Recently, satellite television has been in tremendous demand, and this is not surprising. This method of broadcasting allows you to improve the quality of channels, increase their number, and it’s simply much more convenient than using modems or cable television.

Introduction

It is also worth noting that the installation of a satellite dish can be done independently, and for this you do not need to have unique knowledge in physics or know how to use a soldering iron. Installing a satellite dish with your own hands, on the contrary, is quick and easy. It will only be necessary to follow the recommendations, as well as use specific basic knowledge in astronomy.

Using a satellite dish

As a rule, before installing a satellite, many people think about having a permit. Is it really necessary to obtain permission to install a satellite dish? In fact, you can do without permission, because receiving television services via satellite is free, but not all channels can be watched.

Many channels will be marked with an asterisk or an exclamation mark, meaning broadcasting can only be done after payment. In order to gain full access to all channels, you need to buy a special key card.

Permission may be required to install an antenna, but from utility services. If the “dish” is installed on the roof of a building or supporting structures, then you will need to obtain a special document that confirms the installation of the satellite, otherwise the antenna can simply be removed and the person will pay a fine.

If you install a satellite dish on the side of a building, that is, where there are no supporting structures, then you can do without permission, but the equipment will constantly suffer from gusts wind, humidity, cold. Exposure to external factors significantly reduces service life.

Many residents of Russia mainly order the installation of a satellite dish through companies that undertake all obligations, including obtaining permission to install equipment from the housing office.

General information about satellite television

Before you start installing a satellite dish, you need to know some general information that will ultimately help when setting up the equipment. To begin with, it is worth understanding what is geostationary orbit. This is an orbit that is at an altitude of 35,768 kilometers and is equal to the equator. It is at this altitude that the speed of the Earth is equal to the satellite. In fact, the satellite stands still in such conditions.

It is the standing of the satellite in one place that gives the necessary result, which allows it to be used for rapid transmission of information. This information is necessary when installing the antenna, since it will need to be adjusted to the location of the satellite. In addition, proper configuration can help increase the number of free channels.

Sometimes the question may arise: is it possible to catch a broadcast from several satellites at once? Naturally, since the information beams of satellites that are in space often intersect, but basically the channels may be useless. People set up satellite dishes most often with a focus on your country and language. If we take this into account, then the number of satellites to configure can be selected significantly less. In many regions, only one satellite may be available.

Home satellite TV

When installing satellite television, as mentioned earlier, you will need adjustment or, as they say in professional circles, adjustment. This is a kind of selection of a subtle angle in order to find a broadcast from a certain satellite. For the person who does not have experience in setting up a satellite dish, it is quite difficult to do such work. But you can call a specialist at any time, who will make the adjustment in a matter of minutes, because he already has experience and a keen eye for selecting the required angle.

The cost of carrying out such work is not too high, but you should not rely on the fact that the adjustment needs to be carried out only once. Any strong wind or snowfall can knock down the antenna, and in this case you will need to call a technician. For what? You can do everything yourself and gain the necessary experience in setting it up with practice.

Sometimes, even if all television settings are followed, there is simply no broadcasting or you can only see channels with poor quality. The reason is usually that the antenna is installed in villages or hamlets that are located in the lowlands and at the same time cannot efficiently catch the satellite signal, but it “shines” quite strongly at the desired point. Therefore, when purchasing a satellite, you need to consult about which satellites the “dish” can catch and choose the option that is acceptable to you. After this, when setting up, you should pay attention to some details.

Antenna selection

The choice of a satellite dish mainly comes down to purchasing a model with the required diameter. As a rule, it is The quality of reception mainly depends on the diameter of the “plate” satellite broadcasting, but if in St. Petersburg 60 cm may be enough, then for the southern regions a larger length will be required, which can be equal to 1.5 m.

It is worth noting that when choosing an antenna, many people think that a large diameter can pick up a huge number of channels or improve the quality of broadcasting. No, actually with a large plate diameter There may be more channels, but their quality is significantly reduced. Most of the satellite signal is reflected from the satellite “dish” mirror. When choosing an antenna with a small diameter, the quality is better, because the signal from the satellite is focused. In addition, such equipment is much easier to configure.

We must not forget that when purchasing equipment, you need to additionally purchase a multifit. This will allow you to install several converters on one satellite dish. Sellers are usually interested in whether there will be the equipment has one socket or multifit. It is necessary to choose the second option, even if in the end only one socket will be used. This not only gives an advantage in using a converter, but also if one cell breaks down, the equipment can be switched to other sockets.

Selecting a converter and receiver

The converter is an important part in any satellite dish. Typically, this part is selected separately to the “plate”, but how much of the work does this equipment do? The converter serves to catch the signal from the satellite and convert the strong signal that breaks through the atmospheric layers into an easy stream of information for the receiver.

Most often, people purchase converters with circular polarization, since they are not as sensitive. Besides, Such converters allow you to catch a high-quality signal, which will not change depending on the weather outside or due to the deviation of the satellite in orbit. It is important to remember that the quality of broadcasting will directly depend on the choice of converter model and company.

The receiver, on the contrary, has almost no effect on the quality of broadcasting, and its choice mainly comes down to cost and number of functions.

Installing a satellite dish

On the Internet you can find a fairly large number of various schemes that allow you to install a satellite dish, but step-by-step work and recommendations are difficult to find. When installing the antenna, be sure to follow the recommendations that will allow you to avoid mistakes.

Adjustment procedure

As a rule, for high-quality antenna alignment, you need to take the TV together with the receiver outside, after connecting it to an extension cord. Then:

Conclusion

Even a beginner can install and configure a satellite dish with his own hands. This will save a lot of money, but, most importantly, do not make mistakes and do everything exactly according to the instructions.

A satellite dish at home or in the country has already become commonplace, like an iron or an electric kettle. People are installing their own antenna for a good picture on their TV. The article and video will give you instructions for installation yourself.

Assembling the kit

When choosing a plate, the key is its diameter. For home reception in the southern regions, an antenna mirror with a diameter of 0.6 m is enough. In the northern regions, for a stable signal, the diameter of the device increases to 1.2 m. A large mirror provides a better signal, but it is more difficult for them to “catch” a satellite than small ones. A satellite dish only at first glance looks like a complex structure. You can assemble and install it yourself. Your plate kit should consist of the following parts:

Attention! Rely on a consultant or seller when choosing a receiver, converter, etc. He will tell you the model, focusing on your needs and price. The entire set can also be purchased as a set.

Antenna installation

First of all, decide on the future location of the antenna. When planning, it is important to leave open space in the desired directions where the antenna will be turned, so that the signal path is not blocked by trees or buildings. There is no need to coordinate the installation of satellite equipment with any authorities. If we are talking about the roof or load-bearing wall of a multi-story building, inform the balance holder of the house about your intentions. Otherwise, conflicts may arise in the future.

During the assembly process you may need the following tool:

• impact drill or hammer drill with a set of drills;
• keys for 10 and 13;
• "nippers";
• screwdriver;

It is better to assemble the plate with all the “stuffing” at home and only then attach it to the wall. The instructions will most often clearly explain what is connected to what, and the tools will help you. After this, you can begin installation.

Antenna installation

The metal bracket on the wall must be fixed strictly vertically and held tightly. An anchor or a bolt - it doesn’t matter, the main thing is the safety and durability of the antenna. Otherwise, in windy weather the signal quality will decrease. After installation, you need to fine-tune the heads and connect them correctly to the DiseqC switch so that the settings in the tuner match the connection in the antenna. The disek will last longer if you cover it with a cut-off plastic bottle.

Antenna setup

To set up the antenna, you need to calculate the satellite azimuth and elevation angle. An ordinary compass and formula will help calculate them. In order not to fool their heads, developers came up with smartphone applications, for example, Satfinder. An azimuth calculator can be easily found on the Internet along with a map of approximate satellite coordinates relative to your area. Also, the search engine will help you with the exact coordinates of your locality. All received water data must be entered into the formula, and the program will tell you about the azimuth and tilt angle of your antenna.

Vertical offset plates already have a curvature angle; its value can be found in the instructions. Fix the antenna firmly, but so that it can move with light force, and point it towards the satellite, taking into account the calculated data. To tune the antenna, a TV is desirable. DiseqC with tuner (LNB IN input) is connected by cable. Most often, this can be done using either a SCART connector or an RCA output (“tulip”). Communication with DiseqC must be carried out only with the power off.

Advice. Manual adjustment of the antenna in relation to the satellites is a delicate matter. It is inconvenient to raise the TV to a height, so adapt gadgets: a phone, car radio or tablet, which together with the tuner will provide a picture already on the roof.

After turning on the network, the receiver should show no signal on the screen. To configure, you need to enter the receiver menu (usually the code is 0000) and find the satellite you need. You need to tune in to a strong satellite transponder: indicate the frequency, polarization, indicate the symbol rate, fec. A strong one is often the one from which several channels are broadcast. If after these manipulations the signal scales twitch to high levels, you have calculated correctly. Now you just need to slightly adjust the signal by rotating the antenna, no more than 10 mm in azimuth and angle.

Special programs will help to adjust the antenna

If the quality leaves much to be desired, start the search manually. The sector for this is usually selected in this way: by elevation +/-10°, by azimuth +/-15°. It is necessary to rotate from the extreme angle, pausing for 2-3 seconds. after 4-5 mm. After successfully “catching” all the satellites, do not forget to isolate the connectors from external factors (for example, rubber) and carefully secure the cable along the way to the tuner.

How to install and configure a satellite dish: video

Satellite dish: photo

Satellite television has long been nothing new to anyone - nowadays this luxury is available in most homes. But the installation of this structure continues to be considered a rather complex process that cannot be completed without the help of specialists. In some ways this is indeed true - it is not so easy to install a satellite dish yourself. In addition, if a person does not have certain skills, this process can be dangerous for him. But setting up a satellite tuner without outside help is not at all difficult.

Possible reasons for the lack of a TV signal

If none of the above reasons apply, and the receiver categorically refuses to broadcast your favorite TV show, there are two options: seek help from specialists or try setting up the tuner yourself.

Setting up a satellite tuner

So, if for some reason the receiver’s settings have been violated, and instead of your favorite program, “No Signal” appears on the TV screen, do not rush to get upset. Expensive repairs are not required - the problem can be sorted out on your own.

First you need to find out what satellites is the dish tuned to?. This is not difficult to do if you remember what TV channels the tuner used to receive. Often one antenna is installed on three satellites: Amos, Astra And HotBird, sometimes heads for additional satellites are added to the antenna.

If you have easy access to the antenna

A specific satellite always corresponds to a specific head. If we are talking about a standard antenna for three satellites, they are arranged as follows:

• far left - HotBird (13°E);
• central - Astra (4.8°E);
• far right - Amos (4° W).

From each head comes a cable connecting it to the diseqc switch, which is located at the rear of the antenna. All diseqc inputs are numbered, and if you find out which of them the cable from the head is connected to, you can determine which satellite the switch number corresponds to. It is best to create a list and mark the corresponding number next to each satellite.

Having compiled the list, you can begin setting up the receiver:

If access to the antenna is difficult

If it is not possible to get to the satellite dish, setting up the receiver will be a little more difficult, since you will have to act at random.

So, first you need to complete steps 1 and 2 of the above method. After that, switch to the “TP number” tab (in some models - “Frequency”, “Transponder”) and find in the list of frequencies the working one, that is, the one on which the channels you are interested in are broadcast. Press “OK” on the remote control.

Next, move to the DiSEqC (DiSEqC 1.0) tab and randomly select any number from the list. Click “OK” and look at the signal scale indicators. If they are close to the maximum value, we leave everything as it is; if not, we try other numbers until the signal scale indicators reach the maximum. We repeat these steps with each of the satellites and perform step 4 of the previous method.

All these tips apply to cases when channels on the receiver disappeared due to third-party interference(the firmware crashed, the user clicked the wrong thing, etc.). But what should you do if your favorite channel has simply moved to another frequency, and to one that is not in the tuner’s drop-down list?

Setting up TV channels in a satellite receiver

Since the settings menu on different tuner models may differ, let’s consider the principle of channel search using the example of the most popular of them.

Some receiver models have a so-called “blind” (that is, automatic) search across all frequencies, however, it is not present everywhere and does not always function correctly, so it is best to search for TV channels manually.

First of all you need find out the satellite broadcasting parameters of the required channels. Most often, a certain time before switching to another frequency, the channel notifies viewers about this by showing a text message with future broadcast parameters. If such a message appears on the TV screen, you need to write it down. If the change in parameters took you by surprise, you will have to look for the relevant information in the frequency table.

TV channels found as a result of such a search are usually displayed at the end of the general list; previously found ones are not deleted, although before starting manipulations you can delete all existing channels by resetting the tuner settings to factory settings (the corresponding item in the installation menu will help with this). For greater clarity, you can watch a video on setting up the receiver.

If you are sure that you have completed all the steps correctly, but you were unable to set up the satellite tuner yourself, it is better not to risk it and contact the nearest specialized center for servicing satellite television systems.

Today we will learn how to quickly set up a satellite dish. We will tune it to the satellite EUTELSAT 36A/B 36°E . NTV Plus, Tricolor TV, Lebed are located there. But we are more interested in NTV Plus and Tricolor TV.

For this we need the antenna itself

with fasteners


And tools:

• Several anchors 6 mm in diameter and 6 cm long, or you can take 8 * 8;
• Keys;
• Stationery knife;
• Wire cutters or pliers.
• We will also need a hammer drill to drill holes in the wall.

At home or somewhere convenient, you first need to assemble the antenna, i.e. Immediately fasten the rod that holds the converter, fasten the converter itself, all the fastenings and assemble the stand. We will mount it on the wall.

Before installing the mount on the wall, you need to decide on the place where we will actually mount it. The place should be free, there should be no trees or any additional wires around.

The fastening pipe must be attached to the wall so that it is as vertical as possible; you can measure it by level.

We place the pipe where we need it, use something like a screwdriver or a marker to make marks on the wall in the holes.

Then we remove the pipe and drill holes in the wall.

We install our mount on the wall, putting it on the 3 anchors already inserted in advance.

We carefully secure it all with anchor nuts.

Then we take the antenna in our hands, slightly loosening the mount on it, and put it on the pipe, securing it so that the structure holds well, but can move a little to the right/left.

To configure any satellite, arbitrary, there are a bunch of programs on Android and other platforms, as well as for computers.

For example, you can install the SatFinder program on an Android phone

The program determines our coordinates and shows the satellite settings.

We are interested in the azimuth and elevation lines (elevation is the geographic direction in which the antenna should be turned).

LNB tilt – angle of rotation of the converter, i.e. the angle at which the converter should be rotated as much as possible for better signal reception.

In addition to this, we are interested in another program on Android - Clinomet.


This is a program that allows you to find out the tilt angle of your phone.

There are many more similar programs, not on Android, that allow you to measure the angle of inclination; you can use any available one.

When installing the antenna, you should first look around, perhaps there are clues around - other already installed NTV Plus or Tricolor TV antennas that will help us determine which direction it should be turned.

If there are any, you can approach another antenna that is already installed and configured.

They all have the same design.

The bar that holds the converter should be at the same angle for everyone.

In order to measure what the angle of inclination of this bar should be, we lean the phone against it, having turned on the necessary program in advance, and we see the angle of inclination of 64 degrees.

The next steps are to get your bearings and figure out where the antenna is geographically directed.
To do this, you need to approach the antenna from behind, strictly in the center, and look in front of you.
It is necessary to find some landmark in the distance, to which we will direct our antenna during installation.

After which we return to our antenna and repeat the procedure, i.e. measure the angle of inclination of the bar.
It, as we determined, should be 64 degrees.
Then we stand behind our antenna strictly in the center, find our landmark in the distance and point the antenna exactly at it. And here he is:

Then we screw the antenna cable to the converter.

Do not forget that you can only tighten the cable when it is not connected to the receiver or the receiver is turned off.
Otherwise, there is a chance that the receiver will burn out.

The most important thing is that we installed and configured the antenna itself, copying the settings from neighboring working antennas.

To prove that the antenna is configured correctly, there is a special device called Satellite Finder, with which we will check whether there is a signal from the satellite.

After we have screwed the antenna cable to the converter, the arrow on this device deviates, i.e. we conclude that the signal sensor shows us the presence of a signal from the satellite.

Using this device, you can adjust the antenna to achieve the highest possible signal level.

We fix it on our antenna, namely on the pipe that holds the converter, and carefully turn the antenna together with this device to the right/left.

By doing this, we look at what position of the antenna, the device’s performance will reach its maximum value.

After we have found a position for the antenna that is more favorable for us, it can be fixed.

At the beginning, we left the nuts on the rear mount uncompressed so that we could adjust the position of the antenna by turning it left/right.

After we have decided on the optimal position of the antenna, the nuts need to be secured.

As a result, we installed and adjusted the antenna both horizontally and vertically, and achieved the antenna position in which the signal value is maximum.

All that remains is to secure the antenna cable, using tape or clamps, and the antenna is ready for use.

Installing a satellite dish and setting up a satellite dish for 3 satellites
Amos 4.0W
Astra 4A 4.8E
Hot Bird 13.0E

Installing one antenna and configuring it to receive channels from three satellites at the same time is the optimal solution, saving money and space.

Allows you to receive more than 100 Russian and Ukrainian free channels, as well as Italian, Polish and other channels.

To install an antenna on 3 satellites we need:

1 satellite dish
3 converters (heads)
2 side mounts for converters (multifeds)
1 diseqc switch
1 satellite receiver

as well as wire, f-connectors, tools...

Diagram of the location of the converters (heads).

As you can see, the central head of the antenna is aimed at the Astra 4A satellite (formerly Sirius); it is attached directly to the antenna.

Assembling the antenna, connecting the cable to the converter and switch.

THE CABLE MUST BE CONNECTED WITH THE RECEIVER TURNED OFF.
A short circuit in the cable may damage the receiver.

We attach two heads using multifeeds in an approximate position (as in the picture).

We attach the head that will receive Amos to the left of the center head(when viewed from the back of the antenna) at approximately 7 cm and slightly higher, then on the right is the head that will accept the Hot Bird it will be about 3 centimeters from the central head and slightly lower.

Diseqc switch.

We connect the cables from the heads to the diseqc switch. We write down which switch port (the ports are numbered) each satellite corresponds to. For example, we will connect a converter that receives a signal from the Amos satellite to the first port, Sirius to the third, Hot Bird to the fourth.

amos 1/4
sirius 3/4
hot bird 4/4

Receiver setup.

Now we need to configure the receiver according to our configuration. Since we could use a different number of heads and switches in the receiver settings, this data was not preset. We need to indicate that we are using one switch with four inputs; more precisely, we need to indicate to which switch inputs the heads are connected.

We go to the menu - press “MENU” on the remote control. Depending on the receiver model, there may be minor differences in the menu structure. We recommend using an already configured satellite receiver. Go to "MENU" - "INSTALLATION", select satellites one by one and set the parameter "DiSEqC

amos 1/4

sirius 3/4

hot bird 4/4

Signal search and antenna direction.

We configure the central head for the Astra 4A satellite.

When the antenna is installed, the cables are connected, the receiver is turned on - we turn the antenna and find satellite signals.
To make our task easier, we need to determine in advance the elevation angle of the satellite dish and the rotation angle.

On the website http://www.dishpointer.com/ you can find out the direction of the antenna and your geographic coordinates. You just need to enter the country, city, street, house and select the satellite of interest. Select 4.8E SIRIUS 4. We see the direction on the map, under the map you can find the coordinates of the area and the antenna elevation angle.

So first we need to set up the antenna for the satellite Astra 4A (formerly Sirius) - center head.
In the receiver menu, go to the Astra satellite or turn on one of the channels on the Astra satellite, for example “Rada” or “2+2”.

You should see two scales: the first shows the signal level, and the second its quality.

Antennas are adjusted on the lower “quality” scale. We slowly turn the antenna from right to left; if the signal cannot be found, we change the angle of inclination of the antenna a little and repeat the turns again. The signal level should be about 70. We secure the antenna tightly. Half the work is done!

We repeat the operation with the left head (Amos). We configure, for example, the “1+1” or “New Channel” channel. Now we are unable to move the antenna; we change the position of the head using multifeed mounts. We strive to ensure that the signal quality is greater than 70.

At the final stage, we set up the Hot Bird (right head). You can tune to the channels “1TVRUS”, “RTR”... The signal quality on this satellite can be adjusted to more than 70. When the adjustment with the mount has brought the maximum result, we rotate the converter around its axis and achieve the maximum signal from this satellite.

If you have any questions, write on the forum in the topic: Setting up an antenna for 3 Amos Astra HotBird satellites

We will be happy to try to help you.