How to Set Up a Dish at an RV Park
Satellite dish television lends itself quite well to travel when using an RV for both home and transportation. Setting up a satellite dish at an RV park is quite similar to the way in which it would be installed at a fixed location, with the caveat being that the dish must be aligned every time it is taken down and then set back up again. Any time the RV is relocated and the dish set up, latitude and longitude grid squares change, which requires this readjustment. With this in mind, a simple way exists for a good, solid, temporary dish set-up at an RV park.
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Things You'll Need
- Folding satellite dish mounting tripod with mast pole (sold at some RV dealerships)
- 3 small sandbags filled with sand and tied closed
- Dish manufacturer's set-up and adjustment guide for the chosen satellite
- RG-6 coaxial cable, 100 feet
Instructions
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1
Set up a satellite dish mounting tripod on the side of your RV that has a "clear view" of the Southern sky with no obstructions (for example, no other RV parked too close, and no trees blocking the sky). If you have no clear view of the Southern sky, place the tripod at the back of your RV so that other vehicles aren't blocking your dish's view of the sky. Some RV owners set up the dish on the roof of their RV.
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Attach the dish to the tripod and rotate the entire system so the dish is aimed roughly toward the direction of the satellite signal.
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3
Lay one full sand bag across the end of each tripod leg to stabilize it, preventing wind gusts from interfering with the signal after the system has been aimed and adjusted.
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4
Run the RG-6 coaxial cable from your satellite dish into the RV. Hook the cable to the "satellite in" (or "sat in") jack on the rear of the receiver. Hook up your television to the "TV out" jack on the receiver and make sure that the TV is set to the correct channel for viewing satellite programming, often channel 3 or 4.
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Adjust the azimuth and elevation settings of your dish using your remote control as you would at your regular fixed home location, following your satellite television provider's instructions in aiming for their specific satellite. Tighten down both the azimuth and elevation locking screws firmly once you have achieved the maximum reception of signal as indicated by your system's signal strength indicator.
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Tips & Warnings
If you arrive at an RV park where the parking spot to the south of your RV is in the clear for your dish, don't count on the parking spot remaining empty for long. Always try to position the dish at either end of your RV, either back or front, whichever will provide a consistently unblocked view of the Southern sky. This is the only part of satellite television in an RV park that poses for you the greatest challenge.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit parabolica-02 image by Paco Ayala from Fotolia.com
