Check put my clinometer

[kspilot]

I put this together and mounted it to a camera tripod and I have been puzzled,as it sits here it is showing a 30 degree elevation but when I take out my 18" DTV dish and use the scale on the dish @30 degree the DTV dish looks more like about 20 degrees it has a more shallow elevation,which should I trust?
Does this piece of PVC look like its at 30 degrees?

 

[Mr Tony]

you have to remember that KU dishes (and DBS) have a 22-25 degree offset so the dish will look like its lower

Here is a good example I have posted a few times
The 6 foot dish is aimed at 99W which for me is 38.4 degrees. Its prime focus so the angle looks "true"
The grey dish is aimed (at the time) at 97 & 93 which 93 is my true south so its 38.4 degrees too. Look how that dish looks like its vertical because its offset by 22 degrees or so

 

[kspilot]

Iceberg,I was looking through this device I cooked up because I have a house with a peak next to me and was wondering if my line of sight will miss it at 30 degrees,I looked through the PVC pipe and it misses it but I was worried about putting a pole in the ground and cement and all then I find out that my elevation calculation was wrong..{{{nervous}}}..so..when I look through the PVC pipe will that give me a true 30 degrees?
Is there a better way to determine if I will miss the peak on the home next to me?
I just got my dish and reciever today and will cement the pole in the ground tomorrow and probably finish up the install on Saturday.
Thanks again!
I have the dish all put together and the motor too but from reading how to set this thing up,Im sure im going to have PLENTY of questions!!LOL

 

[Mr Tony]

If it clears the house showing at 30 on the inclinometer then you should be OK

on an offset dish the signal comes down from the sky, hits the dish and bounces to the LNB. SO even though the dish looks low the signal would clear it

 

[AcWxRadar]

KsPilot,

You may trust both indications. They are correct. As Ice stated, with an offset dish, it "appears" that the dish is "looking" lower than it truly is. That is part of the nature of an offset dish.

If you could aim a LASER beam out of the dead center of the dish, it would NOT point at the satellite you are truly aimed at. It would hit 22 to 26 degrees below the satellite. Remember that the inbound signal and the dish are akin to a beam of light and a mirror, a curved or parabolic mirror, and the signal comes down to the dish from an upward angle and is reflected in a lower angle down towards the LNBF.

It isn't as apparent to the naked eye, because we cannot see the signal beam, but if you try to envision it as a mirror, with a single beam of light striking it, you can start to realize it more appropriately. The satellite is much higher in the sky than you think it is, remember this.

Your device (clinometer) tells you the accurate story.

RADAR

 

[JerryVT]

Iceberg,

The fact that your back deck looks like that, AND, you are president of the HOA, officially makes you my hero. How much do they restrict dish placement?

I ask as my town currently has nothing in zoning about dishes (small town Vermont, based on my survey I believe I have one of the only non-pizza dishes in town, the C-bands have all gone away)

I take it they wont let you pole mount all those on the lawn, or you just like being able to move them around at will.

 

[Mr Tony]

There is actually more on the deck than what the pic shows (plus thats an old pic)

Here are updated pics
SatelliteGuys.US - View Single Post - pics of the dish farm...post yours too

I cant put the dish in the ground for 2 reasons
-Association says we can't
-The deck is up about 8 feet above ground so a pole mount would hinder reception (the table is due to the house being that close and I have to overshoot the house)

The association really only has a couple rules that I agree with. Remember the FCC protects us for dishes up to a 1 meter in most cases (historical buildings are an exception)
The dish has to be on the deck or the edge of the roof
They PREFER it not be on the side where the driveways are. Since the roofs run E-W in almost all cases they can be placed on the opposite side and on the edge of the roof

One of the board members got into it with me about 3 years ago with my 6 foot "wheel out" dish that I wheel out of the garage to get the western C-Band sats (due to LOS on the deck). They said I cant do that and my response was "rule states that we can park cars one deep in front of the garage". Well my truck is in the garage so I use that space for the dish. I have to wheel it back in the garage in the morning if I want to leave

The only time I did agree with them was a couple years ago we had these old wooden "hitching posts" out front of the houses that we pulled out and filled the hole with dirt. We decided on putting these flower pots (big ones) in that spot. I said I'd rather dig that hole back out and put a pole in there with concrete for the 6 footer (that got shot down)

But otherwise the rest dont say much about it. Its hidden and other than the antenna on the roof you cant see it from the road (trees in the way on the side when you come up the driveway)