Sky Satellite allignment help, please

anne99

I have brought my Freesat box and dish from my old house and I am struggling to get a signal. I assume I have to point the dish to 28.2E, as it says on another thread. When I learned to use a compass, 28.2 was approximately north-north-east, but I am fairly sure it has to point south-ish. Also, I don't know what up/down angle of inclination to use.

I am in Perthshire, if that's important.

I bought an SLX satellite finder from B&Q and after following its instructions it gives a signal of 8/10 when adjusted to its most sensitive setting, but the satellite box still says it's not receiving a signal.

Any help would be appreciated.

dragon47

You want it pointing south east.

Start by pointing it due south. Then move it 28.2 degrees eastward.

Then adjust the elevation (up/down) until there is a good signal. I think the angle of the LNB arm should be pointing roughly 30 degrees up from horisontal but this angle depends on how far north you are from the equator.

anne99

Thanks, Dragon, but having done that, we are still getting no signal.

Is it true south or magnetic south we take the bearing from?


Also, we don't have the box connected to a phone socket. Should that make any difference?

totalsolutions

What size dish do you have in Scotland don't you need a 1 metre dish?? With a sat finder you just move the dish around for the best signal, 1" either way is on or off, point south then east a bit, like all the others in your neighbourhood, do you have a clear line of sight to the skies?

Steve_xx

You can get a gizmo for under £10 that will find the satellite for you. I had this problem a couple of weeks back and borrowed a plug in device that gave a high-pitched audible signal when the satellite was found. There are others that have a series of lights on them to indicates strength. However, there are a number of satellites up there and it's very easy to latch onto the wrong one.


http://shop.ebay.co.uk/items/__satellite+finder_W0QQ_dmdZ2?crlp=1571976640_228459_228460&UA=WXI6&GUID=9de35e931170a09c1410b980ffe4b4b5&keyword=satellite+finder&MT_ID=11&agid=735992740

PsiDOC

totalsolutions wrote: »

What size dish do you have in Scotland don't you need a 1 metre dish?? With a sat finder you just move the dish around for the best signal, 1" either way is on or off, point south then east a bit, like all the others in your neighbourhood, do you have a clear line of sight to the skies?

No you need a 60cm dish towards the highlands and beyond.

To establish where you need to point the dish AND the elevation of it put your details in here: http://www.uksatellitehelp.co.uk/2007/08/12/satellite-alignment-calculator-v2/
It also helps to look at the sat dishes around you when requiring a general idea of where to point it.

Si

System

Is there a meter on the box? I.e Something that shows you signal strenght? I have found these cheapo sat finders crap to be fair, Best plan of attack is get someone watching the signal strenght on the TV, get someone outside moving the dish slowly communicating together on a mobile, but when doing this its important how you do it, Move it slightly and stop for a second, this allows the display on the screen to update and keep repeating the process. Gently is the key here, For Astra 2 the dish will look like its almost pointing down to the ground, this is because Astra 2 is low in the sky. A compass is not effective because the metal in the dish interferes with it,

Lakeuk

Use this free software, type in the satellite location ie 28.8, your location and it tell you the direction / elevation you need for your dish

http://www.smw.se/FreeSoftware.htm

I usually find placing a marking 10m away in the correct direction helps in lining it up when up the ladder, but I do think I'll be buying a meter for next time to make it easier

Moneymaker

Much easier with a meter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qMbbi2l9JA

anne99

Thanks everyone.

We have now concluded we are pointing at the wrong sattelite. Now we're just waiting for the rain to go off and the wind to die down and we'll have another go! As well as the helpful links provided by you guys, I found a step-by-step guide at

http://www.uk-satellite-tv.co.uk/technicalhelp_154117.html

which may help others in our position.

I'll report back to let you know when we've succeeded (or not!)

anne99

Success!:j

It's a fiddly job, made much easier by a compass, a signal finder, and endless patience. As well as DH who's good with a drill up a ladder...

Thanks to all who offered help. Anyone want a slightly used signal finder... one careful owner....