Free to view dish

Marty

Has anyone installed the above themselves. If so, how did you manage to set the dish to the Astra satelite (28degress). Does it have to be exactly 28 degrees east of south?

Mike 1972

get yourself a signal meter
plug it in move the dish around (slowly) until you get a meter reading
If youre not getting a reading (slightly) adjust the dish vertically and repeat
plug in the reciever

watty

No it isn't ever exactly 28.2 E of South.

In Extreme EAST of Ireland a 5W satellite is nearly due south and almost 30 dgrees elevation.

In MID WEST of Ireland an 8W satellite is nearly due south and almost 30 dgrees elevation.

As you move East or WEst from YOUR OWN true south, the dish elevation drops.

Note an "Offset Dish" (most are) appears to be vertical (approx 0 degrees elevation) when in reality pointing upward at about 25 degrees.

A satellite meter makes it easier.

A compass gives a rough idea, but can be up to 8 degrees out (the regular Magnetic/true north is about 5 degrees)

A program Free Download from www.sme.se calculates you exact dish alignment

www.lyngsat.com "sat tracker" works too (rougher).

It is easy to do analog with no meter, but digital is harder.

You need to be within +/- 0.5 degree generally. You may get no reading at all on a Digital receiver outside of this.

A signal meter (the analog needle are best if you buying a cheap one about £20) will work over maybe as much as +/- 2 degrees on Astra 28, and responds at once. The satellite Digital Signal Quality takes 0.5 to 2 seconds to update.

Fine tune the Signal Quality on Satellite receiver after basic line up. I use a 6" TV and video sender to see the quality meter on the Digital receiver.



MY PC Satellite card will give a signal level reading to nearly zero with no quality. My FTA digital receiver gives Zero signal instantly if quality goes below about 30%!

I have managed to line up a Sky minidish fairly easily as I knew where to point it (hint look at neighbours), but a 80cm or 90cm dish is MORE directional, so is very hard with out a meter.

A 1.2m dish is harder still!

The really big dishes must be a horror unless you have a calibrated polar mount aligned to true local south.

I worked out what time of day LOCAL solar noon is (from deggrees west and Solar NOON is 12 GMT in 0 degrees, so (24x 8)/360 hours later here at 8 degrees west.

I lined a stick so its shadow tip hit the pole at the required time after noon GMT. It was then due south.

The compass was useless as the Steel Gas Tank is too close! I then sighted along my homemade polar mount (angled for 52N = LimericK). Adjusting the 1m dish was then MUCH easier as having found ANY Satellite, the tilt on dish was then correct for ANY OTHER satellite (i.e. weak Digital) just by rototating dish on angled pole.
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Marty

Thanks for the info, l'll give this a try at the weekend.