WrightwoodCalif.com Forum
Public Forums => Home - Garden - Auto - Carpooling => Topic started by: Nolena on Jan 26, 04, 12:25:51 PM
-
You can get a cover for a dish that helps keep the snow off.
-
Help!!!! I can't take it anymore!!!!
Can anyone please advise if a satellite dish "cover" really works to keep the snow off the dish and preventing your tv from loosing connection?
Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
I am sooooo tired of using my home made paint extention pole to remove the snow off the dish (which is located on 2nd story roof) in some cases every few minutes when it snows.
-
Is it up now?? We lost reception last nite, but it is working fine now!
-
We'v had no problems. I think it's because our dish is under a roof overhang.
-
We'v had no problems. I think it's because our dish is under a roof overhang.
We also have mounted our small dish under the eaves for that very reason and have no problems.
-
Yeah, the eaves thing is the best approach. I never have to clean it. If you don't have enough overhanging eave where the dish needs to be, you could build a little roof over it. Although I have no personal experience, I have heard the dish heaters work well also. I think Radio Shack may still sell them. It's a big dish shaped self stick panel that curves to fit the inside surface of the dish. They have an in line thermostat just like pipe heater tape.
-
thanks, maybe i can have dish relocate it under my eaves.
but anyone out there had any experience with the dish covers?
-
Happened to be in Radio Shack today and they no longer sell the dish heaters. In fact the guy said they have had people looking for them and comments that no one seems to have them anymore. You could always duct tape a pipe heater ribbon on the back of the dish.
-
-
Try this, spray pam on your dish. Or you can try putting a glad bag on it too. But that rips and gets ugly with time. My best results was to move my dish were I can reach it. ;)
-
I have the Dish Network "dish" already, I just need the mast and the clamp to put it on the roof - anybody got one they're willing to part with?
-
When we get our new house I'll have one you can have. The house has both Dish and DirecTv satellites up and we only need the direct. But that's not for 2 more weeks so let me know if you still need one by then :).
-
When you put up the dish, try to position it where you can reach it with a broom, from the ground, so you can knock the snow off of it during a storm. You don't want it where you need a ladder or need to climb around on the roof.
-
Or just install a dish heater and save going out in the snow at night.
http://www.satpro.tv/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=236
-
Good concept, but for $96 I think I will get up off the couch and go outside. ;D
-
If you can mount the dish under an eave and you'll never worry about snow build up.
-
This one is only $70-$80: http://www.icezapper.com/
My eaves aren't big enough to get the dish underneath - and due to issues with line of sight (i.e. trees) and where the electrical service enters the house, I know I will have to mount my dish higher than reach of a broom.
-
I have the Dish Network "dish" already, I just need the mast and the clamp to put it on the roof - anybody got one they're willing to part with?
I have more then my share of those things. You are welcome to one if you like. Send me a PM.
-
Renewing this topic, maybe there is a more recent one, but I can't find it. I switched from cable to dish (DirecTV) in late April, and this is my first experience with enuf snow to disable the transmission, and sure enuf, it did. Today's sun melted some of the snow off the dish, but not enuf to have service tonight. The thing is located on the corner of the roof of my garage, my house is only one story, but I'm so terrified of heights that I can't climb up enuf steps on a ladder to clear it. Thankfully, I hardly ever watch TV anyway, but I've been enjoying the XM Satellite radio.
I know that somewhere on this forum, there was a discussion about covers for the exposed dishes, that help a lot for this problem. I can't find it, so if any of the moderators can direct me there, thanks! And, how do the covers help? Does the snow just slide off from them? I'd really like to get this corrected by 1/1/10, to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade. ;D
-
Here's the low tech solution:
Go to the hardware store. Buy an old style, clamp on, work light, the one with the bell shaped reflector. Buy a spring or C clamp. Buy enough extension cord to get to an outlet.
Clamp the work light onto the back of the dish, with the enery-wasting, hot, incandescent bulb installed. When it threatens to snow, plug in the light/60W heater. Snow melts from dish.
-
I just went out and got one of those extension poles for taking light bulbs out in a high ceiling, wrapped a rag around the end and then just wiped off the dish when needed from the ground.
-
That's a good idea. I have the same problem as ForestGal and my dish is inaccessible from a window. I keep swearing to call DirecTV and have them just move the thing, but I don't know if they'll try to charge me. I'll let you know what I find out.
-
We have Dish Network, and the dish itself is on the corner of the roof. Fortunately it's only one story up, and I can reach it from the deck.
We purchased a cover for the dish and receiver arm (properly called the feedhorn and Low Noise Block Converter, or LBNF). It does keep most of the snow off of the dish itself, but then snow sometimes builds up on the cover, and I have to sweep it off.
I bought a three section extendable paint pole, and a large ball-shaped cobweb duster (sometimes sold as a Webster) and screwed the duster onto the pole. I usually have to sweep the snow from the cover once or twice per storm, if the snow is wet and heavy.
Hope this helps!
Peace
-
I tried using the extension device but due to location of my dish it did not work out.
I started using a hose with a high pressure nozel to just "wash" the snow off. This would create some ice though if your dish is near a walkway or other high traffic area.
Be sure to drain the hose and most importantly... BE CAREFUL.
-
I sprayed my dish with Pam heavily before the storm but this snow was so wet it did not help. I had to go out with my home made snow remover (two old broom handles duct taped together with a brush duct taped to the end) every few hours.... Annoying to say the least...
-
One solution;
http://store.satellitemart.com/Hot-Shot-reg-Retrofit-Dish-Heater_p_213.html
For the extravagant, ultra techies:
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/bfgicex.php
-
"For the extravagant, ultra techies:
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/bfgicex.php"
Wow! With that one, you can watch tv and fly your dish in any kind of weather! :o
-
I sprayed my dish with Pam heavily before the storm but this snow was so wet it did not help. ...
A teflon spray would be better if you do this again as oil-based sprays will only gel and/or get sticky as the weather gets colder.
-
One solution;
http://store.satellitemart.com/Hot-Shot-reg-Retrofit-Dish-Heater_p_213.html
For the extravagant, ultra techies:
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/bfgicex.php
I use to love wondering through Aircraft Spruce when they were local. But they moved to into a larger facility to far for the weekend wonder fun. That de-ice stuff works ok on rubber because it's absorbed and won't penetrate an aluminum dish and roll off onto the ground.
If you realllly want to get high tech, go to Omega and get a Kapton adhesive heater. http://www.omega.com/pptst/KHR_KHLV_KH.html
So many sizes and wattages to choose from and the Kapton tape works in extreme temperature invironments. We use these heaters in Ultra high thermal vacuum cycling tests and they have never failed. They are extremely flexable for cylindrical or asymmetrical use. So you could leave it attached year round as the summer heat and sun will never get hot enough to lose grip, nor will it ever get cold enough to lose grip. We wire them to a 110 volt variac fed from outside the vacuum chamber.
-
One thing I forgot to mention is, you can also use a Kapton adhesive thermal couple ( or several )attached to the opposite side of the heater to monitor the temperature of the dish.
This is how we monitor the test speciman and can adjust temperature via the Variac from outside the chamber.
-
Am I the only one waiting for FIOS to show up? I ll bet if we get a lot of us together on this and make some serious noise, it will show up a lot sooner.
-
I wouldn't count on Verizon running fiber to every household in Wrightwood any time soon.
-
Post your address and I'll be by to take care of your dish, and your berm! 8)
(http://usera.imagecave.com/beefmann/flame/flamethrower_straight.jpg)
-
*sputter* O.K., that's hilarious!
-
Am I the only one waiting for FIOS to show up? I ll bet if we get a lot of us together on this and make some serious noise, it will show up a lot sooner.
I know of several people that have tried AT&T FIOS and not only did they not like it, they left the service. I don't think that technology is ready for prime time, yet.
-
I know of several people that have tried AT&T FIOS and not only did they not like it, they left the service. I don't think that technology is ready for prime time, yet.
They should be unhappy as AT&T has no right to be providing "Verizon FIOS". ;)
-
I know of several people that have tried AT&T FIOS ....
My bad. Make that AT&T fiBER oPTICAL sERVICE tm.
-
My mom has Verizon FIOS and absolutly HATES it! She is counting the days till she can switch back to DirectTv.
-
People need to quit getting so darn techy when it comes to something so simple. Just place a small gnome next to your dish!
(http://img.groundspeak.com/cache/log/759117_400.jpg)
-
It is not so much the snow on the dish, as it is the snow in the air. Snow in the air and also large rain falls, which does not have to be in your neighborhood, wil act like a tree and block the signal.
-
It is not so much the snow on the dish, as it is the snow in the air. Snow in the air and also large rain falls, which does not have to be in your neighborhood, wil act like a tree and block the signal.
yep, I find this especially true with my directwav sat internet dish. I lost signal here in Crowley yesterday during the heaviest snow fall and there was no snow on the dish.
Then in the a.m. when the snow had stopped I had signal even though 6 inches of snow was in the dish.
-
This is just to weird. We've never encountered any pixelation or lack of picture quality no matter what the weather delivers.
Maybe it's the HF KW power TX clearing an ionespheric path path ;)
Seriously, we have no issues at all with Direct signal responce in our locations. Rain, clouds, sleet, hail, nothing seems to disturb our signal at any given time. The only time our reception goes away is when the power goes out. Or... if I the dog chews up the remote ::)
-
From this topic:
http://www.wrightwoodcalif.com/forum/index.php?topic=4365.25
We have dish network and any time there is a drip of snow or even rain it goes out.
Here's what I posted:
It's probably out of alignment. A properly aimed dish will not have rain fade issues unless it's coming down really hard. The exception is if it's pointed through trees - as the moisture or snow builds up on the branches you'll quickly loose reception as the signal is blocked.
Rain/snow fade or rain attenuation does happen from time to time and causes momentary loss of signal or pixelation. A properly aligned dish reduces the amount of rain fade you will experience.
Here's more:
http://www.spacecom.com/customer_tools/html/rain_fade.htm
-
I like when the hills gets everything all fired up. :2thumbsup: