Im going Motorized - Help!

[ash213]

Thanks in advance!

basically ive had this set up running for 2 years simply pointing to 1w to pick up some football on saturdays. this year ive decided to go motorised.

the current set up has not messed up once, not moved etc...thankfully (check the pics)

i am very proud of this set up as i had never done anything like it before!! im about to take it down, well take the dish down in prep for the new set up with the motor.

anyway just wondering if theres a guide to put the motor on as easy as poss? im very scared to do it as i dont wanna mess anything up.

with my set up will it be ok with a motor and how do i know if the current position will pick up all satellites??

please advise as i am to fit the motor some time this week .

cheers

 

[Sandybob]

Hi ash, it's not so difficult to set a mororised system up especially as yours is ground mounted, dont know what satellites you will get as it is difficult to see from the photo, usually once you have found the first one it's ok after that (the first one is always the hardest) You have a head start as you know you can find 1w and it's general direction. I found setting it up a lot easier than I imagined or worried about! There's plenty of good people here to help anyway

 

[fergyc]

I'm not sure if you'll be able to clear the house for some birds, your dish might be far enough away though.

 

[ash213]

I'm not sure if you'll be able to clear the house for some birds, your dish might be far enough away though.

what do you mean?!

 

[Sandybob]

It depends on the view you have from the dish. My dish is a lot lower to the ground than yours and dont have a problem with a normal two story house you may not be able to see some satellites lower in the arc, If you can get 28E to 30W that will be fine for most people. As the satellite degree increases they become lower in the sky so it really depends on your horizon. What size dish do you have?

 

[ash213]

It depends on the view you have from the dish. My dish is a lot lower to the ground than yours and dont have a problem with a normal two story house you may not be able to see some satellites lower in the arc, If you can get 28E to 30W that will be fine for most people. As the satellite degree increases they become lower in the sky so it really depends on your horizon. What size dish do you have?

i believe its 80cm dish.

is there a tool i could use to work out if i could get all the sats? or should i just set up and hope for the best!

also any guides for fixing motor and setting up correctly?
cheers

 

[Lazarus]

Look at Dishpointer for all sorts of useful info regarding dish positioning, accounting for obstacles etc.

As for Guides, have you gone up the Forum Tree to the top of this very sub-Forum, where there are lots of Sticky Threads with Setup Guides?

Some are by rolfw and some by satelliteman:

http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/...rised-dish-installation-downloadable-pdf.html

http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/...rence-motor-installation-setup-guide-pdf.html

Finally, the DiSEqC Motors all come with very clear and simple instruction leaflets describing both Traditional and USALS (Quick) Installation methods

 

[Robbo]

If you have an iPhone you can use the dishpointer app on it. It works on some other flashy phones as well.

One thing you need to check is how vertical that pole of yours is. If its not quite right, you'll have a lot of mucking about to do to get the dish tracking the arc.

 

[Channel Hopper]

From the current dish position it looks as though you may struggle with stuff to the East beyond Astra 2, but going West, you could be lucky to get further than Hispasat, but after that the houses will become the major obstacle.

Bracing the pole should be sufficient to enable the existing dish to work well on the motor if it was OK with getting the channels off Thor. Since you already know where the main satellite South is, the rest should be a doddle.

So, total cost, one motor, one small bit of cable, two F-Plugs and half a day of faffing about.

 

[ash213]

From the current dish position it looks as though you may struggle with stuff to the East beyond Astra 2, but going West, you could be lucky to get further than Hispasat, but after that the houses will become the major obstacle.

Bracing the pole should be sufficient to enable the existing dish to work well on the motor if it was OK with getting the channels off Thor. Since you already know where the main satellite South is, the rest should be a doddle.

So, total cost, one motor, one small bit of cable, two F-Plugs and half a day of faffing about.

thanks everyone. i looked at dishpointer and it seems i should be able to get most east and west up to about 50 degreess if this makes any sense?

any way i ordered the motor, new cables etc.
gonna give it a go.

lost all my tools to unbolt the dish, what do i need?

i know ...daft question, im THICK with DIY O-no

 

[Channel Hopper]

lost all my tools to unbolt the dish, what do i need?

i know ...daft question, im THICK with DIY O-no

A local reputable installer ?

 

[ash213]

A local reputable installer ?

lol nice one!!

no, im going to do this myself!!

i managed to get the standard dish up and running and now im going to go motorised without the help of an installer!!!

 

[Robbo]

Get yourself a set of spanners (15mm, 13mm and 10mm I use most) and a spirit level.

 

[Sandybob]

Ash, as already been said but check that pole is dead vertical this may take some time but will save you a lot of grief later!
I tried some of my spirit levels but could read the scale accuratley enough, so I used two plumb lines measuring the difference in the distance of the plumb line between the top of the pole and the bottom of the pole and then adjusting. I have now invested in a digital angle finder to check as it is much, much quicker.

 

[sonnetpete]

Have to agree with everything Sandybob says. A digital angle finder does make the whole set up easier to align spot on. Just a reminder though, check everything is plumb after you mount the motor and dish on the pole. It will save you lots of grief.

Oh, and pop a jubilee clip on the pole to lie just under where the bottom of motor bracket will sit. It will let you move the motor round the pole more easily without it slipping down.

It really isn't as hard as it looks, take your time and good luck.

 

[fergyc]

I wasn't getting the far west birds like Hellas Sat and then I checked my pole wasn't quiet vertical and now I pick it up fine

 

[petediscrete]

I couldn't believe how easy it was to motorise with the introduction of USALS.I installed a 1m dish with the old analogue system on a H-H mount way back in 1994.I remember how difficult it was to get everything right then.ash213 you are doing everything at ground level so it should be a doddle.As sandybob said above you gotta get your pole dead vertical from the off.Its like having a sound foundation when building a house.Once thats right I was amazed how automated USALS makes everything.You are already pointing at your reference satellite so once the motor goes on you will be amazed how easy it is after that.

 

[Robbo]

I wasn't getting the far west birds like Hellas Sat and then I checked my pole wasn't quiet vertical and now I pick it up fine

Hellas Sat is eastern, actually.

 

[rolfw]

I use a cheap plastic fence post level for my mast setting, normally produces very good results.

 

[ash213]

Hi chaps.

Just started to set up my motorised system.

I checked my current pole with the level on top and it seems pretty level which is good.

Anywayi took the dish off and connected it to the motor, i now have a question though.

Before i had it on 1w and the degrees of the black plastic thing(?) was 30 degrees i believe. Obviously with the motor there is the black plastic thing from the dish to the motor then there is another degrees type metal thing connecting the motor to the pole...do both of these have to be set to specific degrees angles? or is it just the one connecting to the pole?

please help out.

i will probably hook it all up to the pole tomorrow morning as its raining.