Winegard Company

Charles E Rodeffer

William J Sherwood

Randy L Sperry

Michael E Rodeffer

John D Byers

Aly Eid Fathy

Mark A Rodeffer

Edgar J Denlinger

A stabilizer platform mounted to a vessel for positioning a satellite dish antenna in the azimuth and elevation directions. An azimuth motor and an elevation motor are mounted in a formed hollow interior of a housing. Azimuth motor control cables and elevation motor control cables are connected to the motors to carry signals and power for controlling the operation of the motors. On top of housing is mounted a platform which rotates in the azimuth direction with respect to the housing. The azimuth motor is coupled to the platform through a gear arrangement and rotates the platform. On top of the platform is mounted an elevation drive which holds the satellite dish antenna. Mounted in the platform is an elevation gear cluster which rotates with respect to the platform. The elevation gear cluster is coupled to the elevation drive. The elevation motor drives the elevation gear cluster so that the elevation motor can move the satellite dish antenna in the elevation direction. The satellite dish antenna can be rapidly positioned in both the azimuth and elevation directions, independently of each other, without the elevation motor control cables or the azimuth control cables becoming entangled or moving.

Satellite dish antenna stabilizer platform

A TVRO satellite dish antenna system mounted on the roof of a parked vehicle automatically determines its location and bearing relative to two geosynchronous satellites and then uses this information to accurately calculate the azimuths and elevations of any other geosynchronous satellites. A magnetic compass generates a magnetic bearing signal for the system. An estimated latitude and longitude for the vehicle are provide by the user based on the approximate geographic location of the vehicle. The estimated positions for a first geosynchronous satellite and a second geosynchronous satellite relative to the satellite dish antenna are calculated from this information. The satellite dish antenna is moved to an initial search position corresponding to the estimated position of the first satellite and then moved in a search pattern until the receiver detects a signal peak for a selected channel. The actual azimuth and elevation of the first satellite are calculated based on the position of the satellite dish antenna upon detecting the signal peak. These steps are repeated for the second satellite. Revised bearing, latitude, and longitude coordinates for the satellite dish antenna are calculated based on the actual azimuths and elevations of the first and second satellites. Finally, the azimuth and elevation of any remaining geosynchronous satellite can be calculated based on the revised bearing, latitude, and longitude coordinates for the satellite dish antenna.

Method for automatically positioning a satellite dish antenna to

A deployable satellite antenna system permits an antenna with elevation and azimuth control to be mounted to the roof of a vehicle. The elevation control assembly for the antenna system has a base with two parallel tracks and a slider that moves along these tracks. The antenna reflector is connected to a support frame pivotably attached to the slider. Pivot arms are pivotally attached between the reflector and the base adjacent to the parallel tracks. The elevational position of the antenna is adjusted by a motor that controls the position of the slider along the parallel tracks between a stowed position in which the reflector is stowed facing the vehicle and a deployed position in which the reflector is rotated to a maximum elevational angle. In one embodiment, a feed arm supporting the feed horn extends outward from the antenna support frame adjacent to the lower edge of the antenna. The base of the feed arm is pivotably attached to the support frame so that the feed horn is stored beneath the antenna in its stowed position and moves to a predetermined point relative to the antenna in its deployed position. The azimuth of the antenna is controlled by a rotating assembly mounted to the roof of the vehicle beneath the base of the elevation control assembly.

Deployable satellite antenna for use on vehicles

A deployable satellite antenna system permits an antenna with elevation control to be mounted. The elevation control assembly for the antenna system has a base with two parallel tracks and a slider that moves along these tracks. The antenna is connected to a support frame pivotally attached to the slider. Pivot arms are pivotally attached between the reflector and the base adjacent to the parallel tracks. The elevational position of the antenna is adjusted by a motor that controls the position of the slider along the parallel tracks between a stowed position in which the antenna is stowed facing the vehicle and a deployed position in which the antenna is rotated to a maximum elevational angle.

Deployable satellite antenna for use of vehicles

A self-locking housing for an electronic circuit such as a power supply. The self-locking housing includes a printed circuit board carrying an electronic circuit, a bottom housing half, and a top housing half. The bottom housing half has locator tabs placed at one end for holding one end of the printed circuit board in a predetermined position within the interior of the bottom housing. Opposing support tabs are placed at the other end and side support tabs are provided on the side of the bottom housing. The support tabs support the printed circuit board in the bottom housing. Bottom snaps are provided on opposing sides of the bottom housing, and the printed circuit board abuts against the bottom snaps. The top housing has corresponding opposing grooves so that when the top housing is placed over the bottom housing the snaps in the bottom housing snap into the grooves so as to self-lock with the top housing. The locking of the top housing to the bottom housing entraps the PC board, and the sides of the entrapped PC board further prevent the bottom snaps from unlocking from the grooves.

Self-locking housing including tabs that bear against the sides of a

A satellite receiver having first and second stages that are serially coupled so that an output of the first stage feeds into an input of the second stage is provided. Each of the first and second stages includes a tunable oscillator for providing a reference frequency, a means coupled to the input and the tunable oscillator for mixing a frequency modulated (FM) signal on that stage's input with the reference frequency to provide an intermediate frequency (IF) FM signal, and a bandpass filter for filtering the IF FM signal and providing the filtered IF FM signal to that stage's output.

Method and apparatus for satellite receiver with variable predetection

A conical corrugated microwave feed horn. A conical flare section is formed at the aperture of the feed horn and a second smooth cylindrical section is formed at the throat of the feed horn. The conical flare section is formed with two regions. The first region is a corrugated conical region formed at the aperture and having a plurality of slots formed parallel to the central axis of the feed horn. Each slot in the plurality of slots has an inner surface closest to the central axis of the feed horn and an outer surface furthest from the central axis. Connecting the corrugated conical region to the cylindrical throat is a smooth conical region. The first slot adjacent the smooth conical region has first and second formed lips on the terminating end thereof. The lips are formed directed inwardly toward each other. The last slot of the plurality of slots at the aperture of the feed horn has the terminating end of the inner surface extending in length beyond the length of the outer surface.

Conical corrugated microwave feed horn

A receiver connected to the satellite dish antenna receives signals from an electronic compass for generating a magnetic direction signal. The approximate latitude and longitude values of the parked vehicle are displayed and the user of the system manually selects the latitude and longitude coordinates corresponding to the parked vehicle location. The receiver determines an initial search position for the satellite dish antenna based upon the magnetic reading and the entered latitude and longitude values. The satellite dish antenna is moved from an unstowed position to an initial search position. The satellite dish antenna is then moved in a first rectangular spiral search pattern to obtain a rough-tune position corresponding to the detection of a signal peak for a selected audio subcarrier frequency in a selected channel of a target satellite. The frequency selected is not present in corresponding selected channels of satellites near the target satellite. A fine-tune search is then performed and the method calculates all the azimuth and elevation positions of all remaining satellites.

A system is described for raising and lowering an antenna without using an electric motor or hand crank. A shaft is attached to an antenna mounted to the roof of a recreational vehicle. A first adapter engages the shaft. A second adapter couples with the first adapter. A portable self-powered activating device such as an electric screwdriver is secured by a chuck to the second adapter. The rotational force generated by the activating device is transferred via the first and second adapters to the shaft to raise or lower the antenna.

System for raising and lowering an antenna

A deployable satellite antenna system permits an antenna with elevation and azimuth control to be mounted to the roof of a vehicle. The elevation control assembly for the antenna system has a base with two parallel tracks and a slider that moves along these tracks. The antenna is connected to a support frame pivotally attached to the slider. Pivot arms are pivotally attached between the reflector and the base adjacent to the parallel tracks. The elevational position of the antenna is adjusted by a motor that controls the position of the slider along the parallel tracks between a stowed position in which the antenna is stowed facing the vehicle and a deployed position in which the antenna is rotated to a maximum elevational angle. The azimuth of the antenna is controlled by a rotating assembly mounted to the roof of the vehicle beneath the base of the elevation control assembly.

Power supply housing

A mounting assembly including a casing having an outer surface attached to a TVRO antenna and having an inner surface and at least one first guide slot positioned on the inner surface of the casing. An inner tube is located inside the casing and has portions which extend out of the casing for attaching to the mounting pole. At least one second guide slot is formed through the inner tube. One of the first or second guide slots is non-linear. The casing is rotated by a spider-like mechanism having drive arm having a first end nested in the first guide slot, a body passing through the second guide slot. A leadscrew passes through the spider like mechanism and a motor coupled to one end of the leadscrew turns the leadscrew causing the spider like mechanism to move vertically along the leadscrew, which in turn causes the casing to rotate with respect to the inner tube.

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Burlington, IA, United States of America

Charles E Rodeffer