More project madness

[Vipersan]

I've spent a lot of time recently on mods for Carl ..but ignored Christina to a large degree ..so hope to rectify this soon by fitting here with a new lnb mount ...which will hopefully allow 2 cband lnbs to be mounted as close as possible to focus ..side by side ..
This may or may not work ..so am not destroying the original single lnb mount ..
..simply removing it and retrofitting the newer design.
First problem is the small central support ring which holds the tripod legs at fixed distances and angles..
This has to go as it is in the way ..
To this end yesterday I fitted a replacement support ring in 6mm brass tube which passes through the copper tripod legs and soldered into place ..
This new ring is a larger diameter to accommodate the new design ..
which for the moment only exists in my addled old brain and as a sketch..
I'll update this thread as it progresses ...and if it fails ...I can always go back to the single lnb mount at the focus..
Why go to all this trouble ?
I want 2 lnbs functioning as well as I can close to focus ..
one for linear ..and one for circular ..
Easy enough on an offset dish ..
not so easy on a modest 2m PF..
rgds
VS

 

[hvdh]

How does your brain think about the scalar rings?
Two side by side after cutting away a third of each.
Or make an oval hole in a single (preferably big) one.

What is the outer ring on the photo good for?

 

[Vipersan]

How does your brain think about the scalar rings?
Two side by side after cutting away a third of each.
Or make an oval hole in a single (preferably big) one.

What is the outer ring on the photo good for?

Hi buddy ...

Yep your first suggestion was what I had in mind ..

The outer ring is simply to hold the 3 legs of he tripod in place when the centre mount is removed along with the inner ring...
otherwise the copper tripod will move and or twist..

 

[Vipersan]

Made some progress on the design ..
This is what I have so far ..
rgds
VS

 

[Riverblue]

Nice use of copper tube and fittings, but surely they should be end feed not yorkshire, an unnecessary expenditure? I do enjoy reading about your "next plan" exploits

 

[Vipersan]

Nice use of copper tube and fittings, but surely they should be end feed not yorkshire, an unnecessary expenditure? I do enjoy reading about your "next plan" exploits

Aready had the Yorkshires ...surplus from when I fitted my Cenral Heating system some years ago..
No point in buying in new fittings..
lol

 

[Riverblue]

Seriously my friend you must spend all your spare time thinking of "what to do next"

 

[Vipersan]

Seriously my friend you must spend all your spare time thinking of "what to do next"

Tis True ..
When I close my eyes to sleep at night ..it often takes an age due to idea overload ..
,,or worry as with most folks..
;)

 

[Riverblue]

Don't do worrying, worrying doesn't change anything, whatever is going to happen will still happen whether you worry or not! I just . . . zzzzzzzzzz

 

[skomedal]

Tis True ..
When I close my eyes to sleep at night ..it often takes an age due to idea overload ..
;)

Most of my technical problem resolutions ( and many of them ) come in the moment just before I nod off at night.

Regards

 

[Lazarus]

And by morning you've completely forgotten them and spend all day racking your brains to remember again?

 

[Riverblue]

And by morning you've completely forgotten them and spend all day racking your brains to remember again?

The joys of getting older . . . . Now what was I doing????

 

[skomedal]

And by morning you've completely forgotten them and spend all day racking your brains to remember again?

NOPE

Regards

 

[Vipersan]

Well ...progress ..I guess ..
but will it even mount..
No doubt there will be teething problems ...but here is the project so far.
Off for a bath now and an early night cos I'm full of a rather nasty cold.
rgds
VS

 

[Riverblue]

Do you think "Christina" will like it VS? ;)

 

[Vipersan]

I'm sure she will buddy ..
I have had the mk1 mounted this morning but a few oversights meant a re-design of the bottom plate that carries the lnb holders ..
So ..set about a Mk2 using an aluminium baseplate ..
first indications are this will allow a better mount ..and access to adjustments ..
I will have to wait till tomorrow to fix it but hopefully the first pics of the construct in place ..
It will not function as well as I'd like until soome sort of concentric ring feeds are in place ..but should give me indications of just how well or badly the dual feed will perform..
rgds
VS

 

[Riverblue]

There might be some takers for that in the specialist "dominatrix" market!

 

[Vipersan]

Ok ..the dual feed mounted without major issues ..
I hope to be able to mount a single ESX and feed/choke soon ..to make some basic comparisons..
With the Lnb no longer at the focus ..some of the trickier /fringe channels might well vanish ..and thats the biggest worry as a DXer.
rgds
VS

 

[Vipersan]

Well ...managed to lock the Pentagon channel at 1W ...no real tweaking as yet but took a reading on this channel the other day ..prior to removing the centre focussed ESX.
6.3 db
Todays lock was 5.3db ..
So may have to get used to a reduction of somewhere between 1 and o.5db ...
But suggests that I may well get acceptable results from the dual lnb mount.
Also keep in mind a full choke plate is currently mounted ...so may not be as effective when each choke plate is reduced to roughly 2/3rds size.

Took about 15 Vbox clicks to recapture TPC ..which suggests about 1 to 1.5 degrees off focus.
rgds
VS

 

[pride21]

nice one VS it probably took a bit of working out to get the final finish,shows what anyone can do with a bit of imagination.