What ku band satellites can be viewed in North America?

[zrkam]

I am new to the satellite hobby. I have never installed or used a satellite dish. Currently working on getting my first ku band dish, but want to do as much research as possible before I buy anything.

Anyway, I read on some website that it is not possible to catch any satellite in North America outside of the 61.5W to 140W range. Is that true? So, channels on satellites at 4W, 5W, 15W, etc., would be impossible to view?

 

[fred555]

To the East:
On the East Coast you should be able to see 30W but not much further east.
And if you can see them, it does not mean they are pointing beams this way.

To the West:
And being on the East Coast, 125W may be your Western most sat for Ku,
as it will be all C band birds to the horizon past there.

 

[FTA4PA]

I am new to the satellite hobby. I have never installed or used a satellite dish. Currently working on getting my first ku band dish, but want to do as much research as possible before I buy anything.

Anyway, I read on some website that it is not possible to catch any satellite in North America outside of the 61.5W to 140W range. Is that true? So, satellites on 4W, 5W, 15W, etc., would be impossible to view?

to Satellite Guys zrkam! Nope, not true. I can 'see' down to 30W, maybe lower but haven't tried.

 

[zrkam]

Thank you for your answers, guys, and for welcoming me on the forum.

So it sounds like I should look for a location that would give me a clear sight of the satellites between 30W and 125W. Let's say, hypothetically, I had what looks like a clear 10 degree elevation angle in all directions, why wouldn't I be able to go lower than 30W or higher than 125W?

 

[FTA4PA]

Thank you for your answers, guys, and for welcoming me on the forum.

So it sounds like I should look for a location that would give me a clear sight of the satellites between 30W and 125W. Let's say, hypothetically, I had what looks like a clear 10 degree elevation angle in all directions, why wouldn't I be able to go lower than 30W or higher than 125W?

Depending on terrain, it's not so much that your dish can't 'see' lower but with the exception of the occasional ku feed on 127W, everything west of 125 requires a c band (large) dish, as fred555 said. You may find something east of 30W, but most beams are aimed at Europe, Africa, etc. and may also be circular polarity, not linear.

 

[fred555]

And there is always that pesky horizon too!

 

[KE4EST]

Welcome to the site zrkam !
Some on the east coast can see down to 12.5W.
4 and 5W are too close to the horizon even with a clear line of sight, to much terrestrial noise.

 

[FaT Air]

To "see" what satellites you can see you could try the dishpointer app for your smartphone.
I think there are other vendors also (but I have only a 'dumb' phone).
Then there is the dishpointer website. www.dishpointer.com
Plug in your location and select the satellite. Green line, good to go unless there's something [trees, buildings, terrain] in the way.
Welcome to the hobby, and to Satelliteguys.

30W and 125W. Let's say, hypothetically, I had what looks like a clear 10 degree elevation angle in all directions, why wouldn't I be able to go lower than 30W or higher than 125W?

That pretty much covers all the most popular Ku birds 'out there'. (as well as C band)

 

[danristheman]

Try satbeams.com that is another website to check out. Welcome to the site.

 

[N6BY]

Welcome zkram, it's a great hobby. I'm addicted.

From California I can get east as far as 50W on C-Band. Below that are distant trees.

But I want to see how far west I can go. I found a location on my lot where I have a line of site down to about 5.5 degrees. So in theory I could get 169E if there is anything there.

How far west has anyone on the west coast gotten?

 

[Martyn]

When I'm on the platform at my local station here in Silicon Valley, Dishpointer shows I would be able to see 169E. If only darn Caltrain would let me put a dish there.

At home, I'm boxed in by trees and can see from around 83W to 125W.

Intelsat has an earth station in Napa that probably sees that low in the sky. There's also a large earth station along the freeway in Oakland that has a bunch of dishes pointing low to the east.

 

[barleyguy]

On the Denver front range I can see almost exactly the arc you had in your first post, 61.5 W to 148 W. I'm blocked by trees at about 123 though, so my real arc from where the dish is located is about 61 to 123.

You should get roughly a 90 degree arc, but the edges of the horizon will be almost at ground level, so there can't be any trees, mountains, etc blocking the view.