Message Forums

Ill give a tip that seems obvious but many have found it useful.

First - the satellite finders are no good - a compass with astra2 is all you need. Get to a nice place like your house where you can mess, and set up the dish. There are 3 settings, first the LNB needs to be twisted, mine is slightly left at about 11pm. Then is the up and down - many people point the dish up, it should only be slightly raised up - hardly noticeable, depending on how the dish is attached to the bracket it may be almost 45 degrees. Then you need the left and right setting.

The LNB need only be adjusted to increase the signal. So here's how to start:

1. Set the dish at 50 degrees on your tripod or pole - pointing slightly down ( i know what i said but bear with me as this compensates for slightly bent brackets) but almost not noticeable. Set the LNB straight up so it is dead on 12pm (the cable at the bottom)

2. Then move the dish left and right in the general direction of the satellite

3. Depending on your set - if its sky then select signal test, and moving slowly watch the top bar

4. if it doesnt lock or the bar doesnt move up, then go back to the start place, SLIGHTLY move the dish up a tiny bit (this is the important bit as this makes or breaks the signal so its only slight) and repeat the left to right sweep

5. Keep repeating until the top bar - signal strength - goes up (on the LIDL/MAPLIN system you get a tone) - you should aim for about 75-90%

6. Once you get the strength adjust for quality by tilting the LNB left or right - about 11 o 1 oclock and moving the dish a TINY bit up and down.

7. NOW once you have got the best you can - tighten everthing up for the LNB screw AND the up and down lock - put marks on with a permenant pen if you can. Also you can experiment with moving the LNB away and towards the dish for added signal quality. Leave the dish best you can on these brackets. Now when you get on site, you only need to mount it on the tripod or pole then move left and right - everything else is sorted. On the LIDL system, make sure you can see BBC1 and ITV2 - as the LNB can be adjusted wrong and you only get one. Its easy as the left to right tolerance isnt as tight as you think - its the elevation which is tricky and very precise.

I can now get a signal in a couple of minutes as everything else is set - you may only need to adjust if you go to the extreme ends of the country - but I have been all over and its worked every time.

Another tip - is with the LIDL dish, you will only get 50-60% on the SKY box as the dish isnt good enough for higher - trust me ive spent hours finely adjusting and thats the best you can get - however this gives a great picture and has a tolerance of 40% before you get cut outs. A well mounted dish - using a bracket system or tied down tripod will prevent that even in medium wind.

If anyone is confused Ill post some pics - i was going to do it now but its raining!!

if you are all weather storm people then the LIDL set up is not a good dish as it hasnt got holes in so isnt storm proof.

I have mounted some stick on brackets which has two pole clamps - solid as a rock and no screw holes. the suckers are not too good you get with the LIDL system and many a time have fallen off when i was in the middle of a film!

Satellite is great and with a freesat sky card I can get local news on BBC 1 and ITV!!! Good fun...

if anyone is local and gets stuck, ill happily pop down... I even fit on van satellite systems with a sky box and inline magic eye gadgets - shameless plug sorry!!!

These are really good posts. the only thing I can add is there is a forum here that will answer any really technical questions that you have. This particular forum is for the box that comes with the kit but the whols site is full very helpful info.

Julian

While there are some good points in the above its rather a sweeping statement to say that satellite finders are no good

If that was so satellite installers wouldn't use them and I wouldn't have been called on numerous times to bring mine when all else has failed 

There are so many different types and prices of finders that some of them have to be OK

Mine indicates ASTRA 2 and I use it inside the caravan to aim the Maxview Semitronic.It will find the satellite without the digi box

I have helped alot of people who have been convinced that their equipment was faulty---my friend even bought a new LNB but his old one was OK when aimed properly

When you get further down France and Spain it gets more difficult

I wouldn't be without it but if you can do it without then respect