Noob asks about LOS and trees

[rodneys]

Hello!

Currently I am a cable customer with an HDTV and roughly 25 HD channels from my cable company. I'd like more HD channels and am considering the switch to satellite. I have a semi-wooded lot. I've used my compass to get an idea where the dish would be aiming and I believe I have a pretty good LOS. But, trees could be an issue, especially at leaf out. Many homeowners in my city have satellites which appears to be aiming at or around trees.
My noob question: is a 100% clear LOS necessary for an acceptable signal, or is some tree interference tolerable?

Rodney

 

[IcEWoLF]

No, it doesn't need to be 100% LOS to get a good signal, I have about 4-6 trees infront of my house and my dish is aimed right threw them, no problems at all, even during windy weather when the trees are moving left and right I still get 100% perfect signal.

 

[Jimbo]

Hello!

Currently I am a cable customer with an HDTV and roughly 25 HD channels from my cable company. I'd like more HD channels and am considering the switch to satellite. I have a semi-wooded lot. I've used my compass to get an idea where the dish would be aiming and I believe I have a pretty good LOS. But, trees could be an issue, especially at leaf out. Many homeowners in my city have satellites which appears to be aiming at or around trees.
My noob question: is a 100% clear LOS necessary for an acceptable signal, or is some tree interference tolerable?

Rodney

The clearer the better...
The actual position that the sats hit the dish is HIGHER than the angle of the LNB arm, so that may help some too.

 

[rodneys]

So, you are saying if the dish is pointed at trees, the signal may actually be coming from above the trees? That would explain some nearby dishes that appear to be pointed right at trees.

 

[charper1]

That is correct; OEM DBS dishes are of the off-set dish variety.

 

[rodneys]

Interesting graphic. Maybe there is hope!

 

[nhulst]

If possible, ask around for a reputable installer before you place your order. The first installer who came to my place got about halfway through the install and then ripped everything out and left, saying we didn't have line of sight. We re-ordered through a local dealer and we're all set up now... the installer didn't have to do anything special to get us high 90's to 100 signal strength

I'm not sure why a site survey is such a challenging thing for some installers, but I guess it is.

 

[Jimbo]

If possible, ask around for a reputable installer before you place your order. The first installer who came to my place got about halfway through the install and then ripped everything out and left, saying we didn't have line of sight. We re-ordered through a local dealer and we're all set up now... the installer didn't have to do anything special to get us high 90's to 100 signal strength

I'm not sure why a site survey is such a challenging thing for some installers, but I guess it is.

Maybe you got a new installer ...

 

[Joe Diamond]

Left...then right........and up and down + tilt.......all those numbers......Pretty darn tough!

Joe

 

[rodneys]

I guess you get what you pay for. It's incredible how many horror stories about free installs are on this forum. How much does it cost to hire a qualified installer to preform a site survey and/or install? I guess in my case with the potential tree blockage that would be the way to go.

 

[charper1]

There are infinitely more positive FREE installs, its just that rarely to people take the time to post that; mostly complainers post. That being said, a quality installer should be able to get your free install done correctly.

 

[primestar31]

Hello!

Currently I am a cable customer with an HDTV and roughly 25 HD channels from my cable company. I'd like more HD channels and am considering the switch to satellite. I have a semi-wooded lot. I've used my compass to get an idea where the dish would be aiming and I believe I have a pretty good LOS. But, trees could be an issue, especially at leaf out. Many homeowners in my city have satellites which appears to be aiming at or around trees.
My noob question: is a 100% clear LOS necessary for an acceptable signal, or is some tree interference tolerable?

Rodney

Make yourself a homemade clinometer:

Home Made Clinometer

Stand at certain spots in your lot, and use one of these to site the position of the particular sats you want.

Download and use this sat program to find the sats location you want:

SAT - Satellite Antenna Alignment (Satellite Dish Alignment)

You can use Google Earth to get exact latitude and longitude for your lot, and you input those into the program above. Then set your time off-set, wait for a nice day where you can see the sun, and go for it.

Now, do a sat survey on your lot, and see what you think. I have a heavy wooded 80'-100' foot trees on my lot, and I've managed to install dishes that can see the sats I want.

 

[rodneys]

primestar31,

Thanks for the info, I'll give that a try. I happen to have a Suunto Clinometer (I am a forester). I think I have a clear shot at the right bearing, but I have not checked the angle with the clino yet.

On your lot, are your dishes being blocked by the trees at all, or did you just happen to find opening?

 

[primestar31]

primestar31,

Thanks for the info, I'll give that a try. I happen to have a Suunto Clinometer (I am a forester). I think I have a clear shot at the right bearing, but I have not checked the angle with the clino yet.

On your lot, are your dishes being blocked by the trees at all, or did you just happen to find opening?

I found openings between tips of trees, or was able to figure the exact location of the particular sats using that program, so I could move the pole over slightly to bypass a tree. I had to install separate dishes for the sats I wanted, but I have lots of Primestars, so didn't have too much trouble. They have a lot of signal gathering ability, so that helps if there's any issues at leaf-out time. That's typically only a problem with heavy winds wiping the trees around 30-40 feet from side to side. Ground is sandy-loam, so easy to dig. Only takes a couple minutes to go down 4 ft, once you break through the root-mats.

 

[HDinCincy]

On your lot, are your dishes being blocked by the trees at all, or did you just happen to find opening?[/QUOTE]

Rodney... I can speak from my experience and if you have ANY branches in the LOS, forget it. Waving leaves on branches WILL interfere with, and disrupt your signal. It has to be clear. HTH

 

[rodneys]

HD - I'll keep that in mind. I got a hole in the canopy and I'll use the advice given here to assess the site and see how likely it is the work.

I wish satellite tv worked like satellite radio!

 

[rodneys]

Prime,

When it is required for you to install more than one sat to get all the signals, do they charge you more for the install?

I found openings between tips of trees, or was able to figure the exact location of the particular sats using that program, so I could move the pole over slightly to bypass a tree. I had to install separate dishes for the sats I wanted, but I have lots of Primestars, so didn't have too much trouble. They have a lot of signal gathering ability, so that helps if there's any issues at leaf-out time. That's typically only a problem with heavy winds wiping the trees around 30-40 feet from side to side. Ground is sandy-loam, so easy to dig. Only takes a couple minutes to go down 4 ft, once you break through the root-mats.

 

[hikersc]

Keep in mind that you will need more than just a hole through the trees at a certain elevation. The Slimline dish will need to see 5 sats from 99 to 119 degrees. This means that you will need the hole to be almost 20 degrees wide (depending on the skew). I had the same issue for my install several weeks back. It was solved with a longer run of wire from an open spot.

 

[primestar31]

Prime,

When it is required for you to install more than one sat to get all the signals, do they charge you more for the install?

Yes, they most likely would charge you more if they are doing the install instead of you doing it yourself. Unless it's Dish Network, and you required the 61.5 HD sat along with the normal 110 and 119 sat which can be received with a single Dish500. In which case they would install 2 dishes at no extra charge because they have to for you to get all the services you are paying for. Also, if you require a pole mount in the ground, which is also an extra charge. I don't like the thought of holes in my newer roof, so I won't install a dish on it.

 

[rodneys]

Thanks for all the good information guys. I'll give you an update when/if I attempt to install.