Service manual
STP 11-25R13-SM-TG
3 - 58
SET UP A TELEVISION RECEIVE-ONLY (TVRO) SITE
113-575-1004
Conditions: Outdoors in a tactical or garrison environment and given a satellite TV dish, low noise block
(LNB) down converter and feedhorn (or low noise filter), actuator, satellite receiver decoder (such as an
IRD), TV receiver, mounting options, ladder, electronic equipment tool kit, hand-held power drill, cement
mixture, magnetic angle finder, plumb-like angle finder, measuring tape, wires and cables, WD-40 type
product, steel wool, grease, oil lubricant spray, waterproofing compound such as coax seal or silicon
sealer, manufacturers' manuals, DA Pam 738-750, and another body.
Standards: The standards are met when the TVRO site is installed, aligned, and tracking with video
audio channels programmed into the IRD.
Performance Steps
DANGER: DO NOT PERFORM THIS TASK DURING A THUNDERSTORM DUE TO THE EXTREMELY
DANGEROUS ELECTRICAL SHOCK HAZARD.
1. Choose a good site with a clear view of the sky.
NOTE: Microwave transmission is a line-of-site communications medium. Objects such as trees,
buildings, and other obstructions absorb signal; thus decreasing the amount of signal reaching the dish
and degrading system performance.
2. Set the pole for ground mounting the dish.
NOTE: Use an 8- to 10-foot pole. The pole type is black iron, Schedule-40; this means that a bead of
weld up the inside draws the pipe closed. The wall thickness should be at least 1/4-inch to withstand the
strain of the weight the dish would put on it as well as wind-loaded weight.
a. At the base of the pipe, either weld a piece of reinforcement bar or drill a hole through the
bottom of the pipe large enough to insert the reinforcement bar through to reduce the possibility
of the pole spinning when the cement dries and shrinks from around the pole.
b. Cement the pipe in a 3-foot deep by 2-foot diameter hole.
c. To avoid tracking errors, use a plumb-like angle finder on the pole.
3. Install the dish on a roof, if unable to ground mount due to obstruction coverage or lack of physical
space.
a. Carefully scale the roof to the ridgepole.
b. Perform another site survey to find the optimum location.
c. Choose the mounting option.
(1) Preferably install on the building ridgepole to get as much structural strength as possible
to hold the mount in place.
(2) If the building roof is flat, opt for a nonpenetrating mount.
(3) If the roof is neither flat nor the rafters of the roof are sturdy enough to allow for proper
mounting, use a side-mount option.
NOTE: Side-mounting on the pitched-side of the roof is possible but decreases the strength of the mount
due to load distribution.
d. Attach the basic roof mount.
e. Transport the dish-mount combination from the ground to the roof using a dish crane or winch.
NOTE: If you need to get the dish to the mount and you do not have a dish winch, either assemble the
dish on the roof or lift the completed dish onto the mount.
4. Assemble the dish, following the manufacturer's manual for easy to follow instructions on building
and lining up the antenna.
a. Assemble the feedhorn.
(1) Attach the feedhorn to the front by quad-leg supports. These supports allow for quick
attaching and proper centering of the feed to the front of the dish. The polarizer has
several holes around the outer plate or scaler. These holes align so that one combination
will allow for proper fitting to the feed support legs.