It’s almost tailgating season and that means a lot of folks setting up satellite dishes to watch the game. Shopping at Solid Signal makes it easy for you to do it. You can get the exact same hardware that technicians use. You just need to bring a receiver from home, or get one specifically for tailgating if you prefer.
A word about bringing receivers from home
By the way, it’s perfectly ok to bring a receiver from home as long as no one is at home to use the other receivers. You can only use the service at one location, and it should be a location close to your home. Usually a stadium fits that description.
Everything you need for a great tailgate experience
I know you’re one of those folks who takes tailgating seriously. You’ve turned it into a social experience, not just an opportunity to watch. So you have the dish, you have the tripod, and you have the receiver. About now you’re wondering if it’s really worth it to get one of those expensive satellite meters. You’ll see in our listing for satellite meters that you can get a satellite signal finder that won’t break the bank, but those will only work for standard definition dishes and receivers. At this point, all DIRECTV and DISH equipment requires a more expensive meter.
Having a satellite meter is really going to improve your setup experience. I highly recommend getting one. But I know they aren’t cheap. Considering this is something you won’t use most of the year, you might think of it as an extravagance. But it’s necessary, right?
Unless… could there be another way?
You can actually use a satellite receiver as a signal meter. Both DIRECTV and DISH receivers have built-in signal meters that will help you align a dish, but remember you get what you pay for. The built-in meters are slower to respond than a professional satellite meter, and unless you have the receiver and TV close to the dish, you’ll spend a lot of time with a second person calling out numbers. That’s precious time you’ll need when you’re getting set up. After all the game won’t wait for you.
All you need to do is go into the satellite setup for your receivers. For most standalone DIRECTV receivers, you press MENU, then go to Settings & Help, Settings, Satellite Setup, View Signal Strength. On DISH equipment, it’s either MENU, Settings, Diagnostics, Dish or MENU, Settings, Installation, Point Dish.
No matter what…
Using the built-in meters does work. It will take more time, because the receiver takes a little while to catch up to what you’re doing.
That’s why I recommend that every tailgater get a proper satellite meter and use it for setup. It’s going to make everything a lot easier for you. It will save a lot of time and you’ll seem like a hero to your friends. Or, you can try it for yourself this season… the meters will be here next year when you’re ready. You can get one at Solid Signal, or if you’re not sure what you need, call us at 888-233-7563. We’re here during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
