Figure out my TV Aerial Direction using GPS

[KaneH]

Hi there,

 

We are setting up a UHF DVB-T aerial on the roof and are just after a bit of advice on 'Heading'.

 

The info I have avaliable is my current coordinates, the broadcasting tower coordinates and the 'Heading' in degrees.

 

We are using the iPhone4 to give us our current coordinates in a few different formats and a heading using an app called GPS Location.

 

My question is, is it possible to use the 'Heading' reading to determine what direction to point the aerial at as we have point A (current location coordinates) and point B (tower coordinates)?

 

Cheers

 

Kane and Trace

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Hi there,

 

We are setting up a UHF DVB-T aerial on the roof and are just after a bit of advice on 'Heading'.

 

The info I have avaliable is my current coordinates, the broadcasting tower coordinates and the 'Heading' in degrees.

 

We are using the iPhone4 to give us our current coordinates in a few different formats and a heading using an app called GPS Location.

 

My question is, is it possible to use the 'Heading' reading to determine what direction to point the aerial at as we have point A (current location coordinates) and point B (tower coordinates)?

 

Cheers

 

Kane and Trace

The answer is yes. What you said, basically, is a heading. A decent compass would've been cheaper!

 

Now, do you have a question dealing with geocaching? We are in a geocaching forum rather than a DIY forum.

 

Terse, I know. But we do have priorities.

Edited March 23, 2012 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+Ambient_Skater]

Don't worry Glitchee. The OP hasn't shown any interest in joining the game and is merely asking a question about GPS technology, so there's no need to display the usual angst this forum directs to newbies.

 

OP: You can enter the coordinates to the transmitter as a waypoint and press Go To while standing where you want to place the antenna. The arrow will point to the transmitter, which is where you need to point the antenna. You can also visit this site and enter your location and they'll be able to list the azimuth of each transmitter near your house so you can point the antenna accordingly with a traditional compass.

[knowschad]

I just did exactly that only a couple of days ago. I was weaning myself off the satellite dish and going back to basics with a roof antenna. 99% of our TV here comes from one area, so I loaded up Google maps, used the Send To feature to put the coords into my GPS, and then used the GPS to point my rooftop antenna. Worked like a charm.

[+niraD]

I set up an antenna recently. I printed a zoomed-in map from www.antennaweb.org to get the general direction, and then adjusted the direction slightly to get the best reception.

[+kwcahart]

To give you a simple answer, just put in the coordinates of your TV tower you want to point your antenna to, push "go to" and your GPS compass will point directly to the TV tower, aim your antenna accordingly.

[+Ambient_Skater]

My friend's family bought an HDTV last year and didn't want to pay for the HD cable package, so I helped them build one of these antennas out of a pizza pan, empty wine casket, and some wires. I used an ordinary compass to point the antenna the right way.

[+Ed_M]

Note: Depending on your GPS, you may need to walk in a straight line a little bit to get the compass to register a direction. Don't do this while on your roof.