🚀 go-pugleaf

C. T. Nadovich (chris@kd3bj.ampr.org) wrote:

: I really like Norman's system (I have been using it for a month or two)
: and I agree with most everything he says in his post, but "1 hour"
: installation is a gross exaggeration. 

Well, it all depends on how you install it.  I had mine installed and peaked
as best possible within 30 minutes.  That incleded climbing my tower and
mounting it, running the coax to my shack (I'm a ham as well, N0HDW) and
peaking the setup.  I initially did it by hand, and later when James said my
problems were due to allignment I borrowed a spec. analyzer, however I found 
that my by hand was optimum anyways.  The problems turned out to be with
PageSat, and they fixed them soon enough.  The actual alignment took about 
5 minutes, it's all the routing of cables that eats up the time, but here 
I had an advantage since I have a 2 inch hole for my hardline to run through 
for my radios, I just followed it with the RG6 right into my room.  The 
supplied RG6 I had did have a bad end on it though, that's what you get when 
they put cheap twist-on f plugs on it.  I replaced them with some good sealed 
F plugs that crimp on and all has been well.

: load average over 24 hours is 35% CPU/IO utilization to support the

I get about 32% load for the feed and processing by Inn1.4sec under Linux,
with about 3% for the feed itself.  The rest is due to Inn and it's related
programs running, in fact most of the load is due to compression.  Before
compression the load was even less on my 486DX2/66.

: As for the antenna installation, to DO IT RIGHT takes about 6-8 hours (IMHO). 

I agree that to do it right takes time, especially if you're doing it for
the first time, but the PageSat system is an excellent system.  If only I
could get rid of heavy rain!  My only complaint is that if I had it to do
again, I'd buy the larger dish rather than the default, it's worth paying a
bit more to get it.
-- 
Internet: cummings@stingray.net