r.v.s.tvro FAQ - Part 6/10

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PART SIX - How does the environment affect my big dish system?

Environmental factors are certainly an issue concerning your big dish satellite 
system. 
Much of your system is, after all, located outdoors, allowing exposure to the elements.

Stormy weather can cause problems with your satellite dish. High winds during 
hurricanes, tornadoes, and other storms can cause your dish to be blown out of 
alignment. Worse, unusually high winds can, under the worst circumstances, even 
knock your dish over. If you live in areas subject to extreme wind conditions, 
consider the Paraclipse Classic Series satellite dishes mentioned earlier in the FAQ. 
Satellite dishes are also subject to periodic lightning strikes. Equipment such as a 
TVRO-specific surge protector (like the one made by Panamax) will help protect your 
satellite system from unexpected power surges. As far as rain goes, TVRO satellite 
dishes are not subject to rain fade the way DBS dishes are.

Perhaps the worst environmental enemy of your satellite dish involves winter weather. 
Cold weather can damage or at least slow down the operation of the servo motor. 
Significant build-up of snow or ice can pull your satellite dish out of alignment or 
even 
warp the dish itself. The actuator arm can also freeze, which will prevent you from 
being able to move the dish out of its current position. Although there isn't a lot 
you 
can do about severe winter weather, keeping snow and ice from building up inside 
your dish will help insure quality signal reception and reduce the likelihood of your 
dish 
become misaligned. Use a broom to *carefully* sweep out your dish. Do not use an 
ice scraper on ice and DO NOT use hot water (or water of any temperature) to melt 
snow or ice, as this can warp your dish.

The sun can also cause problem with your satellite system. Twice yearly, during the 
beginnings of spring and fall, satellite systems are subject to solar outages caused 
when the sun, the earth, and satellites over the equator are directly aligned. This 
can 
outages between 5 and 10 minutes per day and can occur for up to two weeks. 
Fortunately, solar outages are not a severe problem and only affect daytime reception.

Wildlife can also cause problems. Nesting creatures such as birds, bees, and other 
insects can build nests in different areas of your satellite dish. This is especially 
problematic if the nest is located around the LNB and feedhorn, as this can cause 
reception problems. Carefully remove any nests located on your dish, taking special 
care in combating bee, wasp, and hornet nests. Underground animals such as gophers 
and moles can chew through unprotected satellite cables, causing outages. It is 
recommended that underground cables be protected with PVC pipe conduit.