[NLRS] Elevation rotators for small stuff

[Doug Reed]

The Surplus Center link that Jerry left has some 12v linear seat
adjusters for $15 but they only provide 2.25" of travel. That would be
enough for elevation control but provide only minimal adjustment for
azimuth. The U100 would certainly be easier to use for azimuth but
there is still the issue of mechanical slop.

I keep thinking of the 10GHz & up contest, not the other contests. I
was thinking of turning the dish(es) down to horizontal to reduce wind
load when traveling. That means another rotating joint and something
to power it. Another U100 would work. At Central States several years
ago, one of the rovers used a spring-loaded frame to provide tension
that the elevation arm worked against. It was pulled by a winch cable.
But none of that will work if it is nestled in between other rover
antennas.

You want simple, then put a cheap video camera on the dish and use
that to adjust AZ-EL. It will at least make it fairly simple to adjust
elevation for the horizon and point to the same stand of trees where
your compass or GPS says to go. Nobody else seems to like the idea of
an electronic compass on the dish, but it would at least let you
adjust plus or minus from a bearing once you find the first target.

Figuring out accurate azimuth has always been the main problem. I like
the "get bearing from waypoint" mode on a handheld GPS. Or you can
note the bearing as you drive the car the on the last straight away
before you park. Point in that direction then note the compass bearing
and adjust as needed. The video camera on the dish might also help use
sun shadow to calibrate the azimuth bearing.

Since I'm not building one, I'll just wait to see what works. :-)

73, Doug Reed, N0NAS.