Only a faint signal.

TJExcalibur

TJExcalibur

Regular Member
My Satellite Setup
Master Focus 90cm .Gigablue UHD Quad 4K on TM 2600 motor. *Tm 5402 HD M3, *Atemio Nemesis. *Not Used.
My Location
Southern England
OK for you jeallen01
"Triax TD110 now definitely gets 53E to 45W! (especially after CH's expert readjustment of the dish & mount - Yippee!)"

I have spent hours trying to pick up something past 30 west. Will tweak the dish up or down at 30 west tomorrow as I get a strong signal on 30 west but after that zilch. Hope its not to cold, I freeze up there fiddling up a bit down a bit.
 
TJ
I had got the dish installation reasonably correct - and I'm pretty sure I could get that arc, because I could see activity from known transponders on 45W as I blind-scanned it even though my receivers could not lock them because they were either data or the SRs were too low.

When CH came over here a few days ago, it turned out that I had got the declination right but the elevation was a little too low, even though I had set it to "my longitude" of 51.4 (ish!) degrees on the scale on the motor bracket! Not sure of the exact elevation setting ATM but I think it is now nearer 53 degrees or so.

Also, he slightly adjusted the USALS receiver position from 0.1W (where I am!) to 0.2E - OTOH, does mean that I have to adjust some sat position longitudes to 0.2 to 0.3 deg W of the nominal (e.g. 10E is now set to nearer 9.7E).

So, setting the elevation and USALS position "by the book" seems to not always be quite the correct approach, but then he has a pro sat meter and a lot of experience - and I don't:(

BTW: very glad that dish is on a ground mount - most adjustments can be done from the ground or a small stool/kitchen steps!

Edited: just done another test and I'm not getting anything beyond 36.2W ATM where there is a solid lock on the HISPASAT 36 test card - this is with the TM5402 - but I suspect the weather is having something to do with that.
 
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I checked the two extremes of 42E and 30W with 1W optimised all the time. Before leaving you were able to collect signals from 53E and store them, though they were not as stable as others on the arc.

I will concur the actual orbital slot settings were out by a degree or so owing to the visual clamping of the dish on the motor shaft, there is no way it can be truly accurate without a keyed bolt through the arm, and the n/s setting was used to compensate this error, though it should not throw the received arc out by much at all .

It might be the last weeks winds have moved the dish slightly, or the declination lock of the Triax has slipped, but is could also be a whole host of other things, I would look at ensuring other weak satellites on the channel list are receivable, any that are under par might indicate where the problem actually lies.
 
Update:
@CH
Checked again this morning and still getting a good lock on the Hispasat 36 card on 36W and some activity on 40.5 W, but no locks there because the signals appear to be all data or non-transmitting occasional feeds. Nothing on 45W ATM but I don't think the dish has been disturbed since your visit.

@TJExcalibur
Just checked the elevation setting on the motor bracket, and I got it wrong by saying that it is now set to around 53 deg on the scale, because, of course, the higher the elevation of the dish needs to be then the lower the degree setting on the bracket must be - so it's now actually around 49 deg. But, again, "not by the book" for my latitude.
 
jeallen01 said:
Update:

Just checked the elevation setting on the motor bracket, and I got it wrong by saying that it is now set to around 53 deg on the scale, because, of course, the higher the elevation of the dish needs to be then the lower the degree setting on the bracket must be - so it's now actually around 49 deg. But, again, "not by the book" for my latitude.
Click to expand...

I did not check how vertical you post was, I simply monitored the signals on the satellites and made sure the motor was tracking the arc as well as it could.
 
@CH
When I put the post in that concrete support structure a few years ago, I was very careful to get it vertical using a dual-glass "post level", but the combined weight of this motor and this dish (much heavier than the original NEC motor and 80cm dish) may have pulled that very slightly out of true vertical, and/or there might have been some slight earth movement over the years.

That said, getting any pole absolutely vertical in two planes at the same time can often be quite difficult, regardless of whether it is set in concrete or on the side of a house (etc.). Therefore I think it is fair to say that whilst setting the elevation angle via the scale on a motor mount "by the book" (i.e. "my latitude") is the principle that I followed when I put this motor and dish up, I will view that approach with some "caution" in the future (and there is the possible issue of just how accurate the motor bracket markings are in the first place)!
 
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jeallen01 said:
@CH
When I put the post in that concrete support structure a few years ago, I was very careful to get it vertical using a dual-glass "post level", but the combined weight of this motor and this dish (much heavier than the original NEC motor and 80cm dish) may have pulled that very slightly out of true vertical, and/or there might have been some slight earth movement over the years.

That said, getting any pole absolutely vertical in two planes at the same time can often be quite difficult, regardless of whether it is set in concrete or on the side of a house (etc.). Therefore I think it is fair to say that whilst setting the elevation angle via the scale on a motor mount "by the book" (i.e. "my latitude") is the principle that I followed when I put this motor and dish up, I will view that approach with some "caution" in the future (and there is the possible issue of just how accurate the motor bracket markings are in the first place)!
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I know my pole is 100% upright as I use a digital level which I checked for accuracy by floating it on a piece of wood in water. its sunny here tomorrow with not much wind so I will check the elevation with a tilt up and down. I have a feeling the dish is not lined up correctly with 0 on the motor because it does not track accurately like it used too.
 
TJExcalibur said:
I know my pole is 100% upright as I use a digital level which I checked for accuracy by floating it on a piece of wood in water. its sunny here tomorrow with not much wind so I will check the elevation with a tilt up and down. I have a feeling the dish is not lined up correctly with 0 on the motor because it does not track accurately like it used too.
Click to expand...

The water might be frozen tomorrow .
 
TJExcalibur said:
I know my pole is 100% upright as I use a digital level which I checked for accuracy by floating it on a piece of wood in water. its sunny here tomorrow with not much wind so I will check the elevation with a tilt up and down. I have a feeling the dish is not lined up correctly with 0 on the motor because it does not track accurately like it used too.
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Nothing can beat the simplicity of a plumb line for checking verticality. Can be easily moved around a mast to check in all directions.
 
That accuracy of a plumb-line is affected by the barycentre changes of a non geostationary satellite of earth.


 
Channel Hopper said:
That accuracy of a plumb-line is affected by the barycentre changes of a non geostationary satellite of earth.


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FWIW, I don't quite "understand" the maths (then, maths was never my strongpoint, even though I managed to get an engineering degree - just, it was only 3rd Class Honours!), but, I think, that means that the accuracy of a plumb-bob depends on the time of the month - In astronomical terms, of course!
 
Anything that relies on a static mass for accuracy is going to be disrupted by other objects rotating, or passing this planet. The water level is similarly affected by the plane of liquid under it moving around by the gravitational changes.

The next craft to visit a comet is apparently going to test the barycentre of the solar system in general, to attempt to work out if there are missing planets beyond Pluto.
 
Channel Hopper said:
Anything that relies on a static mass for accuracy is going to be disrupted by other objects rotating, or passing this planet. The water level is similarly affected by the plane of liquid under it moving around by the gravitational changes.

The next craft to visit a comet is apparently going to test the barycentre of the solar system in general, to attempt to work out if there are missing planets beyond Pluto.
Click to expand...
That is all very interesting but all I need to know is the flooding in Paris affecting my satellite signals. if so I will not bother adjusting my dish until the levels subside.
 
I spent 2 hours on the flat roof today, bit icy but soon very pleasant when the sun came out. I packed a couple of washers on the pole bracket as the digital level read 89.8 and I got it perfect to 90 degrees. On checking the motor the dish centre was 2 mm off centre, set it up spot on. I sent the dish to 30 W and then to 50 E, did a minor tweak and all good. Now I will leave it to do a scan across the arc and see.
 
davemurgtroyd said:
Does that also not apply to the liquid in a spirit level or any other type of level indicator?
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To much variant in a spirit level to be very accurate. maybe that is why new houses have sloping floors and walls.
 
TJExcalibur said:
To much variant in a spirit level to be very accurate. maybe that is why new houses have sloping floors and walls.
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Or because the "builders" put them can't, or don't bother to, actually use them where obviously needed? OTOH, I don't think there many vertical walls either in the original section of the early C19th(?) cottage my mother bought in the early 1950's- papering the walls in those rooms was "difficult"!
 
I used an optical spirit level for my motorized dishes until I upgraded to the Laminas and found a digital level to be more accurate. When using a dish in excess of 1m I think being out more than .2 of a degree can effect the results.
 
What digital spirit levels are you guys using?
I just ordered a Stabila "Analogue" bubble as I'm sick of spirit levels that are not level!

Most of the digital ones I looked at were +/- 0.3degrees, that's a fair bit.
 
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