aceb
Specialist Contributor
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2007
- Messages
- 1,537
- Reaction score
- 842
- Points
- 113
- My Satellite Setup
-
Prof Tuner 7301 /
1.25m Gibertini + Inverto B.Ultra/C1W, Moteck H180, 68.5E-67W Ku/C-Band /
1.8m Precision PF + ESX241/Inverto Black Pro, 66E-63W Ku/C-band /
2.4m Fortec Star+Titanium C1W/Pride plate, 49E-58W
- My Location
- Sussex
It turned a few heads on the way home, in fact as Moonbase and I carried it to my car and Mrs AceB disappeared into the shadow it cast she asked me 'where the f*** is that going?' 
Since then it's been cleaned, Hammerited, had 95% of the dent knocked out, I've made a new support arm for C band and three more to take the Ku feed.
The ground the dish is on is actually spoil from when I dug the pool out so although quite solid to walk on is actually only lightly compacted chalk with the minimum of top soil. The two new fixings are 300mm square and a metre deep with some cross bracing knocked into them and clamped to the threaded rods. I found a really useful inclinometer app for the phone to help set up the ground post, it's called Mast Tuner and uses the accelerometer for better accuracy. It measures down to 0.1° and can be calibrated from an external source, I used my Ku pole that I know to be true.
I can't believe how lucky we've been with the weather, it's been perfect for setting up, the light NE doesn't register here especially with the 8ft fence to the north and east so it allowed me to spend a couple of afternoons with the PC outside 'playing'. Initial set up was on Ku, in fact it took less than hour from bolting on the reflector to having it set, I couldn't believe how easy it was TBH and ended up checking everything again lol I didn't really take too many readings on Ku for comparison to my 1m apart from noting that RASD on 45W is 77/100 on the Gib and 86/100 on the Precision, what that means in the real world I've no idea but it's quite an improvement I had an email from someone at elite Antennas last week advising me to buy the Invacom feedhorn with yellow cap and Primesat feed support boss from satsuperstore as it's well matched to the PA 1.8m, I may well do this as I'm more than tempted to try it on Ku again.
Results so far are quite encouraging to say the least, as you'd expect many more transponders and a handful more satellites to choose from now, so much so I've had to make seperate installations of DVB Dream for C and Ku as I've too many satellites to store in one.
Viewable arc on C band is 40-58W, the only ones that elude me are 38, 30.5 and 17E plus 20 and 45W. The first two are due to next doors tree obstructing the path from about 39-25E, 17E is close but I've not been about in the morning when I think the signal is strongest. On Ku I can see 25.5E with the same strength as the 1m and Astra is strong enough to get through the gaps in the branches but not much else further east apart from a blip at 39E.
I can't see 40E at the moment as my 18" actuator is about 2° short of full coverage, I'm going to try altering the fixing point for the arm on the rear of the dish to reduce the angular movement needed to swing the dish full arc but if it proves too much strain on the actuator I'll buy a 24" if I spot one on fleabay. I need to buy some new drill bits first, it's all very thick hard steel!
Think the pics speak for themselves,
Satellite shack al fresco, it can't really be March can it?
Measuring the length required for the Ku feed arms.
Just installed with the Ku feed ready for alignment
All finished and parked on 58W
Rear view showing the inclination marker
Since then it's been cleaned, Hammerited, had 95% of the dent knocked out, I've made a new support arm for C band and three more to take the Ku feed. The ground the dish is on is actually spoil from when I dug the pool out so although quite solid to walk on is actually only lightly compacted chalk with the minimum of top soil. The two new fixings are 300mm square and a metre deep with some cross bracing knocked into them and clamped to the threaded rods. I found a really useful inclinometer app for the phone to help set up the ground post, it's called Mast Tuner and uses the accelerometer for better accuracy. It measures down to 0.1° and can be calibrated from an external source, I used my Ku pole that I know to be true.
I can't believe how lucky we've been with the weather, it's been perfect for setting up, the light NE doesn't register here especially with the 8ft fence to the north and east so it allowed me to spend a couple of afternoons with the PC outside 'playing'. Initial set up was on Ku, in fact it took less than hour from bolting on the reflector to having it set, I couldn't believe how easy it was TBH and ended up checking everything again lol I didn't really take too many readings on Ku for comparison to my 1m apart from noting that RASD on 45W is 77/100 on the Gib and 86/100 on the Precision, what that means in the real world I've no idea but it's quite an improvement
I had an email from someone at elite Antennas last week advising me to buy the Invacom feedhorn with yellow cap and Primesat feed support boss from satsuperstore as it's well matched to the PA 1.8m, I may well do this as I'm more than tempted to try it on Ku again.Results so far are quite encouraging to say the least, as you'd expect many more transponders and a handful more satellites to choose from now, so much so I've had to make seperate installations of DVB Dream for C and Ku as I've too many satellites to store in one.
Viewable arc on C band is 40-58W, the only ones that elude me are 38, 30.5 and 17E plus 20 and 45W. The first two are due to next doors tree obstructing the path from about 39-25E, 17E is close but I've not been about in the morning when I think the signal is strongest. On Ku I can see 25.5E with the same strength as the 1m and Astra is strong enough to get through the gaps in the branches but not much else further east apart from a blip at 39E.
I can't see 40E at the moment as my 18" actuator is about 2° short of full coverage, I'm going to try altering the fixing point for the arm on the rear of the dish to reduce the angular movement needed to swing the dish full arc but if it proves too much strain on the actuator I'll buy a 24" if I spot one on fleabay. I need to buy some new drill bits first, it's all very thick hard steel!
Think the pics speak for themselves,
Satellite shack al fresco, it can't really be March can it?
Measuring the length required for the Ku feed arms.
Just installed with the Ku feed ready for alignment
All finished and parked on 58W
Rear view showing the inclination marker
