01
Line-of-sight check first
Because a tree is not an alignment problem.
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Dish alignment
Satellite dish alignment — two degrees is all it takes
A satellite dish points at an object 36 000km above the equator. The tolerance is small, and a dish nudged out of line by wind, a storm or a ladder will pixelate, break up and eventually stop working entirely.
Meter aligned
Usually under an hour
Secured properly
Why alignment is more delicate than it looks
Your satellite dish is aimed at a specific communications satellite in geostationary orbit, roughly 36 000 kilometres above the equator. It is a small target at an enormous distance, and the angular tolerance for a clean lock is correspondingly tight.
Move the dish by a couple of degrees — which a strong wind, a hailstorm, a bird, or a ladder leaned carelessly against it will comfortably do — and you will still receive signal. That is the trap. It will still work, mostly, on a clear day. But the margin is gone, and the first real rain will take the picture away.
So realignment is not just about getting a picture back. It is about restoring the margin, so that the installation has enough headroom to keep working through weather. That is why we align on both signal strength and signal quality, and why we optimise rather than simply accepting the first lock we find.
The detail
What knocks a dish out of alignment
More things than you would expect.
Wind and storms
The most common cause. A dish is a sail. Sustained high wind, particularly on a poorly secured bracket, will move it.
A loose or corroded bracket
The bracket bolts loosen over years, or the bracket itself corrodes. The dish then moves gradually rather than suddenly, and the signal degrades slowly.
Birds
A dish arm is an excellent perch, and a heavy bird landing on the LNB arm repeatedly will eventually shift things.
Ladders and building work
Painters, roofers and satellite installers all lean ladders against convenient things. A dish is a convenient thing.
Trees growing into the line of sight
Not strictly an alignment problem, but it produces identical symptoms. A tree that was small five years ago is not small now, and it is between your dish and the satellite.
A poor original installation
A dish that was aligned by eye rather than with a meter never had any margin to begin with. It works until the first storm and then it does not.
What you get
What realignment involves
Precise, and permanent.
02
Bracket and mounting inspection
A loose bracket will simply move again.
03
Meter alignment on strength and quality
Both readings, optimised, not just locked.
04
Skew adjustment
The often-forgotten third axis, and it matters.
05
Bracket tightened and secured
So the dish stays where we put it.
06
Full channel test
Including the weak transponders that fail first.
Included
Every alignment includes
Done properly, so it lasts.
Line-of-sight assessmentTrees, buildings and new obstructions
Mounting and bracket inspectionTightened, or replaced if corroded
Elevation, azimuth and skewAll three axes, optimised
Signal quality maximisedNot just strength — this is what gives you rain margin
Connector and LNB checkBecause a bad LNB will look like bad alignment
Complete channel testEvery channel confirmed stable
Our process
How a realignment runs
01
Tell us what changed
A storm? Building work? Or has it degraded slowly over months?
02
We check line of sight and mounting
Before we touch the alignment itself.
03
We align on a meter
Elevation, azimuth and skew, optimised for quality.
04
We secure it and test everything
So it stays aligned through the next storm.
FAQ
Dish alignment — your questions answered
The things people actually ask us on the phone, answered straight.
Not sure what is wrong?
WhatsApp us the make, the screen size and a short video of what the TV is doing. We can usually narrow the fault down before a technician is even dispatched.
WhatsApp 063 866 0971How do I know if my dish needs realigning?
If the picture pixelates or breaks up, particularly in weather that never used to affect it, and especially if this started after a storm or building work, alignment is a strong suspect. Losing channels gradually over months more often points at the LNB.
Can I align the dish myself?
You can try, and people do. The difficulty is that without a meter you are optimising for a picture rather than for signal quality, and a picture appears well before the alignment is actually optimal. That means you end up with no margin, and the first rain takes it away again.
How long does a dish alignment take?
Usually under an hour, including the line-of-sight check, the mounting inspection, the alignment itself and a full channel test.
What is skew and why does it matter?
Skew is the rotation of the LNB in its holder, and it aligns the LNB with the polarisation of the satellite signal. It is the axis most often ignored by casual installers, and getting it wrong costs you signal quality even when elevation and azimuth are perfect.
My dish was fine and now it is not. What changed?
Wind and storms are the most common cause. Also worth considering: has anyone had a ladder up recently? Has a tree grown? Has a neighbour built something? All of these produce identical symptoms.
Will realigning fix my rain fade?
It will improve it substantially if the alignment was the problem. A properly optimised dish has margin — enough surplus signal quality to keep working through rain that would kill a marginal installation. If the LNB is also degraded, that needs replacing too.
Book a TV technician
Dish moved? Picture breaking up?
If it started after a storm, it is probably alignment. We will re-point it properly and give you back your rain margin.
Satellite dish alignment across Gauteng
Contact
Speak to a TV technician, not a call centre
- Call us
- 0861 995 085Open 24 hours · 7 days a week
- 063 866 0971Send a short video of the fault — it speeds everything up.
- Where we work
- Johannesburg, Pretoria, Sandton, Centurion, Midrand, the East Rand and the West RandSee every area we cover →