Tips needed on pointing my dish

[pooksahib]

Hi. It shouldn't be too long until my building work is complete and I'll then be able to position my new Zone 2 dish, the one where the dish is clamped to an L shaped tube with 2 U bolts. I've been reading up on positioning techniques and have bought a compass in readiness. However, I'm concerned after reading somewhere that it's more important to get the elevation correct and then you should swing the dish to get the right azimuth. I see two problems here: a) I have no fancy tools for the elevation, just the scale embossed on the dish bracket. b) swinging the dish left and right can't be easy when you also have to hold it up (those L tubes don't have a 'bottom' to stop the dish falling to the ground...). So my questions are: 1) Surely it's easier (using compass) to set the azimuth first? 2) What azimuth is used - True or Magnetic? 3) How accurate is the elevation scale on the dish bracket? 4) Can the job be done by one person (I'll be using a sat-finder meter)? Any other positioning tips greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Rick]

I'm going to assume that you are going to have the dish fixed on 28e and you are in the UK.

28e is an easy catch with a 60cm, You need to point the dish roughly 28 degrees east of due south, so to your left of south when you are stood behind the dish looking at it. Have the bolts just loose so that the dish will moved when pushed but not flop about. Adjust the dish left/right up/down slowly until you get a good signal quality, you can use the finder as a rough guide then fine tune with the recievers meter. Scan channels and if you haven't lined up on the wrong satellite tighten all the bolts being very careful not to move the dish.

[pooksahib]

You're right on both assumptions. Many thanks for your advice. Are you saying that the Strength/Quality bars generated by the receiver are a better guide than a meter? What should I pay more attention to - Strength or Quality?

[pontiend]

I put a jubelee clip below the dish on my pole you can then swing the dish about with no danger of it coming off the pole . quality is the one that counts.

[Rick]

The bars on the reciever are much more accurate unless you have a very expensive meter/spectrum analyser. The satfinder is great for a rough alignment on a budjet, then fine tune with the reciever. If you can't see the TV from the dish, use a portable TV to save alot of hastle. You shouldn't struggle to much with the weight of the dish, I can manage a 1.1m plus motor on my own just about. I use a cheap FTA reciever and a 7" Lcd Tv start to finish to align any dishes.

[pontiend]

My dish is just under the gutter.By the side of the small bed room window.I put a 14" tv with the tm on top near the window connected to my motor/dish.Dish pointing up a bit 'about 28 deg'. Move dish/motor very slowly horizontely to find best signal for chosen sat.We are talking mm here.When the best signal is found tighten the dish/motor bolts.Now I move the dish very slowly up and down to fine tune it.

I wish I lived in a bungalow life would be much easier.

[pooksahib]

Yeah, a bungalow is great - I can reach my dish simply by standing beside it. My last place was a house with the dish on a long pole to see over the roof. No way could I have done that myself. This time it'll be all my own work from assembling the dish onwards.

I've seen quite a few posts that recommend using a portable TV if you can't see the main telly while at the dish. How does that work? You'd need to take the STB out with you as well wouldn't you?

[Rick]

Not nessecarialy, You can send a Composite video signal a fair way on a length of coax, either make up a lead, or if your working on twin tuner, you can make patch leads, and use the second coax run for the video signal back to the dish.