DIY mount for IRTE dish

[Chr0nik]

Hi all,

Some time ago I got an IRTE 1,2m Prime focus dish from fellow member s-band (thanks!) and since then I have used a Channelmaster polar mount to mount the antenna but I've not been happy with the results. Following many video guides on youtube, I've decided to build a mount for the dish using parts of an incomplete IRTE mount I had from many years ago and some spare metal tubes I had laying around.

This project was the first time I welded anything so I'm pretty happy with the results and I will be testing it tomorrow. What I would eventually like is to be able to get some c-band channels on the IRTE dish but it's pretty much a trial and error job as of now.

I'll update this thread as I make progress but if you have any advice or questions, please do post.

Thanks.

 

[John]

Hi all,

Some time ago I got an IRTE 1,2m Prime focus dish from fellow member s-band (thanks!) and since then I have used a Channelmaster polar mount to mount the antenna but I've not been happy with the results. Following many video guides on youtube, I've decided to build a mount for the dish using parts of an incomplete IRTE mount I had from many years ago and some spare metal tubes I had laying around.

This project was the first time I welded anything so I'm pretty happy with the results and I will be testing it tomorrow. What I would eventually like is to be able to get some c-band channels on the IRTE dish but it's pretty much a trial and error job as of now.

I'll update this thread as I make progress but if you have any advice or questions, please do post.

Thanks.

Welcome to the world of DIY fabrication, it's a very satisfying experience for sure - welding, for a novice diy'er has an important special skill needed to get, for one thing at least, - 'penetration' right - to ensure strong and safe joints etc especially on a structure that has substantial weight and in a possible high install position so that in the event of a weld failure will not be a serious potential health / injury / damage hazard to others nearby. Been there done that got the T shirt. I would advise the use of using a safety chain attachment on your structure to tether it close to the support pole to give you a bit of peace of mind.
It's great to see you doing satellite diy fabrication, good luck with your projects. .

 

[Channel Hopper]

The feedarm system of the smaller IRTE reflectors are unfortunately incompatible with C band scalar rings without a number of modifications (aluminium cutting, reprofiling and rethreading, plus some additional brackets.

If you are commited to using the same reflector I have a couple of the earlier polarmounts for the 90cm design that have the six bolt fitting and slot onto a post smaller than the standard 4" diameter

 

[Chr0nik]

Welcome to the world of DIY fabrication, it's a very satisfying experience for sure - welding, for a novice diy'er has an important special skill needed to get, for one thing at least, - 'penetration' right - to ensure strong and safe joints etc especially on a structure that has substantial weight and in a possible high install position so that in the event of a weld failure will not be a serious potential health / injury / damage hazard to others nearby. Been there done that got the T shirt. I would advise the use of using a safety chain attachment on your structure to tether it close to the support pole to give you a bit of peace of mind.
It's great to see you doing satellite diy fabrication, good luck with your projects. .

Thanks! it's quite satisfying to be honest! I've been always keen to do some DIY for my SAT and Ham hobbies and welding was one of the bits that was missing. I'll definitely secure it once I mount the dish, I don't want it to break and land on a neighbour, etc.

The feedarm system of the smaller IRTE reflectors are unfortunately incompatible with C band scalar rings without a number of modifications (aluminium cutting, reprofiling and rethreading, plus some additional brackets.

If you are commited to using the same reflector I have a couple of the earlier polarmounts for the 90cm design that have the six bolt fitting and slot onto a post smaller than the standard 4" diameter

I'd like to use the same reflector so if you could please send me a couple of pics of the polamounts you have just to get an idea, thanks!

I've also started to mount the back plate to the mount and to the people.

In the meantime, I've done the following to see if adding a ku-band and c-band on the same dish would work.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Thanks! it's quite satisfying to be honest! I've been always keen to do some DIY for my SAT and Ham hobbies and welding was one of the bits that was missing. I'll definitely secure it once I mount the dish, I don't want it to break and land on a neighbour, etc.


I'd like to use the same reflector so if you could please send me a couple of pics of the polamounts you have just to get an idea, thanks!

I've also started to mount the back plate to the mount and to the people.

In the meantime, I've done the following to see if adding a ku-band and c-band on the same dish would work.

Ah, I see you have already avoided using the aluminium arms that bolt through the reflector, so carry on.

I will be in the shed later today and will look for the mounts.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Found one.

 

[Chr0nik]

Found one.

Thanks!

I've mounted the dish but just like when I was using the CM polar mount, I can only receive 28.2e at around 16.7 db and nothing else.

I'm using Inverto white duo c120 flange LNB with the IRTE feedhorn.

Would this be an issue with the LNB? or with the reflector/mount?

 

[Channel Hopper]

What declination angle have you built into the mounting points to the reflector plate ?

Grays should be around the same as here ( based on a latitude of 51.4 degrees )

Trouble aligning a CM dish on a CM polar mount

Hi, I'm having a issue trying to align my CM 120 with the Channel Master polar mount after moving everything to the roof of the house. The pole is plumb on all 4 sides and but I'm confused on the elevation/declination values I need to setup on the polar mount. For the elevation rod, based on...

satellites.co.uk

 

[Chr0nik]

What declination angle have you built into the mounting points to the reflector plate ?

Grays should be around the same as here ( based on a latitude of 51.4 degrees )

Trouble aligning a CM dish on a CM polar mount

Hi, I'm having a issue trying to align my CM 120 with the Channel Master polar mount after moving everything to the roof of the house. The pole is plumb on all 4 sides and but I'm confused on the elevation/declination values I need to setup on the polar mount. For the elevation rod, based on...

satellites.co.uk

Not sure on the CM polarmount but it's not being used at the moment. For the mount that I build, it did not build one as I want to use it as a fixed mount.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Your previous post mentioned searching for other satellites on the arc. If the pole is upright then with the correct angles built in you will get others.

On a 1.2m you can allow for 30 minutes without too much loss but the closer the better

 

[s-band]

Would this be an issue with the LNB?

It is most likely alignment but the IRTE feed that you have is an early one and its performance tails off above about 12GHz. It was originally for the FSS band. The Invacom feed should be better but you'll need to set the focus point and scalar position for best results. This was the original arrangement I used on a 1.5m IRTE for C band.

Nice work with the new mount.