Satellite TV

Satellite TV
We were going to get Satellite TV but there was a tree in the way and we did't get it.....$#$& /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif
In what direction is the dish suppose to be pointing?
Is it safe mounting the dish on a tree?(My dad's idea /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif)
Thanks /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Pointing depends on where you live and which company (DISH or DirecTV). Usually south, south west to south west is where you want to point it. A compass really comes in handy for pointing.

You can mount it on a tree but just keep in mind that a tree is living and will move a bit as it grows and will sway in the wind if it's a small tree. But I have seen people do it.

I wish I lived closer so I could help. I've pointed dishes so many times that I've been able to pick up a signal holding the dish freehand. Although I don't recommend trying that.

You could just cut down the tree. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My parents dish points just past a tree and every year as it grows outward it blocks the signal and they have to trim it back, it can be a real pain. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

If you want a Dish TV system, here is a link for pointing the dish.
After you locate your azimuth, take a walk around your home with a compass. You may have an opening for a dish.
A good forum for questions is www.dbstalk.com .

I have my DTV dish on the opposite end of my house so it will go over a tree.

I see quite a few dishes mounted on poles out in the yard.

There are many ways to skin THAT cat!!!

Sean--> Its my next door neighbor tree not my, I should've told you guys about that when I first posted....sorry /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif.
Oh ya call me crazy but I don't have a compass /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif
I would like to have a compass when those dish guys came so I could see if they where pointing the dish the right way or they where just lazy that day and did't feel like trying different spot on the roof /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif.
Its just that I was so **** that we did't get satellite TV,
the main reason that I weated satellite is all science channel it had. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/huh.gif
PlayboyJoeShmoe-->Ya now to think about it they could of tryed the garage.....damn they where lazy now to think about it only one spot on the roof and they where gone /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif.

Thanks guys and girls for the help /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/clap.gif
P.S. Im going to kill that cat so no one else can be bothered by it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/xyxgun.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif

Buy a cheap compass, give me your zip code and I'll tell you the elevation and azimuth you need to point the dish. You can check the garage and if you have a clear field-of-view, mount the dish yourself. It's not rocket surgery... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Another option to consider is using a tripod. This is especially useful if you have the need for mobility.

14C,

I was looking into installing my own dish...as I did previously for my brother, but now I've found out that they all offer free installation. I called about installing it myself and they told me I could but the warranty would be voided. Didn't make sense to me. I'd rather do it myself and have it done correctly.

Warranty voided...?

Some of the service providers have some screwey rules. Of course you want to do it correctly, including a good ground and they may be worried about that little thing. Not only lightning but static electricity or the voltage gradient with elevation during a storm can ruin equipment.

I had a snapping sound comming from a communications room during a storm once and when I turned out the lights I located an unterminated UHF connector on the end of a cable connected to an antenna 50 ' up on a tower. Every minute or two enough voltage would build up in the cable that a spark would jump from the center pin to the shield of the connector.

I got an offer from DirecTV for a free dish upgrade and when I called them they insisted the only way I could get the free upgrade was with a "professional install". They would not ship me the dish unless I agreed to an upgraded package (which I was going to get anyway - local channels and all). I told them thanks but no thanks since I have a tough time scheduling things and I can't count on the local installers making an appointed time even if I manage time off from work during the day.

I'll probably just buy a Terk from Circuit City and do it myself when I find the time. Another project on the list.

Generally here, most people subscribe to Sky and they install the dish.
My advice would be to seek the advice of an expert aerial installer.
I understand that there's quite a lot involved in getting sattelite dishes correctly sited, and the same should also apply to a terrestrial aerial; just sticking an aerial up to the roof or chimneystack of your house without proper allignment will also result in loss of signals and, in the case of Digital Terrestrial TV, loss of some channels).

Interesting how times change. Several years ago I took DirecTV up on a rebate offer by prepaying a year. The local cable service provider was so bad that I had had enough! I had to install it myself- no biggie. Half way through that year they demanded additional money to continue 7 movie channels. They were class-actioned and settled. (GM lost this customer forever!) At the end of my prepaid year, I switched to a mountain-top digital over-the-air sat equivalent. After a couple years with them, I looked into Dish Network as their "basic" was way cheaper. I found out all I had to do was buy the $100 receiver from Sears and re aim the existing DirecTV dish. I had originally bolted it to a wood block on the roof. About once a year as the block rots away, I have to climb up and re aim it. Gotta fix that right someday. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Larry