Dish on the Equator

[DiscoLoveGrapes]

I've been meaning to post this for a long time, but I saw it again today and thought I'd better do it.

I was in Ecuador awhile back and went to the "Mitad Del Mundo," which is a tourist spot on the Equator. Outside a little bar I saw this dish. Since that's mere feet from the the line signifying where the equator is (it goes under that awning right behind the dish) - I assume the angle on that thing is about as high as it goes!

 

[jayelem]

- I assume the angle on that thing is about as high as it goes!

Yeah ..... and I bet you could point that dish North or South and get the same results.

That is so cool if you think about it , thanks for posting that interesting pic.

 

[SatPhreak]

I measured the picture with a protractor and get an angle of about 50 degrees. If you add 20- 25 degrees for the offset you get around 70-75 degrees, but it should be at 90 degrees. I don't get it. Which way does the equator run in that picture? Parallel with the side walk or perpindicular?

 

[funkypc]

Well, unless it is pointed towards its "true south" or "true north" satellite, it will be not 100% straight up. It will be angled east or angled west.

Really cool though. I was just thinking about this yesterday.

 

[SatPhreak]

Well, unless it is pointed towards its "true south" or "true north" satellite, it will be not 100% straight up. It will be angled east or angled west.

Really cool though. I was just thinking about this yesterday.

Yeah, I forgot about that. It's still a lot higher than I'm used to.

 

[jayelem]

Well, unless it is pointed towards its "true south" or "true north" satellite, it will be not 100% straight up. It will be angled east or angled west.

TRUE

The more I think about it , as long as the elevation bracket is set on the True North or South ...
it would be ready as a poor mans H to H as long as you have an East to West above your head LOS.

 

[SatPhreak]

Must be pointed at amazonas at 61 degrees. From that location it has an elevation of 69.5 degrees. There are a few other sats that are in the right elevation range (61-67W or 91-97W) but the footprints or dish size rule them out.
Satellite calculators are very helpful.

 

[Mr Tony]

oh to have a true south like that

 

[SatPhreak]

oh to have a true south like that

But with few footprints pointing at you. I'd rather have a lower look angle and more sats to choose from.

 

[jericho07]

When I lived in Java, Indonesia , my c-band dish pointed almost straight up in the air.

 

[DiscoLoveGrapes]

When I lived in Java, Indonesia , my c-band dish pointed almost straight up in the air.

It looks cool in a BUD, doesn't it?

My hostel was about 2 blocks from HCJB -- a missionary radio station that does AM, FM, Shortwave, satellite -- the works. Almost every one of their gigantic BUDs were straight up in the air. If I only had my Fortec box and some spare RG6 at the time

 

[iafirebuff]

HCJB - Quito Ecuador - I used to listen to that station back in the 1980's when I was a teenager and was into shortwave listening! I had some cool stuff that the sent me

 

[GrumpyGuy]

HCJB was quite a blowtorch on shortwave- one of the first stations that I logged - I still have the QSL card. Not my kind of programing, but I was thrilled to be able to stick a push pin into the equator on the world map on the wall behind my old DX160

I envy you Grapes, for actually laying eyes on the transmitter site.