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I had to install my dish on the fascia of my flat-roof garage in such a way as to avoid the eave of my 2-story townhouse across the patio, and to see over or between some tall redwoods over on the next street. Before I ordered equipment I thought I would be ok...but I just couldn't be sure.
Especially when my new UTV arrived, and it wouldn't lock either tuner onto DirecTV near the specified angles.
Well. Those redwoods are really tall. So worry is why...
I made up a Boresight rig as follows:
Took a 2 foot cardboard tube [lucky I had a 2x2" square one] and stapled one end to a piece of horizontal scrap [plywood was handy].
After scribing the Azimuth on the plywood at the recommended angle from an edge that I use as a reference [to the edge of my flat garage roof in this case], coulda been the angle from your N-S or your E-W edge, as determined by your magnetic compass or other neighborhood orientation. Next I propped up my tube to its desired elevation [using small cardboard box which I stapled and taped into place].
I employed a schoolboy's plastic semi-circular 180 degree compass to set my Azimuth and Elevation. Using a small mirror I gazed up the tube to see clear sky. My Boresight "Artillery"!
By jockeying that rig this way and that, I could be assured how much clearance I'd have -- from the leaves and the eaves [on my house].
Standing above, I could align the LNB arm parallel to my tube to start the quest.
You can get your approximate angles in advance at
http://www.orbitsat.com/Support/Point.htm plus some good "pointers" [hah!] or else drill down at http://www.directv.com to enter your zip code.
When you power up your receiver DTV will show your angles at your zip.
When I found the bird, it was at least 10 degrees True away from the Azimuth given to DTV's 110 satellite. The angular tolerance seems pretty darn narrow; I squeezed that dish up&down, side to side to get the best signal I could, but width was only about 2 ticks on the mast.
Magnetic North differs from True North by magnetic "Variation" [16 degrees in San Jose]. See what yours is on the map at
http://www.geo-orbit.org/sizepgs/magmapsp.html
Patience and Good Luck.
Especially when my new UTV arrived, and it wouldn't lock either tuner onto DirecTV near the specified angles.
Well. Those redwoods are really tall. So worry is why...
I made up a Boresight rig as follows:
Took a 2 foot cardboard tube [lucky I had a 2x2" square one] and stapled one end to a piece of horizontal scrap [plywood was handy].
After scribing the Azimuth on the plywood at the recommended angle from an edge that I use as a reference [to the edge of my flat garage roof in this case], coulda been the angle from your N-S or your E-W edge, as determined by your magnetic compass or other neighborhood orientation. Next I propped up my tube to its desired elevation [using small cardboard box which I stapled and taped into place].
I employed a schoolboy's plastic semi-circular 180 degree compass to set my Azimuth and Elevation. Using a small mirror I gazed up the tube to see clear sky. My Boresight "Artillery"!
By jockeying that rig this way and that, I could be assured how much clearance I'd have -- from the leaves and the eaves [on my house].
Standing above, I could align the LNB arm parallel to my tube to start the quest.
You can get your approximate angles in advance at
http://www.orbitsat.com/Support/Point.htm plus some good "pointers" [hah!] or else drill down at http://www.directv.com to enter your zip code.
When you power up your receiver DTV will show your angles at your zip.
When I found the bird, it was at least 10 degrees True away from the Azimuth given to DTV's 110 satellite. The angular tolerance seems pretty darn narrow; I squeezed that dish up&down, side to side to get the best signal I could, but width was only about 2 ticks on the mast.
Magnetic North differs from True North by magnetic "Variation" [16 degrees in San Jose]. See what yours is on the map at
http://www.geo-orbit.org/sizepgs/magmapsp.html
Patience and Good Luck.
