Tuning Satellite Dishes

So you want to know how to tune a satellite dish. While satellite does offer a variety of advantages over cable, one of the disadvantages is that every now and then some wind or weather will knock your dish out of line, making your HD look like an Etch-a-Sketch. The good news is, it's relatively simple to put everything back in place.

Instructions

1. Install both your dish and receiver according to the manufacturer's specifications, and make sure your box is activated by the satellite company.

2. Using your remote, bring up the menu on your satellite receiver. Enter the setup menu, and then bring up the satellite signal strength screen.

3. Send your assistant up to the satellite dish. Have your assistant slightly loosen both the nuts on the dish's support, and hold the dish in place while loose.

4. While your assistant moves the dish very slightly, no more than a half an inch in any direction at any given time, watch the signal strength on the television. You would like the signal strength to exceed 80 on all transponders, but anything around 70 will do. Keep adjusting until you receive these readings.

5. Have your assistant re-tighten the nuts on the base of the satellite dish. Keep an eye on the readings to make sure they don't change while making the final adjustments.