Satellite project - part 1
The physical stuff
The first phase is to buy the physical stuff - the rotator, the antennas, the control cables, find a boom and get something temporary to mount it on. This is so I can check it all fits together, etc.
The rotator/elevator
Purchase:
Yaesu G-5500 DC
This is the main bit of kit. Yes, it's expensive, but unless you have a workshop, lots of tools, and enough
skill and time to be able to manufacture your own, then this is your best option. UK cost was
£650
.
Important dimensions: It will fit a vertical mast 38-63 mm. The horizontal boom will be 32-43 mm.
Mistake one. I didn't find any information about what came with the rotator kit, so I assumed I also needed to buy the Yaesu GC-038B mast clamp kit for about £30 . I didn't - the G-5500 DC comes with one. I've decided to keep it, as it was fairly cheap, and maybe I'll need a replacement sometime.
Speaker stand
Purchase: A cheap speaker stand to put it on temporarily for testing.
I bought a Pyle speaker stand for
£30
. The pole that the speaker sits on is only 30mm, and the minimum diameter for the mast clamp kit is 38-63 mm,
so you will need to add something to stop it slopping around - I just used cardboard
Antennas
I decided to get a Diamond 10 element 2m gain antenna (
£85
), and a 15 element 70 cms antenna (
£62.95
).
They're not cross polarised. I thought I'd try these out first, as satellite antennas can get expensive.
The website said "Mast size 25-47mm", which I thought meant it would be fine with a 30 cm boom.
Luckily I thought to check it when it arrived before purchasing the boom.
The antenna couldn't mount on a diameter over 30 cms, which was a problem because the spec of the horizontal boom
for the Yaesu rotator can only be between 32-43 mm.
I rang the supplier to ask about this discrepancy (and to send the antennas back), and was told that there
needed to be a mounting bracket in there too.
Mistake 2: Needing a mounting kit for the antennas.
2 x DIAMOND KB144R2 Side Mount Bracket:
£52.85
.
Antenna boom
You will need a boom that runs horizontally through the elevator. It shouldn't be metal, and it should be strong,
and durable as it will be out in the weather for years. It should also be UV resistant, so PVC poles aren't good
enough. (I think PVC wouldn't be strong enough anyway.)
The thing I am starting with is a hollow pultruded glass fibre tube. These come in various sizes, lengths, and
thicknesses.
I found a company called Engineered Composites,
and I bought 6 metres of 38 mm (32 mm internal diameter) ISO grey tube, cut into 1.5 metre lengths. The cost was
£38.40, and the delivery was £26.00 (excluding VAT) -
£77.28
in total.
I only needed 1 1.5 metre section, but 6 metres is the smallest they do.
Please note: the extruded fibreglass is stuff that should be handled carefully and not breathed in.
The particles are not as small as asbestos (and thus not cancer causing), but it's still not stuff you want in
your lungs, skin, or eyeballs.
Control cables
The cables that run from the Yaesu control box to the rotator unit aren't ones that Yaesu sell. It's up to you to
find them, and solder them.
The thing you are looking for is 5 core control cable with each core >= 5mm
I ordered 70 metres of YY0.55C - 0.5mm² 5 Core YY Control Flexible Cable from CEF - cost £75.60
With all that stuff, it was time to move on to part 2 - working out how to control it all