For a simple DIY motorised mount for a 150 cm radio dish, the easiest and most robust approach is a basic Alt-Az mount using two linear actuators. This avoids complex gears and is widely used for homemade radio telescopes.

Basic Concept

You need two movements:

1. Azimuth – rotate left/right
2. Elevation – tilt up/down

Both can be driven by slow 12 V or 24 V linear actuators.

Simple DIY Structure

           Dish

            |

       -----O-----  ← elevation pivot bolt

      /           \

     /             \

  Frame         Linear actuator

     |

     |

  Rotating plate

     |

 Lazy Susan bearing

     |

  Base plate

     |

  Concrete pier / tripod

Parts (Cheap and Easy)

1️⃣ Azimuth rotation

Use a large lazy-Susan bearing.

Typical:

• 300–400 mm diameter
• Steel
• Load capacity 200 kg+

Mount between two steel plates.

Rotation options:

Option A – actuator push arm (very simple)
A linear actuator pushes the rotating plate sideways.

Option B – gear motor with chain
A small 12 V worm-gear motor drives a ring gear or chain.

2️⃣ Elevation tilt

Use a linear actuator mounted between the frame and dish support arm.

Typical actuator:

• Stroke: 300–400 mm
• Force: 1000–2000 N
• Speed: 5–10 mm/s

This gives about 10–80° elevation range.

Dish Support Frame

Make a simple fork mount from square steel tubing.

Example:

Front View

     Dish

      |

   ---O---  ← pivot bolts

   |     |

   |     |

   |     |

   |     |

   -------

     |

  Rotating plate

Use:

• 30–40 mm square steel tubing
• M12 bolts for pivots

Motor Control (Very Simple)

Control actuators with:

• DPDT rocker switches

or

• Arduino + relay board

Example manual control:

UP/DOWN switch → elevation actuator

LEFT/RIGHT switch → azimuth motor

Position Indication (optional)

Add:

• digital angle gauges
• or potentiometer feedback actuators

Accuracy needed is small.

For a 1.5 m dish at 1420 MHz, beamwidth is about:

≈ 8°

So pointing within 1° is already excellent.

Base

Best options:

• Steel pier concreted into ground
• Heavy tripod

Dish wind load can be significant.

Recommended pier:

• 100 mm steel pipe
• 600 mm concrete footing

Extremely Cheap Alternative

Use satellite dish actuators.

Example:

• 36 V satellite jack actuator
• Designed for dishes up to 1.8 m

One actuator can move elevation easily.

Approximate DIY Cost

Total: £150–£200

✅ Result

• Fully motorised
• Very robust
• Easily points anywhere in the sky