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Our tent is having a satelite on the boulevard for the first time this weekend.. Our concern is finding the reception and then senking the dish to the receiver...

I know the dish has to face south

what else do we need to know?

Depending on where your tent is, the unobstructed view may be difficult.

That's it. Face it south, find a signal, and make sure it's mounted on something sturdy.

we are directly in front of Cox business school.. right at the edge of where the fraternity/sorority tents begin.. thats probably a better spot than down near the freshman quad right?

My tent is across from south corner of the nataorium and we have no problem getting a signal. When we set up we always have to spend a little time tweaking the placement of the dish, but we are always able to dial in a good signal.

That's my TV watchen spot.

See ya Saturday before 4.

PonySoprano wrote:My tent is across from south corner of the nataorium and we have no problem getting a signal. When we set up we always have to spend a little time tweaking the placement of the dish, but we are always able to dial in a good signal.

do you have a tripod? and how much was it? where did you get it?

We do have a tripod for the dish. We got the tripod at Radio Shack a couple of years ago. I don't remember the exact cost, but it was probably around $30.

We had to buy a mast to mount the dish on separately, that then fits into the tripod. Got a metal pipe at Home Depot to do the trick.

BUS - see you on Saturday. My crew will be there around noon or so. We will have two TVs going to watch the afternoon slate of games.

tmustangp wrote:do you have a tripod? and how much was it? where did you get it?

When I lived in an apartment years ago, I had a satelite on my balcony. Instead of a tripod, I just used a metal pole set in concrete inside a large flower pot. Worked very well, though it was heavy. It may not suit your needs, but it suited mine-i.e. it was cheap.

tmustangp wrote:Our tent is having a satelite on the boulevard for the first time this weekend.. Our concern is finding the reception and then senking the dish to the receiver...

I know the dish has to face south

what else do we need to know?

When I first joined the tailgate satellite ranks, I used a tripod from Radio Shack. The only problem with it was the metal pole that was used to hold the satellite was to skinny, so some alterations had to made to the bracket that the satellite used to anchor for normal roof mounting. THis skewed the elevation numbers a bit, but wasn't a problem after a while.

Now I use this: http://www.winegard.com/mobile/rd9046.htm

My key advice to finding the signal is to be patient. If you get it on the first try, you have done a bang up job. Radio Shack or Camper Capital on Forest Lane sells a Weingard signal finder that is a necessity for me. It makes finding a strong signal that much easier.

After you get the satellite going due south, and at the right elevation, you might have to move it slightly to the west a few degrees. Remember the signal is digital, so you have to wait a few seconds each time you move the dish.

Good luck.