Changing a Satellite's Position

This document references [Menu 7] section of your Chaparral Monterey 100 owner's manual.

How do you move a satellite to a new sky position? The best way to begin is by using other satellites for landmarks.

Get a satellite or channel chart like the ones found in "Orbit" and other satellite program magazines, and find the closest satellites on each side of the new location. On your remote control, press the [Satellite] button to open the [Satellite Menu] and write down the 4-digit positions of the satellites on each side of the one you're modifying.

Now that you have landmarks on either side, there are two different ways to estimate the new position:

We'll give examples of each method, using imaginary satellites X1, Y1 and Z1.

Example - Finding position by 4-digit location:

Let's say that satellite X1 is being moved to 87 degrees west. Your satellite chart says it's between Y1 at 85 degrees and Z1 at 89 degrees. This is an easy one, because 87 degrees is halfway between 85 and 89 degrees.

In your receiver's [Satellite] menu, let's say that Y1 is located at 3050, and that Z1 is located at 3070. Halfway between these numbers is 3060, so X1 should be found at that spot!

  1. Select X1 from your main [Satellite] menu so you're watching it. You must be watching the satellite you want to move.
  2. Go to [Menu 7].
  3. Move your cursor to [Position].
  4. Press [Enter] to allow you to change the position.
  5. Enter the digits 3060 (use the number pad on your remote control) and wait for the dish to move to that location.
  6. Once you're at the new position, change channels up and down to find an active one.
  7. Press [Menu][Menu] to save the new dish position.
  8. With the cursor pointing to [Position], press [Autotune] to have the receiver fine-tune the dish position.
  9. Move your cursor to [Polarity] and press [Autotune]. This assures you that the polarity will be correct for this satellite.

What if the new position is not exactly halfway between any existing satellites? This is only slightly more difficult, and can still be handled by using information available from any satellite or channel charts. Note the position of the two satellites on either side in degrees, and look at the new position of your satellite in degrees. You will use the difference in degrees about the same way we used the 4-digit locations. The process simply involves using the location in degrees to estimate the location in the 4 digits which your Chaparral receiver uses to find satellites.

Example - Finding position by degrees:

Let's say that satellite X1 is must be found at 76 degrees west, between Y1 at 74 degrees and Z1 at 81 degrees.

This means that X1 is two degrees west of Y1 and 5 degrees east of Z1. Since we're dealing with a total of 7 degrees, two degrees is about one-third of the way from Y1 towards Z1. (Yes, it's a rough approximation, but it's close enough for this procedure.)

  1. Now we look at the 4-digit positions listed for Y1 and Z1 in the [Satellite] menu. Let's say that Y1 is at 4260, and Z1 is at 4290.
  2. There are 30 digits between 4260 and 4290, right? So look for X1 one-third of the way between Y1 and Z1, at 4270.
  3. Select X1 from your main [Satellite] menu so you're watching it. You must be watching the satellite you want to move.
  4. Go to [Menu 7].
  5. Move your cursor to [Position].
  6. Press [Enter] to allow you to change the position.
  7. Enter the digits 4270 using the keypad on the heel of your remote control.
  8. When the dish arrives at the selected position, look for a which is not scrambled.
  9. If you get a weak or no signal, try another channel which should be unscrambled. Using the [Left} and [Right] arrow/cursor keys, scan slightly left and right until you see a signal, then hit [Autotune] to let the receiver position the dish for in the satellite. (NOTE: make sure the program you see is correct for the satellite desired. If not, you are on a different satellite, so keep looking.)
  10. Hit [Menu][Menu] to save the new dish position.
  11. With the cursor pointing to [Position], press [Autotune] to have the receiver fine-tune the dish position.
  12. Put the cursor on [Polarity] and hit [Autotune] to set the polarity.

The above processes can normally be used to estimate positions regardless of the actual locations, or how far apart the "landmark" satellites are.

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Copyright 1997, Albert E. Powell, Jr.
Please request permission to re-use or reproduce this document.