Satellite finder suggestions?

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Xourque

Xourque

Active SatelliteGuys Member
Original poster
Sep 13, 2012
18
0
Beaverton, Oregon, United States
Hello!

OK so yeah, I decided to take the advice of not using my motor yet until I can figure out how to aim my dish manually. So far I really suck at it!! I've been trying to get Galaxy 19 but haven't had much luck. There are a couple nifty free satellite aiming applications on my Android phone, but as I put my phone close to the dish, the compass goes way off making those applications completely useless. Also, my cheapy receiver I'm only using to aim the dish, says the signal intensity is like 96% but quality is 0-1% while I try aiming. I figure signal intensity is just the signal coming from the LNB, and not the signal coming from the satellite itself?

Since my receiver is in my house, requiring me to make a change to the aim on the dish, then run back inside, I'm thinking a satellite finder signal strength meter would make my life easier? I've been eyeballing this:


Any other suggestions that can help this n00b align his dish?? :nerd:
 
"Quality" is the actual satellite signal. No quality, no sat signal. Here's all you really need for most aiming: http://www.dishpointer.com/

Enter address or lat/long, choose the sat you want, and hit GO. Then move the green arrow X to exactly where your dish will be on your property. Then, choose which sat you are aiming at, and it'll draw an arrow. Match the arrow with a property feature, and aim the dish there.
 
Dishpointer.com. battery powered tv, coax to receiver. mark the pole/mount when y0ou get it tuned in. Then proceed E or W and keep transferring the marks on pole as you find other satellites. My battery portable cost under $50 on sale.
 
primestar31 said:
"Quality" is the actual satellite signal. No quality, no sat signal. Here's all you really need for most aiming: http://www.dishpointer.com/

Enter address or lat/long, choose the sat you want, and hit GO. Then move the green arrow X to exactly where your dish will be on your property. Then, choose which sat you are aiming at, and it'll draw an arrow. Match the arrow with a property feature, and aim the dish there.
Click to expand...

I've been using that website a lot, and the Android apps I've been using appear to use the same techniques, and even draw a line. My problem is that despite this, signal quality is still 0-1%, making me think my azimuth is off. Since my dish doesn't have something that shows me azimuth, I've been guessing, based on what I see on my Android compass (which works terribly as I get closer to the metallic dish). And yep, I know the difference between true and magnetic south. The mount on my roof is perfectly plumb, which was to my surprise, as it was my first pole mounting ever...so that can't be it.

So your opinion is that a signal strength meter shouldn't be needed and I should just keep trying? (which I'm fine with, I'm here asking all of your honest opinions, after all!!) :)
 
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IF your pole is plumb level both ways, and your dish is set at the proper elevation for the satellite you want, AND there isn't anything (tree, bldg) in the way of that satellite, AND your receiver is set to a valid transponder frequency for that sat, all you need to do is aim the dish there, and you'll get the signal. From there it's just a matter of peaking. KU signals though are as "tight" as 1/8 of an inch! So, you sweep your dish SLOWLY a little at a time where you think the sat is, and wait a bit. If nothing, move a hair again and wait. If that gets you nowhere, adjust the dishes elevation 1 degree up or down, and do the sweeping again.

What dish are you using again? You do know that the signal coming into the dish, is actually coming in about 24 degrees HIGHER then where the dish appears to be actually aiming?
 
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GEOSATpro 90 cm dish and the GEOSATpro SL1PLL LNBF. It's dead sexy!!

And yeah, as for elevation, I'm using the marks on the back of the dish. Dishpointer says 31.7 degrees elevation.

YOU KNOW WHAT, I didn't skew my LNB...it's at 0 degrees right now...... LOLOLOLOLOLOL
 
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OK so I am a bit confused about elevation, and would like some help, please!!




  • My GEOSATpro 90cm dish has an offset value of 24.62 degrees.
  • According to dishpointer.com, from the exact place the dish is mounted, 97w (Galaxy 19) is at elevation 31.7 degrees.
  • With a guide I've found on the interwebs, the calculation for elevation is (desired elevation) - (offset) = (elevation).
  • So am I to understand it's 31.7 - 24.62 = 7.08 degrees? What?
  • The elevation scale on the dish mount goes from 10 degrees to 60 degrees...And I can't go any lower than 35 degrees, before the dish itself hits the pole.
  • Extra bullet point to state how confused I am....

Thanks in advance! :)

Tony
 
Uh, no.

31.7 is what you set the elevation setting on the back of the dish to!

There's no need to calculate and compensate for the dishes offset degrees, provided there is elevation markings on the back of the dish. I know there are for the Geosatpro. There are two ways to set up the mount on the back, and your's must be set to the wrong hole, so doesn't allow you to go low enough. Check the assembly instructions again. If it is set up correctly, your pole is too HIGH! The pole should not be higher than the dish. In other words, mount the dish at the top of the pole. Do not slide the dish down the pole further
 
Xourque said:
I've been using that website a lot, and the Android apps I've been using appear to use the same techniques, and even draw a line. My problem is that despite this, signal quality is still 0-1%, making me think my azimuth is off. Since my dish doesn't have something that shows me azimuth, I've been guessing, based on what I see on my Android compass (which works terribly as I get closer to the metallic dish). And yep, I know the difference between true and magnetic south. The mount on my roof is perfectly plumb, which was to my surprise, as it was my first pole mounting ever...so that can't be it.

So your opinion is that a signal strength meter shouldn't be needed and I should just keep trying? (which I'm fine with, I'm here asking all of your honest opinions, after all!!) :)
Click to expand...

Of course magnetic field of your compass will be affected when it is closer to the metal of the dish. In order to avoid this problem I keep the compass far away from metal and earth when I use it.

Bend the LNB arm up or down as required to make sure that the LNB is well pointing to the center of the dish. For this, I let the dish pointing down to a place where I can stand to look to the LNB back and to the dish center. This way I can see if my LNB is well pointing to the center of the dish.

It is so easy and fast when the dish is correctly pointing to the required Azimuth. The magnetic Azimuth work very well with a good compass. For this, I install a 40 ft string from the dish mast to the direction of the satellite and moving the end of the string around until the string is perfectly match the magnetic Azimuth of my compass, then adjust the dish to have the LNB aligned to the string. This way, the compass is used far away from metal. Note that the compass has to be at least 1.5 ft from grade to avoid any magnetic field of the grade. After getting the correct Azimuth, I just move the dish up and down (elevation) until I get the best signal. Note that the stamped elevation angle on my dish give me an error of about 10o because it's a cheap dish so we cannot trust it.

I just successfully pointing my dish to the Galaxy 19 Ku during the last weekend.
 
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sar2012 said:
Of course magnetic field of your compass will be affected when it is closer to the metal of the dish. In order to avoid this problem I keep the compass far away from metal and earth when I use it.

Bend the LNB arm up or down as required to make sure that the LNB is well pointing to the center of the dish. For this, I let the dish pointing down to a place where I can stand to look to the LNB back and to the dish center. This way I can see if my LNB is well pointing to the center of the dish.

It is so easy and fast when the dish is correctly pointing to the required Azimuth. The magnetic Azimuth work very well with a good compass. For this, I install a 40 ft string from the dish mast to the direction of the satellite and moving the end of the string around until the string is perfectly match the magnetic Azimuth of my compass, then adjust the dish to have the LNB aligned to the string. This way, the compass is used far away from metal. Note that the compass has to be at least 1.5 ft from grade to avoid any magnetic field of the grade. After getting the correct Azimuth, I just move the dish up and down (elevation) until I get the best signal. Note that the stamped elevation angle on my dish give me an error of about 10o because it's a cheap dish so we cannot trust it.

I just successfully pointing my dish to the Galaxy 19 Ku during the last weekend.
Click to expand...

Do NOT bend your lnb arm as this post above says! That is absolute last-resort stuff in only very special cases of a mangled dish or arm, and usually not needed 99.9% of the time! These aren't prime focus dishes, and the lnb does NOT point "well into the center of the dish"! If you try this, you better be ready to be in for a lot of crying, because it's likely to ruin your dish.

Unless I'm somehow misunderstanding what he's saying, but that post would be most unclear to a newbie that's never done a dish install before, and you'd be likely to think it means exactly what I think it means, and bend an arm that doesn't need it.

If you follow the assembly instructions and use the side braces, the odds are very great the lnb will be spot on the money the first time.
 
primestar31 said:
Do NOT bend your lnb arm as this post above says! That is absolute last-resort stuff in only very special cases of a mangled dish or arm, and usually not needed 99.9% of the time! These aren't prime focus dishes, and the lnb does NOT point "well into the center of the dish"! If you try this, you better be ready to be in for a lot of crying, because it's likely to ruin your dish.

Unless I'm somehow misunderstanding what he's saying, but that post would be most unclear to a newbie that's never done a dish install before, and you'd be likely to think it means exactly what I think it means, and bend an arm that doesn't need it.

If you follow the assembly instructions and use the side braces, the odds are very great the lnb will be spot on the money the first time.
Click to expand...

My LNB was off center of the dish for about 3". Bending only means that I force the arm slightly to help the LNB pointing to the center of the dish otherwise I cannot get Signal and quality. I do not know how to adjust the LNB otherwise to point it to the center of the dish. You have lot of experience, could you please teach us? If you buy a good quality dish, of course, you do not need to adjust the LNB to point it to the center of the dish like me then you never bend that arm.

Installing a satellite dish is quite difficult for the first time but when you know exactly how to do it, you can repeat that many times after without any problem unless you are really lucky the first time thus do not really know any difficulty when you buy cheap equipment. I spent a month to align my dish because I trust the dish maker but I understand that I have to check every things when experience people in this site advice me to check. As it was off so much, should I send it to the garbage and buy another one? I am better fix it because I do not have lot of money!!!

Regards.
 
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