I’m currently rebuilding and expanding my space communication antennas with the intention of being QRV on 23cm EME, as well as being able to receive deep-space probes on the DSN X-band this coming spring. My favorite way of calibrating the Az/El rotors is to use FTA geostationary satellites, and as a reference, I upgraded my C and Ku-band small-dish (120cm offset) with a heavy-duty horizon-to-horizon (HH, H2H) motor.
I found that my ZGemma H7 FTA receiver could not handle the current needed to operate the motor, so I built a simple power inserter just for the motor. The 1uF non-polar capacitor provides a low-impedance path for the 22kHz DiSEqC signal to the motor, while at the same time the 10uH inductor isolates the RF from the LNB from entering the motor supply. The 500uH inductor (rated for 4A DC minimum) isolates the 22kHz signal from being dampened by the filters in the power supply (an old IBM laptop power supply rated 16V @ 4.5A).
Clean schematic in pdf: H2H Motor Power Inserter
Construction technique and enclosure are not critical, but the connection between the LNB and RECEIVER ports must be kept short. My housing is the enclosure of an old DISH Network switch that I emptied out and modified to add a power connector compatible with my power supply.
This works like a charm! The H2H motor now moves quickly and smoothly without shutting down the ZGemma’s tuners.
This is the current state of the Az/El VHF/UHF array and FTA dish at N2QG:
