Bit of a dilemma and could do with some opinions from the motorised dish crowd.
I've currently got an 80cm mesh dish on a Dark Motor, which has been working fine and tracking the arc properly.
I recently bought a 1m Lenson Heath steel dish together with a DigiPower/Moteck SG-2100A motor from a member on this forum, so I know the dish and SG-2100A are a compatible combination and were supplied together.
My original plan was to leave my existing Dark Motor exactly where it was, since it's already aligned properly, and simply replace the 80cm dish with the Lenson.
I fitted the Lenson at motor 0°, got it lined up and eventually managed to peak 0.8°W at around 80–84% SNR, so reception-wise it was looking promising.
Unfortunately I've now discovered a mechanical problem. When the motor rotates far enough, the Lenson's mounting bracket physically catches the side plates/body of the Dark Motor and stops it moving. The output arm on the Dark Motor simply doesn't appear to extend far enough for the Lenson's rather chunky mounting bracket.
So I'm now deciding between:
The downside is obviously disturbing a Dark Motor installation that's already tracking the arc properly and having to align the SG-2100A from scratch.
For those who've used the SG-2100A, particularly with a solid 1m dish, would you go ahead and swap motors? How does it compare with the Dark Motor in terms of strength, backlash and reliability with a dish this size?
I'd rather not try extending/modifying the Dark Motor shaft just to gain clearance, especially with the extra leverage and wind loading from a solid 1m dish.
I've already slightly bent the Dark Motor's metal plate a bit on both sides, but don't want to do it anymore
I've currently got an 80cm mesh dish on a Dark Motor, which has been working fine and tracking the arc properly.
I recently bought a 1m Lenson Heath steel dish together with a DigiPower/Moteck SG-2100A motor from a member on this forum, so I know the dish and SG-2100A are a compatible combination and were supplied together.
My original plan was to leave my existing Dark Motor exactly where it was, since it's already aligned properly, and simply replace the 80cm dish with the Lenson.
I fitted the Lenson at motor 0°, got it lined up and eventually managed to peak 0.8°W at around 80–84% SNR, so reception-wise it was looking promising.
Unfortunately I've now discovered a mechanical problem. When the motor rotates far enough, the Lenson's mounting bracket physically catches the side plates/body of the Dark Motor and stops it moving. The output arm on the Dark Motor simply doesn't appear to extend far enough for the Lenson's rather chunky mounting bracket.
So I'm now deciding between:
- Putting the 80cm dish back on the Dark Motor and returning to the setup I know works.
- Removing the Dark Motor and fitting the SG-2100A that actually came with the Lenson, then setting the motorised system up again from scratch.
The downside is obviously disturbing a Dark Motor installation that's already tracking the arc properly and having to align the SG-2100A from scratch.
For those who've used the SG-2100A, particularly with a solid 1m dish, would you go ahead and swap motors? How does it compare with the Dark Motor in terms of strength, backlash and reliability with a dish this size?
I'd rather not try extending/modifying the Dark Motor shaft just to gain clearance, especially with the extra leverage and wind loading from a solid 1m dish.
I've already slightly bent the Dark Motor's metal plate a bit on both sides, but don't want to do it anymore
