Hi Bob, we use
www.dishpointer.com to get the satellite coordinates, simply enter your present location and pick your service provider from a drop down menu and google earth will provide you with elevation, azimuth and skew. We have seen all shapes and sizes of tripods some homemade, some store bought, the key to any tripod is that the mast of the tripod that the dish sits on must be PLUMB, or you might as well eat the coordinates. Set the elevation first and then we usually set the dish directly to the south and ever so slowly nudge the dish to the east to obtain the azimuth, we sometimes use a satellite finder, (ends of the finder are designated, receiver and dish) or use the tv and your bride to give you a holler when you hit the satellite, finally the skew is only needed if your trying to hit 2 satellites at the same time, in my case one is the programming and the other satellite is the HD. We set the skew last, I find the satellites easier to find if the skew is at 90 degrees, everyone has there own procedure, get the tripod PLUMB, and you wont have any problems, if you do, drop everything, have a extended happy hour and give it a whirl the next day.