RCA DIRECTV, Installer'S Manual

Page: 36 / 48

Final Installation
34 Chapter 3
Acquiring and Fine Tuning the Signal
Now that you have installed the DIRECTV ® Multi-Satellite dish and routed all of the
cable, it’s time to acquire and fine tune the signal. Before you begin, you may want to
go outside and double-check the azimuth, elevation, and tilt settings on the dish to
make sure they correspond to the on-screen coordinates given.
• Make sure that the elevation indicator is aligned with the edge of metal, not the
washer or the bolt. Remember that the indicator is white.
• Make sure the antenna’s mast clamp is “tilted” to the degree markers indicated.
• Use a compass to verify that the azimuth setting on the dish is correct.
When you are confident that the settings are correct, bring up the satellite receiver,
HDTV, or HD set-top converter’s Dish Pointing menu screen again and use the on-
screen signal meter to see if you are getting a signal. However, once you have
acquired a signal, you must fine tune it to ensure you have the strongest settings
possible.
Refer to your digital satellite receiver, HDTV, or HD set-top converter manual for on-
screen menu information.
If you are not receiving a signal, you need to incrementally adjust the azimuth setting
on the dish. After you receive a signal, you will want to continue to adjust your settings
to get the best possible signal.
Step-By-Step Instruction for Acquiring and Fine Tuning
the Signal
1. Read the instruction manual that came with your digital satellite receiver, HDTV,
or HD set-top converter to determine how to access the on-screen signal meter.
The signal meter shows you when you have locked onto a satellite’s broadcast
signal, it gives you the signal strength. It is easiest to use the signal meter with the
help of another person to relay signal strength values to you, or by moving the
TV displaying the signal meter so you can see it.
2. In the on-screen menus, make sure you select the correct type of satellite dish
(round or oval) and the correct number of LNBs (3 location satellite dish = 3
LNBs). The signal meter will give you the pointing coordinates for your antenna,
and values will depend on the type of antenna you have selected. Failure to select
the correct dish will result in wrong pointing angles as well the inability to receive
certain programming.
Maximum Signal
Strength
While the maximum signal meter
value is 100, the signal strength you
achieve will probably be less.
Although there is no difference in
picture quality between signal
strengths of 60 and 85 percent, the
higher the signal, the less likely you
are to experience signal outages
during adverse weather.