- 1). Be sure the satellite dish is properly mounted to your home or apartment. This means that it is on a southward facing wall or roof, not blocked by any obstructions (such as trees or buildings), and is mounted on a fairly level surface.
- 2). Be sure the satellite dish is properly hooked up to the television and satellite receiver. You can refer to the receiver's instruction manual for specific instructions relating to the receiver model.
- 3). Turn on the television and satellite receiver, and using the satellite receiver's remote control, navigate to the signal strength menu. This menu will tell how strong a signal you are receiving. If initializing the satellite dish for the first time and everything is set up properly, this menu may appear when you turn on the unit.
- 4). Get the dish-pointing coordinates. On some models of receivers, this will be displayed with the Dish Point menu. However, there are also online tools and guides that will give the proper coordinates.
- 5). Have a friend or family member stay by the television to monitor signal strength while you go out to adjust the dish.
- 6). Set the dish elevation. The elevation is the amount the satellite dish needs to be tilted in an up-down fashion and is displayed in degrees. Most locations in the United States will need to angle the dish at roughly 25 to 45 degrees. To get an exact angle of elevation, take a protractor and draw a line on a sheet of paper at the proper angle.
- 7). Take the paper and tape it to a level.
- 8). Hold the level up to the dish, and angle it so it matches the line you drew on the piece of paper.
- 9). Set the azimuth of the satellite dish. The azimuth is the left-right rotation and is also denoted in degrees. Depending on location, the azimuth of the dish usually needs to be somewhere between 130 to 260 degrees. Using a compass, point the satellite dish to match what is suggested for your particular zip code. As you rotate the dish, have a friend call out when you are getting the best signal from the signal strength indicator.
- 10
Once you have gotten the dish pointed in the direction as suggested, make slight tweaks until achieving the strongest signal. A good signal is usually anything in the range of 70 to 80 on the signal strength indicator.
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