Satellite Positions?

[packetstormer]

This is a silly question I know but I am just about to start swinging out of my roof to try and get an 80cm pointed at Hotbird. I am wondering though, when they say 13 degrees East, what exactly is it East of!!!?? Do I find East on the compass then move it 13 degrees to.......which direction???

I have installed one or two Astra 2d setups but I usually just look at a neighbours dish and get lucky that way.

Never pointed at any other satellite before so sorry for the dumb question.

 

[Topper]

It is not a dumb question, but it is 13 degrees East of South. I would recommend using dishpointer to find the approximate angle and fine tune from there

 

[Lazarus]

And the "pointing" to 13 degrees of South differs depending upon all sorts of other things such as your own position, and various geomagnetic factors.

ie In general, you do not point to a bearing of 180 - 13 = 167 deg.

As we in the UK are not too far displaced from the Meridian, the required bearing bears some resemblance to 167 deg but, as Topper directs, a calculator of some sort helps to find a reasonable starting point for alignment.

Apart from Dishpointer (which has the benefit of piccies!), there are other claculating engines

_http://www.satlex.de/en/azel_calc-params.html?satlo=28.5&user_satlo=&user_satlo_dir=E&location=53.75%2C-0.33&la=53.5&lo=-0.5&country_code=uk&diam_w=60&diam_h=70

_http://www.satsig.net/ssazelm.htm

to name but two.

 

[packetstormer]

Thanks for the info. The Satlex site is really useful. One thing I didn't quite understand though was, if I changed my Sat to 0.8W (Thor) the diagram still seems to show the position to be East of South? I would have thought it would be West of South?

 

[Lazarus]

Well in Ireland your Longitude is around 5W, so 0.8W actually is East of you .............!

 

[packetstormer]

Well in Ireland your Longitude is around 5W, so 0.8W actually is East of you .............!

Ah, I see know what's happening......realitivity indeed!