DishPointer Pro Helps you Find the Satellite Every Time, Fast and Easy

1. Wait for a location fix. If the app cannot determine your location, enable GPS from the phone settings.

Calibrate the compass each time you use the app. Move the device in a large figure-8 motion while the DishPointer Pro app runs.

3. Position the device where you’d like to set up the dish and point the device towards the sky.
4. Check for line-of-sight issues by verifying that the desired satellite is on the clear sky and not on trees, buildings, etc.. If this is the case, you have a good spot for your dish and a clear line of sight toward the satellite. You can now point your dish in that direction.

5. Set the elevation of the dish to the given value at the bottom. You might need to switch off the compass and move the satellites with your finger to get the settings for the right satellites, as indicated at the bottom.

6. Set the LNB or dish skew to the given value. Note that many multi-lnb dishes start their skew at 90 degrees (that’s when the dish is not skewed). You would need to add or subtract the skew value given by the app to 90 degrees on such dishes. Remember that you always skew into the direction of the satellite relative to due South. So, if the central satellite is East of South, you would rotate the dish like a steering wheel anti-clockwise when standing behind the dish. Compass Accuracy

The app accuracy depends on the compass accuracy of the phone. The internal compass chip is prone to electromagnetic interference. Things you can do to ensure good readings are:

Don’t use the device in a case with magnetic closure buttons. Calibrate the compass each time you use the app. You move the phone in a large figure-8 motion while the DishPointer Pro app runs. Stay away from anything electrical or metallic. Don’t put the phone on or next to the dish. If you need to do that, lock the compass first. On most devices, the compass generally works better when held flat. Position the device correctly, lock the compass, and lift the device without shifting it. If you have a better heading reference, switch off the compass and move the satellites with your finger by swiping across the screen. Location Fix

Also, to speed up GPS acquisition, you can install the free app “GPS Status” and try obtaining the location first from the native maps app on your phone and then open the DishPointer Pro app.

G-Sensor Calibration

The G-sensors of your phone might need calibrating. Point your phone in absolute landscape mode toward the horizon to check whether the sensors are off.

The value next to the crosshair should read 0.0. This value gives the current inclination of the phone. It should be zero when the camera is pointed at the horizon.

The value underneath the crosshair should read -90.0 and tell you whether you are holding the phone in landscape, portrait mode, or anything in between if it doesn’t read -90.0.

To calibrate your device, you can enter offset values into the “inclination level” or “skew level” boxes in the app settings or use the auto-calibration mode.

To enter the auto-calibration mode, press the calibration button below. Then put your thumb gently on the bottom corner and align the horizontal line with the horizon. Note that you are calibrating both the skew and inclination at the same time. When everything is aligned, slowly lift your thumb. If you are happy with the calibration, press the save button at the top.

Satellite List Updates

To update the satellite list to the latest geostationary satellites, go to the satellite list view and then hit the hardware menu button of your phone. You will be presented with more options, one of which is to update the satellite list. Once you select that item, the latest satellite list will be downloaded, and the list view will be refreshed.

Other Settings

Other settings include a delay for the screen capture and a pixel-to-degree ratio. The default value for the latter is 9 and valid for almost all devices. One device which requires a different value is the Motorola Xoom tablet, which should read 24.