I live in the forest and I either had to do a roof mount or I went 350' away to a clearing (I own 30 acres) and I used 1/2" hard line cable because beyond 100' to 150' RG-11 or hard line cable are the two best options that I know of.
My roof is a steep incline and so I decide not do to that and had the option to go over to an open field.
If I was forced to do the roof option, I was going to figure out a decorative way to do it. For example, and I hope others will chime in here on these out of the box ideas:
My home is a log home and I really didn't want a modern dish on my rustic cabin, and so I was considering ways to build it on the side of the home right up there near the peak of the roof and then cover it artistically with a material that would allow the signal to be received (e.g. cloth or plastic, or glass,etc.) so that I could hide this dish, while still having it located out in the open.
I also considered a FAKE fireplace stack on the roof, where the dish was actually at the very top inside the stack. You would simple use fake face bricks on the outside of a wood frame, and then make the stack wide enough to house the dish while still providing that "barely" clear view... if you have to, maybe you construct the final 18" with dark glass if that will work and paint the edges of the glass so that it looks rustic.
If it's a wierd angle to point SW, then maybe it looks like 2 smaller smoke stacks "kitty corner" to each other and merge the two decoratively at the top.
Just to show you how crazy I was thinking, I was even thinking of crazy ideas like attaching a "small" telephone pole extension to one of my strong oak trees and putting the dish up there--metal bracket, ground wire, the whole bit. Whew! Glad I didn't do that one.
At my last home, I mounted it almost at the top of the roof, about 3 feet from the top, and I was able to get a clear view from there because remember, depending upon the longitude where you live, the satellite it also UP in the sky... the further south, the more UP it is. So you don't have to have a clear view horizontally, you have quite a bit of vertical going for you; remember, the tilt of the dish is not where the satellite is... the tilt is bouncing the signal to the LNB, and so the satellite is much more vertical that what the tilt of the dish will be.
My next door neighbor (here in the forest) keeps 2 limbs trimmed and he receives a signal right down the sliver of trees that seems too narrow to be getting a signal... but it's because the satellites are way UP in the sky, and so he doesn't needs as much as you'd think. Take your hand, and make a small circle with your thumb and index finger... now extend your arm fully, close one eye, and look through it. Now bring in your view finder (fingers) closer to your eye, and what happens. The field of view expands. The closer the trees are, the greater impact a few lost branches can make, especially if the free ups some of that taller sky that's in your way.... and the trees way a way... well, they are probably not a problem because you can usually get past them by simply going upward a little bit.
My other neighbor (without a tree problem) mounted his on the backside of a basketball backboard. He specially pointed the board to be flush to 110 degrees and mounted it. You hardly notice it's there. And he built the pole so that it was really solid so that the signal is disrupted during slam dunks.
One last thought, what about building it inside flower planter (a large brick one) and covered the dish part with burlap and a few fake silk flower leaves that lets the signal pass through.
Hope this helps.
Mark
