Help with my motorised satellite system.
Having problems installing a motorised dish?
There is one fundamental rule to remember, and that is to get your mast perfectly vertical.
The motor must then be adjusted to align the axis of rotation with the Earth’s polar axis , and the orientation of the motor adjusted to point due south.
The next task is to set the declination, which varies according to the site Latitude.
After some adjustments whilst near the apex of the satellite arc, the dish should now track the satellite arc.
MBC satellites specialise in installing motorised dishes to track the arc. To receive Turksat, Hotbird, Astra, Thor, Hispasat in Kent, install a motorised satellite dish.
The Satellite Arc- where are the satellites.
People often ask how do we know where to point a satellite dish. The TV satellites are located approx 22,000 miles above the equator spaced out in various orbital positions. A good site to discover what the orbital positions are is Lyngsat . Looking up from the earth however, the satellites appear as an arc in the sky. In the UK the satellites near the apex of the arc are at an elevation of approx 30 degrees, at the ends of the arc (around 70 degrees azimuth either way), the arc falls below the horizon. In North Kent for example Thor is approx 32 degrees elevation.
As a satellite installer based in Kent this is a good starting point to set up a motorised satellite dish.
Understanding the satellite arc is important, especially when thinking of a motorised satellite dish. Still very relevant however for any fixed dish setup.
In most of the UK including Kent, the satellites closest to your due south are the Thor 2 & 3 satellites at 0.8 degrees West, and are near the top of the arc and the highest in the sky. As you move east or west the elevation of the other satellites gradually drop down and approach the horizon as shown in the diagram. In the far west of the UK or Ireland you will find Atlantic Bird 3 at 5W will be nearer your due south.
The diagram below illustrates why the satellites at the extremes of the arc are difficult to get as they are so close to the horizon. In southern England (Kent), 0.8W will be around 32 degrees above the horizon, in Scotland about 25 degrees above, 68.5E for example will be around 5 degrees.
The satelite arc North Kent