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Old 09-22-2002, 12:44 AM
bill190 bill190 is offline
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Using Handheld GPS to Align Dish

The most accurate way to point a dish is to use a handheld GPS. Some of these have a "magnetic compass mode", so be sure you are in the correct mode when using the GPS. Some satellite dish pointing software gives a magnetic compass heading and others give the actual heading.

I walk about 30 ft away from my dish and line up the LNB with the center of the dish. Then place a rock there. Then I walk from the dish to the rock with my handheld GPS. It will say exactly where the dish is pointing. If I want to move it, I keep walking different directions until I get the proper direction. Then I place the rock there. Next I point the dish at the rock.

For elevation I use a gravity based protractor. (Some tool stores have these.) Note that if you have an offset dish (LNB not in center of dish) the elevation will be off by 15 to 22 degrees depending on the design of the dish. Get the amount of offset from your dish manufacturer or after you have found a satellite, calculate with a pointing program what the elevation should be, then subtract that from the actual elevation. Then you will know exactly what the elevation should be the next time around.

Dish pointing calculator...
http://home.online.no/~jensts/Satellite/lookangles.htm

Degrees and minutes to decimal converter...
http://vancouver-webpages.com/META/DMS.1.html

Convert from feet to meters...
http://www.qsl.net/w4sat/metconv.htm

Dish Alignment..
http://www.satellite911.com/html/install.html
http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Installation/Installation.htm
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