Correct choice of linear east or west will increase the useful life of the actuator arm. More importantly, on very sophisticated IRD's the receiver actually uses the pulses from the reed sensor switch to predict where a satellite should be. Now we come to the hardest part of the installation. These parameters should be set while the dish is aimed toward its highest position, namely towards the southern-most satellite. The azimuth must be set right in order to detect all the satellites in the viewable arc.
Most dishes have a flat plate on the mount that can be used as a sighting reference.
A hand-held compass is the most effective type for lining up the mount. Remember that a correction for magnetic variation is necessary. The polar axis angle or inclination angle is within fractions of the site latitude. Most mounts have one or two long threaded rods that are used to adjust the polar axis angle. An inclinometer resting on the axis bar or back part of the mount is used to set this angle.