Trees blocking signal - will a larger dish work?

[SundayTicketRocks]

I have a dual LNB 20" DIrecTV system with 5 receivers. Recently the trees uphill from me have blocked my signal to 33 on LNB 1 and 25 on LNB 2. I already have my dish mounted on a 12' pole, and was bout abondom hope when I found the attached from a google search:

http://www.tinotopia.com/directv.htm

Somebody found a way to get a tree obstructed signal to work, using a 36" dish. Cutting down the trees is not an option for me, as they are on government property, and raising the pole is my last choice too.

Will this work? I've heard that KTI makes a 48" dish, compatible with DirecTV.

Thanks in advance for any advice....

 

[astrossuperfan]

you should just take those trees out, ash-style.

 

[SundayTicketRocks]

2nd option

Okay, assuming that I am SOL without line of sight, how can I find someone who will install a tower (24' & above) and put my DirecTV dish on top of it? I live in Bellevue, WA just outside of Seattle.

 

[astrossuperfan]

how far uphill are we talking? It's possible to mount a dish in a tree, so that could be a third option depending on your situation. As far as a bigger dish goes, Voomers have made progress with a bigger dish to fight rain fade so I guess the same principle would work for trees.

A 24' tower? :shocked You really like D* huh?

 

[PSB]

A bigger dish collects more signal but no signal passes through trees when in the way, a bigger dish is slightly higher from the ground so that alone helps, check the below link to find a local installer, I know there are one or two from WA, good luck. I would also recommend a satellite finding tool as the angle that the signal comes down at (elevation) is very deceiving, it saves a lot of messing about.

www.dbsinstall.com
http://www.dmsiusa.com/site_survey.htm

 

[BrettStah]

If you poured enough salt around the base of the tree it would do the trick. I'd water the ground, then pour a bunch of salt, and water a little more (not enough to make the salt wash away of course). And/or, you could "girdle" the tree, where you strip off a ring of bark about 6" in length around the entire circumference of it, but that would take probably a lot longer to work.

[Edit] Oops, saw that it's on government property... you may not want to do this then.

 

[boba]

I have a dual LNB 20" DIrecTV system with 5 receivers. Recently the trees uphill from me have blocked my signal to 33 on LNB 1 and 25 on LNB 2. I already have my dish mounted on a 12' pole, and was bout abondom hope when I found the attached from a google search:

http://www.tinotopia.com/directv.htm

Somebody found a way to get a tree obstructed signal to work, using a 36" dish. Cutting down the trees is not an option for me, as they are on government property, and raising the pole is my last choice too.

Will this work? I've heard that KTI makes a 48" dish, compatible with DirecTV.

Thanks in advance for any advice....

From you description of your dish you have a phase 3. You would need three 48" dishes 1 for each satellite you want signal from. That would be quite a dish farm.

 

[SundayTicketRocks]

Thanks for all of your responses. I guess I can read between the lines and none of you would consider installing a tower and raising the dish. I completely understand, but thought it was worth asking the question.

Perhaps I can get someone willing to trim the trees at night "under the table" with a quiet bowsaw.

 

[BrettStah]

Or more cheaply, go with the salting and/or girdling. This is assuming that it's mostly leaves that are the culprit, since those will die sooner than the branches.

 

[silversurfer]

I would not rule out a tower. It is an expensive option and not a very convenient one either. Have you attempted to contact the local government office that owns the property? Is it a remote site or a base? Maybe you could offer to trim them or cut them down yourself. Chances are good that they won't allow it but hey might not hurt to ask....

 

[dishjockey]

It depends on how far away the trees are . The closer they are the sooner they will block your signal from tree growth, the further away the angle you need for line of sight takes longer to block .
Raising the dish 3 feet might get you 20 years of good signal .Have a reputable installer come out and assess the situation.

 

[SundayTicketRocks]

Thanks to all...

I made the mistake of trimming two trees - and one of my neighbors called it in. Now I have to pay for the removal of the cut trees plus replanting to re-establish the tree canopy. Ugh. Worst of all the signal to the 101 satellite is no better than it was before.

I did contact a dbsintall installer and he is coming out next week to evaluate my situation. Since my DirecTV was only installed 9 months ago, he said that I should complain to D* about not having the proper installers do my D* move, as he guarantees 2 years of unobstructive signal when he does an install.

He also brought up the possibility of installing the dish across the street on one of my neighbors property, giving them one free receiver which would cost me $5 per month. A less attractive solution, but I like the option of doing so.

Bottom line is that I should have contacted the dbsintaller before taking the tree trimming into my own hands.

 

[lostcause]

I
Bottom line is that I should have contacted the dbsintaller before taking the tree trimming into my own hands.

Personally I think you should contact the neighbor that complained. Preferably you should contact him with a large heavy blunt object several times about the head and face. But that's just me..........

 

[BrettStah]

I made the mistake of trimming two trees - and one of my neighbors called it in. Now I have to pay for the removal of the cut trees plus replanting to re-establish the tree canopy. Ugh. Worst of all the signal to the 101 satellite is no better than it was before.

Maybe the trees that will replace those will be much smaller ones initially, and solve your problem for a few years.

I did contact a dbsintall installer and he is coming out next week to evaluate my situation. Since my DirecTV was only installed 9 months ago, he said that I should complain to D* about not having the proper installers do my D* move, as he guarantees 2 years of unobstructive signal when he does an install.

He also brought up the possibility of installing the dish across the street on one of my neighbors property, giving them one free receiver which would cost me $5 per month. A less attractive solution, but I like the option of doing so.

I'd find a more scrupulous installer... what he suggested to you is not kosher at all. (Of course, getting rid of the trees like I suggested isn't kosher either, but in that case no one would really be out any money like DirecTV would be with the scheme the installer suggested.