How much arc would I gain (approx) ?

[Vipersan]

..Plate now fitted ..
not tested as yet ..and will probably drill and fit a 3rd bolt to form a triangle where the plate overlaps the mount..
..but ran out of bolts and washers..
Good enough for now ..and will put it through its paces .
Jack mounted in the hole to the right of the original and slighly futher up.
ref previous photo.

 

[Vipersan]

It's going to be hard to judge until the new jack is fitted ..but what I can say is that moving East I have hit the actuators internal Eastern limit switch and still have clearance to the mount ..so I _will_ be able to use full jack extension now ..
58W is no longer possible but may be fudgeable once the jack is fully closed and the Vbox limits overidden ..
55W no problem.
Just how far East is also debateable ..
certainly I will now be able to use a fully extended jack ..but how far on the arc this will achieve Eastward ?
No point in making changes at this point .
I'll wait until the new actuator arrives and leave the limit switches as they are set from the factory.
Looking promising ..that's all I can say at this point.
rgds
VS

 

[Vipersan]

..The new meaty actuator arrived yesterday ...so spent the morning trying various combinations..
Ended up drilling yet another hole on the dishes backplate frame ..about an inch closer to the axis.
This in combination with a different hole on the 'divine' plate slightly west and forward ..now allows 58W just before the jack is fully closed..and limit switch activated ..
I the fully opened the jack which moved easily to 50East ..where it pointed directly into the Troublesome Tree ....and activated the second limit switch ..
Off came the motor cover ..and repositioned the limit switch cam 2 more clicks ...which allowed more Eastward movement before activating ..
Maybe another click is possible as the extended part of the jack measures 23 inches ..and in this position is well clear of the mount itself ..so no danger of it hitting and binding.
However it may be pointless as I'd then be pointing at the semi dtached in the photo ..
Currently at max extension (limit switch activated) I can see through the gap to the right of the semi ..and thus 60 East roughly..
At this time of year I'd be lucky to get a signal (natural obstructions) ..but I have the new jack tracking the arc at least as well and as much as the previous actuator..
But ..this one is stronger quieter ...and counts more pulses per degree ..so I'll now have to re-do all sat positions in the Vbox
Just time for a cuppa before I got to go to work ..so I'll leave you with a few photos.
rgds
VS

 

[Captain Jack]

Is it me or is Neil missing?

 

[Vipersan]

Nope ..he's still there ..just well over to the West parked on Amazonas atm ..so as not to obstruct or clip christina during alignment..
Neil is immediately South of Christina ...and the photo is looking East.
Anyway ..I now have Christinas main Vbox sorted insofaras ..58W to 30E ..
All sat positions with anything lockable logged in ..
I would have liked to at least get 38 East (Paksat) locked in ..but possibly due to leafage ..or nothing strong enough atm ...so can't find anything..
Just popped it in the list roughly where it should be.
So If anyone in my neck of the woods finds anything particularly strong ...please get my attention asap..as Paksat is usually T.O.D here.
cheers
VS

 

[nelson_b]

hi there
--just checked signals on paksat --Jalwa 3825V 2800 is showing 7.0 db here tonight --
maybe not enough for you to lock - but may show something
the KTN mux is still showing at 5.6 db
AJK is off in the evenings -- but sometimes shows a better signal than Jalwa in the afternoons

cheers --

 

[Vipersan]

Cheers Nelson ..
I'll give it 20 minutes search ..
Then I'm off for a long soak in the bath ..
Been working since 8 this morning one way or another ,,and I ache ..BIG time
later buddy
VS

 

[nelson_b]

good luck with Paksat ---

i,v just looked at another sat i know you have had some issues with - 50 West,
A.I.T. Lagos is showing a huge 9.7 db here tonight --

the other two AIT channels are coming in at
AIT National 7.5 db
AIT UK 6.5 db

cheers --

 

[Huevos]

One of his problems was 3805H on 37.5W. And Choclosat or whatever it is called, or was it Cocatel (3874V) on 43W?

 

[Vipersan]

No probs at all with 50W ..
Not had a peep out of Cholusat for well over 6 months ..
Considerably weaker than it used to be.
Sadly ..nothing past 30 deg Eastward ..but then that blaady tree is heavy with leaf.
May have to wait till Autumn to set the arc on this side.
later guys...my baths ready.
VS

 

[Channel Hopper]

Is it me or is Neil missing?

Is it me or is there a heavy duty actuator missing. The ones I use here are 2" girth (oooer) .Jaeger use the QARL prefix on the superjack range and are / were dark grey in colour.

 

[Vipersan]

Is it me or is there a heavy duty actuator missing. The ones I use here are 2" girth (oooer) .Jaeger use the QARL prefix on the superjack range and are / were dark grey in colour.

This one is a QARL 3624+ approx 2 inches in diameter..

 

[Huevos]

This one is a QARL 3624+ approx 2 inches in diameter..

Mine too.

 

[Channel Hopper]

This one is a QARL 3624+ approx 2 inches in diameter..

Must be my eyesight then, Huevos appendage looks more manly (oooooer)

 

[Vipersan]

All relative CH ..
I suspect it just looks small and weedy in relation to the massive chunk of metal that is the mount ...and christina who is about 2.3 mtrs diameter now.
rgds
VS

 

[Huevos]

The bit that sounds strange to me is that you said "this one is stronger quieter ...and counts more pulses per degree". A QARL counts 32 pulses per inch, which is less than the other models.

 

[Vipersan]

You could be right Huevos ...It may just be my imagination as I've noticed it descends very quickly indeed on Eastern side ..
I guess it just looked that way as the original placement of 1W prior to re- logging the sat positions on the Vbox ..when selected left the dish only 2/3rds way up the western half of the arc ..
An illusion created by changing the mount positions of both rose joints..
As to the noise level ..again it may just be quieter cos it's new ..and the old jack was just that...old and a bit knackered.
Like me..
lol

 

[Channel Hopper]

Is the 'Superpowerjack' a new name for the Jaeger/ Superjack ?

 

[Vipersan]

Huevos commented that the QARL jack counts less pulses per inch ..and I'm wondering why they felt the need to do this ..
Obviously you would have less accurate (fine) control of the position on of the dish on the arc ..and yet it's thinner less heavy duty cousin isn't limited in this way..
I'm also wondering if a more accurate count can be re-introduced to the QARL..
after all ..it's just a rotating magnate and a reed switch..
I haven't looked at the practicalities as yet ..but put simply a second reed switch diametrically positioned to the original switch and wired in parallel with it ..would simply count 2 pulses for every previous single pulse...per magnate revolution.
Has anyone ever tried this ..
The idea may not be practical as I haven't looked in the motor case as yet ..
It's raining atm ..
Or indeed if there is a reason related to gearing and possibly braking why this wouldn't be practical.
Anyone?

 

[Vipersan]

Well I can't look at modding the QARL today ..but opened up the jack I just removed ..and it looks like it would accommodate a second reed easily ..
Assuming this is true of the QARL ...then I see no reason not to try it ..
Here are before and after photos..