Does it take a professional to set up a satellite dish?
When setting up a satellite dish, obstacles must be assessed in terms of their distance and height and cleverly avoided. This is especially difficult if your home is surrounded by tall buildings or trees. In this case, it is an advantage if you have a professional to help you set up the satellite dish correctly.
What should be considered when setting up a satellite dish?
Setting up the satellite dish If you rent an apartment or house, you will need to get permission from your landlord before installing a satellite dish. Satellite dishes are almost always pointed south; if possible, there should be no obstacles in the immediate vicinity. As a rule, all obstacles can only be half as high as they are apart. In other words, if the neighboring house is ten meters away, it must not be more than five meters. The angle of inclination is usually 32°. Ideally, satellite dish setup should be done under clear skies. To get the best result, you can put a wet cloth over the LNB, the small box opposite the dish. This simulates bad weather and you can check if you have good TV reception even in bad weather.
Why is it necessary to adjust the satellite dish?
If you have a built-in satellite dish, you can watch satellite programs by making the necessary adjustments to the satellite dish. With one satellite dish, you can receive over 100 television programs. However, if the antenna is not positioned correctly, there may be reception problems that affect the picture quality.
Directing the satellite dish
Before you throw yourself into this professional job, look around you. If you see a satellite antenna in the area, try to position yours as similar as possible to it, both in the east-west direction and in inclination (elevation). Of course, first ask your neighbor which satellite is currently tracking. It goes without saying that you did not fully attach the antenna to the mount and that you did not fully tighten the screws on the elevation adjustment – you will do this only when you have completely adjusted the antenna. If you didn”t get a signal right away, and you probably won”t get it right away, try to get a signal by gently and minimally moving the antenna along the axis of the carrier (east or west). If you have a compass, it might make your job easier at the start.
What tools and materials are needed to point a satellite dish?
You don”t need any tools to point the satellite dish. A compass is a great asset for any orientation to the south. The SAT finder app on your smartphone can also help you quickly find the optimal alignment. Alternatively, you can buy a satellite finder from specialist retailers for little money, which is attached between the antenna and the TV box and shows, optically or with an audible signal, how good the reception is in a certain position. With a signal strength of at least 90%, the antenna can be fixed.
