# Is a clean dish a better dish?



## tkrandall (Oct 3, 2003)

While tweaking the dish this weekend, I noticed it has gotten a bit grimy the past year. It's on a porch roof with a big white oak towers over it so it 's subjected to a lot of tree realted debris, rain splatter, acorns, etc through the seasons. I got to wondering if keeping a dish washed clean would have any measurable impact on reception. 

Just a random thought......


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## bhelton71 (Mar 8, 2007)

tkrandall said:


> While tweaking the dish this weekend, I noticed it has gotten a bit grimy the past year. It's on a porch roof with a big white oak towers over it so it 's subjected to a lot of tree realted debris, rain splatter, acorns, etc through the seasons. I got to wondering if keeping a dish washed clean would have any measurable impact on reception.
> 
> Just a random thought......


I don't know the technical aspects of the reflection - I imagine it could - not sure if that wavelength is affected by debris? But you have to believe a clean dish is a happy dish at the very least .


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## curt8403 (Dec 27, 2007)

tkrandall said:


> While tweaking the dish this weekend, I noticed it has gotten a bit grimy the past year. It's on a porch roof with a big white oak towers over it so it 's subjected to a lot of tree realted debris, rain splatter, acorns, etc through the seasons. I got to wondering if keeping a dish washed clean would have any measurable impact on reception.
> 
> Just a random thought......


A clean dish is a more reflective dish. perhaps as much as 5 pts


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## Mertzen (Dec 8, 2006)

I don't think it makes a difference really. I've seen dishes with years of soot; other with half a bucket of cement or even graffiti and no problems with signal.


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## curt8403 (Dec 27, 2007)

Mertzen said:


> I don't think it makes a difference really. I've seen dishes with years of soot; other with half a bucket of cement or even graffiti and no problems with signal.


Mertzen, I have seen a difference. However Soot, and Spray Paint are normally transparent to Microwaves. Not sure Cement is.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

I have crows that sit on my AT9 and crap on it when I'm not home. (They might be working for "Ec-CAW-star.")

It looks bad, but it's a long way from a water source, so I've never cleaned it.

It might just be time for an experiment, since my 99c signals are not as strong as I would like.


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## Steve Robertson (Jun 7, 2005)

I would think the LNB'S might be a good thing to clean as well


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## Dirac (Apr 24, 2007)

paulman182 said:


> I have crows that sit on my AT9 and crap on it when I'm not home. (They might be working for "Ec-CAW-star.")




Well, let us know how it turns out.


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## 2dogz (Jun 14, 2008)

paulman182 said:


> I have crows that sit on my AT9 and crap on it when I'm not home.


So when you are at home, they just sit there smiling at you like little angles? Must be the same two magpies that are in the Windex commercial.


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## n3ntj (Dec 18, 2006)

I would say that a very, very dirty dish may slightly lower signal quality, but we'd have to be talking about a really dirty dish. Enough dirt on there could slightly impact reflection off the dish onto an LNB. When cleaning the dish, if doing so, be very careful to not move it out of alignment.


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## curt8403 (Dec 27, 2007)

paulman182 said:


> I have crows that sit on my AT9 and crap on it when I'm not home. (They might be working for "Ec-CAW-star.")
> 
> It looks bad, but it's a long way from a water source, so I've never cleaned it.
> 
> It might just be time for an experiment, since my 99c signals are not as strong as I would like.


we once had a cat..... HE liked the windows. We did not like the cat. We put down HO scale railroad track on the window ledge. One rail connected to ground. the other connected to an electric fence unit. Cat got the point. Too bad you cannot do the same for Crows.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Anyone that has had a BUD and had to sweep snow out of/off the dish knows that stuff on the dish can affect signal quality.

Anyone that has had a BUD and a wife/girlfriend who would do the sweeping knows they found themselves a keeper.


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## Dolly (Jan 30, 2007)

paulman182 said:


> I have crows that sit on my AT9 and crap on it when I'm not home. (They might be working for "Ec-CAW-star.")
> 
> It looks bad, but it's a long way from a water source, so I've never cleaned it.
> 
> It might just be time for an experiment, since my 99c signals are not as strong as I would like.


We have this same problems with birds :eek2: They seem to love our D* dish  Our dish is up high so we would have to get out a ladder to clean it so we never have :nono: Plus bird droppings can led to disease so we would have to be very careful how we cleaned it!


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## gfrang (Aug 30, 2007)

I don't know i don't do dishes so i never cleaned mine but what i do is before winter i spray it with silicone,it helps keep the snow off. I also have problems with birds they like to use the dish for target practice.But remember a clean dish is a happy dish.


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## curt8403 (Dec 27, 2007)

gfrang said:


> I don't know i don't do dishes so i never cleaned mine but what i do is before winter i spray it with silicone,it helps keep the snow off. I also have problems with birds they like to use the dish for target practice.But remember a clean dish is a happy dish.


yes, and a bird that roosts on the dish and then gets shocked is less likely to roost next time. (assuming that birds act simular to cats...The cat never came back) (Read my earlier post)


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

I guess it would take quite a bit of voltage to keep birds off the dish. 110 volts is generally not enough to keep them off the power lines.


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## Thaedron (Jun 29, 2007)

rudeney said:


> I guess it would take quite a bit of voltage to keep birds off the dish. 110 volts is generally not enough to keep them off the power lines.


Birds can sit on 10,000 volt or higher power lines so long as they don't ground themselves or touch both lines simultaneously.


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## curt8403 (Dec 27, 2007)

rudeney said:


> I guess it would take quite a bit of voltage to keep birds off the dish. 110 volts is generally not enough to keep them off the power lines.


two lines (railroad track) one grounded, the other hot. 12 volts on a set of capacitors will pop them right off. This would also cure Squirrel and owl fade.. I have also seen rather large birds land on three phase lines, accidently touch one of the other three wires (top wire, and brush a side wire with their wings or tail feathers) and Bang, the bird is charcoal and the power company has to come out and replace all the breaker fuses.


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## zamzickles (Sep 21, 2007)

A kinder and more gentle method requires a trip to you local hobby store to buy a roll of double stick servo and radio tape. Place it along the top edge of your dish. It does have to be replaced from time to time but it's VERY EFFECTIVE. It resembles tar, very sticky.


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## gfrang (Aug 30, 2007)

Hey Curt where can i apply for the job taken care of the cows? I don't smoke or drink so i wont be a bad influence on them.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

Thaedron said:


> Birds can sit on 10,000 volt or higher power lines so long as they don't ground themselves or touch both lines simultaneously.


Yeah, I know - hence the smiley - it was a bad joke. Besides, I'm not going to wire anything up on my dish at any voltage just to keep the birds off. It's just easier the clean the thing every few year or so if needed.


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## curt8403 (Dec 27, 2007)

gfrang said:


> Hey Curt where can i apply for the job taken care of the cows? I don't smoke or drink so i wont be a bad influence on them.


It is the cows that do not smoke or drink. I do not think it matters whether you do or not, as I recall the Job is in China


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## gfrang (Aug 30, 2007)

curt8403 said:


> It is the cows that do not smoke or drink. I do not think it matters whether you do or not, as I recall the Job is in China


Cow calf born to China's first cow cloned from frozen cells

There not looking for any more help they also cloned their first employee.:eek2:


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## Thaedron (Jun 29, 2007)

rudeney said:


> Yeah, I know - hence the smiley - it was a bad joke. Besides, I'm not going to wire anything up on my dish at any voltage just to keep the birds off. It's just easier the clean the thing every few year or so if needed.


Sorry, I took your smiley more along the lines of a scheming "mmm, we're having grilled bird for dinner tonight"...


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