What’s the difference between true azimuth and magnetic azimuth?
We all know that a compass points to the North – this is because the earth’s magnetic fields generally flow in that direction. But that’s not always the case. At many locations around the world, the flow deviates from that direction causing the compass to point not at the True North but at the Magnetic North. So for this reason, DishPointer calculates the geomagnetic flow field and the magnetic deviation for every place on earth, and then shows the magnetic azimuth in addition to the true azimuth – just in case you want to use a compass to align your dish. This can also be quite handy when setting up a motorized dish as you will need to find True North or True South for the installation. Your compass will show you the magnetic North or South. Just take the difference between the true and magnetic azimuth to obtain the magnetic deviation and add that to the compass reading you get. Now align the satellite motor in that direction.
