Satellite finder with magnetic north, azimuth & elevation calculator.

How to set up and point satellite dish antenna, finder aiming and pointing angles and polar mount setup.

Instructions:  Input your wanted satellite orbit position (longitude) and your site location.
Latitude: 0.0 to +80.0 deg North or 0.0 to -80.0 deg South ( Your latitude and longitude finder )
Longitude: 0.0 to +360.0 deg East, or 0.0 to -180.0 deg West   ( Click: Explanation of latitude and longitude )
Please use decimal degrees: e.g -60.2 (instead of 60 deg 12 min WEST) Calculator for converting degrees minutes seconds
The default input values shown (which you need to overwrite) refer to Echostar broadcast satellite at 119 deg west (241 deg east) orbit and a site location in Oklahoma City (36.5 deg north latitude and 97.5 deg west longitude).

Click to test and see the satellite finder results on the lower two lines. Help page on dish pointing

Satellite orbit (deg E) Site latitude (degN+, S-) Site longitude (deg E)

Dish azimuth (deg E relative to true north) Dish azimuth (deg E relative to magnetic north)
Dish elevation (deg) Slant range (km) Polarisation tilt(deg)
Polar mount main axis angle (deg) Polar mount dish offset tilt (deg)

The azimuth angle relative to magnetic north is not available beyond +/- 60 deg latitude due to increasing inaccuracy in my earth's magnetic field model.   The magnetic azimuth bearing angle calculated above is approximate.    Offset dish elevation angle explanation.

This satelite finder program and satellite look angle calculator is to help you with installing and aligning of satellite TV, DirecTV ®, HughesNet ® and VSAT etc. Dish mounting installation and azimuth, elevation and polarisation alignment should be done carefully - don't fall off the roof! I wish you success with your satellite dish antenna install and beam pointing.  If you don't know your lat long then these links may help: Australia  Canada  France  Iraq  Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England  Lebanon  Australia, New Zealand   USA   Peru   Mauritius   South East Asia  If your country is not listed here, go to latitude and longitude finder  Go to maps to see an index page with a listing of all the map pages.   Tell me if you want a page made for your country.

You are welcome to send me email reviews and comparison comments about alternative satellite TV meters, equipments and to contribute to the forum.  Please send pictures of your dish installation.  This will help other people.

 

Ask questions, help others, review equipment and compare alternatives - Please contribute to my satellite forum

If you want to run this dish pointing program software offline when not connected to the internet, go to dish pointing using palmos, and download a mini version that works well on normal computers as well.  Do FILE - SAVE AS and store a copy of the page for personal use on your portable PC hard disk. Come back every year or two to get the latest update with magnetic field model changes.  The version contains no adverts or help links and will work on a tiny screen, I hope.  There is a further experimental version called Satellite Finder-V5 with pull down menus and list of satellites.  I have heard some good reports about it.  Please tell me if you find any satellite name or orbit location errors in the database.

Please add +3.5 deg to the polarisation angle for Eutelsat (Hotbird) satellites and +7 deg to Astra (Sky TV) satellites.  These satellites series were constructed out of alignment with the earth axis, with polarization offset slightly clockwise.

!  It is illegal to copy or edit this dish azimuth and elevation pointing page for use on other web sites or on internal intranet sites.
Any problems, comments or reports of copyright infringement please e-mail Eric Johnston
Copyright © 1998,2007 Satellite Signals Ltd   All rights reserved

Original: 1998.   Recent revisions:  Link to offset dish explanation added. 21 Jan 05, degrees, minutes, seconds calculator added 17 March 2005.  Magnetic field model updated 17 April 2006.   Last amended: 8 June 2008, 5 Feb 2010