What are some strategies for pointing a satellite dish effectively?

To effectively point a satellite dish, choose which satellite to aim for, check for any line-of-sight obstructions, then figure out the look angles using an online calculator such as the one available at DishPointer.com or the Dish Pointer app. Check the signal strength to fine-tune the angles.

The three angles required to point a dish are the elevation, the azimuth and the polarization. The elevation is the dish's height off the ground, while the azimuth is the direction toward which the dish points. The polarization, also called the LNB skew, is the rotation of the receiver in respect to the ground. The correct angles depend on the specific satellite and the geographic location of the dish.