How to point your Bell satellite dish?

In this blog post, we will tell you how to point your Bell satellite dish. We will not cover the entire installation process. This post is intended for the users who are handy with the tools and have the basic knowledge of how a satellite dish system works.

1. Assuming that you have already installed the mast, make sure that the mast is perpendicular to the ground by using a leveling tool. Making sure that its level will make your job much easier in pointing your dish. The following steps may NOT be of any use if the mast is not perpendicular to the ground.
2. Now, we need to setup the Elevation and the Skew angles of the dish. For Toronto and adjacent areas, you can safely assume the Skew angle to be 96 degrees and the Elevation to be 40 degrees. The elevation can slightly vary depending on the area and how the dish and the mast are installed but you can leave the Skew angle untouched. For other areas of Canada, please refer to page 34 on this chart.
3. If you follow the two steps above correctly, half of your job is done when it comes to pointing. Assuming that most of you will be using your receiver (TV box) to point your satellite dish and not a satellite meter, one thing that will make pointing easier is if you can use a standard definition (SD) receiver (like 3100, 4100 etc.) instead of the high definition (HD) receiver (like 6131, 6400, 9241, 9400 etc). Reason being that the standard receivers process the signal much faster. 
4. The connection between the LNB and the receiver must be direct (meaning no switches or splitters).
5. On the TV, set the satellite to 91 and the transponder to 1. If you don't know how to get to this screen, press Menu and then numbers 6, 1, 1 on your receiver remote.
6. Now you are ready to point the satellite. Tip: Either have someone watch the TV screen while you move the dish sideways or setup the TV somewhere where you can see the TV screen and turn up the volume. If the receiver picks up the signal, the sound will change which will help you in pointing the dish.
7. Now, move the dish sideways very slowly while you or someone else watches the TV screen. Move the dish very slowly and pause for at least 5 seconds every time you move the dish by 1cm. This is where the standard definition receiver can help because the waiting time will be much less (about 1-2-3 seconds).
8. Once you pick up the signal, try to optimize it as much as you can. You may even need to move the elevation up/down by 1-2 degrees to obtain the best signal. If you picked up the signal on 91, then you don't need to point it for 82 satellite because the dish is designed in such a way that it will automatically pick up the signal for 82 satellite. 
9. If you have tried moving the dish sideways and still didn't pick up any signal, then go back to the steps 1 and 2 and make sure that they are followed properly. If it still doesn't work, try to change the elevation up or down by 1 degree. Try moving it up first and then rotate the dish sideways. If still no luck, move the dish down by 2 degrees and then rotate the dish sideways. If you still didn't pick up anything, check all your cable connections etc. or you may need the help of a professional to align your dish. Don't forget we provide installation services in GTA.
10. Have any questions/comments, don't hesitate to let us know in the comments section below.

Bell equipment available for purchase from our website:

• 51CM Dish Y Adapter
• SW21 Switch
• SW44 Switch
• DPP Twin LNB
• DPP Quad LNB
• DPP Separator
• DPP44 Switch