Build An Electric Rotating Object?

[Ben8297]

Hello, I have purchased an antenna that needs to point in a certain direction and I need to be able to change the direction throughout the day with the help of an electric motor.

What would be the most effective way to move a heavy object's direction using one motor? How should I arrange to motor to get the most from it?

Thank you for your time, enjoy your day!

 

[bernardgreen]

.

Large or small ?

Seriously without knowing the size and shape of the aerial it is impossible to offer advice.

 

[Diver Fred]

Ask your friendly Radio Amateur (Radio 'Ham')...

or

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=a...PP8G6_S8AffrpbQAg#q=antenna+rotators&tbm=shop

Other suggestions :-
Waters & Stanton - hamradiostore.co.uk
Martin Lynch - www.hamradio.co.uk

 

[Ben8297]

Just something around this size. Nothing too large. (Not my photo)

 

[Tigercubrider]

buy an aerial rotator?

 

[Ben8297]

If I build a base it could stand on how could I use the electric motor to rotate it?

 

[bernardgreen]

You will almost certainly need to rotate and elevate the antenna which requires a two axis motion control system.

If you are tracking a moving source or switching between several fixed sources ( such as geo stationary satellites ) then this will be complex and expensive.

If you are switching between two or three geo stationary satellites then using two or three separate antennia may be less expensive.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

What would be the most effective way to move a heavy object's direction using one motor?

By buying one which already does what you want.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=motorised+satellite+dish

 

[ban-all-sheds]

.View attachment 112450
Large or small ?

Just the one?

 

[winston1]

You will almost certainly need to rotate and elevate the antenna which requires a two axis motion control system.

If you are tracking a moving source or switching between several fixed sources ( such as geo stationary satellites ) then this will be complex and expensive.

Not at all. Mount the dish on a polar mount. Then only a single motor is required. Google is your friend.

 

[bernardgreen]

Google is your friend.

and declination may be your enemy.

 

[Simon35]

Hello, I have purchased an antenna that needs to point in a certain direction and I need to be able to change the direction throughout the day with the help of an electric motor.

What would be the most effective way to move a heavy object's direction using one motor? How should I arrange to motor to get the most from it?

Thank you for your time, enjoy your day!

How fast? How accurately do you need to position the dish?

You will probably end up with a gearbox the size of your house to get near the speed reduction I imagine you will need.

In an industrial setting, a servo motor would be the preferred option for positioning, but it would be expensive and requires a lot of design knowledge and manufacturing to diy it. If there's a purpose made bit of kit on the market that will be your best solution.

 

[ericmark]

I used a windscreen wiper motor through a second windscreen wiper motor gearbox, 360 degrees took 2.8 minutes. However I was in the Falklands at the time, so there was no local shops I could buy one from. In the UK I used a propriety rotator which was a lot faster, however the controller used a motor to move the pointer which should run as same speed as aerial, but they were not quite every so often one had to rotate it the whole way to get both in sync again. This was OK with a HB9CV but with a satellite dish it needs to be more accurate.

For satellite receivers designed to use multi satellite inputs the rotator is often linked to the box, so when you select a program it auto moves the dish. So dish and box may need to match.

I know one guy who had 9 x 16 element Yagi beams used for moon bounce, controlled by a spectrum computer in a tin box, the stepper motors were so slow you could hardly see them moving, same with telescopes, although in that case the telescope is static, it's the earth moving. So much depends what you are doing with the aerial?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

in that case the telescope is static, it's the earth moving.

Good God - how big a motor do you need for that?

 

[ericmark]

Jodrell Bank once the object is selected needs to remain aimed at that object, since the earth moves, the telescope seems to be always on the move, but the telescope is in fact static. The Lovell Telescope data states "The horizontal (azimuth) drive is powered by two 50 horse power electric motors at the foot of each tower, while the vertical (elevation) drive is powered by two motors at the top of each tower, and by two more motors driving the wheel girders beneath the bowl." so all I can say is more than 100 horse power.