vbox number of counts ?

[wod]

i have a jaeger vbox 2 and wondering how many counts do you get on a vbox as i have a issue with getting past 30west on it as i move the dish across towards 43west which i know i can get and it seems there is not enough counts as i get up to 950ish and it gets the e-2 error as i'm getting back to 000 which will confuse it with 1west position

are there about 1000 each side east/west ?

are receivers with built in positioner better for number of count they have for east/west positions

thanks

wod

 

[Burnham Beech]

The different makes of v-Box vary, but I think most can do 2000 pulses, either from 0-2000 or from -1000 to +1000.

The Jaeger might be one that goes 0-1000, then 1000-2000 indicated by a dot on the right (as there are only three digits on the display).

So unless your pulse count is over 20 pulses per degree (very unlikely to be this high) you should easily be able to do 50w - 50e.

 

[Huevos]

Mine counts 0-999 twice. Second time it shows an extra dot on the LED display.

What actuator are you using? Are you sure you are not running in to the hardware limit set in the actuator?

Where a box with built in positioner is better is that it knows where the dish is. With a v-box the receiver doesn't get any feedback.

 

[wod]

I'm not using an actuator but the jaeger 1224 motor, i current get between 19e because of the guttering to 30west so its not the alignment

what are the default limits set to in the jaeger 1224 as i've not touched any of that when i installed it
or should i have done.

 

[Huevos]

Hi Wod,

I'm not sure what the limit is set to from the factory but it's sure not a lot. I think it isn't much more then 40E-40W. With my setup I parked the motor due south then zeroed the v-box. Also, when you hit the hardware limit the v-box will miss a few counts and need to be shifted back to zero.

One other thing, for my location, it works out about 12.5 counts per degree along the arc so between 30 west and 43 west will be about 163 counts.

 

[wod]

something is up as it cant take over 200 counts to get from 30w to 43west, driving the dish to the direction outside for 43west.

another thing never really noticed is the angle of the dish, looks to tilt down more than my triax did at this position, the dish tracks the arc really well for what i get now so don't want to fiddle and mess it up

the jaeger vbox seems to do -1000 to +1000

 

[Huevos]

Are you sure the motor elevation is correct? Do you have digital levelling tools? Here are some photos where I was checking my motor elevation.

 

[Burnham Beech]

Your dish should be pointing down slightly at 43°w, but I would think it is impossible to judge by eye if you are comparing it with another or previous dish.

Also, for complete safety you should have set the mechanical limits inside the Jaeger 1224 motor. Never put all your trust into any electrical controller, either a v-box or a 36v receiver.

 

[wod]

Are you sure the motor elevation is correct? Do you have digital levelling tools? Here are some photos where I was checking my motor elevation

yes i made sure it was correct when i set the motor up on the pole i set the motor to my latitude-90, everything was level otherwise i wouldn't get all the sats over 19e to 30w

i set the motor angle with a digital angle finder

 

[Huevos]

i set the motor to my latitude-90

That's good enough for a small dish but will be nearly a degree off when the dish is pointing east or west.

 

[satelliteman]

Dish hasn't moved on it's own ?
Nothing obstructing the dish from moving past 30w causing e-2 error message ?

 

[wod]

That's good enough for a small dish but will be nearly a degree off when the dish is pointing east or west.

that's how i always thought it was done, the dish is only 90cm in size.

how did you setup yours ?

Dish hasn't moved on it's own ?
Nothing obstructing the dish from moving past 30w causing e-2 error message ?

dish hasn't moved at all, clear view over past 30west as i had on the previous dish right around to 58west.

sounds like i need to triple check everything, I'll get the meter out and check it

these are just a pain as there is so much that can be adjusted on them

 

[CROSSBONES]

check the limits on the 1224, move the dish until you get the error, then check to see if there is still any travel left.

 

[Huevos]

that's how i always thought it was done

If you are at 54.0N your motor elevation should be 35.34.

 

[wod]

If you are at 54.0N your motor elevation should be 35.34.

how do you get that figure ? as the motor is set to 36degrees which i thought was correct.

well how come i get 19e,16,13,10,9,7,5,0.8w,5,8,12,15,18,22,24,27,30w without any problem ?

 

[Huevos]

how do you get that figure ? as the motor is set to 36degrees which i thought was correct.

well how come i get 19e,16,13,10,9,7,5,0.8w,5,8,12,15,18,22,24,27,30w without any problem ?

19e to 30w is only a small part of the arc.

In astronomy the axis a polar mount is set to be exactly parallel to the earth's axis. If you have set your polar mount to 36º that is also the case with yours. This is great if the objects being tracked are at infinity but that is not so with geostationary satellites. So, because your position is offset from the earth's axis, your southernmost satellite is closer to you then ones to the east and west (due south sat range from lat54 = 38760km, while sats 75º to the west or east of the location will be 41675km down range). This means that in relation to the polar axis you need to look downwards a bit steeper to align with the southernmost sat hence the need to tilt the polar access forward a bit. How much you need to tilt it forward depends on your latitude. If you don't incorporate this into your setup your dish will be high on east and west satellites, getting worse the further you drive the dish from the centre.

 

[wod]

as the 1224 has those adjustable top two brackets i think the dish may need to be a little lower forward as i did align on the thor satellite which is higher up in the sky.

a friend did say to tilt the dish on 1west a little otherwise it would be too high across the arc and i thought i had done that.

as i have all the positions stored i can move to each sat and check for high or low, i do have access to a proper sat meter.

 

[wod]

check the limits on the 1224, move the dish until you get the error, then check to see if there is still any travel left.

crossbones how do i check the travel, is that the cog thing in the motor not touching the microswitch and see how far away it is ?

update, done some fiddling with vbox reset it etc and its either the limits on 1224 need increasing for west as the vbox is driving the dish to that position but then it errors , like it has hit the limit on the positioner or 1224 motor.

which i think is the west limit or limits from the factory are set too small ?

as when it goes to error i can get a bit of signal on 43west to see the autisum channel

Huevos, did you alter the limits on your 1224 motor ?

 

[Huevos]

Huevos, did you alter the limits on your 1224 motor ?

Yeah, I did it a lot. The west limit is the inner one. Drive the dish to the west hardware limit and then read the scale on top of the motor. Adjust the limit switch and then drive the dish a bit further west. If you want to get to 45ºW keep adjusting the motor until you can drive it at least to 55ºW according to the motor scale.

By the way, what is of interest on 43ºW?

 

[wod]

Yeah, I did it a lot. The west limit is the inner one. Drive the dish to the west hardware limit and then read the scale on top of the motor. Adjust the limit switch and then drive the dish a bit further west. If you want to get to 45ºW keep adjusting the motor until you can drive it at least to 55ºW according to the motor scale.

By the way, what is of interest on 43ºW?

well mainly want it to view feeds as events from the usa crop up on these sats.

how do i my the west limit longer, the instruction sheet says to pull up the bottom cam and turn anticlockwise to increase it ?