Re: [amsat-bb] Question re dish turning / position tracking

[Al Lawler <alawler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

  Hey Lowell,

  If you're just looking for a quick and dirty 
manual readout (I.e. no computer control), how
about one of those cheapo 900 mhz wireless survailance
cameras pointed at a compass rose on the ground
below the dish?

  -al  (Who also wants to put a big dish up...)




Lowell White wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I am looking for pointers, links, etc regarding methods to turn and track
> position for sat dishes.
> 
> More specifically I have a C-band dish of some size I am revamping to use for
> various of the ham bands.
> 
> The only positioning mechanism WAS an actuator. The actuator is NOW intended
> to be used for elevation control only - and I can handle that with a pulse
> counter (to count pulses from it's cherry switch as the screw turns)/homebrew
> controls, etc.
> 
> In it's new form I have a (moose of a) motor (currently geared at 35.9 RPM and
> likely to reduce to 1/6 RPM (1 degree per second if my math's right) to turn
> the dish.
> 
> What that motor DOES NOT have is any way to measure antenna position.
> I could use (old) selsyn's and a PC-generated map o' the world, or maybe a
> snazzier
> and more modern rotary optical sensor and pulse counter, etc.
> 
> Obviously what I'm trying to do is a) use existing materials as much as
> possible b) not break the bank with a large expensive rotor c) not resort to
> "armstrong" positioning.
> 
> Ideas?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Lowell
> K9LDW@amsat.org
> whiteld@usa.net
> 
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