Inspecting my motorised setup one year on

dankargo

dankargo

Specialist Contributor
My Satellite Setup
90cm Motorised
My Location
Brentwood
So to start things off, its been just over a year since I had my dish motorised, the dish itself is over 10 years old but instead of throwing it away as I contemplated, someone on here advised me to put it to good use - and I haven't looked back since :D Yes its pretty rusty but surprisingly performs fantastically well.

I went up the ladders today to give it a good clean as the back face had started to go an awful greenish colour and while I was up there, I noticed a few things that I wanted to run past you guys for either advice or reassurance!

First off, given the fact that the motor is only a year old, I was surprised at how the fixings have changed colour since that time - they were originally pure silver. Might be a silly thing to ask but will they still be secure enough to hold everything together as they look as if they've been up there for years.

Secondly, I couldn't quite work out what this little strip thing is (2nd picture) - it doesn't seem to be holding anything together (or maybe it is?) Just out of curiosity really - it's not straight, it looks more like a curved shape. What is it?

I will eventually upgrade the dish and more importantly, the bracket to something more stronger.

IMG_0763.webp

IMG_0761.webp
 
Bolts that come with these motors are notoriously prone to rust - as are the motor brackets. I would replace them all with stainless steel.

The curve is to clamp to pole to the motor - nothing unusual there.
 
Nice idea for a Topic.

As for the degradation of fixtures and fitting, apply a toothbrush or small Artist's brush loaded with Kurust to them all.

Kurust can be obtained from eg Halfords, Bay of Fleas etc.

And the strip is a strengthener included to prevent the bracket from twisting. When I first installed my TD110, it took me ages to twig what an equivalent component was for as it wasn't shown in the instructions.
 
Thanks both of you, I would definitely be interested in seeing other people's setups and how long they've been up.

Thanks for the tip about Kurust, will pop to Halfords at some point this week. Despite the bolts looking awfully rusted, is there any danger in keeping them as they are or is there a risk that they'll start to crumble away? I'm hoping it just looks a lot worse than it actually is - my installer was confident that the install was nice and sturdy,
 
No, shouldn't be a problem.

My install has been in place for many years and is rock solid, for the sake of a few minutes of Kurusting every year.

To be honest, if there is an issue with your install, it's that only one clamp is used to hold the dish bracket to the stub.

All others I've seen have two, and it looks like the dish bracket is designed to use two.

So, if you feel uneasy about rusting in the end and decide to go CJ's route and replace with Stainless fixtures, do take the opportunity to fit two clamps, not one.

That said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
 
Lazarus said:
To be honest, if there is an issue with your install, it's that only one clamp is used to hold the dish bracket to the stub.

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Yikes! I've got to say I've never noticed that there was no second clamp. Just looked at the PDF of the motor manual though and the diagram they list looks like it only has one as well.

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Is that the TM-2600? I have two of these installed, both with the second clamp in place. I wouldn't trust a single clamp on a setup installed high up like yours is.
 
dankargo said:
Yikes! I've got to say I've never noticed that there was no second clamp. Just looked at the PDF of the motor manual though and the diagram they list looks like it only has one as well.

View attachment 97664
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Well, that is odd.



Even the most basic mechanical assessment would lead to a two-clamp scenario!

Anyway, as I say, if it has worked reliably for a year, I'd leave it as is until you are moved for other reasons to renovate, despite the bad practice.
 
TBH, not that unusual in Spain. I have come across many dishes that have been installed in such a way. Mainly for Dutch and Belgian systems, even thought the mount normally has space for three brackets, several only use the centre space. Most of the dishes are between 60 and 100 cm, depending on when they were fitted, and to be fair on a 60 one bracket one may be enough.
Personally, I always upgrade to two, top and bottom, as sometimes we have wind in Spain when we least expect it. ( yes I know what I said ) But my dishes don´t move!
 
Whatever the manual says, use common sense and the most fixings you can - and, as far as corrosion is concerned, I would spray all the threads with WD40 or similar ( but not Kurust which could cause enlargement of the threads - others may differ on that point!)
 
Really excellent penetration?
 
Lazarus said:
I've been experimenting with Silicone Lubricant Spray of late.

Unlike WD40, which is water repellant and a destroyer of lubricants, it also "desqueakifies" but without the oily mess.
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Each to their own I guess, but I assume you " clocked " pic one from the 3 in 1 ad!
 
Good. I know many things that do.
 
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