me where in a pic its set wrong maybe your elevation setting is wrong to BOTH THOSE ARE SET WITH THE DISH AT THE ZENITH POSITION, IT'S CALLED BALL PARKING THE DISH, THEN WHEN YOU TRACK IT YOU FINE TUNE IT
Well, if that is indeed not perpendicular, it is a non standard setup indeed!
1. First, do you have you dish rotation pivot at modified latitude angle of 40.35*, so modified elevation angle of 49.65* (says my calculator, for latitude 39.7*)?
Your photo WA0002.jpg would be about right, I guess.
2. Then turn your dish (with your actuator) to such a position, that the distance from the rotation pivot to the middle left of the dish, is exactly the same as the distance from the rotation pivot to the middle right of the dish. This will be your dish-'perfectly'-aligned-to-pivot position, needed for due south aiming.
In your case it might be that your 'normal' top and bottom of the dish aren't perfectly vertical now, and the same goes for left and right not perfectly horizontal; but that is not really important. Important is the perfect aligning.
3. Now for setting declination angle: Use the needed dish elevation for your fictive due south satellite position: 44.07* above the horizontal. Don't bother about the value of the (modified) declination angle in some manuals, though you can check that 49.65 - 44.07 = 5.59* (yeah, a rounding difference), the needed modified declination angle.
You'll have to measure this 44.07 at the face of the dish, along the perfect vertical line; so you'll have to use a long flat piece of wood or so.
4. Do or check step 2 again, and then step 3 again. Due to the irregularities of your dish, you might need one or two repeats.
5. After you get these angles absolutely right, you can go finding your due south satellite, by turning the whole setup around the pole. Do you have a perfect south satellite?
Greetz,
A33
1. First, do you have you dish rotation pivot at modified latitude angle of 40.35*, so modified elevation angle of 49.65* (says my calculator, for latitude 39.7*)?
Your photo WA0002.jpg would be about right, I guess.
2. Then turn your dish (with your actuator) to such a position, that the distance from the rotation pivot to the middle left of the dish, is exactly the same as the distance from the rotation pivot to the middle right of the dish. This will be your dish-'perfectly'-aligned-to-pivot position, needed for due south aiming.
In your case it might be that your 'normal' top and bottom of the dish aren't perfectly vertical now, and the same goes for left and right not perfectly horizontal; but that is not really important. Important is the perfect aligning.
3. Now for setting declination angle: Use the needed dish elevation for your fictive due south satellite position: 44.07* above the horizontal. Don't bother about the value of the (modified) declination angle in some manuals, though you can check that 49.65 - 44.07 = 5.59* (yeah, a rounding difference), the needed modified declination angle.
You'll have to measure this 44.07 at the face of the dish, along the perfect vertical line; so you'll have to use a long flat piece of wood or so.
4. Do or check step 2 again, and then step 3 again. Due to the irregularities of your dish, you might need one or two repeats.
5. After you get these angles absolutely right, you can go finding your due south satellite, by turning the whole setup around the pole. Do you have a perfect south satellite?
Greetz,
A33
On a motorized polar mount installation, the declination and elevation settings must be made with the mount parked at the top of the arc. There is no other position to place the mount to set these angles.
If installing a fixed dish (non-motorized), the declination setting is not needed and only the elevation angle is adjusted to match the target satellite's elevation.
If installing a fixed dish (non-motorized), the declination setting is not needed and only the elevation angle is adjusted to match the target satellite's elevation.
CORRECTION. This step is not right yet, I believe, but I'm not sure.
The result should be: (Horizontal) dish face should be exactly perpendicular to the line ground pole -- rotation pivot.
I'm still thinking about the easiest way to achieve that, with asymmetrical dish construction parts.
Greetz,
A33
Edit:
With some asymmetrical parts, the 'middle of the dish' is not the 'middle of the dish-contruction'.
To achieve what I wrote above: (Horizontal) dish face should be exactly perpendicular to the line ground pole -- rotation pivot, you'll have to find the middle of the dish-contruction at the face of the dish.
I would take a plank or shelf or however that is called in english, make a mark in the exact middle, and hold/fix it temporarily horizontally to the dish face, in a way that this middle is exactly in line with pole and pivot.
Then check if the distance from pole (that would namely be the normal basis for this aligning test) to left side of plank is equal to the distance to right side of plank. If not, move actuator till it is better, and then realign middle of the plank again, and test again the distances to left and right of the plank.
Repeat this step, and step 3, till all is all about right.
When you get a friend to help, I guess it is do-able this way.
Or, less precise, you could try to find the perpendicular position by eye......
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Ok, guys I called Tim, he's going to try what I said, he needs a working analog receiver for his dish, right now I have him using the 18 volt battery from his drill to move the ACC. I think he can do it, if someone lives near him and has a working receiver, it would be nice, to gift it to him.
Up until now I THINK he has not moved the ACC, but I could be wrong, yes, he has a lot to learn, and that goes for any newbie if he gets stuck, and it goes for anyone reading this, this site satelliteguys has a sister site you may not know about that is called Dishretailer Discussion Boards that link could get you in as a guest if you can't post, you can ask me to post for you, there's always some old timer like me, who did C-Band, there, but is like me retired, and you can't find them, who you may be able to pay, to bail you guys out. If you're looking for me, I hang out in the pit, even in CT. You could not get me to work, my left shoulder is shot, thanks to a jerk doctor, who thinks he is the best surgeon in the world.
Gary Diamond
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