Antenna Factory Pan & Tilt

Designers of surveillance systems look to Antenna Factory for our expert advice and design assistance. We also offer some specialized pan and tilt products such as explosion-proof units, omniscan drivers, transmitters, and receivers. Feel free to contact us (or by phone 847-584-1000).

These pan and tilt positioners have application in security, safety, surveillance, communications, and electronic news gathering. Our primary markets for pan and tilt products are military, aerospace and marine.

Before you select an individual positioner, develop an understanding of what that system will be doing and what the environment is where the camera or other device is being installed.

cable is routed. For example, if you're going to route the cable through environmental air spaces, then you plenum-rated cable. Passing through a bulkhead? You need bulkhead cable.

A simple system design process begins with drawing out the major components. Then you determine what types of spaces exist between and around the components. This helps you narrow down the cable selection process. If your design is complicated or is for a critical application, please feel to contact us (or by phone 847-584-1000).We have experts who can help you.

Not sure what your wind load requirements are, then feel free to view the MOOG - Quickset International Wind Load Chart. Feel free to contact us (or by phone 847-584-1000) to schedule your yearly maintenance or repairs on your positioners.

Careless installation of a positioner can cause maintenance headaches and even outright failure. Some key issues to address:

• Properly support any raceway or cabling going to the device mounted on the positioner.
• Install raceway or cabling per the applicable codes (most notably, the National Electrical Code), and allow for a flexible connection in the last bit of the run going to the mounted device.
• Choose the mounting location to avoid obstructions between the mounted device (e.g., camera) and whatever you wish that device to monitor. Allow for maintenance operations that might temporarily block the view while maintenance personnel access HVAC or other systems nearby.
• Mount to a surface or structural component that is capable of meeting the wind loading requirements. Ensure the mounting surface is suitable to the anticipated mechanical stress.
• Ensure the mounting location is reasonably secure, but not unreasonably inaccessible. You need to mount components such that they are reasonably well-protected from damage and, where possible, secure from unauthorized access. But you also need to make these accessible for maintenance, repair, and upgrades.
• Provide physical protection where indicated by the presence of trees, rodents, or other possible sources of damage.
• If mounting to a roofing surface, properly seal at the attachment points.
• Mechanical mounting.
• Put as much distance as is practical away from power wiring. As with real estate, location is pretty critical.
• Don't locate cabling close to utility lines or other sources of signal noise problems. Don't route cabling in runs parallel to power runs. Right angle is best, if practical.

With a well-designed system, everything should work seamlessly. The positioner should allow 100% of the movement that owner or operator intended to obtain. The adage "trust but verify" applies, here.

What you want to do is walk the system through its full range of pan and tilt capabilities. Note any discrepancies, and resolve those. Then document the final system test. If you don't have formal criteria for such a test, start with the project proposal and start listing things. Get input from the relevant managers and operators. Create a checklist of specific actions. For example, "View the parking space in the southeast corner, and track an individual walking to the main entrance."

If you're the contractor installing this system and the contract doesn't call for testing, you could opt to just skip this. And you could then opt to respond to the customer's complaints when it's below zero outside. Rather than that scenario, develop a simple acceptance test such as the parking space example given above; this will quickly prove things are working in general, while providing a specific task evaluation.

Your main technical reference for the positioner per se is the manufacturer's installation instruction set. You will also need the building drawings, so you can determine such things as the location of structural components (for mounting).

The kinds of systems for which positioners are most often used qualify as communications systems in the technical literature. The National Electrical Code, NFPA 70, provides communications cabling requirements in Chapter 8. Other NEC Articles may also apply, especially those in Chapter 5. The IEEE provides many communications-related standards. If you go to the IEEE Website's Standards library and select "Communications" you will see these. It's a huge list, but only certain ones will apply to your specific application.