How can I tell that I have a clear shot to the satellite signal?
The only way to be sure that you can get all the multiple
satellite signals is to determine the degree spread for the satellites that the
dish is receiving.
For example, the DirecTV HD SlimLine
dish receives signals from satellites at 99°, 101°, 103°, 110° and 119°. That is
a spread from 99° to 119°, so the line of sight has a span of 20°.
Using the azimuth from the setup menu as the center point in this
spread you can calculate the beginning and ending azimuth points. Start by dividing the
spread by 2 and then subtract that answer from the center point to get the
beginning point. Add the answer to the center point to get the ending
point.
In this case, with a span of 20°, half is 10° so 10 is subtracted
and added to the center point to determine the beginning and ending azimuth
points.
For example, the azimuth reading for zip code 98258 is 134. So the
starting point is azimuth 124 (134 - 10) and the ending azimuth point is 144
(134 + 10).
Using the “LOST” in place of the dish, the span between azimuth
124 and 144 must have no obstacles showing in the reflection. If an obstacle is seen then the satellite
around that location will have a weak or lost signal.
To determine the satellites affected, the starting point is the
lowest satellite in degrees and the ending point is the highest satellite. With
that information, the number of degrees between each satellite will be the
number of azimuth points to adjust to determine their
location.
For the DirecTV HD dish the satellites are 99°, 101°, 103°, 110°
and 119°. Using the 98258 zip code example above, azimuth 124 is satellite 99°,
azimuth 126 is satellite 101°, azimuth 128 is satellite 103°, azimuth 135 is
satellite 110° and azimuth 144 is satellite 119°.
Your network provider can tell you which channels are carried by
each satellite. Use the above information to determine if you can accept having
a weak or lost signal for a location.