Satellite Dish Installation Tips

Installing a satellite dish at your home or business premises is not as difficult than you might think.

This article is focused on installation of satellite dishes receiving television signals from Geostationary Satellites.

Satellite System Components

To receive television signals from a satellite, you will need:-

• A satellite dish
• An LNB (Low Noise Block)
• A DVB Digital Satellite receiver
• Suitable coaxial cable, to connect from the dish to the receiver box
• 2 x ‘F’ Connectors, for each end of the coaxial cable.
• A Satellite signal meter
• Self Amalgamating tape (stretchy rubber tape for sealing cable ends against moisture)
• Spanners, of appropriate size for adjusting the dish angle, and other tools, such as a Spirit Level.
• A Compass.

The first step is to fit the satellite bracket to the dish, the dish will come with specific assembly instructions.

Once assembled, you next need to fit the LNB.

The LNB is the small circular plastic box that fits onto the end of the arm that sticks out in front of the satellite dish.

You will notice that the LNB has markings on it for angle adjustment. This is known as the ‘Skew’ angle, and is adjusted for optimal signal reception.

To know which Skew angle you require for your location, and the satellite you wish to receive, use a website such as  www.dishpointer.com

Attach the dish bracket to the wall, using a spirit level, to ensure it is vertical.

Before you start drilling holes in your wall, you need to ascertain the correct direction to point your dish.

For example, if you wish to receive Satellite ‘Astra 19.2E ‘, then you will need to point it in an easterly direction (hence the ‘E’ in the satellite name).

Using websites such as www.dishpointer.com will give you the information you need, so that you can use a compass to point the dish in the correct direction.

Satellite signals do not like obstacles such as trees and tall buildings in the ‘line of sight’ of the dish.

Obstacles need to be taken into account, so that the dish is positioned on the building, to give a clear (ideally) unobstructed line of sight to the sky.

Once you have attached the dish bracket to a suitable external wall (or temporary installation, as in photo), you need to set the correct elevation angle.

The Elevation angle details can be found on websites, and the dishes usually have angle markings on the bracket adjuster.

Once the elevation angle has been set, the Azimuth (rotation) angle must be set.  Again this information is available online, and you can use a direction Compass to point the dish roughly in the correct direction.

Next, connect up the coaxial cable from the satellite receiver box to a ‘Sat Finder’ device. These are cheaply available for less than £20.

The other connection on the Sat Finder (marked to LNB), is connected to the LNB on the dish.

Now once your cable is connected, switch on the power to the Satellite receiver, and turn up the sensitivity control on the ‘Sat Finder’ device.

You should hear a squeal sound as the dish is slowly rotated left and right.

Keep the dish pointed, so that you hear the squeal sound, and turn down the sensitivity of the Sat Finder, using the rotary control knob. Set it so that the needle on the meter is reading about half way.

Slowly move the dish left and right, until the strongest signal is recorded on the meter.

You can also try slightly adjusting the elavation angle (that you set earlier), to get the strongest signal.

Once you have the strongest signal, tighten the dish in that position, and turn off the power to the satellite receiver.

Remove the Sat Finder device from between the satellite cable and the LNB, and connect the satellite coaxial cable directly to the LNB.

Using Self Amalgamating tape, stretch around where the cable connects to the LNB, so help prevent  moisture entering the cable and connection.

Finally switch on the Satellite receiver and scan for satellite channels (see receiver instruction booklet).

You should now have satellite tv channels.

 

Note: This is a fairly basic set of instructions, and I will aim to expand them, when I get time in the future.

In the meantime , contact me if you wish to ask a question.