How to Align a Satellite Dish Without a Meter: Dstv, DirecTV

How to align a satellite dish
How to align a satellite dish

Its not applaudable when you sit back and relax while a technician install your satellite dish for you. Yet, the novelty wears off after paying for it a few times. Align satellite dish yourself can help you cut expenses. Receiving strong signal is simple using a commercial meter. All you really have to make available is your receiver, a television and a helper. HOW TO GET FREE CABLE TV: basic cable channels

How to fix satellite dish without a meter

Step 1

Choose a position to install your dish antenna, and do the physical antenna installation. Best locations include the roof or one end of the wall where nothing will obstruct it.

Step 2

Draw a length of cable from the dish antenna to your living room, or where the television is. Connect the cable to your receiver and then to the television. Meanwhile If you’re uncertain how to do this, consult the satellite dish installation manual that came with your receiver.

Step 3

Switch on the television and receiver. Go to the receiver’s “Setup” mode, and navigate to the signal strength screen. This won’t be the same in all receivers or decoder, so consult your satellite dish installation manual if it’s not obvious. For instance, on a DirecTV standard receiver, the order is: “Menu,” then “Parental Settings, Favs and Setup,” then “System Setup” and then “Satellite.”

Step 4

Station your helper in front of the television. Open a nearby window, so you can communicate with your assistant as you adjust the dish.

Get the correct elevation and azimuth settings for your satellite dish from your provider’s official website or customer service line.  How To Add Satellite To Free to air Receiver & watch tv free

The Dish

Satellite dish
Satellite dish

Step 1

Proceed to your dish, and confirm you and your assistant can hear each other. Have a careful look of your dish, and you’ll see markings for its angle of elevation. Loose those bolts with a socket wrench, and adjust the bracket to the approximately correct elevation. And then tighten the bolts again.

Step 2

Revisit your notes for the appropriate azimuth, then make use of a compass to locate the correct bearing. Rotate the dish physically in a slow arc, until it’s fixed in approximately the appropriate direction. Instruct your helper to notify you when the signal-strength indicator begins to move.

Step 3

Point the dish in one direction, just a degree at a time, and then wait for your assistant to respond after each movement. Repeat the process, until the signal strength peaks and then begins to fade again.

Step 4

Slowly rotate the dish until your assistant tells you the signal has peaked again. Tightly fix the bolts on the mount to finalize the azimuth.

Loosen the elevation bolts slightly, and angle the dish, and repeat the process again until you’ve got the elevation fine-tuned. Your dish signal strength should be at least at 80 for a usable installation; 100 or better is ideal.

Items you will need

  • Satellite dish, receiver and mounting hardware
  • Coaxial cable
  • Television
  • Assistant
  • Walkie-talkies or cell phones (optional)
  • Dish-pointing software or website (optional)
  • Socket or adjustable wrench
  • Compass

how to align a dstv satellite dish without a meter

Dstv satellite dish
Dstv satellite dish
  • Step 1: The vertical angle is marked on the bracket. Set it at 36.6 degrees. That part should be easy.
  • Step 2: ensure that the angle on the LNB is set correctly, it’s the skew angle. It needs to be on 53 degrees below the horizontal clockwise on the right hand side looking at the dish. Better to judge it as being around the half past 4 position on a clock face.
  • Step 3: This gets harder make sure the Dstv dish is facing roughly east, the direct the sun comes up in the morning. You’ll need to align this horizontal angle more carefully. Wait until the morning (8 or 9 o’clock) and look at a neighbours dish and the way the shadow of the LNB falls on the dish, like a sundial. Move your dish horizontally to get the same shadow pattern. Now use your DStv decoder to search for signal strength and make small adjustments either way until you get a strong signal strength.

How To Point Directv Satellite Dish

Directv satellite dish
Directv satellite dish

There are two major adjustment for DirecTV satellite dish. The first is elevation and the second is azimuth. The elevation is the up and down movement and the azimuth is side to side turning. Take a look at the nuts on the dish and you will see which require removal to adjust in each direction. How to Install a DSTV Dish: step by step guide

The bolts functions on a slider that is easy to adjust in small directions. Keep on adjusting the elevation until the setting on the dish matches the recommendation on the TV guide. Fix the nut to tightly hold this position. Take the same process for the azimuth and tighten everything down. Run another test on your Direct TV to ensure you have a strong signal.

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