26 How does the environment affect my big dish system?
Description
This article is from the TeleVision Receive Only Satellite-TV FAQ, by TVRO Hobbyists drlev@hotmail.com with numerous contributions by others.
26 How does the environment affect my big dish system?
Environmental factors are certainly an issue concerning your big dish
satellite system. Much of your system is, after all, located
outdoors, allowing exposure to the elements.
Stormy weather can cause problems with your satellite dish. High winds
during hurricanes, tornadoes, and other storms can cause your dish to
be blown out of alignment. Worse, unusually high winds can, under the
worst circumstances, even knock your dish over. If you live in areas
subject to extreme wind conditions, consider the Paraclipse Classic
Series satellite dishes mentioned earlier in the FAQ. Satellite
dishes are also subject to periodic lightning strikes. Equipment such
as a TVRO-specific surge protector (like the one made by Panamax) will
help protect your satellite system from unexpected power surges. As
far as rain goes, TVRO satellite dishes are not subject to rain fade
the way DBS dishes are.
Perhaps the worst environmental enemy of your satellite dish involves
winter weather. Cold weather can damage or at least slow down the
operation of the servo motor. Significant build-up of snow or ice can
pull your satellite dish out of alignment or even warp the dish
itself. The actuator arm can also freeze, which will prevent you from
being able to move the dish out of its current position. Although
there isn't a lot you can do about severe winter weather, keeping snow
and ice from building up inside your dish will help insure quality
signal reception and reduce the likelihood of your dish become
misaligned. Use a broom to *carefully* sweep out your dish. Do not use
an ice scraper on ice and DO NOT use hot water (or water of any
temperature) to melt snow or ice, as this can warp your dish.
The sun can also cause problem with your satellite system. Twice
yearly, during the beginnings of spring and fall, satellite systems
are subject to solar outages caused when the sun, the earth, and
satellites over the equator are directly aligned. This can outages
between 5 and 10 minutes per day and can occur for up to two weeks.
Fortunately, solar outages are not a severe problem and only affect
daytime reception.
Wildlife can also cause problems. Nesting creatures such as birds,
bees, and other insects can build nests in different areas of your
satellite dish. This is especially problematic if the nest is located
around the LNB and feedhorn, as this can cause reception
problems. Carefully remove any nests located on your dish, taking
special care in combating bee, wasp, and hornet nests. Underground
animals such as gophers and moles can chew through unprotected
satellite cables, causing outages. It is recommended that underground
cables be protected with PVC pipe conduit.
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