How to Set Up a Ka/Ku DirecTV Dish

The dish gets its channel information from the satellites in the sky.

The DirecTV KA/KU Slimline 5LNB dish is a larger dish than the standard DirecTV dish. It is therefore able to receive more information from a second satellite in orbit. The KA and KU are two different bands that won't interfere with each other. This dish receives both bands simultaneously, giving you more information. The KA/KU dish is set up much like the install of the smaller dish. The satellites are close together in the sky, so finding the signals is quite easy, too.

Things You'll Need

• Adjustable wrench
• Phillips screwdriver
• Directional compass
• Electric drill and bit
• Bubble level

Instructions

1. Find a location to mount your dish that is firm enough to support the dish. The satellites in the sky are in orbit just south of Texas. Everyone in the United States aims their dish to the South. You need a clear line-of-sight to the southern sky over Texas without trees, buildings or anything else blocking the satellite signal.

2. Assemble your dish according to the owner's manual.

3. Attach the antenna mast and base to the location. The base has four screw holes. Make four marks where you want the screw holes to be. With your drill, drill four pilot holes. Screw the base down until it is secure, using hardware that comes with the dish.

4. Plumb the mast to make sure it is straight up and down using the bubble level that comes with the dish. This is very important with the Slimline dish in order to find the strongest signal possible. If you don't have the bubble level from DirecTV, use your own level by placing it alongside the mast, then on top of the mast to ensure the mast is straight up and down. Tighten the up-and-down and side-to-side adjustment bolts located at the base of the mast using your 7/16-inch nut driver.

5. Place the sleeve on the antenna assembly on the back of the dish over the top of the mast until it hits the pivot bolt. There are three bolts on the assembly: one pivot bolt, and two azimuth/mast clamp bolts. Tighten all three bolts just enough so that you still have side-to-side movement.

6. Route the RG6 coaxial cable through the bottom of the mast, out the top and through the "LNB arm" on your dish. The LNB arm extends out from the dish. The Slimline dish has up to four separate connections for the coaxial cable on the LNB (Low Noise Block). The number of receivers you have in your house determines how many cables you will need to run. Twist the F-connector on the end of the RG6 coaxial cable onto the LNB.

7. Place the LNB over the end of the arm, and secure it to the arm with the nuts and bolts through the hole at the bottom.

8. Position your dish to the South. In the on-screen menu from your receiver, you will get the elevation and azimuth (the side-to-side direction) to pinpoint the signal from your location. Use the vertical and horizontal numbers on the side of your dish as a guide, and set the elevation and the azimuth. Tighten the pivot bolt and the Azimuth/Mast bolts, and check your signal strength again on either your receiver or with a signal strength meter. If your signal isn't strong enough, adjust the dish 15 to 20 degrees in to either side until you locate the strongest possible signal.

References

• DirecTV: Self-Installiation Guide