# Trying to determine if Sat TV viable



## Tom Brokaw (Dec 11, 2011)

Hello,
I am looking at getting satellite TV for my parents. They are located in NW MT, and the house is surrounded by trees.

Looking up their address on dishpointer.com indicates an elevation of 29.6 degrees is needed. There is one "valley" of trees through which they can see the southern sky clearly, please copy/paste jpg link at the bottom of this post.

Dishpointer also advertised, or at least noted, several iOS apps that claim to be able to work for checking LoS and helping install the dish.
Here's one example:
www .dishpointer. com / 2009 / augmented-reality-satellite-finder/

(cant post URLs due to new forum user status)

My questions:
1. Towards the end of the video in the link above, the 110, 119, and 129 are clearly behind trees. Would they be blocked in that scenario? Or does it look like the signal could make it through?
2. What do you think of our chances given the picture? I realize I'm asking for an internet prognosis so I promise not to take any answers as engraved in stone.

imageshack.us/photo/my-images/824/view7.jpg


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

:welcome_s

The picture doesn't look very promising. Was that picture taken from their house? If they installed a pole to mount the dish on in another location on the property could they get a less obstructed southerly view? How big of a tree can they use for Christmas this year?


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## Tom Brokaw (Dec 11, 2011)

Yeah, that's what we thought.

The picture was taken from the deck that runs on the southern (and eastern) side of the house.

Here's another one taken 18 months ago when I was helping my dad upgrade from analog to digital antenna. The red box indicates approximately the same view as the other picture. The deck is on the other side and the first picture was taken from slightly left of the peak of the roof.

Is pole mounting an option with a small dish? Seems like it would be. Does this pic look like it could be done?

Thanks!

imageshack.us/photo/my-images/846/digitalantennaandpole.jpg/


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

I wold try to bring small (old) dish with my portable spectrum analyzer and check LOS.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

Tom Brokaw said:


> Is pole mounting an option with a small dish? Seems like it would be. /


Yes, but you might have a problem if you put it on a tall pole like what your using for your OTA antenna. If it moves when it gets windy, the sat dish isn't going to handle that movement very well.


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## Tom Brokaw (Dec 11, 2011)

Ah yes, hadn't thought about wind. Not too windy up there but it wouldn't take too much.

P Smith, that's probably a good idea but we'd need to get an installer out there, no one we know has that equipment.

Well, so much for it being a christmas present/surprise. We'll work on it later I guess.

Any suggestions/comments/ideas welcome in the meantime.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

I would come, but my unemployment wouldn't cover the job


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