well to answer the preliminary question, the slim line is much like the older kaku dishes and it really depends on which back assembly you use. some are made from cal amp and some are made from wnc. both have unique tuning techniques, wnc is better cause its easier but both get the job done. you also have to make sure if ur using a bird dog to have 101 ka band and 119 ka band and set the meter to linear rf ( u can do this by holding the off button while its off and accessing the menu, you can also turn on the back light doing this.). once all said is done, put the dish together like you would normally. tune in the 101 til its maxed, keep in mind your not looking at the signal but at the linear as well ( top bar ). the higher the number the better. make sure depending on which back assembly your using because each has its own way of tuning. the cal amp ( should have dithering screw on back and elevation fine tune adjustment on inside of bracket, bolts are usually gold ) and the wnc ( has no dithering screw but has elevation fine tune on outside and az fine tune underneath).
Cal amp-make sure the left elevation bolt is tighten down but the right is loose ( if the right is tighten down in process, you will damage the plate ). turn the el fine tune either direction to better tune the signal on the top bar.
wnc- only tighten the inside bolt for the el fine tune and leave the side bolts loose. turn the el fine tune either direction to better tune the signal on the top bar.
once that is acheived, lock down the az bolts. switch over to 119 and adjust the skew accordingly ( keep in mind your looking at the top bar ). go back to 101 after locking down skew.
Cal amp- check and make sure that only the right bolt is loose. turn dial to 0. turn your el fine tune counter clockwise twice. check the signal on the top bar. now turn it clockwise counting your turns til you match that same signal (keep in mind if you land on 6 its not 6 but 4 past 0). once youve done that, take the number of turns and divide by two. once youve figured the math, take that number and turn it counter clockwise that amount. make sure your signal is still peaked and lock down the right bolt. this method is done. now, loosen the bolts on the bottom, should be 3. loosen the dithering screw all the way. slide the back to the left and to the right. both sides should match on the top bar. its not going to be your peaked signal, but you have to make sure its matched on each side. ex. peak is 216, left is 214 and right is 214. if doesnt match, go to the low side and turn your az fine tune to get the numbers to match, sometimes it takes a awhile but average time is usually 1 minute. once your done lock down the bottom bolts.
wnc- this one is easier because there is no dithering involved. make sure your side bolts are loose and the only thing that is tight is the fine ele bolt on the inside. adjust your 101 and check your 119 following the same procedure above. once u go back to 101, turn the el fine tune counter clockwise 3 times and match it clockwise, take the amount of turns clockwise and divide by 2. turn counter clockwise the amount of turns you figured. tighten both side bolts. loosen the bottom bolts ( should be 2 towards the front) do the same exact thing on the az fine tune.
hope this helps.
