You can get every channel offered elsewhere by DTV up here in Alaska (a leg up that they have on Dish - which does not offer their entire programming here). However the dishes are much larger. Until recently you needed two 4 foot dishes to receive most programming (3 dishes if you wanted International packages) but now they have it down to one 4 foot dish (or 2 for the international stuff).
If you have a flat roof they may do a non-penetration install - they will mount your dishes to cinderblocks or other types of bricks. You will have to pay your installer directly for those bricks. Weight on roofs is a concern, since each set of bricks weighs ~ 400 lbs. If you have a slanted roof it will be a typical install. I've been up here 3 years and with all the snow/ice/wind, never lost signal once (more than a couple of seconds). There's only a handful of installers in the Anchorage area but they are very good!
If you have a flat roof they may do a non-penetration install - they will mount your dishes to cinderblocks or other types of bricks. You will have to pay your installer directly for those bricks. Weight on roofs is a concern, since each set of bricks weighs ~ 400 lbs. If you have a slanted roof it will be a typical install. I've been up here 3 years and with all the snow/ice/wind, never lost signal once (more than a couple of seconds). There's only a handful of installers in the Anchorage area but they are very good!
