Just Sharing This Scale for webcam view of satellite positions

[Spiff]

Good evening Gentlemen,

The scale that the web cams look at on my two dishes are just numbers.

The camera can be seen to the left in a water tight box.

It struck me that I could make them relevant to the compass position of the satellites.

This would make finding new satellites simpler : )

A due south of zero, then 0 to 90 each way round.

I can only turn the dishes 40 degrees each way, due the the way the jacks work and the wall behind the dishes.

All the print outs of protractors were useless as in a curve, then I came across the attached, a centre ruler.

Printed out it is almost the correct diameter, I can adjust it in Image composer.

Once the correct size for the drum, which is the cap from a Heinz sauce bottle : ), it is then cut to width and laminated.

The secret is to make the paper print out smaller than the lamination by about a 32nd.

That way there is no water ingress.

I think we are going to have to visit Tesco and Sainsbury's, as we do not have any more caps the same.

They were ones Alanna had saved from a while back.

I can use the ones already on the mounts, but just in case it does not work out, I should like to be able to put them back as they are.

I glue the scales on with Araldite type glue.

I think the arc should match up with the drum, as it is on the dish mount centre pivot.

Not 100% sure on that one though : )

God Bless Spiff

 

[ozumo]

Good job Spiff! The degrees won't quite match the arc, but when you peak each position make note of the degrees on the drum and create a 2nd scale with the sats already marked

 

[Spiff]

Thank you for your reply Ozumo : )

Is this because it is following an arc, which is longer than the straight line half circle the scale makes ?

Or is there some other reason.

I assume the satellites are all right on station.

God Bless Spiff

 

[ozumo]

There are online calculators to work out the exact azimuth from any given location such as:

https://satlex.de/en/azel_calc.html

As to why the degrees of the satellite don't match the scale, imagine we were at the core of the earth (the centre point of the lid) and the satellites were on the rim, the degrees would match perfectly, but we are someway between the core and the satellite on the earth's crust (say halfway between the lid centre point and the rim). The dish on the crust would need to be at a different angle to the dish at the core to point at the same satellite. Then there's the fact we are not directly under the Clarke belt on the equator, so the angles are different again

 

[Spiff]

There are online calculators to work out the exact azimuth from any given location such as:

https://satlex.de/en/azel_calc.html

As to why the degrees of the satellite don't match the scale, imagine we were at the core of the earth (the centre point of the lid) and the satellites were on the rim, the degrees would match perfectly, but we are someway between the core and the satellite on the earth's crust (say halfway between the lid centre point and the rim). The dish on the crust would need to be at a different angle to the dish at the core to point at the same satellite. Then there's the fact we are not directly under the Clarke belt on the equator, so the angles are different again

Alanna said there are some clever fellows on there : )

Thank you for that, it will be interesting to see how the positions differ from the scale.

Both my KU and C band dished use the same Precision mount, and the jacks are pivoted from the same point though one jack is shorter.

It is hopeful that once I have made one, it will apply to the other.

An email has just arrived to say that the carrier is delivering my KU twin LNB, it will be replacing the single output LNB, so I shall be distracted fitting that today : )

It will be great to be able to point the dish and know I am not on the wrong heading, or the wrong sattellite, though blind scans pick up the next bird when they are close of course.

God Bless Spiff

 

[ozumo]

At the bottom of the link I posted it allows you to download a spreadsheet of all possible satellites from your location. I believe 'angle setting on motor' column is what should correspond to your scale. Good luck with the new LNB

 

[Spiff]

Thankyou for the link great : )

Ref my new LNB : (

Hermes used by the eBay seller creativesatellite are total liers : (

First they give a time slot today, then change it, then lie and say they tried to deliver it.

I have been outside working on my satellite dish by the porch.

There is also our shop below which is open with the door wide open and people in there.

There are different excuses depending if I track it online, or read the email they sent which lied and said they tried to deliver.

I have already had one from Ireland stolen by a carrier, so I have just about had enough. grrrr.

To save a small amount and use cheapskate carriers is not good business. : (

We had a satellite receiver a week ago delayed by these same carriers.

Next time I order an item I shall ask about the carrier used : )

SSS may not be the cheapest, but most time delivery is next day, I guess you pay for service.

A not happy Spiff God Bless

 

[ozumo]

I had a monitor delivered by Hermes recently, the box had clearly been stood on. They are worse than Citylink was, they were terrible, good riddance.

You could always use the LNB loopthrough on the Technomate to connect the second receiver, or use a priority switch or manual a/b switch.

 

[jeallen01]

HERMES: TBH, it probably depends a lot on the staff involved - ATM, our current local courier is actually pretty good.
(OTOH, you were right about Citylink )

Based on recent local experience, UPS ("Useless" Parcel Service) are probably the worst ATM (even delivered a pair of LED neon-tube replacements INTACT, but a day earlier than the 2 emails received earlier the same day to say that they would be arriving the following one!)

 

[Spiff]

I had a monitor delivered by Hermes recently, the box had clearly been stood on. They are worse than Citylink was, they were terrible, good riddance.

You could always use the LNB loopthrough on the Technomate to connect the second receiver, or use a priority switch or manual a/b switch.

Ozumo thank you for that, I did use a manual switch but did not have a pole long enough to operate it from the settee : )

After all that it lands in our porch at 18.27, so much for all the tracking, we could have gone out and locked the porch.

I must say that Alex at Creativesatellite was very polite and messaged me back a couple of times after I complained, he sounds truly a very nice gentleman.

Carriers are playing up apparently worse that normal, because the virus is giving them an excuse.

We have sold a lot of large radio equipment recently clearing out my workshop loft before the ceiling collapsed, the Post Office Parcel Force has been faultless : )

The new LNB is fitted despite the rain, I managed to drop my favourite side cutters down into the river below, a job for Alanna tomorrow : )

The quality level is as good as the single LNB was over all the satellites, it is an Inverto White Tech C120 0.3dB

God Bless Spiff.

 

[ozumo]

Good to hear it's all sorted now. Another thumbs up for post office services from me, never had a problem sending packages with them either.

I do wonder if misinformation on package tracking services is a way of dodging the max driving hours rules

 

[Topper]

Well the post office has gone up it's own derriere since the Chinese began sniffing around offering to purchase it lock stock and barrel. My daughter sent me a birthday present in June some buns, and a water flosser, when she went to the post office to weigh the total wrapped parcel the woman said it weighed 5 grams over the allowed 2Kg. So instead of being charged approx £7.00 first class or whatever, she wanted nearly £17, so in the end my daughter said she was not paying the extra £10 for 5 grams over and sent it 2nd class instead. Needless to say it never arrived, and after two weeks (the time you have to wait before claiming) I began chasing with a contact in Royal Mail at this end, after three weeks the parcel finally turned up. My birthday buns were however quite inedible.

 

[jeallen01]

I use one or other of the courier services for anything over 2kg - usually Collect+ or Parcel2Go.

Just experimented with the latter for a 2.1kg parcel from W.London to Redhill in Surrey - £5-£11 depending on how quickly delivery is needed, and whether insurance is required.

Sent an Echostar 3000 from here (W.London) to Nelson B "up North" a few months ago for £8-£9 on 3-4 day delivery - arrived safely and on time.

 

[ozumo]

Well the post office has gone up it's own derriere since the Chinese began sniffing around offering to purchase it lock stock and barrel. My daughter sent me a birthday present in June some buns, and a water flosser, when she went to the post office to weigh the total wrapped parcel the woman said it weighed 5 grams over the allowed 2Kg. So instead of being charged approx £7.00 first class or whatever, she wanted nearly £17, so in the end my daughter said she was not paying the extra £10 for 5 grams over and sent it 2nd class instead. Needless to say it never arrived, and after two weeks (the time you have to wait before claiming) I began chasing with a contact in Royal Mail at this end, after three weeks the parcel finally turned up. My birthday buns were however quite inedible.

The way they treated some subpostmasters over their faulty accounting software was appalling too.

 

[william-1]

The way they treated some subpostmasters over their faulty accounting software was appalling too.

That was a criminal offence that ruined a lot of postmasters lives I have not heard of any prosecutions for the individuals that caused this

 

[Topper]

The way they treated some subpostmasters over their faulty accounting software was appalling too.

Well I certainly am not disagreeing on that front either. My dad was a subpostmaster in the late 70's however many do not know that a scam was running well before they had computers to blame it on. Certain key people had access to the sub post office ledgers archive and used to scour the pages looking for bad balances then copy specific pages showing you had experienced a bad balance for whatever reason, but never copy the week after where it usually counterbalanced. They would turn up at your door a few years later with ID (unknown if it was genuine or not) and would demand that amount of money and bully you into paying it. My dad retired and sold the sub-office through ill health having suffered three heart attacks in one day, myself and my mum had done the balance (I came over to visit my dad and helped) and we had posted something in the wrong column. I never knew about these crooks turning up until well after it had taken place and my dad had already paid them to avoid further stress. There are thieves and crooks in all aspects of life I am afraid.

As we are on the subject of fraud I can also relate a major scam, which others should take note of for their own protection, it takes place with a major high street bank and their bereavement service. I had POA for my mum and had handled her finances for 10 years, when she died I visited the bank and registered for their bereavement services, they sent me a final statement for her paltry amount of money <100K. They sent me a statement claiming she had a credit card bill of over £40K. My mum never had a credit card in her life, but if I had been a solicitor winding up her estate, I would have paid that debt from her estate to the bank as I would not know any different. I made numerous telephone complaints and two written complaints but nobody would engage with me, they did not even say sorry.