Short answer: there’s no clearly published “official” payload figure for the TV1 Minimaster mount itself—but you can still estimate it fairly reliably from comparable hardware and its intended use.
What the Minimaster mount is designed for
The TV1 Minimaster is part of a portable broadcast uplink system, typically used with small Ka-band dishes (often ~75–90 cm class). That already tells us the load envelope: it’s not meant for heavy dishes or large offset antennas.
Practical load capacity (realistic estimate)
- Typical portable dishes in this class: 6–12 kg total system weight
- Comparable fixed wall mounts for satellite dishes:
- Standard mounts comfortably handle ~60 kg+ static load
- BUT motorised pointing systems (like Minimaster) are limited by:
- motor torque
- gearbox wear
- pointing accuracy requirements
👉 In practice, systems like the Minimaster are usually operated well below structural limits to preserve pointing precision.
Real-world working figure
A sensible engineering estimate:
- Safe working payload: ~10–15 kg
- Absolute upper limit (not recommended): perhaps 20 kg-ish, depending on balance and wind loading
Important nuance (this matters more than weight)
For this kind of mount, moment (torque) matters more than raw mass:
- A light but large dish = high wind load → stresses motors
- A compact, well-balanced antenna = much easier on the mount
So even if you stay under the “weight,” a wide dish or off-centre load can overload it.
Bottom line
- It’s not a heavy-duty mount
- Think portable uplink class, not “motorised 1 m dish” class
- Treat ~10 kg as a comfortable working load if you want reliability and accurate pointing
Take care if you’re planning to hang something non-standard on it (e.g. a custom feed, radio astronomy antenna, or Yagi array), as torque and wind load will be the real limiting factor rather than just mass.