Tools to find direction of satellite?

[RandyAB]

I am thinking about going back to Sat service, but I want to make sure that I can get coverage in my apartment complex. What is the best tool to find out if I have direct line of site from my apartment?

[Cyclone]

Get a compass and find the direction that you need to look towards.

[Crazy 1]

A compass and an angle finder work great to get the Azmith & elevation.

[waydwolf]

Originally posted by RandyAB
I am thinking about going back to Sat service, but I want to make sure that I can get coverage in my apartment complex. What is the best tool to find out if I have direct line of site from my apartment?

    Go to:

http://www.rca.com/directv/zip_code_selection

    and enter your zip and check off the correct dish you'd need, almost certainly the elliptical these days.

    Then write the results down and get a good compass. Wear no metal objects nor stand near any nor anything electrical at the time as compasses have been known to be thrown off that way.

    If the area isn't obscured in that direction all the way to the horizon, good. If it is and you wonder if you can see over at the right angle, get a protractor, some tape, some string, and a small weight.

    Tie the string to the weight at one end, and tape the other end of the string to the vertex of the protractor and hold it with the straight edge at the top and look along it like a gunsight. Elevate until the string shows the angle from the RCA site.

    Remember that with multiple satellites, you are looking slightly to the left and above and slightly to the right and below of the point the site gives you because you're trying to nail three satellites along the equatorial track. In some cases, you may think you've got Line of Sight and you've got partial obscurity on one or more.

    Good luck.

[Wolfmanjohn]

Waydwolf,

Excellent advice, but one question: as RandyAB is in northern California, wouldn't he look slightly to the left and below and slightly to the right and above the point to the site gives him? I think I recall the elevation spec for the 101 to be 41 degrees and the elevaton spec for the 119 to be ~49 degrees when I did my install here in the bay area.