Sky Dish Alignment Issues

Sky dishes are incredibly precise instruments. Because the satellites they communicate with are about 22,000 miles away in space, even a shift of just 1 or 2 millimeters at your wall can result in a total loss of signal.

Here is a breakdown of common alignment problems, how to spot them, and what usually causes them.

Unlike old analog TVs that would get "snowy," digital Sky signals either work perfectly or fail noticeably:

• "No Satellite Signal" Message: The most obvious sign.
• Pixelation & "Blocking": The picture breaks into small squares, or the screen turns blue/black for a few seconds.
• Missing Channels: You might find you can watch BBC One, but Sky Sports or HD channels are "Searching for Signal." This happens because different channels are on different frequencies, and a slightly nudged dish might only lose the "weakest" ones.
• Sound Dropout: The audio chirps, stutters, or disappears while the picture remains.

• High Winds & Storms: This is the #1 cause. If the bracket bolts weren't tightened to the exact torque, a strong gust can act like a sail against the dish, nudging it off target.
• Loose Brackets/Wall Damage: Over time, the vibration from the wind can loosen the rawl plugs in your brickwork. If you can see the dish "wobbling" in the wind, it’s a mounting problem.
• Accidental Knocks: Window cleaners’ ladders, low-flying footballs, or even nesting birds (large pigeons) landing on the LNB arm can be enough to bend or move the dish.
• "Line of Sight" Obstructions: Sometimes the dish hasn't moved at all, but a nearby tree has grown a few inches over the summer, or a neighbor has put up scaffolding that is now blocking the path.

You don't always need to go up a ladder to check if the dish is the problem.

• The "Neighbor Test": Look down your street. Every Sky dish should be pointing in the exact same direction (approximately South-East in the UK, towards the Astra 28.2°E satellites). If yours looks even slightly "out of sync" with the others, it’s likely misaligned.
• Check the Signal Menu:
  
  • Sky Q: Go to Settings > Status > Satellite Signal > More Info.
  • Sky+HD: Press Services > Settings > Signal.
  • What to look for: You want "Signal Quality" to be as high as possible (ideally above 70-80%). If "Signal Strength" is high but "Quality" is low, your dish is likely pointing at the satellite but is slightly off-center.

Inside the plastic cap at the end of the dish arm (the LNB) is the actual receiver. It doesn't just need to point at the satellite; it also needs to be rotated (skewed) to a specific angle (e.g., -15 degrees). If the dish is straight but the LNB has twisted in its holder, you will get intermittent signal drops, especially in rain.      

 The most notable reason for poor picture quality is that your actual Sky Dish has been knocked or blown out of alignment.             

Your Sky dish needs to point in a specific direction to align with the Satellite. In fact, if you take a                 look up and down your street you will see all the dishes are pointing in the same direction. This is because  Sky/Freesat dishes are aligned with at a specific satellite called Astra 2D at 28.2 degrees East of South.                 

Finally, the dish needs to be aligned vertically at an elevation between 21 to 27 degrees. There are some products on the market that will help you find the Astra 2D satellite, but due to the complexity of the  task we strongly advise calling an engineer to realign it for you.             

 Don't worry, we offer free over the phone help to determine signal stregth and if it is indeed an alignment issue, bad weather or something else to speak to our UK based help desk