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How to Find a Dish Signal

During certain promotions, satellite dish installation is included free with new service. If you have chosen satellite TV as your provider of premium channels at a time when there is no free installation, fear not. Installing your own dish is not as complicated as you might think. Once you have mounted your dish on a flat surface with an unobstructed view, all you have to do is find your dish signal and enjoy.

Things You'll Need

  • 30-inch fixed satellite dish properly mounted
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find the azimuth and elevation for your location (see Resources).

    • 2

      Loosen the nuts holding the two elevation bolts so the dish can move up and down to set the elevation.

    • 3

      Set the elevation indicator to the tick mark corresponding to your elevation number.

    • 4

      Tighten the bolts.

    • 5

      Loosen the azimuth nuts on the LNB arm enough so the dish can be turned easily with little resistance.

    • 6

      Use a compass to pinpoint the direction with your azimuth number to correspond with the degrees on your compass.

    • 7

      Point the dish in the general direction of the satellite in the southern hemisphere, using a side to side motion.

    • 8

      Connect the digital receiver to your television, with both turned on, once you have the dish in position to lock in on the satellite signal.

    • 9

      Hook up the antenna LNB to receiver cables observing your Setup Antenna/Signal Strength display from your digital receiver's on-screen menu to gauge the signal strength correctly.

    • 10

      Have a helper watch the Signal Strength screen for signs you are getting the signal.

    • 11

      Holding its outer edges, slowly turn the dish a little at a time to the right to adjust the azimuth. Pause a few seconds with every move to give the receiver time to lock in on the satellite signal.

    • 12

      Turn the dish in this manner until you have obtained the signal or have rotated the dish up to 15 degrees from the starting point.

    • 13

      Return the dish to the starting point if you still don't detect a signal and repeat Steps 11 and 12, this time slowly moving the dish to the left.

    • 14

      Loosen the elevation bolts and tilt the dish upward (if you haven't received the signal after moving the dish up to 15 degrees to the left side of the calculated azimuth angle) so the elevation indicator moves from the current tick mark to halfway to the next mark.

    • 15

      Tighten the elevation bolts.

    • 16

      Shift the elevation in half-tick-mark increments until you obtain the signal, if needed.

    • 17

      Return the dish to the initial tick mark and tilt it down half a tick mark, if you've tilted the dish upwards three tick marks beyond the original tick mark and still do not have a signal.

    • 18

      Repeat these steps until you receive the signal.

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