offset dish calculator

[swampman]

I once saw a program that could tell you exactly how close you could set up an offset dish to a building(or any structure) and still get a signal. You could key in the size of the building, and it would tell you how close you could install it. Anyone have a link to that type program? I've searched but cant seem to find it. Thanks.

 

[Wescopc]

Maybe this one?
http://www.al-soft.com/saa/satinfo.shtml
It's a free download-
Bob

 

[swampman]

Actually what I'm looking for pertains to how close you can set an offset dish to a building without signal loss. I used it to setup my Primestar dish last summer. Must have deleted it.

 

[Shawn95GT]

I was looking for this a couple weeks ago.

PSB had a link he was giving out but the link is now dead.

I fell back on trig from school.

We know the look angle and we know either the height of the obsticle or the distance to the obsticle. Sounds like a good application for the TANgent button on your scientific calculator.

TAN = Opposite divided by adjacent.

Opposite is the obstical height. - call it 'y'.
Adjacent is the distance to the obsticle - call it 'z'.

So, solving for distance to obsticle is:
Distance to obsticle (z) = Obsticle height (y) divided by the Tangent of x

If you need to solve for the height of your beam:
Beam height (y) = distance to obsticle (z) times the Tangent of x

So long as your beam height is higher than your obsticle - all good.

 

[Wescopc]

The above program has a tab for obstacles. It shows meters but feet would work exactly the same way in the program. You need the height of the obstacle (building) and the distance the dish is away.
Bob

 

[telefrancisco]

Appart from the Satellite Antena Alignment (saa.exe) mentioned, I used some other program but is in French ( I understand it a bit, because I'm spanish, however, the graphics are explicit, too).

I found it here:

http://www.telesatellite.com/technique/
you can use a web translator, but to simplify this, select: "Logiciel calcul d'obstacle" that redirects to: http://www.visiosat.com/images/bo/obstacle.zip

Also, you may need the "Librairie Visual basic vb6dll.zip" that redirects to:
http://www.visiosat.com/images/bo/vb6dll.zip

Hope you find it useful