DS Covers

[ace1]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

Do satellite dish covers really work? Will a cover improve reception
during a snow storm by keeping snow from building up on the dish
and LBN? I only had DTV for 2 months, so I don't know how the winter
weather will effect reception.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

What size dish are you talking about here? A DBS size dish? A 3 -meter
dish (10 foot C-band) size? A dish cover for a DBS dish to me is
pointless in my opinion.However,when I lived at another address,I did
have a dish cover for my C-band dish to keep snow accumulations from
depositing.Its design was that the material it was made of had a slick
"Teflon-type" coating that when you steered your dish towards the
extreme western portion of the arc,when it was as "near vertical" as you
can get aided in snow dumping ability.The material neither aided or
degraded the ability to capture a signal.Its sole purpose was to dump
snow accumulations and that is all that it is good for.
The ONLY reason I had it on at all,was because the dish was 15 feet up
on a pole at the roof line.One bad thing I discovered about a dish cover
though: DO NOT USE A DISH COVER IF YOU ARE IN AN EXTREMELY WINDY
AREA.....It will amplify the "wind catching sail effect" and throw your
signal in and out.I discovered this the hard way.
One other thing: They are extremely difficult to install.I would
recommend 2 people when attempting to put it on.If you do not live in an
area with appreciable snow accumulations,I would avoid it altogether.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

Ace1 wrote:
>
> Do satellite dish covers really work? Will a cover improve reception
> during a snow storm by keeping snow from building up on the dish
> and LBN? I only had DTV for 2 months, so I don't know how the winter
> weather will effect reception.

Of course they can not work in "improving reception."
How could ANYTHING that is placed in front of and wrapped around the
dish/antenna "improve" signal quality?

All they "Can" possibly do is help keep snow from accumulating on the
LNB's face....but that's it!

And being as the LNB is basically weather proof.... Who cares?

Those "traps"(as I call them) still hold snow, AND LEAVES on their
mesh that block the signal from getting from the satellite TO the DISH
in the first place!

The signal has to get TO the DISH before it's FOCUSED into the
LNB...right?

It's a SNAKE OIL "cure" for a problem that doesn't really exist!

Sure, "Snow accumulation" can indeed cause sat/TV problems, but that's
the inherent problem with SAT/TV in the first place!

But, there's no way in bloody hell that more than DOUBLING the area of
a "a snow catcher" will help improve reception!
So why buy a gizmo that CAN'T WORK?


Even in DRY weather, you are still "BLOCKING THE SIGNAL" with a "mesh"
that absorbs and holds BIRDY DROPPINGS!
And then the Bees come!

Anybody that tells you different, is a liar and a moron!

A clever marketing ploy that sells to fools!

Don't be fooled, and INSIST that your dish be mounted as LOW as possible
so that YOU can "SOFTLY SWEEP" any accumulated snow off of it!

After all, SERVICE calls are expensive, and NOBODY is gonna climb up on
yer roof to clean it for free!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

On Thu, 19 Aug 2004 19:05:05 GMT, Ace1 <Ace1@tech.com> wrote:

>Do satellite dish covers really work? Will a cover improve reception
>during a snow storm by keeping snow from building up on the dish
>and LBN?

I live in Alaska and use Dish Network. Up here we have to use 4 ft.
dishes. Even with these large dishes signal strength is low, so we are
experts at this sort of thing.

Nobody here uses dish covers. Some wax their dishes or spray them with
silicone lubricant or Pam so the snow slides off more readily.

What helps is to make a cover for the LNB. Most use a plastic milk
carton and coat it with RainX or silicone spray. Just cut the carton
so it fits over the LNB (it actually does not affect the signal very
much) and secure it with a cable tie. Then, if snow does accumulate on
it, just hit it a couple of times with a broom stick and the snow will
fall off. These covers help a small amount when it is raining, too,
although they can't do anything about the signal being absorbed by the
clouds and raindrops in the atmosphere.