DiSEqC motor setup

[statalite]

If you have a secure concret post, then all you have to do is put spacers, in the brackets, or longer bolts, with adjudtable nuts, one each side, of the bracket, so you can adjust them, to compensate for any minor pole alignment issue.

I'm lost, I will photograph tomorrow to and see if we can work out.

 

[statalite]

If you have a secure concrete post, then all you have to do is put spacers, in the brackets, or longer bolts, with adjudtable nuts, one each side, of the bracket, so you can adjust them, to compensate for any minor pole alignment issue.

I have discovered the the bottom clamps need significant adjustment spacing from the concrete post in order to achieve 90 degrees east west. The clamps grip the pole east west orientation. I added another nut on each bolt on the lower set of clamps but as one clamp separated from the post it won't stay in position as there's play in the bolts from the other side.
Can you describe what you mean by spacers, do you have a picture?

 

[Mickha]

Spacers are just washers, which allow you to adjust the clamps differently, on each separate bolt, providing the bolts are long enough, and with patience, you should get your pole plumb.
You can use metal washers, or even rubber spacers.

Can you please post pictures, of your dish/motor setup? Even an old phone, like mine, can take good pictures, that you can upload, to the forum.

 

[statalite]

Spacers are just washers, which allow you to adjust the clamps differently, on each separate bolt, providing the bolts are long enough, and with patience, you should get your pole plumb.
You can use metal washers, or even rubber spacers.

Can you please post pictures, of your dish/motor setup? Even an old phone, like mine, can take good pictures, that you can upload, to the forum.

Please see the attached in terms of the pole and clamps. I can post again with the inclinometer, but the gap at the bottom bracket from the post needs to be about double.

 

[Mickha]

Now I can see where your problem lies, and you have several options.

Personally I would get 2 more pole clamps, for the opposite side of the pole, and then add spacers, and bolts, to adjust the pole, or you could just put packing, between the pole, and the concrete post:

 

[sonnetpete]

Like other members have advised, you need a shim between the post and the pole for the motor/dish assembly. Perhaps a sectioned piece of pipe, slightly larger diameter than pole, which you could slip in to make the bottom of the pole vertical. There really is no half measure when setting up a motorised system, and getting the pole plumb makes your job of aligning the dish correctly much easier.

 

[statalite]

Thanks for all the comments.
I have had some success with adding longer coach bolts, nuts, and an extra sledge on both. I find these kind of give me fine adjustment potential. I have a block of wood I could use as a shim but I don't think this would work over the nut and sledge additions.

This task seems insanely difficult, although I'm well aware this isn't the usual setup.
I find that when I move the inclinometer it will give different readings at different positions of the same axis if the pole, move it and inch or two and it changes. If it's down to imperfections in the pole I don't know or if this is normal. I also have about a third of the pole clamped and the other two thirds above the concrete post.

Are the inclinometer readings an indication of a bad pole? I hope not.
Also i'm presuming the weight of the motor and dish will change the pole alignment after adding?

 

[gdf68]

Not sure if I can offer much advice, is the fence post totally secured and I assume it was fully level to begin with before you mounted, the brackets and pole.

 

[statalite]

Not sure if I can offer much advice, is the fence post totally secured and I assume it was fully level to begin with before you mounted, the brackets and pole.

I would say secured. I doubt it was put in fully level but my brackets should compensate for that.

The shape of said post is like an inverted H shape, but the brackets should compensate.

 

[Trust]

Only the part of the pole where you put the diseqc motor needs to be plumb.

 

[statalite]

Is advised to put the motor and dish on after making the pole plumb, right?
After fine adjustment, is the idea to get the nuts so tight that when the motor and dish are put on that the pole remains plumb? or make the fine adjustments and tighten up with the motor and dish on?

 

[Channel Hopper]

Is advised to put the motor and dish on after making the pole plumb, right?
After fine adjustment, is the idea to get the nuts so tight that when the motor and dish are put on that the pole remains plumb? or make the fine adjustments and tighten up with the motor and dish on?

The pole should not move after a motor and dish are added, since when the reflector moves the mass will alter the positioning off the arc.

 

[gdf68]

Is advised to put the motor and dish on after making the pole plumb, right?
After fine adjustment, is the idea to get the nuts so tight that when the motor and dish are put on that the pole remains plumb? or make the fine adjustments and tighten up with the motor and dish on?

No matter what your using to install your pole , your way , t&k brackets the pole has to be solid if it moves when you add you dish/motor then it defeats the whole process. Think your getting slightly confused.
A) pole plumb 90° tight should not move.
motor at zero degrees attach your dish to the motor centred
C) fix motor/Dish to pole , loosely but tight enough that it doesn't moved down the pole, once your send the motor to your ref sat (0.8w) for me. You can then move the system west/east to peak your signal

 

[statalite]

I'm concentrating on the motor at the moment. I tell the receiver to send the motor to reference position, the needle goes to zero, I also press the button for 2-3 seconds inside the motor that resets the tables, I then drive the motor using USALS to say 13 east for example but the resulting position of the needle is off and doesn't land on the appropriate number, is this normal, am i doing anything incorrectly, do I need to worry about this?

 

[gdf68]

No point concentrating on the motor , you need to get the pole plumb and structurally secured. Have you put this on the pole yet, ? 0 zero on the motor is all I concerned about when setting up, as long as it goes to the correct satellite you selected, it doesn't matter if the dial on the underside of the motor matches.

 

[statalite]

No point concentrating on the motor , you need to get the pole plumb and structurally secured. Have you put this on the pole yet, ? 0 zero on the motor is all I concerned about when setting up, as long as it goes to the correct satellite you selected, it doesn't matter if the dial on the underside of the motor matches.

The motor isn't on the pole and has a fixed dish there for now. I will go back to the pole and try again. The feedback I appear to be getting regarding the motor is that it's not to worry about.

 

[Manikm909]

from my experience, which is plenty! it is very easy to have the pole level, but as you tighten bolt 1 - 4 on the motor on the pole, this can distort the motor \ dish \ alignment, everytime i tighten a bolt i do it diagonally - to ensure my peak setting, remains peaked, i.e if i tighten bolt a and i see signal degrade, usually as i then tighten the opposite side - bolt c, the signal starts to increase etc etc...so bear this in mind, people say its easy, and in theory it is, but in practice theres a bit of judgment and logic also needed

just remember to line up on 1w and then check 30w and 42e at extreme, but dont adjust on the extremes, just only on 1w

 

[gdf68]

from my experience, which is plenty! it is very easy to have the pole level, but as you tighten bolt 1 - 4 on the motor on the pole, this can distort the motor \ dish \ alignment, everytime i tighten a bolt i do it diagonally - to ensure my peak setting, remains peaked, i.e if i tighten bolt a and i see signal degrade, usually as i then tighten the opposite side - bolt c, the signal starts to increase etc etc...so bear this in mind, people say its easy, and in theory it is, but in practice theres a bit of judgment and logic also needed

just remember to line up on 1w and then check 30w and 42e at extreme, but dont adjust on the extremes, just only on 1w

Nice, always noticed signal decrease / increase top left to right bottom left to right



A. D
B. C

So tighten A then C B. D

 

[statalite]

Pole is now plumb.

Please teach me how I can use my DiSEqC motor in conjunction with my DiSEqC switch, will I need to control the motor with DiSEqC protocol or could I use USALS if needed, either or?

 

[Mickha]

Use USALS, to control your motor, this lets your receiver work out most of it for you, by using your Latitude, and Longitude, to work out your position, then navigate your motor/dish, once set up, to the various satellites.
Using Diseqc 1.2, to control your motor, means that you have to use your receiver, to move your dish, East, and West, to find the correct satellite, then store each position, on your receiver, using a number, e.g. 19 for 19.2E, but once they are all stored, it will work automatically, so that when you select a satellite, the motor/dish will move to that satellite.

How many dishes/LNB's do you have connected to a Diseqc switch?