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Text File | 1995-02-14 | 49KB | 937 lines

┌──╥──┐ ╖ ╓ ╓────╖ ╓────╖ ║ ╙╖ ╓╜ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╙╖ ╓╜ ╟──╥─╜ ║ ║ ║ ╙╖╓╜ ║ ╙╖ ║ ║ ╨ ╙╜ ╨ ╙ ╙────╜ ╓╖ ╓─────╖ ╓─────╖ ╥ ╓─────╖ ┌──╥──┐ ╓╖ ╓╖ ╥ ┌──╥──┐ ╓╜╙╖ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╓╜╙╖ ║╙╖ ║ ║ ╓╜ ╙╖ ╙─────╖ ╙─────╖ ║ ╙─────╖ ║ ╓╜ ╙╖ ║ ╙╖ ║ ║ ╓╨────╨╖ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╓╨────╨╖ ║ ╙╖║ ║ ╨ ╨ ╙─────╜ ╙─────╜ ╨ ╙─────╜ ╨ ╨ ╨ ╨ ╙╜ ╨ tm Version 1.3 COPYRIGHT (C) 1995 CHRIS DAVIS SOFTWARE SYSTEMS All Rights Reserved PKUNZIP is a registered trademark of PKWARE, Inc. CONTENTS i ====================================================================== Installation.........................................................1 About the program....................................................1 Shareware notice.....................................................2 Program distribution.................................................2 What is TVRO?........................................................3 Features.............................................................3 Determining your coordinates.........................................4 Magnetic correction..................................................5 Using the North Star.................................................5 Main menu............................................................6 Display location.....................................................6 Change location......................................................7 Database maintenance.................................................7 Add a satellite......................................................7 Delete a satellite...................................................8 Modify a satellite...................................................9 Satellite information display........................................9 Antenna calculations................................................10 Focal Length & f/D Ratio............................................10 Declination.........................................................13 Satellite file backup...............................................12 Installing your satellite dish......................................12 Need some problem solving?..........................................15 System requirements.................................................15 Suggestions for future upgrades.....................................15 Disclaimer..........................................................15 Shareware registration..............................................15 Registration form...................................................16 INSTALLATION 1 ====================================================================== If you received this program on a disk, you can run it by installing the disk in the appropriate drive, changing the current drive to that drive, and then typing TVRO. You can install the program on your hard drive from the DOS prompt. At the prompt (i.e. 'C:\>'), make a directory for the TVRO ASSISTANT. An example would be a directory named 'TVRO'. Type 'MD TVRO' from the prompt. Then, either type 'A:INSTALL xxxxxx' or 'B:INSTALL xxxxxx' where 'xxxxxx' is the full directory location where you want to install the TVRO Assistant. An example would be 'A:INSTALL C:\TVRO'. INSTALL will copy all files to the indicated directory. If you received this program from a BBS, you have already used PKUNZIP to unzip the file TVROxx.ZIP. All files should be place in the same directory, whether on floppy or hard disk drive. An unregistered version of the TVRO ASSISTANT must be started by running the file 'TVRO.EXE'. ABOUT THE PROGRAM ================= The TVRO ASSISTANT provides information concerning the relationship between your satellite dish antenna and the satellites in orbit. You don't have to be in the business of installing TVRO dishes to find this program useful. This program was written because there is very little software available (shareware that is) for calculating the location in the sky that a satellite dish must look to receive signals from the satellites. The programs seemed to either be lacking in useful functions or they provided information that was of little use to the average dish owner. Most people don't realize how easy it is to align a satellite dish to track the satellites. Satellite TV dealers routinely charge as much as $500 to install a satellite system. For the average person, with a little electronic knowledge and the willingness to do a little work, installing the dish yourself can be rewarding, in more ways than one. TVRO ASSISTANT will give you just about all the technical calculations you'll need to install your satellite dish and align it to track the satellites. If you're not installing a dish, but already have a dish up and running, TVRO ASSISTANT can be used if the tracking of your dish is ever disturbed or you can use it to help friends get their dishes up and running. SHAREWARE NOTICE 2 ====================================================================== TVRO ASSISTANT is not free and it is not public domain software. It is a copyrighted, commercial program. As shareware, you are allowed to use the program on a trial basis, to evaluate its operation and determine if it is something you will use. The trial period is 15 days. If you continue to use the program after the 15-day period, you are expected to pay the registration fee. CHRIS DAVIS SOFTWARE SYSTEMS retains all rights to the program and sale of the program by anyone else is prohibited. The following files must be included in any distribution: README.1ST CITIES.DOC DH1.HLP TVROASST.DOC MAGCOR.DOC DH2.HLP TVRO.EXE WHATS.NEW LDH1.HLP SATCALC.EXE ACH1.HLP DCH1.HLP ACALC.EXE ACH2.HLP DCH2.HLP SW.EXE AMH1.HLP MMH1.HLP CLSW.EXE SDH1.HLP SH1.HLP SATFILE.DAT CLH1.HLP SMH1.HLP HOME.DAT SAH1.HLP FILE_ID.DIZ OFFSET.DAT SBH1.HLP INSTALL.BAT If you register your copy of TVRO ASSISTANT, you will receive a serial number that will stop the shareware delays in the program and will allow you to run the program without the opening screen. You will also be able to use your serial number on future version 1 upgrades of the program. Remember, if no one supported shareware, there would be nothing out there but expensive, commercially-produced applications to choose from. Registration of this program will show that there is interest in the program and will promote upgrades. If you have an account on CompuServe, you can register this program online. To register online, GO SWREG and use the program ID# 4598. PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION ==================== This program may be posted on BBS's, provided that all files, listed in the previous section, are included and are not modified in any way. This program is intended for the private, non-commercial use of individuals. Any use by a commercial entity in connection with their business is prohibited, unless an appropriate use license is obtained from the author. Companies that distribute shareware are permitted to include this program in their libraries, provided that they charge only for the service of distribution and they notify their customers that registration of shareware programs is expected and payment to the authors of the programs should be made if they continue to use them. WHAT IS TVRO? 3 ====================================================================== The abbreviation "TVRO" stands for TeleVision Receive Only and refers to satellite receiving antennas designed to only receive satellite television broadcasts. It was not so long ago that satellite dishes were a rather unusual item to have. Today, you can't travel very far in this country without coming across a household with a satellite dish in the yard or on the roof. This method of communication is made possible by a theory that was developed by science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clarke, in 1945. Clarke decided it would be possible to place a satellite in a high enough orbit, over the equator, that the speed and altitude of the satellite would require 24 hours for the satellite to make one orbit. Since the orbit takes the same amount of time as one rotation of the Earth about its axis, the satellite appears to be stationary in the sky when viewed from the ground. The area, where these satellites are placed, is known as the Clarke Belt. The satellites are considered to be in "geosychronous orbit" or are "geostationary," meaning they are sychronized with the rotation of the Earth and are stationary in relation to the Earth's surface. Since the satellites stay, relative to the Earth, in about the same position, an antenna can be permanently mounted to receive the signals transmitted by a satellite. Unfortunately, it isn't that simple because there are a lot of places to "park" satellites around the equator. The location, where a satellite is placed in orbit, is referred to as the "parking orbit" and is defined by the longitude corresponding to the point on the equator underneath the satellite. A permanently mounted antenna would receive one satellite and would miss the programming on all other visible satellites. Satellites are considered "visible" to a dish antenna if they are above the horizon at the receiving antenna's location. To solve this problem, home satellite dishes are moveable, allowing them to receive signals from any geostationary satellite that is above the horizon at the antenna site. Once adjusted and aligned, the dish will track all the visible satellites and provide more program- ming than most people can handle. This tracking abililty is made possible by a "polar mount" that allows the dish to track the entire Clarke Belt by moving one adjustment. FEATURES ======== TVRO ASSISTANT gives you several important calculations for aligning a satellite dish antenna; the look angle, the dish focal length, the f/D ratio, and the declination angle. Each of this items will be discussed in more detail later in this manual. FEATURES (cont'd) 4 ====================================================================== The look angle is a combination of two measurements, azimuth and elevation. Azimuth refers to the compass heading from the antenna to a point on the equator directly underneath the satellite. Elevation is the angle from the horizon up to the satellite. By using both azimuth and elevation, a point in the sky can be determined for any visible satellite in geosynchronous orbit. The focal length refers to how far away the feed assembly must be from the center of the dish to properly receive signals. A satellite dish is actually a reflector that reflects the microwave signals transmitted by the satellites to the feed assembly mounted on the dish. The feed assembly is what actually receives the signals. The f/D ratio is a measurement used to determine the type of feed assembly that will work best with a given dish design. Most feed assemblies will include documentation that states what f/D ratio is acceptable for the particular feed assembly. Finally, declination refers to an offset adjustment that must be made to the polar mount in order for the dish to track the satellite arc properly. The "satellite arc" is an imaginary line in the sky along which all satellites are located. The satellite dish works a lot like a camera. When the focus ring on the lens of a camera is turned, the distance of the lens from the film is change, allowing items at different distances from the camera to be in focus. A dish antenna has only one distance to deal with, the distance to a satellite in orbit. Two factors determine where the feed assembly should be on a satellite dish, reflector diameter and depth. With these measurements, you can calculate the distance from the dish center to the feed assembly for the antenna to be in focus. These are the calculations that are available when using the TVRO ASSISTANT. The only figures you must give the program are the location of your antenna (latitude and longitude), the diameter and the depth of your antenna. The program does the rest! Most of the program is self-explanatory. It will accept an entry in response to a prompt, as long as the entry meets the criteria for that particular variable. Other functions active at any time are shown at the bottom of the screen. DETERMINING YOUR COORDINATES ============================ There are several sources you can consult to determine the coordinates of your satellite dish. Don't be too concerned if you don't have the DETERMINING YOUR COORDINATES (cont'd) 5 ====================================================================== exact coordinates for your location. For the home satellite dish, you will probably not need more accurate coordinates than those from the nearest big city. I would suggest that, if you don't know your own coordinates and must choose those of a big city, try for a city no more than 150 miles away. One source for coordinates would be a world atlas. Any map that has latitude and longitude lines will do. Aviation charts are another good source, probably the best, for coordinate information. Remember that these maps or charts will probably show lines measuring "minutes" in between degrees. If you're lucky enough to know someone with a LORAN or GPS navigation receiver, you can probably get your coordinates down to the second. Coordinates must be entered into the TVRO ASSISTANT as degrees and fractions of degrees. Coordinates that show minutes and seconds should be converted to degrees. Two decimal places is sufficiently accurate. Seconds are divided by 60 to determine the fraction of a minute, and minutes are then divided by 60 to determine the fraction of a degree. A text file (CITIES.DOC) is included with this program. The file contains the coordinates for various cities around the United States. If you can't find your coordinates any other way, let me know when you register your copy of the TVRO ASSISTANT. Your coordinates will be sent to you along with your registration number. MAGNETIC CORRECTION =================== Magnetic correction is necessary because the magnetic north pole and the true north pole are not in the same location. Depending on where you are on the Earth's surface, when your compass is pointing north, that may be the direction of the north pole, or it may be several degrees to the right or left of true north. Aviation and nautical charts are a good source of magnetic deviation information. The file 'MAGCOR.DOC' is included with this program listing some approximate magnetic correction figures around the United States. USING THE NORTH STAR ==================== One method that can be used, in place of a compass, to set your antenna mount at the proper azimuth and elevation is the North Star (Polaris). There are a couple of requirements for Polaris to be useful during your installation. You need a clear view to the north at your antenna site. If you have trees or buildings to the north, you'll have to rely on your compass. You also need to be able to USING THE NORTH STAR (cont'd) 6 ====================================================================== identify which star is Polaris when you look into the north sky. If you live in a metropolitan area, like Los Angeles, it may be difficult to pick out Polaris because of all the ambient light generated from city lights. If you are lucky enough to be in an area where you have a clear view of the northern sky, you can find Polaris by looking for the constellation commonly referred to as The Little Dipper (Ursa Minor). Polaris is the star that is located at the end of the handle. One thing to remember is the altitude of Polaris from the northern horizon will correspond to the latitude coordinates of your location. If you are located at 30 degrees north latitude, Polaris will be found at 30 degrees above the northern horizon. In the installation section of this manual, I'll describe how to use this method to align your antenna mount. For those of you who live in the southern hemisphere, you can forget about looking for a star to use in aligning your dish, because there isn't one. MAIN MENU ========= The main menu provides access to 5 choices: 1 - Display Location 2 - Change Location 3 - Database Maintenance 4 - Satellite Information Display 5 - Antenna Calculations Display Location shows the current location of your antenna; city, latitude, longitude, and magnetic correction. Change Location allows you to change the location information. The program maintains a database of geostationary satellites. You can have a maximum of 100 satellites in the database. Satellite Maintenance allows you to add, modify and delete satellites. The Satellite Information Display shows all the satellites, including the look angles and distances for each satellite. Antenna calculations brings you to another menu where you can calculate focal length, f/D ratio and declination offset. DISPLAY LOCATION ================ This option provides display only of antenna location. No update is permitted from the section. Help is available by pressing "F1" and you can return to the Main Menu by pressing ESCape. CHANGE LOCATION 7 ====================================================================== This function allows you to change the location of your antenna, as it is stored in the program. You are shown the current location and asked if you wish to change the information. Type "Y" to change the information or type "N" to return to the Main Menu. If you choose "Y", you will be prompted to enter the city, latitude, longitude, and magnetic correction for your antenna location. The city must have no more than 15 characters (i.e. Los Angeles). Latitude, longitude and magnetic correction are entered, each as a positive number, followed by the appropriate compass direction (i.e. "30N" for 30 degrees north latitude, "120W" for 120 degrees west longitude). If you enter exactly 0 degrees, no compass direction is needed. At each question mark, if you want to return to the Main Menu, press ENTER without typing an entry. When you confirm the information, the new information will replace the old, and all satellite data will be recalculated for the new coordinates. DATABASE MAINTENANCE ==================== This choice takes you to a sub-menu with three additional options. 1 - Add a satellite 2 - Delete a satellite 3 - Modify a satellite These options let you keep your satellite database current with the ever-changing world of geostationary satellites. New satellites are launched and placed into orbit, current satellites are moved to different parking orbits, and older satellites are retired. The easiest way to keep up with this information is to subscribe to a satellite TV guide. ADD A SATELLITE =============== Choose this option, from the Satellite Maintenance menu, to add a satellite to your database. Once selected, you will need to confirm that you want to add a satellite. The satellite name must be no longer than 15 characters, the field is case sensitive, and there cannot be more than one space between any 2 characters. Press ENTER without typing any characters in this field if you want to stop the operation. ADD A SATELLITE (cont'd) 8 ====================================================================== The orbit longitude (parking orbit) must be entered in degrees, followed by a "W" for west or "E" for east. No direction is needed for 0 degrees. Press ENTER without typing any characters in this field if you want to stop the operation. The satellite identifier is a two-letter field that will accept any two characters. The identifier can follow any format you wish. It's probably easier if the identifiers are the same as those used by whatever satellite TV guide you use. Press ENTER without typing any characters in this field if you want to stop the operation. The broadcast satellites operate in two different frequency bands, C band and Ku band. Most of the programming, received by the home satellite dish, is transmitted on C band. Some satellites transmit on one band or the other, but some have the capability of transmitting on both bands. The C-band prompt appears first. Press "Y" to indicate the satellite has C-band capability or press "N" to indicate no C-band capability. Then do the same for the Ku-band. Once you have confirmed that all information is correct, the satellite will be added to the database and data will be calculated using the current location coordinates. Satellites are listed in the database in numerical order by their parking orbits. The listing begins at 180 degrees, continues through the western hemisphere to 0 degrees, and then through the eastern hemisphere back to 180. Each time a new satellite is entered, the database is sorted by parking orbit. DELETE A SATELLITE ================== This option will delete a satellite from the database. Enter the exact name of the satellite, as it appears in the database. The best way to determine how the satellite is listed in the database is to choose Satellite Information Display (#4) from the Main Menu. If you press ENTER without typing any characters in the field, you will stop the operation. If a valid satellite name is entered, the name, ID, and parking orbit will be displayed. When you confirm that you want that satellite deleted, it will be removed from the database. MODIFY A SATELLITE 9 ====================================================================== This option will modify a satellite currently listed in the database. Enter the exact name of the satellite, as it appears in the database. If you press ENTER without typing any characters in the field, you will stop the operation. If a valid satellite name is entered, the name will be displayed and you will be given the option of changing the parking orbit. To change the parking orbit, type the new longitude in degrees, followed by "W" for west or "E" for east. No compass direction is necessary for an entry of 0 degrees. To retain the old orbit, press ENTER without typing any characters in the field. Next, the satellite ID will be displayed. To change it, type the new two-letter identifier. To retain the old identifier, press ENTER without typing any characters in the field. Now you are given the option to change the band status of the satellite. If you choose to modify the band status, you will be prompted for each band, C and Ku. If you do not choose to modify the band status, the previous settings remain unchanged. Once you confirm that the updated information is correct, the satellite will be stored with the new information. All data will be recalculated for that satellite and it will be place in the satellite database, sorted by parking orbit. SATELLITE INFORMATION DISPLAY ============================= This option is on the Main Menu and allows you to view all satellite data in the database. The information displayed is the satellite name, ID, band capabilities, parking orbit longitude, azimuth and elevation in relation to the current antenna location, and distance from the satellite to the current antenna location in miles and kilometers. All available options on this display are shown at the bottom of the screen. To print the satellite information, press F10. You will be given the option of printing the information on a printer or sending it to a text file. The printer function is chosen by pressing "P" and begins immediately after the keypress. If your printer is turned off or not connected, the program will advise you of the problem and the operation will be terminated. If your printer is on, but is off-line, the program will continue to say it is printing until you place your printer on-line. If your printer is disconnected or turned off before printing is completed, the program will display the disconnect error, but it may take several seconds. Printing should work on most any printer that will print lines of ASCII text. SATELLITE INFORMATION DISPLAY (cont'd) 10 ====================================================================== The text file function sends the file to the current DOS directory as "SATLIST.TXT". If TVRO ASSISTANT is not on your hard drive, make sure you have a disk in the current drive before choosing the "D" option. ANTENNA CALCULATION =================== This choice brings you to a sub-menu with 2 choices: 1 - Focal Length & f/D Ratio 2 - Declination You can choose one of these selections, or press ESCape to return to the Main Menu. FOCAL LENGTH & F/D RATIO ======================== This option allows you to calculate the focal length and the f/D ratio of you dish antenna. As discussed in the Program section of this file, focal length is the distance from the center (or apex) of the dish to the feed assembly. The feed assembly is the equipment mounted on and pointed toward the center of the dish. The distance between the feed and the apex must be accurate for the feed assembly to be properly focused on the dish. The f/D ratio is needed to determine if a particular feed assembly is designed to work on the dish. You will notice that a diagram of the measurements for focal length, diameter and depth is shown on the screen. The home satellite dish is actually a reflector. It reflects the microwave signals up to the receiving end of the feed assembly. To calculate the focal length and f/D ratio, you need to know the diameter of your reflector (or dish) and the reflector depth. Reflector depth can be determine by taking a piece of string, attach one end of the string to one edge of the dish, stretch the string across to the opposite edge and attach it there. Now, measure the distance from the apex of the dish, straight up to the level of the string. Both the diameter and depth measurements must be entered in inches. The program cannot calculate measurements of zero, so a ficticious dish is listed to start. Enter the diameter first, then press ENTER. The field moves to the depth. Now, enter the depth and press ENTER. The field will move back to diameter. Each time the ENTER key is pressed while the field is on depth, the figures currently in both fields are used to calculate the new focal length and f/D ratio. FOCAL LENGTH & F/D RATIO (cont'd) 11 ====================================================================== To retain the same measurement in a field, press ENTER without typing any characters. The resulting focal length must be less than 1000 and f/D less than 1. When finished, press ESCape to return to the Main Menu. DECLINATION =========== This function provides you with information necessary to set the proper declination offset on the polar mount of your satellite antenna. The declination varies with latitude. The greater your latitude, the more declination offset is needed to track the satellites accurately. Declination is difficult for some to understand. The only place that there is no declination offset is at the equator. This is because the satellites are directly overhead and their orbital positions are exactly east and west of the receiving location. As you move farther north or south, the satellites apparent position in the sky is no longer directly east or west. This is why a declination adjustment is necessary. Satellite antennas vary with the way declination adjustments are made. A dish that has an adjustable declination offset will have some kind of adjustment at the upper pivot point of the dish on the polar mount. Some antennas have the declination offset permanently set as a result of design. A lot of fiberglass dish antennas fall into this category. The program uses two variables to calculate the declination offset, latitude of the antenna location and the length of the polar mount on which the dish is mounted. The length is measured between the upper and lower pivot points of the dish on the mount. If you have a dish that pivots on the dish actuator mechanism, you'll have to determine the distance between the declination adjustment and the pivot point at the other end of the mount. The length should be entered in inches. A length of 4 feet is shown when this function is chosen. This can be changed by pressing the F2 key. Amounts will be truncated to an accuracy of one decimal place. To retain the previous amount, press ENTER without typing anything. The latitude can be changed by pressing the F3 key. Enter the new latitude without any notation concering north or south. This amount is also truncated to one decimal place. To retain the previous amount, press ENTER without typing anything. DECLINATION (cont'd) 12 ====================================================================== Each time a new variable is entered, updated calculation information is displayed. The declination angle will change only when the latitude changes. The declination adjustment changes as both the mount length and latitude changes. Declination angle is measured as degrees of tilt toward the equator. The declination adjustment is shown in inches and refers to the difference between the polar mount upper and lower pivot points. An adjustment of 5 inches means that the upper attachment of the dish must be 5 inches further away from the polar mount than it is at the bottom attachment. A diagram of a typical polar mount is shown on the screen. The diagram is rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise on the screen because of the graphical limitations of the ASCII character sets. Press ESCape to return to the Antenna Calculations sub-menu. SATELLITE FILE BACKUP ===================== Each time a function is initiated that changes data in the satellite database, the old database file is saved as "SATFILE.BAK" before the new file is written. If your system should happen to loose power while an update is in progress or if the main data file becomes unreadable, just delete the bad file and then rename the backup file as "SATFILE.DAT". INSTALLING YOUR SATELLITE DISH ============================== As stated previously, setting up a satellite dish is not as difficult as most people think, if you know where to point the dish once it's up. The tools you'll need to make the necessary measurements are a compass, a carpenter's level, tape measure, and something to measure the angle of your mount in relation to what would be level to the horizon. A local hardware store might be able to help you with this. I used a protractor and a small level to make my initial adjustment of the angle of the antenna mount. First, you must select a good place to install your satellite dish. This is what's known as a "site survey." Take your compass, whatever device you choose to measure the elevation angle up from the horizon, and a printout from the TVRO ASSISTANT. By using the look angles on the printout, along with your compass and elevation measurement device, you can quickly determine what satellites your dish will be able to see at the intended installation location. Keep in mind that any obstruction could degrade the quality of signal you'll receive. If you're setting up a dish in winter, a tree that has no leaves and creates no obstruction now, may be a significant obstruction come spring when the leaves are out. INSTALLING YOUR SATELLITE DISH (cont'd) 13 ====================================================================== Got the site pick out? Now it's time for the installation. It would be impossible to describe here how to hook up cables because of the variety of equipment that is available. Here, we will assume that the only help you need is to get the dish pointed at a satellite so that a picture shows up on the television. The carpenter's level is necessary when you put the mounting pole in the ground because the pole must be as close to perfectly level, straight up and down, as possible. Once you have the dish mounted and all cables connected, it's time to see if you can get a picture. If you live in the northern hemisphere and want to use the North Star to align your antenna mount, it is easiest to do this with just the antenna mount on your mounting pole, before the dish is installed. You can sight along the mount so that it is aligned with Polaris. This will give you about the same starting point as using a compass to set the azimuth and elevation information from this program. I recommend that you place a portable TV somewhere near the dish so that you can see it while making adjustments. You can have someone watch the TV in the house and yell to you when there is a picture, but, take my word for it, this is not the best way to align a dish. Look at your TVRO ASSISTANT printout. Choose a satellite that has the highest elevation figure. Also check you satellite TV guide to make sure there is something other than occasional video on that satellite. Set your receiver for the transponder (channel) that is most likely to have video. Now, to the dish. One thing must be considered when using a magnetic compass to determining azimuth. The satellite dish must be aligned with the true north and south poles of the Earth. But the magnetic poles, which cause the compass needle to react, are slightly offset from the true poles. The amount of correction needed between magnetic and true north depends on your location. Someone in California would need to add about 15 degrees to the magnetic compass heading to find the true heading, New York would need to subtract about 12 degrees, while Illinois needs no correction. The file MAGCOR.DOC, included with this program, lists the average magnetic variation for each state in the United States. Another source for magnetic variation is an aviation chart. Dotted lines, known as Isogonic Lines, are printed on the charts along with the amount of magnetic variation. The dish mount, which is sitting on the mounting pole, has the capability to rotate around, just like a compass needle. If you're in the northern hemisphere, your antenna mount should be pointing at an azimuth heading of 180 degrees, or directly south. If you're in the southern hemisphere, the mount is pointed at 0 degrees (360 degrees), or north. INSTALLING YOUR SATELLITE DISH (cont'd) 14 ====================================================================== Find the look angles of the satellite you chose. Adjust the azimuth of the dish by using the dish actuator control on your satellite receiver. Each dish mount has an adjustment for controlling the elevation of the dish. Move this adjustment until the dish is pointing up at the same elevation as shown on the printout. Got it? Now, go back and check the azimuth and elevation to make sure they're as close to the printout figures as possible. Now comes the fun part. Watch your TV while you make small adjustments to the elevation of the dish and to the actuator control. If you are set to C band, you should start to see something on the TV as you make your adjustments. Continue adjusting only the dish elevation and actuator control until you get the best possible picture on that satellite. No picture? Try a different transponder. Once you have the best picture on that satellite, move the dish, using the actuator control, to a satellite that is closest to the horizon from your location. This could be a satellite to the east or west, depending on where you are. Move the actuator back and forth to get the best possible picture. The picture may not be completely clear, but don't worry. When you've got the best picture you can, go to the dish and adjust the dish mount azimuth. Remember, this is the adjustment you set at 180 (or 0 for the southern hemisphere). Make very slight adjustments back and forth until you've got the best picture. Tighten the mount set bolt when you finish the adjustment. When you've completed that adjustment, go back to the highest elevation satellite and adjust the dish elevation. Then return to the farthest east or west satellite and adjust the azimuth again. Keep this up until no further adjustments are necessary. Your dish should now be aligned and you are ready to enjoy the best that television program- ming has to offer. One measurement that is useful is called "slope". If you were to lay a straight edge across the dish, vertically, you would have the means to measure an angle that is reciprocal of the look angle elevation. If the dish look angle for a satellite is 30 degrees, the slope would be 60 degrees (i.e. 90 - 30 = 60). Depending on what device you use to measure your angles, this might be useful. Perhaps you feel this is too much work and you'd rather let someone else, who knows what they're doing, align your dish? I wasn't willing to pay someone $500 to do something I was sure I could do with the proper information. The most you're out, if you try it yourself, is the cost of registering this program (you did register, didn't you?). NEED SOME PROBLEM SOLVING? 15 ====================================================================== I am interested in any bugs encountered while running the TVRO ASSISTANT. Report problems in any of the following ways: On CompuServe: 74176,430 On Internet: cdavis@slonet.org By mail: CHRIS DAVIS SOFTWARE SYSTEMS PO BOX 2382 ATASCADERO CA 93423-2382 By fax or voice: (805) 238-5714 There is surely a bug or two that I haven't found yet, so let me know if you have any problems. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS =================== IBM-compatible, DOS 5.0 or greater (the program may work with earlier DOS versions but that operation is not guaranteed), 286 or greater, CGA or better, and at least one disk drive. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE UPGRADES =============================== Do you see something in the program that you like or don't like, I'd like to hear from you. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated and may be included in future upgrades. DISCLAIMER ========== This software application is offered "as is" with no warranty of suitability for a particular purpose. In no event will Chris Davis Software Systems be liable for special, incidental, or consequential damage resulting from the possession or use of this product. REGISTRATION 16 ====================================================================== The only way to encourage programmers to produce shareware is to support the shareware products that you use. When you register this program, you will receive a registration number that will disable the shareware delays. You can use that number on any future version 1 upgrade. If you have access to CompuServe, you can register online. Just GO SWREG and use the product ID# 4598. The $15 registration fee will be charged to your CompuServe account and you will receive your registration number by e-mail. You can also register by using the registration form on the next page. REGISTRATION <TVRO Assistant v1.3> ====================================================================== If you plan to continue using this program beyond the 15-day trial period, please register by completing the form below. Mail the form and the $15 registration fee to: CHRIS DAVIS SOFTWARE SYSTEMS PO BOX 2382 ATASCADERO CA 93423-2382 Name: __________________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________ Phone (optional): ______________________________________________ Computer make: _________________________________________________ Drive types: ___________________________________________________ Where did you get your copy of TVRO ASSISTANT? _______________________________________________________________ Suggestions: _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ THANKS FOR SUPPORTING SHAREWARE AND THE TVRO ASSISTANT!