Using a Macintosh with HughesNet

This appendix is intended for users of tripod-mounted portable satellite Internet systems, who use Apple Macintosh computers.

Satellite Finder for the Macintosh - Determining Azimuth, Elevation & Skew

Satellite Finder is a Java program that locates the relative positions of geostationary satellites for provided positions on Earth. It will give you the azimuth, elevation, and skew values that you need to know, so you can set up your satellite dish. Make sure you have a copy of Satellite Finder (SatFinder.jar) on your computer’s hard drive.

Satellite Finder is available as a free download at:

http://vps.arachnoid.com/satfinder/index.html

    Satellite Finder requires a Java 1.4 or newer runtime engine, which must already be installed.

Customizing Satellite Finder

Just double-click Satellite Finder (SatFinder.jar) to run it. When you do this the first time, the program will create a set of data files, which will speed up the computation of satellite positions based on US states/cities and ZIP codes. It will also create a configuration file that lists the satellites of interest and their orbital positions.This data file creation task only happens once, so subsequent program starts are much faster than the first.

You can search for and edit the text file called .SatFinder\satlist.txt , to only include those satellites of interest. By default, it will show all known satellites. In the example shown above, the file has been edited to only show the satellites used by StarBand.

Getting Your Pointing Parameters

After double-clicking SatFinder to execute it, you can enter your current position in one of three ways:

  • US state and city - Select a state, then a city, from the popup menus. These selections will produce a list of satellite positions for the chosen city in the right-hand window.
  • US ZIP code - Type in a ZIP code in the ZIP code entry pane and press Enter . This also will create a list of satellite position data.
  • A geographical position - Type in a geographical position (latitude and longitude), in decimal degrees, and press Enter . This is the required method for non-US locations.

Once a position has been entered, Satellite Finder produces a list of satellites and their azimuth, elevation, and skew or polarization angles for the entered position. Both true and magnetic azimuth are computed for each satellite in the list.

The satellite data list can be copied onto the system clipboard for use elsewhere. Just point your mouse at the list, press the right mouse button, and choose Copy.

Translating the Calculated Skew Value - An Example

Note that in the graphic on the previous page, the results shown are for San Francisco, CA, zip code 94134. When setting up a HughesNet dish, the values are used directly as provided by Satellite Finder.

However, to use the provided skew (polarization) value for StarBand, a simple arithmetic translation must be made: Just subtract the supplied skew value from 90. Anytime you are east of the assigned satellite, the skew value provided will be a positive number. If you are west of the assigned satellite, the skew value provided will be negative. For G27/129, you will always be east of the satellite in the continental US.

Two examples are shown below, which use the AMC4/101 and G27/129 values shown in the previous graphic:

AMC4/101 => 90 - Skew = 90 - (-25.3) = 90 + 25.3 = 115.3

G27 /129 => 90 - Skew = 90 - 8.4 = 81.6

Therefore, on a HughesNet dish in San Francisco, with a satellite assignment of AMC4, you would set the skew to -25.3. However, on a StarBand dish in the same location, you would set it to 115.3. For a G27 assignment, you would set it to 8.4 for Hughesnet, but 81.6 for StarBand.

These numbers are provided purely to illustrate how to use Satellite Finder and do not necessarily represent actual satellite assignments.

SatTool for Macs - Setting Longitude & Latitude in Modem’s Firmware

Before you start, you should have installed a copy of Gary Villere’s SatTool for the Macintosh. SatTool is the Mac equivalent of the DSSatTool for Windows users. It is used to write the location (longitude and latitude) information to the modem’s firmware. Please see Chapter 2 for information about when to use either version.

SatTool is shareware available at: http://home.earthlink.net/~garyvillere/sattool/.

See the web site referenced above for more information about downloading, installing, and using this tool. There is no charge to download this utility and try it out, but please make a donation to the site, if you continue to use it.

SoftOPI - Displaying Signal Strength During Setup

SoftOPI is a Mac OS application that's a software replacement for the HughesNet Outdoor Pointing Interface (OPI), a simple signal strength meter. There is also PC-OPI, which is a version of this tool for Windows users. Please see Chapter 2 for information about when to use either version.

SoftOPI is available at: http://www.andybaird.com/software/softopi/index.htm.

See the web site referenced above for more information about downloading, installing, and using this tool. There is no charge to download this shareware and try it out, but please pay for it, if you continue to use it.

Steps for Setting Up

Here are the steps for getting online in a new location, using your Macintosh. For more information, please review the corresponding information for a Windows PC, in Chapter 2:

  1. Use Satellite Finder to get your azimuth, elevation, and skew settings for your current location. If you have a BirDog meter, you can now go outside and set up your outdoor equipment and peak your signal, before continuing with Step 2, below. If you do not have a BirDog meter, continue with Step 2 immediately.
  2. Power on your modem and connect to it from your Macintosh via Ethernet or wirelessly, depending on your setup. If you have both Ethernet and a wireless connection, make sure only the one you are using is active.
  3. Open and run the SatTool application and use the Set Location function. This gives the modem a starting point to determine the correct timing for the connection. This will finish by resetting your modem.
  4. If you don’t have a BirDog meter and you didn’t set up your outdoor equipment earlier, remove power from your modem and set it up now, as described in Chapter 2 of this user guide. Then, power your modem back on. BirDog users should continue with Step 6 now.
  5. Use SoftOPI to display your signal strength and peak your signal, after you have located the satellite. Or, if you have an OPI meter, you can open Internet Explorer or Safari (Firefox has also worked, but do NOT use iCab.) to connect to your modem and use the Antenna Pointing function to peak your signal strength.
  6. If all five lights do not come on after you are all set up and the modem reboots, go to the Advanced page and select the Force Ranging function on the left. After ranging, all five lights should come on and your modem will go online.

    Remember that if you run and fail any cross-pol test, you will not be able to get online until you pass an automatic cross-pol (ACP) test, using Antenna Pointing or Registration - Installer .

Miscellaneous Macintosh Networking Functions

This section contains information about Macintosh networking functions, including the following:

Checking the Active LAN Connection

To view the Network Preferences , click the Apple icon and select System Preferences from the drop-down menu. Click the Network icon. To see the available connections, set the Location pull-down menu to Automatic and the Show pull-down menu to Network Status .

What you want is a green indicator for the connection you are using (Ethernet or AirPort) and a red indicator for everything else. You will see a screen similar to that shown above, on the right. Note that the Ethernet connection shows a green light, which means it is active.

Using Your Macintosh Powerbook as an Access Point

You can use your powerbook to share the Internet connection with other wireless computers. Here are the steps to accomplish this:

  1. Plug your powerbook into the modem via Ethernet
  2. From the Apple menu, select System Preferences...
  3. Select the Sharing screen, under the Internet & Network heading.
  4. You should see three tabs/buttons called Services , Firewall , and Internet . Select Internet .
  5. Under Share your connection from: pick Built-in Ethernet.
  6. Under To computers using: select Airport .

You may wish to also click the AirPort Options... button and create a WEP or WPA password for the wireless network you are creating.

When you have finished these settings, click the Start button.

Putting the Apple Airport Icon in the Menu Extras

If the Airport icon doesn’t appear in the menu extras list, here is how to add it:

  1. Go to the Network Preferences (Apple Menu -> System Preferences -> Network). It will look something like the screen shown at the right of the graphic on the previous page. The actual list of potential network connections will vary, depending on what is installed on your computer and what you have used previously.
  2. In Network Preferences , ensure Location is set for Automatic and Show is set for Network Status . Resist the temptation to change to anything else.
  3. Double-click on Airport , next to the red or green dot (status indicator).
  4. Near the bottom, click to select Show Airport status in menu bar . This will add the Airport menu icon to your Menu Extras bar. This can save a lot of time and frustration. This is shown on the left, in the graphic on the previous page.

Turning off the Apple Airport

Here is how to turn off the Apple Airport:

  1. There should be a little “ piece-of-pie ” shaped icon in your menu bar (a menu extra ), at the top right of your desktop screen, along with the Q (Spotlight), date & time, power status, and perhaps other menu extra icons.

If it doesn’t appear, follow the steps in the previous topic.

Click on it and select Turn Airport Off .

Setting Up a Macintosh to Use Dynamic IP Addressing

Here are the steps for configuring your Macintosh to use dynamic IP addressing:

  • Set the Location pull-down menu to Automatic and the Show pull-down menu to the connection you want to use (Built-in Ethernet or AirPort).
  • Click the PPPoE tab and verify the Connect Using PPPoE box is unchecked.
  • Click the TCP/IP tab and select Using DHCP from the Configure: drop-down menu.
  • The DHCP Client ID: box should remain blank. If any data is there, delete it.
  • In the DNS Servers window, you can enter the DNS Addresses provided by StarBand or HughesNet, or you can let that also be assigned dynamically.
  • Click Apply Now and then close the window.
Setting Up a Macintosh to Use Static IP Addressing

Here are the steps for configuring your Macintosh to use static IP addressing:

  • Set the Location pull-down menu to Automatic and the Show pull-down menu to the connection you want to use (Built-in Ethernet or AirPort).
  • Click the PPPoE tab and verify the Connect Using PPPoE box is unchecked.
  • Click the TCP/IP tab and select Manually from the Configure: drop-down menu.
  • In the IP Address: field enter the static IP Address provided by StarBand® or HughesNet. If you need to connect to your StarBand® Nova modem when it is offline, use the IP address: 192.168.1.2 .
  • In the Subnet Mask: field enter the Subnet Mask provided by StarBand® or HughesNet. If you need to connect to your StarBand® Nova modem when it is offline, use the subnet mask: 255.255.255.0 .
  • In the Router: field enter the Default Gateway IP address provided by StarBand® or HughesNet. If you need to connect to your Nova modem when it is offline, skip this step.
  • In the DNS Servers window enter the two DNS addresses provided by StarBand® or HughesNet. If you need to connect to your Nova modem when it is offline, skip this step.
  • Finally, click Apply Now and then close the window.

    If you configure your Macintosh to connect to your Nova modem when it is offline, be sure you set the IP addressing back to automatic (DHCP) when you are back online. Otherwise, you will not be able to browse the web. In most case, even when you have an assigned static IP address, you can still use dynamic IP addressing without problems.