Help!

[bloomdog]

I will try the lock washers this weekend and will let you know.
As for setting up for USALS, it's my understanding that I take the steps:
1. Aim the dish due south.
2. point my dish at eleveation of 42 degrees (taking into account the dish offset angle)--which I can also find by tuning into my true south satellite (72W) and then just moving the the dish .05 degrees to the east, thus leving me pointing at due south (my longitude is 71.06 degrees West).
3. then, the USALS software will do the rest

Is this correct???

 

[Wescopc]

You've got the idea, your TS compass reading for 72W is 195.6°. Have your motor and receiver already set on 72W, then move the motor and dish together as a set, left and right on the mast (pole).
Good luck.
Bob

 

[bloomdog]

Ok-- I am about ready to eat my dish and throw the motor out the window. Sorry to be so negative, but the amount of frustration involved here is outweighing the benefit. If someone can help me I would greatly appreciate it.
Ok, here goes:
1. Split washers did not work. I will try star washers in the morning. If they don't work, the motor goes in the trash!
2. My motor is a Jaeger Superjack DS 120+. I have the manual. It is in German. I understand a little German and it does NOT give the angle of the motor shaft. There is a chart in there. According to the chart, for my latitude, the "elevation angle" is 48 degress and the "declination angle" is 6.489 degrees.
3. I am at 42.35 degrees N latitude.
4. My dish's offest angle is 17 degrees.
5. The motor has markings on the side --on one side is elevation; on the opposite side is latitude.
6. I had to build my own mount which attaches the dish to the motor shaft due to weight problems. The motor shaft is parallel to the dish when connected.
7. How do I calculate the elevation setting for the motor?
8. If star washers don't work--any other ideas??

Please help. Bad day.

 

[Wescopc]

Ok, here goes:
1. Split washers did not work. I will try star washers in the morning. If they don't work, the motor goes in the trash!

Star washers will work better than split I believe

2. My motor is a Jaeger Superjack DS 120+. I have the manual. It is in German. I understand a little German and it does NOT give the angle of the motor shaft. There is a chart in there. According to the chart, for my latitude, the "elevation angle" is 48 degress and the "declination angle" is 6.489 degrees.

So set the motor at 48° elevation (close enough to 47.7° in my post above)

3. I am at 42.35 degrees N latitude.
4. My dish's offest angle is 17 degrees.
5. The motor has markings on the side --on one side is elevation; on the opposite side is latitude.

So use the elevation markings of 48°

6. I had to build my own mount which attaches the dish to the motor shaft due to weight problems. The motor shaft is parallel to the dish when connected.

You will have to have an adjustment between your dish and the motor shaft. You must be able to set the dish elevation separate from the motor elevation. We can NOT calculate this elevation number without knowing the shaft angle of the motor.

The only other way I would know how to set the dish elevation (once you have the mount fixed so you can adjust the dish) is with the use of an inclineometer as I mentioned above. So 42° less 17° offset = 25° on your inclinometer (available at Home Depot $10).

7. How do I calculate the elevation setting for the motor?

See 5 above, 90°-42°(your latitude)=48° motor elevation.

8. If star washers don't work--any other ideas??

Nope
Good luck,
Bob

 

[bloomdog]

Bob-thanks so much for the information. Why does the dish need to have a separate elevation setting than the motor? Can't I just rotate the whole motor so that the dish is at 25 degrees??
There were a couple of older postings here whereby the members made their own mounts which did not have the ability to change the dish elevation. I modeled my mount after theirs.
Again, thanks for all the help.
-bloomdog

 

[Tron]

The dish elevation and motor elevation are two different things, and you can't substitute one for the other. The shaft on your motor is angled so that the motor will track the arc correctly, but only if the motor is set at the proper elevation (or your latitude, if you use the scale on that side of the motor mount). If you can't set the dish and motor elevations separately, the dish will not track the arc properly.

 

[bloomdog]

Thanks.

 

[Wescopc]

The dish elevation and motor elevation are two different things, and you can't substitute one for the other. The shaft on your motor is angled so that the motor will track the arc correctly, but only if the motor is set at the proper elevation (or your latitude, if you use the scale on that side of the motor mount). If you can't set the dish and motor elevations separately, the dish will not track the arc properly.

Exactly! Others that have built their own mount either built it with the elevation already designed in, or they had a way to adjust it that wasn't obvious in their pictures.
Bob

 

[giraffejumper]

Command the motor , with USALS , to move to the due south sat .

Tweek the installation by swing the motor / dish assembly slightly east - west and by moving the dish slightly up - down . Leave the adjustment on the dish motor bracket alone .

Thank you!
This is exactly the info I have been looking for!
I have been confused about this since I first started!
Now maybe I can get this thing going!
-phil

 

[Wescopc]

Thank you!
This is exactly the info I have been looking for!
I have been confused about this since I first started!
Now maybe I can get this thing going!
-phil

I am glad that between us all, we have got you going in the right direction. Hope you are able to adjust the dish without to much trouble.
Bob