[EI4ESB]

]My experience to date during HAMTV tests ending 6th August 2014 using Yaesu G5400.
I'm looking to share information and get feedback from others attempting to use this rotator.
Is it a lost cause?
My main problem is tracking over 35deg. As can be seen from the TiouneData Reader . I receive good data at the beginning and at the end of pass.
If I offset elevation by +2deg I receive Data only above 40deg, no data below this Elevation. There is no improvement changing Azimuth offsets.
I have recalibrated AZ and EL as carefully as possible many times. Elevation and Azimuth tracking calibration by the Sun is excellent all day.
Any comments are welcome.
My set-up:-
Rotator Yaesu G5400
1.2mtr offset dish
RF HAMDESIGN feed LH-13XL
Kuhne Downconverter LNC-23TM
LVB Tracker interface
PCI Card TT S2-3200
Tutioune DVB
SatPC32
Orbitron

+3deg gives signal at higher Elevations

s_EI4ESB_ISS_HAMTV_31_07_2014_02h_27mn_02s-50%.jpg (71.62 KiB) Viewed 37234 times

Beginning and end of pass

s_EI4ESB_ISS_HAMTV_07_08_2014_00h_00mn_02s-50%.jpg (73.77 KiB) Viewed 37234 times

[F6DZP]

Hello,
VK6MJ is using a G5500 rotor, very similar to yours and has obtained very good results.
http://www.vivadatv.org/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=286&start=20
If I remember he has changed the rotor controler to obtain better precision.

so it does exist good solution with your rotor.
all your equipment is well chosen:
1.2mtr offset dish
RF HAMDESIGN feed LH-13XL
Kuhne Downconverter LNC-23TM
PCI Card TT S2-3200
Tutioune DVB

But your MER value seems to stay low in the first graphic, perhaps due to a low pass.

In the second graphic you start to receive and after atime, lose the signal, do you have trees or some building that is on the way ? if not it is your tracking that has some issue we must find and fix.

Whit this equipment you can receive several mn of signal.
First thing to check is the tracking system.( hardware AND software)

Jean Pierre F6DZP

[iw1dtu]

Hola EI4ESB, all

I had same troubles in the past setting up my dish for HRPT.
Just to understand what was going on during tracking I put a small ccd b/w (more sensitive in dark than colour one's) cam on the feed, off course not watching the dish but the sky_;) , with a 25mm lens (both cheap on ebay).
Than you have to wait for a ISS visible pass and sitting in your shack you can easily understand if your tracker (sw+hw) is performing well for all pass or needs some adjustment or... you need a better one's.
Just my two cents worth.

I spent some evenings during last video blank ISS passes trying to put together a working stuff and seems that I am almost ready.

A big MERCI to Jean Pierre F6DZP for this forum and excellent software.

73 Fer IW1DTU

[kb3pmr]

In trying to keep it simple it looks to me as if the slight play in your EL motor may be causing the problem. Some where in the balance of the dish you are going from positive tooth on the gears to negative tooth or the opposite. This may be as easy as adjusting your counter weights on the dish to negate the dish from having that slight tilt when the weight of the counter weights over comes the weight of the dish. If your presently perfectly balanced you may need to unbalance it a small amount, just enough to not cause any major strain on the AZ motor but enough to keep the dish from falling out of alignment with the ISS during the pass. It looks to me that on both passes you show, that the problem is repeatable and there for mechanical in nature. Your software and tracking looks good so I would not make any adjustment to it until you resolve that bit of play in the EL rotor. Once that is done then make your final adjustment in the off sett of the software to compensate for the fix. Hope this helps. Just my two cents.

Bob, kb3pmr