Tips For Improved Satellite TV Reception

Follow these tips for improved satellite reception:

• Try to use the lowest noise LNB (Low Noise Box nonconverter) you can find (Note: some LNBs quote average noise rating, some quote minimum, and they rarely say which).
• Rotate the LNB to optimum skew position. Optimum angle will depend strictly on your satellite and location.
• Use only high quality cables (don't use standard TV coax). A good choice is MonsterCable.
• Check to make sure that there are no loose or broken connectors in the co-ax between the LNB and receiver.
• Try to keep your cables as short as possible (any longer than 25m, and you should consider installing an in-line signal amplifier).
• Ensure that there are no sharp bends in the co-ax (different cables have different ratings indicating the severest curvature they can tolerate without signal degradation)
• Avoid any possibility of water ingress by (a) not damaging the co-ax sheath anywhere along its length and (b) masking the connector at the LNB with waterproof tape (or similar).
• Use solid dish rather than mesh - solid is at least 20% better than a mesh dish of same size
• Use a Gregorian dish (those with a sub-reflector) if size is a limiting factor - a Gregorian is 20% better than a normal offset dish of same size.
• Most important, check the alignment of your dish. Use a signal meter or perform the 'wet-towel method' (mask off progressively more of the dish using a wet-towel so that the reducing signal arriving at the LNB necessitates a finer dish adjustment.
• Try to avoid any obscuring objects (trees, windows, etc.). Beware if you have an offset dish, and think it is correctly aligned to a gap between/under some trees. A prime-focus dish has the LNB in the middle, but an offset dish has the LNB at the bottom, so it receives a signal that comes in from the top (reflected downwards to meet the LNB). In this case, a dish might appear to be 'looking' directly at a blank bit of sky, but actually needs a clear view to the bit of sky above where it seems to be pointing.