Azimuth and Moderation of Signals

[French038]

Azimuth is the position that the dish must be tilted (87 degrees west), for AMC 3, right? How important is the LNBF polariztion tilt (-14.8 degrees)?

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And how are some persons receiving signals with trees in the way? Their dish is pointed up at trees, and it is odd how they are getting a signal. Are they by chance receiving signals in moderation or are the trees not a problem for them? :shock:

[bobkat]

Originally Posted by French038

Azimuth is the position that the dish must be tilted (87 degrees west), for AMC 3, right? How important is the LNBF polariztion tilt (-14.8 degrees)?

_________

And how are some persons receiving signals with trees in the way? Their dish is pointed up at trees, and it is odd how they are getting a signal. Are they by chance receiving signals in moderation or are the trees not a problem for them? :shock:

Azimuth is the compass bearing for pointing a satellite dish. These readings can be found using a calculator and entering the satellite you want to find and your geographic location.

---> http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Installati...Calculator.htm

Elevation is the amount the dish is pointing as referenced to the horizon; for example, 38 degree elevation means the dish is tilted 38 degrees from horizontal.

Polarization of the LNB is very important and it also varies depending on your location; the calculator will also give you the required LNB polarization for your area.

As for the trees; remember that the LNB is offset with small KU band dishes, so it may appear that the dish is pointing right into trees but in reality it is pointing above them.

kat

[wejones]

Originally Posted by French038

Azimuth is the position that the dish must be tilted (87 degrees west), for AMC 3, right? How important is the LNBF polariztion tilt (-14.8 degrees)?
...
And how are some persons receiving signals with trees in the way? Their dish is pointed up at trees, and it is odd how they are getting a signal. Are they by chance receiving signals in moderation or are the trees not a problem for them? :shock:

To add to what Bobcat said, generally the compass heading has to be corrected for magnetic deviation, although I think you are in an area where that is very small. And as hinted by Bobcat, with an offset dish, the elevation is not the amount that the dish is tilted, but is the angle above the horizon that the satellite is, however the offset dishes actually aim much higher than they appear from the tilt of the dish, usually about 22 deg I think, so that angle needs to be determined by some other method, such as from indications on the mount or by use of a signal meter, etc.

With a motorized dish, the polarization is set on a sat due south, and the movement of the dish takes care of keeping the polarization right when you go to other sats, however with a fixed dish, the polarization has to be set on each satellite. The further away a sat is from your true south the bigger the tilt will be.

Re trees, with a bigger dish, you can sometimes see some signal through a few leaves, but With a small dish, where you need every bit of signal you can collect, you don't want to be looking through trees, unless you have a big hole with a clear view of the sky where the satellite is.
In general, if you can't see sky through the tree in the direction of the satellite, then you won't get a signal, particularly if the leaves are wet. If you know exactly where the sat is, you can trim off limbs in the right direction. I have one of those throw over the limb rope chain saws, and have taken off limbs 50' up in trees, and it has allowed me to see some sats that were blocked, but I've found that it is a constant fight, as they grow back fast. I've been able to get reception through a 10' hole in otherwise thick trees, but you have to know exactly where the sat is located in the sky. If you have any question of where the sats are, you might be best to wait till the first week of March when the sun is in the same arc that the sats are in, and you can calculate exactly when the sun will be where different sats are. This can help you locate the best place to place your dish.

[French038]

I am in Longview, Texas. (75602)

They say that satellite T5 is directly above me. That means that I should not have to turn the dish to the left a great distance, right?

[wejones]

Originally Posted by French038

I am in Longview, Texas. (75602)

They say that satellite T5 is directly above me. That means that I should not have to turn the dish to the left a great distance, right?

I assume by "above" you, you mean south of you? Then T5 would be close to south of you although I'd think Galaxy 3C would be closer to due absolute south of you. Although you have about a 3.3 deg mag deviation, so T5 may be appropriate for magnetic south. But in any event T5 would be close to south of you.
However I thought you were looking for AMC3, or am I thinking of someone else (I'm not at a page where I can look back right now).

[French038]

I am looking for AMC 3. I was just using T5 as a reference point, because it is in my zone. I wanted to know if AMC 3 is to the immediate left, because I believe that I am going to have difficulty setting up.