How to Set Up a Dish at an RV Park

satellite tv dish image by Kathy Burns from Fotolia.com

If you have a satellite dish system installed in your RV, you still need to know how to set it up when you arrive at your destination. You have to take the dish down when traveling, and each time it is set up it has to be placed in a certain way to receive reception. Once parked and ready for entertainment, it's easy to get your TV up and running.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step 1

Set up the mount for the dish. There are a couple kinds of mount options. If you're using a roof mount, climb the ladder, raise the satellite mount, and tighten it in place. If you're using a ground mount, open the tripod-like structure and lock the legs in place. Ground mounts sometimes come with a ground anchor that screws into the dirt to keep the wind or other things from knocking it over. Make sure to anchor your ground mount.

Step 2

Slide the satellite dish onto the mount and tighten the bolts so that it is secure.

Step 3

Attach the cable to the dish. If using a ground mount, you will need an extension of cable running from the RV to the mount.

Step 4

Turn the satellite dish in the general direction of southeast. This is the best direction for most systems.

Step 5

Turn on the system inside your RV and go to the menu options to find the section on aiming the dish.

Step 6

Enter the zip code of your location when asked, and you will receive the exact location to aim the satellite,expressed in degrees and an elevation angle. The elevation angle will be somewhere between 0 and 90, with 0 being horizontal to the ground and 90 being straight up. The degrees will be anywhere from 0 to 359--0 is north, 90 is east, 180 is south and 270 is west. If you were given a direction of 160, that would be south at 180 and then back 20 degrees toward the east. You will need a person inside while you adjust the dish to let you know when you are getting close.

Step 7

Wait a few moments in between each dish movement to let your inside receiver register the change and tell you your signal strength. If you get a good signal, and then have no picture, it means you locked in on the wrong satellite service; you will need to try again.

Article Written By Tara Dooley

Tara Dooley has written for various websites since 2008. She has worked as an accountant, after-school director and retail manager in various locations. Dooley holds a Bachelor of Science in business management and finance.

Editor's Pick

5 Top North American Wildflower Hikes

Springtime brings a sense of new beginnings and new life as flowers begin to bloom and fill the air with their sweet and pleasant fragrance. Luckily we can see wildflowers all summer long, since spring hits at different times throughout North America. See flowering cactu...
More National Parks...
Popular Article

National Park Substitutes: Great Spots Without the Crowds

Coping with crowds at national parks can get tiresome, especially during the peak tourist season. If you want to escape from the herd, or just take a breather from the bustle of bigger attractions, the United States has plenty of less-visited but still worthwhile spots t...
More National Parks...
Featured Destination

Prevent Yourself from Getting Lost While Hiking

When you're hiking you're going to want to make sure you stay found. What I mean by that is that you've put an itinerary in the car, you know the area that you're hiking to, you know the route and the trail you plan on being on, you know what the trail markers are going ...
More Camping Basics...