problem with my 1m dish in slight winds

[slimsim]

i have a motorised dish connected to a techomate 1500, the problem must have began when it was very windy a few weeks ago, i have not watched it for a while anyway when the wind blows even slightly the picture goes all blocky and sometimes says no video or audio this is on astra, i have checked the dish and there is indeed play on it but i can't find anything to tighten on the set up, the dish moves on its own with out moving the bracket to the motor, i have tightened the screws that hold the dish to the bracket thinking that would stop the play but its still there, i have also tweaked the bolts that hold the dish to the arm of the motor but when you move the dish its got side to side movement, i dont know the make of the dish as i cant see a name on it iam stuck for what else i can try.

[echelon]

if there is play in the motor whist not moving then the motor is worn out and needs replacing
afaik there is no method of tightening up any motor movement due to worn bearings or components

buy a darkmotor or similar and replace it

[slimsim]

if there is play in the motor whist not moving then the motor is worn out and needs replacing
afaik there is no method of tightening up any motor movement due to worn bearings or components

buy a darkmotor or similar and replace it

the dish moves ok from satellite to satellite its just the play thats on the dish. there is no play from the bracket off the dish to the motor its from the bracket to the dish and i cant see anything else that i can tighten, i will go out later when i get back and have a good look round good job i can stand right next to it.

[rikjaard-real]

check the screws or nuts on the dish face ¬ i have seen them loosened before

[slimsim]

i have checked the bolts that hold the dish to the bracket these are tight but there is still movement in the dish, as its raining and windy again i will have a good look at all the other bolts later and see if i can work out where the play is

[heyho]

Sounds like a triax dish lol

You may well jest but my 90cm Triax is like that Bob Dylan song 'the answer my friend is blowing in the wind' or more like 'the answer my friend is pixelating in the wind'

[dog-man]

I have a 1.1mtr Triax dish and with the dark motor superior or whatever it is called, there is very little play so the dish doesn't move around much in the wind. I am watching it as I type as it is very stormy here today and it is coping well.

[slimsim]

i have checked all the bolts on the dish, brackets etc and everything is tight, so iam going to have to not watch it in winds which where i live is quite difficult, my other freeview dish as i call it is solid no movement but its a lot smaller, if its the motor that has been strained with the wind i will look to replace it i dont use it that much as the tm 1500 is getting a little old for unlocking stuff so may invest in a new receiver and a motor when finances stretch that far. but thanks for all the suggestions so far.

[dog-man]

Is the pole too long?

With a long pole you get more swaying in the wind.

[slimsim]

there is no pole its mounted direct to the garage wall

[Mickha]

can you please upload some pictures, of the dish, and mount, it's usually easier to spot any problems, from pictures, rather than trying to ascertain the problem through questions, and answers.

[Sawdust]

There should be two allen bolts or similar on either side of the motor arm. Nip them up. I had a dark motor that had excess play in it and that cured it.

[TonyO]

You should be able to see where the slack is with your eyes, or put your hand over the two surfaces and give it a slight nudge and you should feel any play, there are usually a couple of universal joints at the top and the bottom of the dish bracket that the whole dish pivots on, these come loose and wear out, check both of these.

[slimsim]

had a good look today as the weather has been kind, there is play on the motor it moves slightly but by the time its got to the lnb is around 2 inch play the motor is a fortec star hh90, i have looked on the internet and it says supports dishes upto 95cm mine is 1m so the guy who supplied has used a wrong motor, if this is the case that the motor is worn i will get a darkmotor as echelon suggested, one thing are they easy to set up once changed.

[heyho]

I've not got a fear for heights but after watching that 24 hours in A&E program and seeing the amount of people that fall from ladders and inflict life changing injuries I am thinking twice about climbing 30ft to play around with my 90cm dish that's stuck on the gable end.

[TonyO]

That's the trouble with usals style motors, continual buffeting by the wind directly wears the cogs out giving you a lot of play exactly where your main satellites you use are.

A dish mount that use a jack doesn't have this problem as it has effectively has a hefty rack and pinion that has a lot of leverage to oppose the wind and buffeting, in 25 years I've never had much wear on either, the small plastic cogs inside that count the dish revolution have worn but they are weedy plastic ones.

[slimsim]

further to my last post, i have just ordered a SUPREME DARK LED MOTOR METAL GEAR DiSEqC 1.2 / 1.3 USALS from amazon to try to hopefully cure my picture problems, are they easy to install my dish is at head height so its easy to get at, i have never changed a motor so could do with some advice and point me in the right direction, its connected to a technomate 1500 box

[digicon]

I am Unsure why you have used Amazon for the DarkMotor when we have a perfectly good sponsor who sells them and would gladly give you the benefit of his knowledge if you needed it:

https://www.goldwafers.co.uk/Supreme-Intelligent-Dark-Motor-with-LED-Display-and-Metal-Gears-DiSEqC-1.2-USALS-Satellite-Dish-Motor.html

[slimsim]

I am Unsure why you have used Amazon for the DarkMotor when we have a perfectly good sponsor who sells them and would gladly give you the benefit of his knowledge if you needed it:

https://www.goldwafers.co.uk/Supreme-Intelligent-Dark-Motor-with-LED-Display-and-Metal-Gears-DiSEqC-1.2-USALS-Satellite-Dish-Motor.html

i used amazon as i had a free £50 voucher, thats all nothing against the sites sponsor just to clear that up.

[Aldo]

i have never changed a motor so could do with some advice and point me in the right direction, its connected to a technomate 1500 box

Did the motor not come with setup instructions. ???

You could also check for the info in post #7 in the following thread:

https://www.satpimps.co.uk/showthread.php?58680-install-FAQ-thread

[slimsim]

received the darkmotor i will try a swap hopefully tomorrow, i will be doing it by eye and tape measure as i have no equipment to alligne it up. iam going to set it up to thor as the darkmotor looks like its on that, i have already moved the dish to that and the pointes both look the same, i have my latitude so will set that on the bracket.

[slimsim]

something strange has happened to my motor since i turned it to 1w to change my motor for the dark motor the picture has now stayed nice and sharp even with all the rain no problems at all, it has been windy as well and still a good picture so i will hang onto the my now spare motor as it could just be a blip and go again.