Actuator Opinions

keebs · #1 (**permalink**) 10-19-2007, 11:48 PM

I Am Getting Ready To Purchase My Dish Mover And Was Looking For Some Quick Feedback On Some Of The Lower End Actuators Like Some Of The Motecks, Superjacks Or Venture. Any Opinions Are Appreciated.

rainman · #2 (**permalink**) 10-20-2007, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keebs

I Am Getting Ready To Purchase My Dish Mover And Was Looking For Some Quick Feedback On Some Of The Lower End Actuators Like Some Of The Motecks, Superjacks Or Venture. Any Opinions Are Appreciated.

you didn't say what size of dish you were trying to move. I have used the superjacks and they work well on a 8.5' mesh dish. I have one of the motec's for replacement on my 8.5' mesh just haven't installed it yet.
the best one in my opinion is the von weis actuator they are a little more expensive but are solid as a rock.

keebs · #3 (**permalink**) 10-20-2007, 09:12 AM

10-4 On That Von Weis. Maybe Just Some Personal Experience On The Lower Priced Models. Thanks!

rainman · #4 (**permalink**) 10-20-2007, 04:40 PM

the Motec seems to be a well built actuator just havn't had time to install it yet. If you are using it on a 8.5' or smaller dish you should be ok with the light duty actuator anything bigger I would go with the heavy duty version.

keebs · #5 (**permalink**) 10-20-2007, 06:03 PM

Thanks For The Response Rainman. I Guess The Moteck Or Superjack Will Do. My Dish Is A 7.5 Footer. So The 18" Actuator Should Be Fine.

wejones · #6 (**permalink**) 10-21-2007, 09:30 AM

It's been nearly 12 years since I've used an actuator, but when I did, I generally used 24" heavy duty Houston Tracker actuators, and I found them to be very reliable. The heavy duty Motecs at the Saduon site look like the HT actuators, but no way to tell if they are made as well.
But how well an actuator works depends a bit on 3 things besides the quality of the actuator, ie:
how much of the arc you are trying to see, where you are located relative to these sats, and lastly, the geometry of where the actuator connections are on the dish. Basically, any actuator will work well from one horizon to due south, but when you start trying to run the dish past due south is where you start getting into issues. I've heard lots of horror stories of actuators letting go, and letting the dish flop all the way to the ground, when people tried running them much past it's highest point. These actuators are very good at pushing, but not so good at pulling. The connection points come in with respect to how far past the high point you can go. I had a dish once, which had the actuator connect to a tab located on one of the dish ribs, about half way out the dish. With this arrangement, the actuator would jam against the side of the dish once you got to about 60-70% of the arc (assuming 0-50% is horizon to south). The span could be increased a bit by extending the connection point out from the dish surface. The amount of arc you can reach also depends on the stroke of the actuator, and people with 18" actuators sometimes have limited range, however because of the connection point geometry, you can't always be certain to have increased range when you go to a 24 or 36" actuator. I have a smaller 6' dish, that has connection points so that a small actuator will give just as much range as a longer actuator, whereas if it had the same connection points that my previous dish, it wouldn't work with a small actuator.
Also, if you live in the middle of the country where half the sats are to your east, and half to your west, or if you're trying to receive sats over the Atlantic, you may have problems with any actuator, and I'd really consider a high quality actuator. Whereas if you live on either coast, and only intend to receive sats to your east or west, but not both, then a lower quality actuator should be fine.
Anyway, I think more depends on the geometry of the dish, and where you live with respect to the sats you're trying to view.

keebs · #7 (**permalink**) 10-21-2007, 05:52 PM

now that you mention it, I do live in Florida and can receive some atlantic sats. but is there much fta c band on them? i guess i will buy the best one i can afford now that you put it that way. thanks to all for giving me things to think about. i now can share pics of my install when i start.

wejones · #8 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keebs

now that you mention it, I do live in Florida and can receive some atlantic sats. but is there much fta c band on them? i guess i will buy the best one i can afford now that you put it that way. thanks to all for giving me things to think about. i now can share pics of my install when i start.

I'm not sure what's "best" though. For a small dish like a 7', I certainly wouldn't go for a BIG actuator, like a 24" or 36", because it just isn't possible to use the additional range with that size dish. But I would look for a high quality version of an 18".

I'm not sure what's all available over the Atlantic now. I "could" see almost all of the Atlantic sats if I didn't live in the woods. My dish has a H-H mount, so I no longer have the actuator issues, but I'd have to cut down many dozens of trees to see much to the east. When I first moved in, I could see from 135 down to about 15 or so, but the trees have grown so much in 11 years that now I can only see from about 127 to somewhere around 50. So the H-H is pretty much wasted on me. I'd be much better off with an actuator.

I don't know if anyone still makes H-H mounts for big dishes, but for anyone trying to see sats both to the east and west, that is really the way to go. But actuators are so much cheaper that I guess not many people bought the H-H mounts, so now they aren't available anymore.

rainman · #9 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wejones

I'm not sure what's "best" though. For a small dish like a 7', I certainly wouldn't go for a BIG actuator, like a 24" or 36", because it just isn't possible to use the additional range with that size dish. But I would look for a high quality version of an 18".

I'm not sure what's all available over the Atlantic now. I "could" see almost all of the Atlantic sats if I didn't live in the woods. My dish has a H-H mount, so I no longer have the actuator issues, but I'd have to cut down many dozens of trees to see much to the east. When I first moved in, I could see from 135 down to about 15 or so, but the trees have grown so much in 11 years that now I can only see from about 127 to somewhere around 50. So the H-H is pretty much wasted on me. I'd be much better off with an actuator.

I don't know if anyone still makes H-H mounts for big dishes, but for anyone trying to see sats both to the east and west, that is really the way to go. But actuators are so much cheaper that I guess not many people bought the H-H mounts, so now they aren't available anymore.

when I was looking for a hh mount nobody made them anymore Bill but i got lucky and found the Birdview with a HH mount and it works just fine it's a shame I have so many mountains in the way but still able to get to 43 degrees.

keebs · #10 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 03:07 PM

WOW! I had never even thought of the H to H! i forgot about that term. will an actuator allow me to receive all of the sats i receive with my ku set up? i am hoping to just replace my small ku dish. so are you saying with an actuator i will be limited somehow? THANKS

rainman · #11 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keebs

WOW! I had never even thought of the H to H! i forgot about that term. will an actuator allow me to receive all of the sats i receive with my ku set up? i am hoping to just replace my small ku dish. so are you saying with an actuator i will be limited somehow? THANKS

I got a 18" actuator on one of my 8'5 and it will get from 72w to 137w before it hit the limits so if you want to receive Atlantic sats you will need a HH mount.

keebs · #12 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 03:17 PM

I Think I Could Find One. Used Of Course. There Are So Many Old Dishes In Central Florida That People Want To Get Rid Of. Im Not Really Sure What One Even Looks Like?

wejones · #13 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 05:28 PM

I think that how far you can go with an actuator depends a bit on the connection points on your dish. Steve in Indianna seems to be able to get a pretty good range with an actuator, but I've always found that you run into problems when you go to far east of due south. Something always jams. Actuators are really only intended to go from one horizon to a bit past due south, but not much past that. Some people seem to get more range, but most people have problems.

The H-H mounts on big dishes are usually sold with the dish, rather than as a separate item. It's usually a big semi-circular gear driven by a worm gear type thing. If you see a big dish with a big 12" plastic box near where the dish attaches to the pole, it's probably a H-H. I think mine was an Ajax, and it came with my Orbitron dish. My first dish back in the 80s was also a H-H, but I'm not sure what brand that was. It was a real complicated thing, with optical pulse units, and electronics out at the dish, which eventually went bad. I replaced that with a Sami dish with an actuator, which was a nice combination, but I couldn't get very far to the east. So when I moved here, I got another H-H, and initially was able to get most of the Atlantic sats, but now my trees are blocking me.

keebs · #14 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 07:44 PM

so a bigger actuator will NOT help? hmmm... am i really missing anything on some of the Atlantic sats? i dont really watch anything on the KU side anyway. how often do you visit them? i was unaware about problems with the actuators. but it is good to know. i guess i will just take my chances with an 18". thanks to all for enlightening me! i mean it.

HennyXo · #15 (**permalink**) 10-22-2007, 08:27 PM

I am very new and trying to create a new posting...Can't seem to know how to do it.

I have a fortect Star Mercury II and cant seem to get the EPG to work or dont know how to get the tv lsitings by title.

Can anyone here help.

Thanks !

HENNY

rainman · #16 (**permalink**) 10-23-2007, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keebs

so a bigger actuator will NOT help? hmmm... am i really missing anything on some of the Atlantic sats? i dont really watch anything on the KU side anyway. how often do you visit them? i was unaware about problems with the actuators. but it is good to know. i guess i will just take my chances with an 18". thanks to all for enlightening me! i mean it.

if you want to get the atlantic sats with a actuator you can always mount it on the other side of the dish as if you were living in the west. only problem with this is you will loose your western sats.