How to Install DIRECTV Satellite TV

DIRECTV provides professional installation so you need not worry about correct alignment or other related procedures. Some new subscribers are also entitled to free installation. If you face a situation where you need to install the DIRECTV satellite TV dish antenna yourself, these steps will help.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dish antenna
• Nuts
• Screw driver
• Concrete
• Carpenter's level
• Bolts
• GPS
• Drill
• Compass
• Mounting bracket or pole
• Internet connection
• Hammer
• Maps
• User manual

1. Read through the user manual you received with the system to understand the equipment that comes with your DIRECTV service.

2. Determine the longitude and latitude of your location. Use a GPS or go online to do so.

3. Find the satellite nearest to your location. Web sites can help (see Resources below).

4. Identify an appropriate location free of trees and general human activity. Choose a location where kids do not play.

5. Either mount the dish antenna on a wall or first fix a pole in the ground and then install the satellite dish on it.

6. Use the coaxial cable to connect the dish to the receiver.

7. Connect the receiver to the television set.

8. Switch on the TV and follow steps listed in the user manual to check if the newly installed system is catching any signal.

9. Align the dish. To do so, determine the elevation level of your location and identify the elevation indicator on the dish. Adjust dish elevation by loosening its elevation nuts and gently moving it up and down. Elevation indicator lining up with the elevation number for your location adjusts the dish properly.

10. Compare the channels coming through the TV with the channel guide to ensure that the dish is receiving signal from the correct satellite. If the dish receives signal from another satellite, you might end up watching programs you are not interested in.

11. Focus the picture by moving the LNB (low-noise blocker) in and out. Use the help of another person to check picture quality. This person can watch the television for clear signal while you are rotating or adjusting the dish.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the toll-free number 1-888-355-7530 to call DIRECTV for any installation related queries.
• Go to the company’s web site (www.directv.com), select Discover DIRECTV >> Your Installation from the menu located to the left of the screen. Alternatively, select Customer Service >> Installation from the same menu.
• To get clear reception, point the dish south.
• Use a carpenter's level to check the level of the mounting pole.
• Use a signal meter to detect availability of signal while adjusting the dish for signal reception. Signal strength greater than 60% minimizes outages or poor picture during rough weather.
• Check if someone you know has set up a satellite TV system. Taking help from a person who has already successfully installed a dish will save a lot of time.
• If possible, go for professional installation.
• Check your location coordinates before making a decision about the spot where the dish can be mounted. This will ensure that you can later properly align the dish antenna without it hitting the wall or some other object.
• When installing a mounting pole, be careful to mount it at right angles to the ground.
• Ensure that once installed and aligned, the dish remains stationary and does not give in to forceful shoves. Signal reception suffers even if the dish antenna is off by even 0.5 degrees.
• After finalizing the signal, fix the coaxial cable so no one gets hurt or alters the dish alignment.