New toy. What will I do with it?

[ClydeCrashKop]

I acquired this Marine Stabilized Satellite tracking antenna.

It was working but constantly moving even when the boat was still.
It has 2 unipolar stepper motors.
My first thought was to make an indexing rotary table for my CNC milling machine with it.
Then I thought about a multi-axis work holder but it is not that rigid.
Then I thought I could mount a telescope on it to track stars.
I had a couple more ideas.
What would you use it for or make with it?

 

[ronsimpson]

A satellite TV antenna for your car.
Watch Sesame Street Muppets while driving.

 

[JimB]

Get the boat to go with it.

 

[ClydeCrashKop]

A satellite TV antenna for your car.
Watch Sesame Street Muppets while driving.

Good Idea. I guess I overlooked that one. Do they still show Roadrunner?

Get the boat to go with it.

I work on boats so I know better. When someone tells me they want to buy a boat, I tell them to make friends with a person that has a boat that they like. If you pay for fuel and bait, they will be happy to take you fishing. If you clean up the boat when done, you will have a best friend forever.

 

[Overclocked]

Transmit some wifi and see how far you can get the signal.

Paint it silver and make a small heliostat.

 

[Willen]

Transmit some wifi and see how far you can get the signal.

Paint it silver and make a small heliostat.

Sounds interesting experiment!
Anyway what is the impedance of parabolic dish? (eg. Dipole has 75 ohms, folded dipole has 200 ohms and Yagi has 300 ohms and telescope monopole antenna has around 30 ohms)
Asking because I never seen its matching Balun. Balun and its matching is frustrating thing to me.

 

[ronsimpson]

Anyway what is the impedance of parabolic dish?

The dish does not have a impedance. It focuses the RF on a antenna. The antenna can be a dipole or about anything.

 

[Willen]

Oh yaa, I know it is just a RF reflector, sorry I forgot that and think as an antenna. It's most interesting though to talk about.

 

[jbeng]

Chrome plate the dish and put a solar heat collector at the focal point

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

Paperweight?

 

[tunedwolf]

Become an outpost for SETI?

 

[alec_t]

It was working but constantly moving even when the boat was still.

I'd have a go at getting it working properly, then sell it. Looks an expensive bit of kit, so there ought to be a good second-user market.

 

[ClydeCrashKop]

Paint it silver and make a small heliostat.
Chrome plate the dish and put a solar heat collector at the focal point

Those sound good. I could glue aluminum foil to it and polish it. I’ll bet with a welding arc positioned at the focal point, it would make a good search light.

Transmit some wifi and see how far you can get the signal.

Become an outpost for SETI?

That would be an easy enough experiment. Maybe I could help E.T. phone home.

 

[Reloadron]

Center piece in my living room.

Ron

 

[Tony Stewart]

Program it to pick up all the DTV and other TV satellites so when you surf for TV channels it switches to track a different satellite faster that you can click on the remote control and say Bob's Your Uncle.

When the neighbours ask what's that on your roof. Say you got it for Homeland Security to track enemy drones and blast them out of the sky with a 1 MW RF burst so you can blow out their front end. Then if that is not enough. Broadcast an EMP to the drone.

 

[ClydeCrashKop]

Center piece in my living room.

It would make a good conversation starter but I’m not sure the ladies would appreciate it.

When the neighbours ask what's that on your roof. Say you got it for Homeland Security to track enemy drones and blast them out of the sky with a 1 MW RF burst so you can blow out their front end. Then if that is not enough. Broadcast an EMP to the drone.

I like the way you think.

I’m going to a drone expo on Saturday. Maybe I can get it to rotate and put it on top of my van. With a pulsating laser?

 

[Tony Stewart]

It would make a good conversation starter but I’m not sure the ladies would appreciate it.


I like the way you think.

I’m going to a drone expo on Saturday. Maybe I can get it to rotate and put it on top of my van. With a pulsating laser?

If they use microwave band, a good Xenon arc light or pulse flash can be strapped on the LNA with foil reflector to flash light and focus on target. But what people dont realize is Xenon flashes tunnel at sub nanosecond speeds, meaning they radiate in the GHz and screw up the AGC on the front ends of cell phones, not to mention drones ( shhh)

All you need is sufficient HV with a light bulb in series to charge up and plastic cap which discharges when the Xenon triggers and Relax you have an oscillator and then put an IR laser from an old CD in series to get the toys that work off IR.

I once knew a Microwave design eng who was also a potato farmer in Quebec who likes to drive fast sports cars that always knew he could design a microwave burst to blast the front end GaAs amps in RADAR speed traps ( if he wanted to)

 

[Misterbenn]

Build a small heliostat.

Got a shady spot in the garden or a dull room? Use a mirror to reflect light to that spot all day long!

 

[ClydeCrashKop]

Build a small heliostat.

Got a shady spot in the garden or a dull room? Use a mirror to reflect light to that spot all day long!

I’m sure there are many threads on ETO about tracking the sun, with and without a PIC.