quick help - wind!

[durhamwasp]

ALright guys,

canny windy weekend here, sat dish was bouncin all over the shop!

Since then, my motor is still switching between satellites spot on, hitting 1w, 13e, 19e no problem, but the quality is right down from like 70% to 45-50% meaning the picture isnt really watchable.

Is this gonna be down to the slant of the dish?

 

[satelliteman]

Impossible to say. Could be the motor has moved on the pole, dish on motor or dish El.

Take it back to reference satellite and re-align as per the guides.

SM

 

[guest]

I realigned my Patio Mounted TD100 this afternoon by giving the edge of the Slab a sharp back-heeler whilst wearing Wellies (Me, not the Slab ...........) :-shifty

Generally, bad weather causes Azimuth errors more often than affecting Elevation, but check all settings and clamps for signs of having slipped or having been displaced.

You can't be far out, though, as you are still on the margins - perhaps a bit of judicious pressure on the LNB arm whilst someone reports better/worse would point you in the right direction? (If you pardon the pun )

Edit: Whoops! Nearly forgot the obvious test: Jog the Motor a tad either way using the Rx Motor Controls and see what happens. Alternatively, if using USALS, just amend your inputted Longitude by up to, say, half a degree either way. If that improves matters, live the Dish itself until the weather is a bit more agreeable !

 

[durhamwasp]

Cheers, just what i didnt wonna hear...nothing is simple in the life of a satellite dish! haha

Last night there was still a touch of wind in the air, so the dish was vibrating, therefore the arm and lnb were bouncing, and most pictures were watchable. Then since the wind stopped, and the LNB is dead still, the quality has reduced about another 3% down to around 47, and the picture is pixelated and unwatchable.

 

[rolfw]

You may find that the whole lot has moved around the mast slightly, this is easy to check and easy to rectify.

 

[satelliteman]

Quicker to: with your TM5400CI, press the POS (blue button on remote) and then jog the motor in both directions to see for increased signal readings. It's only a test and if in USALS remember you won't be able to save the setting as this function is for DiSEqC 1.2.... but will tell you if the whole lot had shifted

 

[durhamwasp]

Yeah, did the blue button thing, and couldnt increase it anything significent, maybes 2% or so.

Arrrrrrrgh so frustrating!

 

[satelliteman]

It could be dish or motor Elevation movement. Sounds like it needs setting up again on your reference satellite from scratch.

 

[durhamwasp]

i would like to get the ladders out, and use the signal finder while adjusting the tilt of the dish... im just so afraid i'll balls it all up again and be back to square one.

System has been nothing short of perfect for the last month, now a bit of wind and its a touch out, but im not knowledgable enough to sort it. Could do with learning tho, as i guess wind knockin it out could be a frequent thing in particularly bad weather

 

[guest poster]

what dish is it... what pole and brackets is it on...

can you upload a picture... that might help in spotting why it happened to stop it happening again...

 

[satelliteman]

Use USALS to send the dish to your reference satellite (Thor 0.8W) and then make all the set up adjustments there. Once done, all should fall into place.

See guides in my signature below for set up instructions. In the meantime, a picture as pedro suggested might be of some help to us to identify the problem.

 

[durhamwasp]

Fortec Star Universal Mount
Technomate Diseqc TM 2200 motor
1m dish, think its Orbital 1m

 

[guest poster]

Fortec Star Universal Mount
Technomate Diseqc TM 2200 motor
1m dish, not sure what type

Could have twisted on that mount if it's the one I think it is... how thick is the metal it's made from.

 

[durhamwasp]

1w: Nova Sport = 48% signal

13e: Planeta Sport = 61% signal

19e: DSF Sport = 80% signal

 

[durhamwasp]

Photos of my set up...

 

[satelliteman]

Can't see anything out of the ordinary from those images.

Time to get the ladder out !!

Check Motor EL/Latitude on motor scale is still correct. Latitude will be around 53 and other side of motor scale will show roughly 37. Check with your site and the manual.

See for improvment by springing the dish Elevation but at the end, you'll need to take it back to reference and set up as per the guides

 

[durhamwasp]

Cheers, thats at 1w there, so my reference position?

Motor elevation and dish elevation, yep they seem like the most likely. As i say, it gets a good signal on 13, 19 and 28, but struggles on 1w now, and thats the one i use 90% of the time!

 

[guest]

Another thought: Before you fiddle with the Dish/Motor assembly, carefully examine the fixing points between mount and wall - If one or more of the bolts has been inserted into a mortar course, there is a chance that the mortar has fractured and crumbled as the result of the stresses of wind power. That can lead to the mount going a tiny bit out of true.

 

[guest poster]

Nice neat looking job there and the design of the wall mount looks really tidy...

but, sorry to say this...

If you zoom right in on the bracket, it is typical Fortec Star ... looks OK... but it's just too thin... especially for a 1m on a motor. (probably OK on their dishes because they are also very thin- cut one in half once... with a pair of scissors)


after some strong wind I think it will just be a different shape.... but I do prefer the look to T & Ks.


When the motor was tightened up on that tubing... was it really anchored up and did the pipe distort any...

 

[durhamwasp]

Just spoke to the fella who fitted it, and he thinks the motor may have twisted on the mount.

Gonna have to get the ladders up, when ive got somebody to stand at the bottom!