When I set up my DirecTV antenna, I remember that it was rather tricky. It seemed for the longest time that I was never going to get it, and when I was about to admit defeat, I got it and it stayed strong ever after (in the 70s).

Double check all of the wiring connections and re-read the manual regarding the setup, just to make sure that you didn't accidentally just miss something.

Also remember that the elevation (vertical angle) is not the dish itself. The antenna is off-center from the dish, so it's actually "looking" a lot higher than you think it's looking just based on the direction the dish faces.