1. SEARCHING FOR THE
CORRECT SATELLITE
The satellite you want is Optus C1. There are
others in the same general direction that will
produce a signal on your satellite finder. You
will sometimes see the Optus D1 satellite
mentioned as being in the same direction.
This is because it is co-located with the C1
satellite although, in reality, they are apart by
about 4 degrees.
That may not sound like a lot but an
adjustment of a couple of millimetres can mean
the difference between a good or bad signal.
2. WIKICAMPS SATELLITE
FINDER
The satellite kit we purchased was supplied
with a chart that we use to determine the
settings for the satellite dish depending on
where we are located.
For the most part, this is satisfactory, but it
does leave a wide margin for error. You are
much better off determining the settings
using a smartphone application that uses
your GPS location to determine where you are
and where in the sky the satellite is relative to
your position.
WikiCamps has an excellent satellite finder
pre-set to the Optus C1 Satellite. It includes a
compass and spirit level as well as an
‘augmented reality’ feature that uses the
camera on your smart device to show where
the satellite is actually located.
WikiCamps 'augmented
reality' tool.
WikiCamps satellite finder
tool showing compass and
direction to satellite.