Using a dish to receive numerous TV channels is the preferred choice by many people these days. This option is most ideal for homeowners living outside the city center as well as those residing in the rural areas.
The direct broadcast satellite service known as DirecTV is a popular choice among homeowners in the U.S. This service broadcasts quality satellite television programming in various locations and requires the installation of a dish.
Most providers of DirecTV are able to install the satellite dish upon the request of new subscribers. Normally, though, they will charge a certain fee for the installation process.
To save on costs, you can install the dish yourself with the help of another person. It’s not a difficult task because it only needs a little adjusting of the device in front of your house and monitoring of the TV reception which should be done by your assistant. No other bulky and heavy tools are needed as well.
As in other types of satellite dish, it is very important to know the best location to install it outside of your home or apartment building. The exact location needs to be calculated based on your zip code. This will be your first task once you’ve set up the cable box and your TV.
When subscribing to DirecTV, you will be provided with a cable box, a satellite dish, a mounting bracket and some cables that will help you connect the cable box to the TV. As soon as you’ve wired them, you can switch on the television and go to the set up channel.
Your first goal is to find the right coordinates for your satellite dish. You have two options to find the exact location – visit the DirecTV website and use the online dish pointing tool or go to your television’s guide.
On your TV, you should click Action and then Guide when you’re in the set up channel. In the list of options provided, click the Set Up menu to go to the next screen with another list.
Click the box that says Installation and on the next screen, choose Position from the dropdown menu when you click the arrow down. Then on the Zip Code box, enter your zip code which should next direct you to the positioning instructions.
List down the information provided including the elevation number and the azimuth or the compass direction. Once you’re done, go back to the signal page and you can now start installing the dish outside with another person monitoring the TV signal. The ideal signal you need to achieve is 87 or higher.
When you have the right coordinates while installing the dish, you will only have to adjust it slowly to get the strongest signal and once you got it, you can now secure the dish.
Photo via diyexplore
About the guest author:
Jeremiah is a hands-on dad who happily claims to have installed their satellite dish via the DIY way. For more information about this digital TV service, visit Direc2TV.