GEOSATpro How temperature sensitive are Vbox dish movers?

[Lone Gunman]

Two of my systems run out of my shop/garage and they both have Vbox dish movers on them and Von Weise movers. These setups have been up and running for many years and I've seen my share of damage from lightning strikes.

But .... yesterday I had another problem bite me and that's a count problems FROM BOTH systems??? My garage is heated but I do not heat it unless I have something to do in it so yesterday the temperature in the shop was 53* when I went out there to setup for recording On Patrol Live at 9pm on the Reelz channel on 127W. The Raydx system was first to show count problems as I couldn't get a lock on ANYTHING. Went to the Wineguard system and basically ran into the same problem. Tried to zero out the Vbox and start over but still had problems with it as well. I finally did get two positions (125W and 127W) to where I could use that system.

So, having used these two systems for a while during winter months I've never seen this and was wondering how cold sensitive these Vbox movers are?

Anyone else seen this?

Just saying..................

 

[mikekohl]

Two of my systems run out of my shop/garage and they both have Vbox dish movers on them and Von Weise movers. These setups have been up and running for many years and I've seen my share of damage from lightning strikes.

But .... yesterday I had another problem bite me and that's a count problems FROM BOTH systems??? My garage is heated but I do not heat it unless I have something to do in it so yesterday the temperature in the shop was 53* when I went out there to setup for recording On Patrol Live at 9pm on the Reelz channel on 127W. The Raydx system was first to show count problems as I couldn't get a lock on ANYTHING. Went to the Wineguard system and basically ran into the same problem. Tried to zero out the Vbox and start over but still had problems with it as well. I finally did get two positions (125W and 127W) to where I could use that system.

So, having used these two systems for a while during winter months I've never seen this and was wondering how cold sensitive these Vbox movers are?

Anyone else seen this?

Just saying..................

The problem is likely outside on the actuators. If you do not have a weather bellows at the moving end of the motor, water may have entered the tube and gotten sucked inside the arm, and if you got a cold snap followed by a period of not moving the dish, the tube is likely frozen. Warm weather solution is to take the arm apart, inspect and lubricate as needed. Winter solution would be to bring an extension cord out to the dish, and install a heat tape normally used for keeping water pipes from freezing. Some have thermostats; other models may just be plug-in and manually plugged in or unplugged. Before you spend the money on a heat tape, test the concept by carefully heating the tube with a hair dryer...just enough to get it slightly warm. Don't overdo the heating, as things can be damaged by too much heat.
Carefully test again with one of your controllers. If they don't move things, bring a 12 volt battery charger out to the dish, and carefully apply power to the two heavy (M1 and M2) wires on the actuator. Reverse wire position if nothing happens.
I suggest the battery charger as a quick way of seeing the problem at the dish, and the fastest method to see if the motor drive is the root of the problem, rather than guessing from indoors. Good luck!

 

[primestar31]

The problem is likely outside on the actuators. If you do not have a weather bellows at the moving end of the motor, water may have entered the tube and gotten sucked inside the arm, and if you got a cold snap followed by a period of not moving the dish, the tube is likely frozen. Warm weather solution is to take the arm apart, inspect and lubricate as needed. Winter solution would be to bring an extension cord out to the dish, and install a heat tape normally used for keeping water pipes from freezing. Some have thermostats; other models may just be plug-in and manually plugged in or unplugged. Before you spend the money on a heat tape, test the concept by carefully heating the tube with a hair dryer...just enough to get it slightly warm. Don't overdo the heating, as things can be damaged by too much heat.
Carefully test again with one of your controllers. If they don't move things, bring a 12 volt battery charger out to the dish, and carefully apply power to the two heavy (M1 and M2) wires on the actuator. Reverse wire position if nothing happens.
I suggest the battery charger as a quick way of seeing the problem at the dish, and the fastest method to see if the motor drive is the root of the problem, rather than guessing from indoors. Good luck!

I think Mike above nailed it. It's NOT the Vbox controllers themselves, I'm pretty sure of that. IF you've never replaced the grease inside your actuator with lower temp rated grease, you should consider doing so.

 

[Lone Gunman]

FYI these actuators are two of the three that I replaced the nylon nuts with brass nuts and used synthetic grease on years ago. They have operated in way colder weather than what we have had here in the past few days.

It's suppose to be 65* here mid week so we'll see how they work then with the heat on in the shop.

Thanks....................

 

[FTA4PA]

FYI these actuators are two of the three that I replaced the nylon nuts with brass nuts and used synthetic grease on years ago. They have operated in way colder weather than what we have had here in the past few days.

It's suppose to be 65* here mid week so we'll see how they work then with the heat on in the shop.

Thanks....................

Best time to test would be right now while it is still cold out. Crank up the shop heat and see if movement improves. If yes, then it is the Vbox. If not, then it is likely the actuators.

 

[primestar31]

Crank up the shop heat and see if movement improves.

Just use a hair dryer on it to warm it up a little. No need to heat the entire shop if you don't want to.

 

[mikekohl]

Just use a hair dryer on it to warm it up a little. No need to heat the entire shop if you don't want to.

I have rarely ever seen a temperature related problem with a control box...they have a wide range of operating temperatures.
Absolutely agree on the hair dryer test on the motor drives while it is still cold. If one works, repeat with the other unit on nearby satellite antenna. Motor drives are outside 24 hours a day, exposed to all kinds of weather. If you had freezing rain, or a cold snap following a rain event, chances are pretty good that there is ice holding the inner tube from going in or out.
Should this problem occur now, on one or more antennas, the hair dryer is a quick fix and an easy test. When weather warms up, you might consider cleaning up the inside of the moving tube and re-do with low temperature grease. Then think about going to an automotive parts place and see if they have any bellows type hoses of a similar diameter. Install one with appropriate diameter hose clamps on one antenna as an experiment, and to preserve whatever life is left in the arm. Repeat process if you think it is a good idea on remaining dish (s).