Aligning a satellite dish has three parts: azimuth (left/right), elevation (up/down) and skew (the rotation of the LNB). Get any one wrong and you’ll get partial signal or none.
In Gauteng you’re aiming for the IS20 satellite, roughly north-east at a 27° elevation. Apps like ‘Dishpointer’ will get you in the ballpark, but the final tuning needs a real signal-strength meter — your decoder’s on-screen meter updates too slowly to peak the signal precisely.
DIY danger: it’s easy to lock onto a neighbouring satellite that gives signal but no channels. We see this almost every week on jobs labelled ‘I tried to do it myself’.
If your dish is up and signal is weak, the fix is almost always the elevation, not the azimuth — small elevation changes have big effects. Loosen the bolts, tilt 1° at a time and watch the meter.
A professional alignment takes 20–40 minutes and includes LNB skew, cable check and a confirmed lock on the correct satellite — all warrantied.