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Satellite Finder / Dish Alignment Calculator with Google Maps | Android and iOS App | DishPointer.com.
A world map of the positions of satellites above the Earth's surface, and a planetarium view showing where they appear in the night sky.
In order to receive the signal from a satellite, the dish has to point very precisely in the direction of that satellite. Geostationary satellites are placed on an orbit above the Equator, this means that from the Northern hemishere they are seen generally towards the South (South-East, South-West).
Click your home on the map and it tells you where to point your satellite TV dish - latitude, longitude, azimuth, elevation and polarisation angles. Choose the orbit longitude of satellite you want to see using the pull down menu at box at the lower left.
The satellites that provide direct-to-home satellite television for the United Kingdom appear stationary from the ground. Once you have fitted Sky or Freesat, the dish never needs to be moved. To do this the transmitting satellites are in what is known as a 'geostationary orbit' above the equator.
Adjusting your receiver dish for best reception of a TV signal can be confusing. Understanding a little about the satellite system and your location on earth will make it much less intimidating. You will need to understand elevation, azimuth, and skew - weird words, but not too complicated.
The azimuth angle will give you the general direction in which to point the dish, while elevation and skew will allow you to fine-tune the dish's aim. To use these co-ordinates, you will need a compass with degree markings (360 degrees around the circle).
