I'm confused about the adjustments on this dish

[chaskuchar]

i can't believe dee ann has so many dishes... that's incredible. lotta learning in a back yard. i would trip over one to adjust another... if i can figure out how to post these pictures i will try to get my two dishes posted. charlie

 

[Dee_Ann]

Dee_Ann,

For the purposes of this note it would be a good idea to be out at the dish while reading this.
On the pictures you have posted there is an “upper scale” and a “lower scale”. The lower scale is the one with the numbers 0-9.

For simplicity sake consider that the “pointer” to be used to set the dish is the line with the number “0” on the lower scale.
So, if you wished to set the dish at 40 degrees, you would simply move the dish to where the “0” on the lower scale is pointing to the 40 on the upper scale.

Always use the “0” as the basic pointer. If you wanted to set the dish at 40.5 degrees, you would probably move the scales until you have the “0” pointed about midway between the 40 and the 41 on the upper scale.

For most of your measurements you can use it that way.
What the additional numbers are used for is a little greater degree of accuracy. Because our eyes cannot perfectly divide the distance between the marks on the upper scale in to ten equal parts, you are given the lower scale to be able to accomplish that task.

** you may or may not want to try this:*

Now let’s say you wanted to set your dish to 40.6 degrees. Hmm we know that the “point 6” is a little greater than midway between the 40 and 41 marks but it is very difficult to judge.
So you move the dish until you have the zero “0” pointed midway between the 40 and 41 marks. (if you are exactly at the midway mark, with the “0” you would notice that the “5” on the lower scale would be “exactly” lined up with a mark on the upper scale. (It makes no difference what mark the 5 is lined up with, as long as it is “perfectly” aligned with a mark on the upper scale and the “0”on the lower scale is midway between 40 and 41.

Now, if you wanted to get that measurement of 40.6, you are close and only need to move a little more until the “6” on the lower scale is aligned with a line on the upper scale.
One thing to be noted is that when you have one line on the lower scale perfectly aligned with a line on the upper scale, none of the other lines on the lower scale will be perfectly aligned with the lines on the upper scale. It is designed this way. The lines will be close to being aligned, but only one will be “Perfectly” aligned.
I know it is a little confusing, and I also know I have many machinists pulling out their hair with this explanation, but do hope it helps.

The logic behind this system baffles me. I can't imagine what drugs they were taking when they dreamed up this device.

BUT..

Your explanation of HOW TO USE it, is understandable by me...

You managed to explain it in terms simple enough for an ijjit like myself to make use of..

I do now believe that I can muddle my way through this weird measuring system. I suppose if I do this a few times I might get the hang of it.
I'm going to print your post and take it out to the dish and give it a try.

Thank you very much for your help, I needed the most basic, simplistic guidelines to go by and you did a magnificent job of showing me the way..

 

[Dee_Ann]

i can't believe dee ann has so many dishes... that's incredible. lotta learning in a back yard. i would trip over one to adjust another... if i can figure out how to post these pictures i will try to get my two dishes posted. charlie

LOL!!

Yes, there are a few dishes out there. Mostly it's because once upon a time there were a LOT of FTA ku satellites but my PC home theater tuner can not operate a ku hh motor so I had to put separate dishes up and a complicated switch system.
Then I got into C band too last year. Several of the ku dishes are coming down and several have been converted from FTA linear to Dish Network circular which I will be subscribing to next week (that is if I can get the new wire ran on time).

All of them, I put up myself. The C band dishes, I had to pay someone to plant the poles because it was just too much for me to do. I assembled the huge 10' dish by myself and my Dad helped me put it up on the pole. It was just loose parts that had been left around here for YEARS by my ex. I had never even seen it assembled before. A lot of the ku dishes were left here by him and a very nice gentleman gave me like 5+ ku dishes last year that he didn't need.

Originally I wanted to have only ONE motorize ku dish but it wasn't possible. Then I saw all the cool channels you guys were getting on FTA so I started putting up more and more dishes. It became an addiction/obsession.

But yeah, I do have trouble getting in there to adjust them, they are so closely packed that many of them touch one another and a few overlap each other. On day I may rip them ALL up and put new poles in in a more logical arrangement where there's more room to get to them, easier to mow under/around and up higher so I don't have to sit on the ground to work on them. It would be better if they were all at the same height where I could sit in a chair to work on them..

Then there are the trees. I'm getting a few big oak trees taken down this year and that will help a little but there are some trash trees growing along the fence line that have to come down. I have a little "yum yum juice" for them to sip on so they never wake up this spring.. They always drop limbs and tear my power line down every time a hurricane comes through or even a strong storm. Twice those trees have destroyed the power stuff into my house, bent the pipe, broke the meter and tore up the breaker box in addition to blocking satellites. Those trees will not see another spring.. Muhahahahahaha!!!!!!!

But yeah, I pretty much took them all down (ku) last weekend and redid them all, that's how I ended up with this weird dish getting moved from 97 to 125. 97 was a no brainer, 125 is very fickle where I am with the trees and whatnot..

What I would really like to do is get rid of all these little dinky dishes and get ONE, REAL SATELLITE DISH. I think this one would take care of ALL my TV watching needs..

 

[Babadem]

That is a vernier scale - here is how to use/read a vernier scale on vernier calipers:
How to use and read a vernier caliper?
Bob

Great reference!

 

[Mauiguy]

The logic behind this system baffles me. I can't imagine what drugs they were taking when they dreamed up this device.

BUT..

Your explanation of HOW TO USE it, is understandable by me...

You managed to explain it in terms simple enough for an ijjit like myself to make use of..

I do now believe that I can muddle my way through this weird measuring system. I suppose if I do this a few times I might get the hang of it.
I'm going to print your post and take it out to the dish and give it a try.

Thank you very much for your help, I needed the most basic, simplistic guidelines to go by and you did a magnificent job of showing me the way..

Happy to be of some assistance.

Actually the system was developed for accurate measurements that could be read with the human eye before we went digital. Imagine scales with tiny lines ten thousandths of an inch apart and trying to discern them with the naked eye. So they developed this way of making it "easier" for us. The thing is that is has a little learning curve.

Good Luck and have a great day.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Happy to be of some assistance.

Actually the system was developed for accurate measurements that could be read with the human eye before we went digital. Imagine scales with tiny lines ten thousandths of an inch apart and trying to discern them with the naked eye. So they developed this way of making it "easier" for us. The thing is that is has a little learning curve.

Good Luck and have a great day.

Well as I mentioned before, my Dad had given me a few of these assorted measuring devices but I could never figure them out no matter how many times he tried to explain them to me.
So he ended up trading me out for a digital one that I can totally understand.




The one thing that makes me buggy is that it's left handed. I'm ambidextrous to some degree but I find this device to be annoying. I'm going to buy a right handed one one day I suppose.

Oh, and again, thank you!

 

[starwatch]

Hello Dee......I had a conversation the other day( 1month ago) with the woman who has the dish farm I was telling
you about. I told her that we could offer her some cash for a few of the dishes, would she consider it.I let her know if it got cold
outside would be a good time to try to discover just whats out there...(no snakes)...I know how you like those.. She might go for it.
I will stop by there soon and let you know what she says about how much it will take to convince her..By the way, IF I knew the
dish mounts were going to cause you to drink, I would have told you how to use them...LOL...Talk later

 

[kodaz]

Dee_Ann,

For the purposes of this note it would be a good idea to be out at the dish while reading this.
On the pictures you have posted there is an “upper scale” and a “lower scale”. The lower scale is the one with the numbers 0-9.

For simplicity sake consider that the “pointer” to be used to set the dish is the line with the number “0” on the lower scale.
So, if you wished to set the dish at 40 degrees, you would simply move the dish to where the “0” on the lower scale is pointing to the 40 on the upper scale.

Always use the “0” as the basic pointer. If you wanted to set the dish at 40.5 degrees, you would probably move the scales until you have the “0” pointed about midway between the 40 and the 41 on the upper scale.

For most of your measurements you can use it that way.
What the additional numbers are used for is a little greater degree of accuracy. Because our eyes cannot perfectly divide the distance between the marks on the upper scale in to ten equal parts, you are given the lower scale to be able to accomplish that task.

** you may or may not want to try this:*

Now let’s say you wanted to set your dish to 40.6 degrees. Hmm we know that the “point 6” is a little greater than midway between the 40 and 41 marks but it is very difficult to judge.
So you move the dish until you have the zero “0” pointed midway between the 40 and 41 marks. (if you are exactly at the midway mark, with the “0” you would notice that the “5” on the lower scale would be “exactly” lined up with a mark on the upper scale. (It makes no difference what mark the 5 is lined up with, as long as it is “perfectly” aligned with a mark on the upper scale and the “0”on the lower scale is midway between 40 and 41.

Now, if you wanted to get that measurement of 40.6, you are close and only need to move a little more until the “6” on the lower scale is aligned with a line on the upper scale.
One thing to be noted is that when you have one line on the lower scale perfectly aligned with a line on the upper scale, none of the other lines on the lower scale will be perfectly aligned with the lines on the upper scale. It is designed this way. The lines will be close to being aligned, but only one will be “Perfectly” aligned.
I know it is a little confusing, and I also know I have many machinists pulling out their hair with this explanation, but do hope it helps.

Yep, what they said and i posted in the pic i modified in powerpoint that shows the exact same thing.
i'm invisible at home too, my wife hasnt seen me in a week!!

 

[Dee_Ann]

Hello Dee......I had a conversation the other day( 1month ago) with the woman who has the dish farm I was telling
you about. I told her that we could offer her some cash for a few of the dishes, would she consider it.I let her know if it got cold
outside would be a good time to try to discover just whats out there...(no snakes)...I know how you like those.. She might go for it.
I will stop by there soon and let you know what she says about how much it will take to convince her..

Cool beans!

By the way, IF I knew the dish mounts were going to cause you to drink, I would have told you how to use them...LOL...Talk later

LOL!! Well, I never saw one of these things before and I'm no good with numbers so it really threw me for a loop. But not to fear, Satelliteguys to the rescue!
I think I can use the thing now after someone put it in very simple terms for me. I think it is going to work out just fine, once my swamp drains and I can get out there to try it!

Some things, I'm just really, really slow to catch on to..