How can you adjust the dish antenna yourself.
If your satellite dish is mounted on a roof or balcony and the antenna cable from the receiver (LNB) at the end of the dish has become such that it connects to the TV, you can proceed with the adjustment operations.
if your dish antenna is placed at a dangerous place, never try to tune it yourself. Ask professionals to make the alignment.
For the satellite dish settings, first, hold your phone with iOS or Android operating system with you. (Except for those who read this article from their mobile devices ?) Both operating systems have applications that provide information about the satellite to be adjusted. If you do not have a smart mobile phone, you can access satellite information from the relevant websites with the help of a computer. Dishpointer is one of these sites.
Download Dish Align for IOS operating system from the link below.
For the Android operating system, you can download the sitellite director application from google play.
if you do not know the offset angle of your satellite dish, you should purchase a cheap satellite signal finder device similar to the one below. You can also make adjustments without the device, but you can struggle a little. The following explains how to make settings without a device.
Things to do for satellite dish adjustment:
Communication satellites are located in the orbit called the Clarke belt (Geostationary orbit).
In order to reach these satellites, three different numerical values are required technically. Dish orientation is made according to the angle values below.
- Horizontal rotation angle (AZIMUTH)
- Vertical movement angle (ELEVATION)
- LNB rotation angle (LNB POLARISATION)
Setting the horizontal angle of rotation (AZIMUTH setting)
The easiest way to adjust the horizontal rotation angle is to take advantage of mobile phone applications. Below is shown how to set up for IOS.
Run the Dish align application. the program will automatically determine your location. If your phone’s settings for positioning are turned off or the program has not permitted to access your location information, correct this situation. allow the program to access your location information.
Ensure that GPS signals are fully received for at least 1 minute outdoors after running the program. The program will generate angle values according to your region. Click the satellite dish icon in the upper left corner and select the satellite to adjust.
After selecting the satellite, click the compass icon in the bottom right. The screen that opens as below will show you which direction to turn your dish horizontally.
Mobile phones have a magnetometer for direction determination . This sensor is the data source for the digital compass. If your mobile phone is close to metal objects such as iron or magnetic fields, the magnetometer will be affected and produce false results.
As shown in the figure, change the direction of your phone without getting too close and fix your antenna by tightening your horizontal screw nuts.
Adjusting the vertical direction of the satellite dish (ELEVATION)
There are two ways to adjust the satellite dish vertical motion angle:
- Adjusting according to satellite angle values
- Using satellite signal finder device
Adjusting according to satellite angle values:
Click on the info icon in the lower right corner to learn satellite information .
Your satellite information has been calculated according to your location. You can access this information by swiping the screen.
I see that the vertical angle of the dish should be 40.75 °. Yours will be different. So how will this dish angle be adjusted?
The calculation varies depending on the dish antenna you have. If your antenna is an aerial antenna , that is, if your dish is fully rounded and the LNB is at the focal point of your dish, your dish antenna will need to be adjusted to make an angle of 40.75 ° vertically.
If your dish is off-axis dish antenna , that is, if your dish is slightly egg-shaped and the LNB position has been shifted, first this offset angle, the offset angle value should be known. This antenna type is also known as offset antenna .
The dish offset angle may differ depending on the dish manufacturer and the dish size. Usually this value varies between 18 ° and 30 °. If there is a brand on your dish antenna, you can measure the size of your dish vertically and learn directly from the manufacturer’s website. If it is not on the site, you can ask by phone. Remember, every 70 cm dish offset angle may not be the same. Do not match your own dish by finding a random 70 cm dish from the internet and looking at the offset angle. The safest way is to ask the company.
Ok, we learned that our dish offset angle value is 26 °. What will happen now? What is this offset angle value.
As can be seen in the figure below, the offset angle value is the angle made by the surface so that the signal coming from the satellite can reach the LNB by reflecting from the dish. In other words, when you keep your satellite dish 90 ° perpendicular, you will actually have a 26 ° vertical angle of motion adjustment.
Now the offset angle value must be subtracted from 40.75 ° to find the vertical angle of movement of my satellite dish. Let’s calculate: 40.75 – 26 = 14.75 ° So I have to make upward 14.75 ° vertical movement. In this case, my dish position will be as shown below for Turksat.
I can give the 14.75 ° angle (You will give the degree you find it) according to the angle value on the back of your bowl or with the help of a protractor. If the angle issue is complicated for you, using a satellite signal finder can be a solution.
If you cannot find the offset angle of your satellite dish, the best way to adjust the vertical is to use a satellite signal finder device. Before proceeding with the adjustment, make sure that the horizontal angle of rotation is adjusted with no more than 1% tolerance.
The satellite signal finder mentioned above only informs you of the presence of the signal level. This is enough to make adjustments. Before using the device the most important thing to note is that you make sure to adjust the horizontal angle of rotation approximately.
The device you purchased is usually supplied with a short-length antenna cable. If not, you should make this cable not to exceed 30 cm yourself. To do this, 2 F-type connectors and some antenna cables work for you.
The signal finder device should be connected between the LNB and the television as shown in the figure below. Connect the short antenna cable to the LNB. LNB and Receiver should be connected to which side of the signal finder device.
If DiSEqC has been used in your antenna installation before, your device may have problems in signal detection. If you use it without DiSEqC, you will have a safer setting. (DiSEqC is a circuit element used to join antenna cables from multiple and different directions dish antenna. Digital Satellite Equipment Control stands for.)
Turn on the TV after making the connections. the signal finder device will receive the energy required for its operation from the television.
Adjust the button on the satfinder so that the needle of your satellite signal finder device is in the middle. Turn down the pot so that you hear a low, flat, high-pitched sound. If you do not hear sound or have maximum volume, you cannot make the correct setting.
Move your dish upwards at 1 degree angles. If the signal becomes stronger, move the needle to the middle level or slightly below by using the device dial (pot) again. With your up and down movement, you can fix your dish position at the point where you get maximum efficiency while the pointer is in the middle. You may not have been able to fully adjust the horizontal angle of rotation. If there is an increase in the signal volume with very slight right or left movement, adjust your dish.
Hold your hand between the LNB and the dish to test whether the sound you hear from the signal finder device is due to the signal from the satellite. If the sound is cut off, the sound you hear is the sound produced due to the signal coming from the satellite.
How to make LNB skew angle adjustment (LNB Polarization)
The cheap satellite signal finder device you have does not detect the LNB skew angle change. The LNB skew angle varies according to the satellite you select in the clarke belt, such as the AZIMUTH and ELEVATION values, and the geographic region in which you are located. Therefore, learn the LNB skew angle value from your mobile device application.
While the LNB connection socket on the dish antenna is a downside, the LNB skew angle is 0 ° (relative) when you look at your dish antenna from the front. Clockwise rotation increases as negative (-) values! counterclockwise increases with positive (+) values.
Since the value given by the mobile phone application for Turksat is -13 °, I have to adjust the angle by rotating the LNB 13 ° clockwise. Angle values are marked on the LNB. This also makes it easier for you to adjust the angle. LNB skew angle adjustment is independent of vertical and horizontal adjustment. Therefore, you can adjust the LNB setting before other settings.
As a result:
If you have not been able to adjust, do not give up. Do not be desperate and do not ask for help from a satellite antenna technician immediately by saying “Where did we get into this?”. The service comes, turns your dish 1 ° to the left, 2 ° down and takes your money. Then you will be upset. ? Be patient. Try again
