One of the biggest additions homeowners have been adding to their entertainment systems is a satellite dish. A satellite dish allows homeowners to receive certain show options that they might not ordinarily get from cable.
But one of the biggest concerns that consumers have always had with owning a satellite dish is the reception. By receiving its signal from a dish mounted on the outside of the house, many physical obstacles can cause the reception to not be as good as possible.
While tree limbs, animals and sloppy construction all playing a key role in satellite reception, the most common reception problem of them all is weather. Lynn Jenkins is the president of Satellite Country. In six years of business, it has been voted a top 10 company the last two years. Jenkins said that certain satellite companies will have different problems because of their technology.
"You will have rain concerns with Direct TV because they run at a lower frequency than Dish Network," he said. "Dish Network has gone to a new technology called dish pro technology with 2.1 gigahertz. So as long as the dish is tuned in properly, it's extremely rare that you would ever have rain fade (that's what they call it when it rains and you lose the signal)."
In years past, having a satellite dish mounted on top of a residence exposed to the elements was one of the biggest turnoffs for potential customers. But with the satellite companies specifically addressing that issue and making the dishes more stable and weather friendly, Jenkins said that the durability of a dish is no longer in question by those who have one.
"I can tell you that in the past year, I have never lost my signal during a storm," he said. "If your satellite moves slightly, you can call a technician to come out and retune the dish for you."
Having a technician come out and retune the satellite dish is a common occurrence whenever a satellite dish does move. In most cases, it will probably take the satellite company days to send out a technician prompting some consumers to attempt to retune it on their own. In years past, this was not a very good idea for homeowners to attempt. But with the dishes getting smaller and the ability to retune them as simple as adjusting the base a few inches in one direction or the other, many homeowners are taking the risk. Also, many experts will advise consumers to always check your installation before the technician leaves. If for any reason the dish is in a spot you don't feel comfortable with, be ready to speak up and let the technician know. As far as if there are any cities in the United States that are bad areas for satellite dishes, Jenkins said he only knows of one possibility.
"I only know one place in the United States that I wouldn't recommend satellite," he said. "That is in Hilo, Hawaii, which is the rainiest city in the United States. We actually do install there, but I wouldn't recommend it."
