Finding Astra 2 (FreeSat).

[KillingTime]

Hello,I've just put a dish up on my south wall for FreeSat.I used this program to find the horizontal position of the dish:_http://www.uksatellitehelp.co.uk/2007/08/12/satellite-alignment-calculator-v2/It gives a pitcture of your house and the line of the dish. Because there are other houses near me, I can point at features on other peoples houses when I'm up the ladder.I've done this, but my dish is at a very different angle to everyone elses...? Right general direction, but you can tell mine is diffeerent.I have a compass, and have read that astra 2 is 28.8 degrees east of south, but other posts talk about your location (stockport) changing this, and then there is true magnetic north variation?Is there a post or website that gives you info on how to set up your compass, and a table to read from, so you can turn the compass to the correct number?Thanks.

 

[Topper]

Hi I have removed the live link we do not allow them.

Yes 28.2 East is 28 degrees East of South,
the location alters the information since one of the co-ordinates of your location is the latitude which changes the further away you go from the equator. The invisible arc or Clarke curve when on the equator is directly overhead and the angle reduces the further north or south you go. The other point about location is that your longitude dictates which is your due south satellite. But 28.2 degrees will still be in the same place, for you in Cheshire I would set your dish to point to where the other sky dishes are pointing and try not to complicate things too much at this stage

 

[Robbo]

Hi, yes, it is not necessary to get all complicated to set up a dish for Sky or Freesat, as Topper says, stick it where everyones elses Sky minidish is pointing, then make minor adjustments to get max signal quality.

Robbo

 

[KillingTime]

the position is important because i have to clear two trees. if i get the angle wrong, then i come to allign the dish correctly, the dish will point at one of the trees.

i've done some more searching and:

1. satelliteforcaravans has manchester listed as 144 deg.

2. astra installation assistant gives the same reading.

3. the satellite-alignment-calculator points at my neighbours lead lined gulley whn i zoom in on my wall.

i've had my compass out and at 144 deg, that points at the gulley too.

can somone please confirm that the compass below is pointing at 144 deg (black arrow)?




(live link disabled)

i might be reading the compass incorrectly.

thanks.

 

[rolfw]

If the siting of the dish is that critical due to potential obstructions, then the only guaranteed way of doing it is with a meter and a dish, as compass readings will not be precise enough, I would suspect that neither will online dish pointer maps either.

 

[Robbo]

Both dishpointer.com and the calculator you linked to give you both the "True" azimuth and the "magnetic" azimuth. The magnetic one comes out at about 147 degrees. So that it where you want to point your compass.

Your compass reading looks more like 142 to me,but it is a bit blurry around the 140 mark.

 

[KillingTime]

will assume 147 deg for now then.

thanks for all your help.