Which do I aim for?

[mcmmotorsports]

Hi guys, I live up in the Catskills and am having an issue aiming my dish. According to the DTV Dish Pointer site it tells me AZ 216.9-EL 34.8. I am unable to get a signal there. Now, if I keep turning, I pickup a signal around, 230 which is what dishpointer dot com comes up with. HOWEVER, I can be at 97% there and have NO transponders. So, my question is this, do I aim for DirectTV 1 or Direct TV4s?
Of course, trees are an issue and I am doing my best to get something up here.

 

[iwc5893]

What type of dish are you using? The single LNB and the Ka/Ku's actually point at the 101 sat, where as the Dual and Triple LNB SD dishes point to the 110 sat.

Best bet would be to enter your zip code in the receiver, along with the type of dish you are using and point it using those coordinates.

Also, you need to make sure that the mast is perfectly plumb, and that the skew/tilt settings are correct.

 

[harshness]

I would disagree with iwc5893 as the dishpointer.com data can much better targeted to your dish location (out in the boonies, some of the ZIP codes can represent a very large area).


Self-installing is overrated.

 

[jdspencer]

With Dishpointer you can enter your exact latitude and longitude to get better alignment parameters.

Also, the skew/tilt is very important along with the mast being plumb. Then set the elevation followed by the azimuth. Azimuth is what you use to zero in on the sats. Once you peak with the azimuth, then try to improve by using elevation. There may be other tweks depending on the dish type.

 

[iwc5893]

The receiver, or Dish Pointer for that matter, are only designed to get you close to the sats and not get you pointed dead on. And you can enter your GPS coordinates in the receivers as well, if you happen to have a GPS device.

 

[raoul5788]

I would ignore what Harshness says and listen to iwc5893 and jdspencer. Their advice is what you should be following.

 

[harshness]

With Dishpointer you can enter your exact latitude and longitude to get better alignment parameters.

What is the point of determining your latitude and longitude when you can use the Google Maps satellite images to pinpoint your dish visually?

 

[iwc5893]

And around here, google maps has been known to be miles off also. Like I said before, whatever method you use, it is just meant to get you in the ball park so that you can fine tune the signal.

 

[harshness]

I would ignore what Harshness says and listen to iwc5893 and jdspencer.

I would summarily ignore this advice as it isn't adding any new information and it actually represents taking a couple of steps backwards in technology to where you had to determine your coordinates and then determine and apply the magnetic declination for your location. Dishpointer takes all of the coordinates (and associated notational confusion) and math out of the picture and automatically compensates for declination.

The end result is doing things the old fashioned way is purely a mathematical exercise that, as iwc5893 points out, is only a starting point anyway and won't help you dial the dish in any better or faster.


Do you use a slide rule to do your taxes?

 

[raoul5788]

I would summarily ignore this advice as it isn't adding any new information and it actually represents taking a couple of steps backwards in technology to where you had to determine your coordinates and then determine and apply the magnetic declination for your location. Dishpointer takes all of the coordinates (and associated notational confusion) and math out of the picture and automatically compensates for declination.

The end result is doing things the old fashioned way is purely a mathematical exercise that, as iwc5893 points out, is only a starting point anyway and won't help you dial the dish in any better or faster.


Do you use a slide rule to do your taxes?

Simply put, your advice was the worst of the three offered, IMNSHO. That's why I suggested the op not listen to you. So, are you agreeing with iwc5893 or not? You seem confused! BTW, I use Turbotax.

 

[Tower Guy]

Hi guys, I live up in the Catskills and am having an issue aiming my dish. According to the DTV Dish Pointer site it tells me AZ 216.9-EL 34.8. I am unable to get a signal there. Now, if I keep turning, I pickup a signal around, 230 which is what dishpointer dot com comes up with.

Perhaps the 230 degree aim is magnetic and the 216.9 direction is true. The difference is the correct declination difference for the Catskills.

 

[jdspencer]

Actually, this difference in azimuth is called the magnetic variation. Declination has to do with elevation.

 

[harshness]

Actually, this difference in azimuth is called the magnetic variation. Declination has to do with elevation.

See what NOAA has to say about your comment: Magnetic Declination (Variation) Home

 

[harshness]

Simply put, your advice was the worst of the three offered, IMNSHO.

As long as it is couched as an opinion, you're certainly entitled.

That's why I suggested the op not listen to you. So, are you agreeing with iwc5893 or not? You seem confused!

I'm suggesting that going through the exercise that iwc5893 recommended (using the ZIP code and the receiver's built-in database) isn't going to give as good a result as the OP locating themselves visually using Google Maps. Google Maps addresses may not line up very well, but the pictures and maps are pretty accurate; certainly higher resolution than a ZIP code.

My method doesn't require a GPS nor does it require doing any special calculations or unit conversions as jdspencer's recommendation requires.

If the goal is to learn about peaking, doing the math dance might be interesting, but if you're looking for a starting point so you can get to work, its largely a waste of time and effort given the availability of dishpointer.com.


If there's any question about the accuracy of the maps and satellite images, please feel free to offer up a landmark visible from satellite with published coordinates that doesn't show up correctly on Google Maps.

 

[jdspencer]

...
My method doesn't require a GPS nor does it require doing any special calculations or unit conversions as jdspencer's recommendation requires.

If the goal is to learn about peaking, doing the math dance might be interesting, but if you're looking for a starting point so you can get to work, its largely a waste of time and effort given the availability of dishpointer.com....

Dishpointer.com uses google maps. You can enter your street address (which you may not know out in the boonies) or zip code (also not accurate enough) or the lat/long of your location. I suggested using lat/long because being in the boonies that is most likely the only option. Then dishpointer shows you the map with the azimuth angle drawn in.

 

[harshness]

The idea behind using Google Maps is that if you can receive satellite television, you can pick out your dish location on a satellite photograph. This is just as true in Wyoming as it is in Manhattan.

 

[jdspencer]

See what NOAA has to say about your comment: Magnetic Declination (Variation) Home

I stand corrected. It's just that the term declination doesn't come up very often when aiming a dish. Azimuth is used the most.

The idea behind using Google Maps is that if you can receive satellite television, you can pick out your dish location on a satellite photograph. This is just as true in Wyoming as it is in Manhattan.

And your point is?

 

[Ippv]

I would have to disagree with this harshness advice. Using your zip code is more than sufficient to get rough peaking parameters to lock onto the satellite. I do installs from various zip codes (city to city) everyday in my county and every single dish I prepare to install use the same parameter whether i'm in city A or city E. BTW, the google maps can be off by miles and it wouldn't matter as long the calculated parameters given are correct.

I would take jdspencer advice on making sure that mast is plumbed.

OP, do any of your neighbors have a DTV dish installed? If so, pay attention to the direction their dish is pointing. If you can't figure out the parameters stop by their house ask them to let you see their dish settings. Hopefully they don't pull a shotgun on you. You want yours to point the exact same way with the exact same settings. After you lock onto the satellite you can fine tune from there.

Good luck

What does taxes have to do with pointing a dish?

 

[harshness]

I stand corrected. It's just that the term declination doesn't come up very often when aiming a dish. Azimuth is used the most.

To get from the true North azimuth to your local compass reading, you have to add or subtract your magnetic declination. Declination is not a substitute nor synonym for azimuth; it is an offset from magnetic North that allows you to use a compass to determine which direction True North is.


My point is as I stated: There's no point trying to figure out what your latitude and longitude numbers are if you can pick your dish location out in a satellite photograph.

 

[harshness]

I do installs from various zip codes (city to city) everyday in my county and every single dish I prepare to install use the same parameter whether i'm in city A or city E.

In my county the azimuth varies by 1 degree and the elevation varies by .5 degrees. Looking it up is just too quick and easy to ignore.

BTW, the google maps can be off by miles and it wouldn't matter as long the calculated parameters given are correct.

As I said earlier, while street addresses can be way off, the maps and photographs are right on. I invited everyone to provide evidence to the contrary but thus far there aren't any takers.