Needing an Actuator

Ski5010 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-18-2007, 12:20 PM

I have an 18 in actuator,But it is not going as far west as it should,Is it possible to put a 24 or 36 in one on or will it not work.I have an 10 foot Unimesh Dish.

rainman · #2 (**permalink**) 07-18-2007, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ski5010

I have an 18 in actuator,But it is not going as far west as it should,Is it possible to put a 24 or 36 in one on or will it not work.I have an 10 foot Unimesh Dish.

I would go with a 24" at least for a 10 ft dish.it should work just fine.

Ski5010 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-18-2007, 12:41 PM

Any speacial brand or type you suggest

wejones · #4 (**permalink**) 07-18-2007, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ski5010

I have an 18 in actuator,But it is not going as far west as it should,Is it possible to put a 24 or 36 in one on or will it not work.I have an 10 foot Unimesh Dish.

I agree re 24", but I'm curious... what part of country are you located, and what sats are you trying to reach, and how far did it get?

Some actuators have adjustable limits that are set very conservatively, and can be extended. Also, to get the maximum range, you have to fully retract it when aiming to the limit just beyond the sat nearest your horizon, adjusting via where it attaches on tube.
I once had an actuator go bad, and while repairing it, I bought a replacement, which was smaller, and the thing wouldn't cover my whole arc. I took it back and got the same size I used to have. I later found out that I could have covered quite a bit more of the arc than I thought, but I was happy in the end that I got the bigger actuator.

Ski5010 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-18-2007, 02:56 PM

Ok i live in GA.It seems to quit at 250 degrees west,or is that all i need

rainman · #6 (**permalink**) 07-18-2007, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ski5010

Ok i live in GA.It seems to quit at 250 degrees west,or is that all i need

try using longitude degrees will be able to understand how far you are getting I get from 137 degrees west to 72 degrees west with a 18" actuator on my 8.5' dish. which is from AMC6 to AMC7.

Ski5010 · #7 (**permalink**) 07-18-2007, 05:38 PM

Still trying to learn.Ok i Can get from AMC9 85.OW to G10R 123.OW Hope that will help out.

Ski5010 · #8 (**permalink**) 07-18-2007, 08:39 PM

Is this what you were asking for anybody?

rainman · #9 (**permalink**) 07-19-2007, 06:36 AM

you should be able to get farther than that with a 18" actuator you may need to check and change your limits in the receiver or adjust the limit switch in the actuator.

Ski5010 · #10 (**permalink**) 07-19-2007, 07:02 AM

According to the shaft it seems to be almost all the way in.pointing West

rainman · #11 (**permalink**) 07-19-2007, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ski5010

According to the shaft it seems to be almost all the wat in.

if that is the case you will need to adjust the actuator in it's clamp that will get your western birds. check your east limit in the receiver so it will move to your eastern sats.

wejones · #12 (**permalink**) 07-19-2007, 08:39 AM

Perhaps this is a dumb question, but what side of the dish do you have the actuator installed on? If you live in the east (and I assume Ga to be in the east), you should have the actuator installed on the WEST side of your dish. People in the west will install their actuator on the EAST side of the dish. If you install the actuator on the wrong side, you won't get all the CONUS sats, no matter how big the actuator is, unless you live in the middle of the country.

The reason I think you are installed on the wrong side is that when you install an actuator (in the east) you set it up retracted on your furthest west sat, so there is NEVER an issue getting sats to the west, it's just a question of how far east you can get. If you have an issue getting west, then it's likely that your actuator is on the wrong side.

rainman · #13 (**permalink**) 07-19-2007, 12:51 PM

good point Bill didn't think of this but that could cause a problem for western sats.

wejones · #14 (**permalink**) 07-19-2007, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rainman

good point Bill then think of this but that could cause a problem for western sats.

I don't understand what you're saying?

rainman · #15 (**permalink**) 07-19-2007, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wejones

I don't understand what you're saying?

it was a typo should have said didn't think of this. meaning the actuator arm being on the wrong side.

Ski5010 · #16 (**permalink**) 07-20-2007, 04:41 PM

It is installed on the west side of the dish

wejones · #17 (**permalink**) 07-20-2007, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ski5010

It is installed on the west side of the dish

In that case,loosen the bolts where the ball joint clamp is attached to the actuator tube. Then, with the actuator fully retracted, actuator tube can then slip inside this clamp. Just allowing the tube to slip in the clamp, adjust the dish to just past where the lowest sat on your western horizon is, then tighten the bolts. Then, when you run your motor east, you'll get all sats from your western horizon to whatever point where the actuator is fully extended, and you may have to extend the limits to the east. But installed this way, there should never be a problem getting down to the horizon to your west. The only problem will be with respect to how far east you can go, but generally any actuator should cover at least to AMC6... but it does depend a bit on how the actuator connects to your dish. You may still want a longer actuator to get a bit more of the eastern arc, but there should never be an issue getting sats to your west.