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ZBoomer said:
We get a little every few years, I remember like 5 inches in 2004, but usually it's just a few flakes.

And yeah, if three flakes are noticed falling, schools shutdown, and all hell breaks loose, lol.
Same way here in Arkansas. lol, don't forget to run to the store to stock up for a week. that always amazes me how much people buy when the threat of snow/sleet is on. lol
 
Jason Nipp said:
My EA is like a snow cone right now and I still have signal... :lol:
OK.... Update, Another 4 inches of white stuff precluded by ice, and I had to finally sweep off the reflector. First time in 7 years I have had to clean off a dish.

I suspect that is because EA (72w) has a much lower signal.
 
Jason Nipp said:
OK.... Update, Another 4 inches of white stuff precluded by ice, and I had to finally sweep off the reflector. First time in 7 years I have had to clean off a dish.

I suspect that is because EA (72w) has a much lower signal.
I'll agree with that. I set up my 1000.4 last night and couldn't find 72° following the instructions (switch check with nothing connected to clear the matrix - connect to output 2 - find 72° TP 19 or 21). After scanning the skies a few times I did a switch check just to make sure the 1k.4 was connected and 61.5° came up immediately (I was that close to being there). I used 61.5° to get as close as possible then redid the switch check and peaked on 72° as instructed.

I managed to pull low 50's off of 72° and keep around 60 on the 61.5°. Forgot to check the levels on 77°. But a lower powered satellite will lead to more problems with weather. Ask anyone with 129°. :)
 
It has been a while since you told me ... I guess I should not have read the manual. :)

My dishes are intentionally sheltered from the weather ... under the eves of my house where snow rarely touches them. I like the mount on the 1000.4 ... I can spin it all the way around without hitting the wall. The dish 500 I had there was touching the siding because of the angle needed to get both 61.5° and 72.7°.

Here are a couple of pictures taken this morning ...
 
Another thing, I really like the concealed fittings. A good improvement over the 1000plus.

The manual mentions a 1000plus to EA conversion kit. I wonder if E* really has one or if it is just a thought.

 
Jason Nipp said:
Is that foliage I see blocking touching the side of the dish? :rolleyes: :D
A rose bush which my wife kindly trimmed back when the Dish500 was there. The 1000.4 is higher off the ground so that bush has room to grow (there is clearance - but I did get poked when tightening the mast bolts).

The bush in front of the dish can double in size before getting in the way.
 
I have heard that WD-40 and/or PAM will help with keep the snow buildup off a dish. Anyone have any experience with these?
 
I have said it already, I don't use sprays. I have seen people cover the reflector with wax paper. But if I was going to use a spray, at work we have some FDA approved silicone lubricants. These are typically used on conveyors in a food factory. No I don't work in a food factory.

I will get the name of it and post Monday.
 
Jimmy the Dish said:
Slick 50 is as good as any, Pam vegatable spray helps also. Neither is completely snow proof, but should help you. Invest -$20 in a super soaker and fill it with wiper fluid for melting ice.
i have never thought about wiper fluid! i've always used warm water. that could save me a little time. we hardly get anything here, but last year i had to a couple times. thanks for the tip.:D
 
. . . the dark color soaks up whatever Sun and melts anything on it quickly. And the bag flops in the wind which knocks off what doesn't melt or at night when there is no Sun and keeps anything from collecting. I went up to do the putting of the bags and my new TurboHD dish is not a friendly shape to work by just throwing the bag over it and tightening it down. Today was the first real day that we have had snow and it's clean and clear. We have had DISH since 1995 and I have tried everything to keep Colorado Snow off it. Sprays, WD40, Slick50 and my favorite Triflon were the first things I tried and Pam is not a good idea. Sears says to use it on the plastic chute on my snowblower, sorry it's a Snow "Thrower" these days, and it gunks up real quick. It attracts dirt and debris that mucks up the dish and makes snow stick making matters worse. Having ties to the Aerospace Industry, I have access to silicone and other sprays and they all would muck up and make things worse. Have used covers, lost too much signal through the fake leather. I wanted to make covers out of Tyvek that was readily available in all kinds of great colors at the local fabric store. But now it's no longer available as it was. It would have been perfect and all season. AND they could have matched your house. I waited too long. I'm surprised that Chuck, living not too far from me and knowing the environment, didn't use a different finish on the dishes. I have been thinking of going to HomeDepot and looking for Teflon paint. That should do it.

Oh well, just looked and after a night of snow my dishes are clean and they are 50 feet off the ground on top of my chimney. So for right now I'm "clean", but will need a solution, which will probably be custom fitting a 45 gallon trash bag.
 
Steve H said:
I have heard that WD-40 and/or PAM will help with keep the snow buildup off a dish. Anyone have any experience with these?
Yes, I've used Pam for the last three winters without problems. No gunk or other buildup. I find that it works about 90% of the time ... the other 10% was during the occasional blizzards we get here in the foothills west of Denver. Even then, the dish cleaned up nicely when either I lightly brushed it or when the temps went up and the snow sheeted off the dish. I applied Pam this last spring and haven't repeated the treatment so far this year.

Of course, that's just my experience west of Denver. I'm not sure you'd get the same results north of here.
 
Jason Nipp said:
And yep... still got signal............. ;)
If my D300 (aimed at 61.5) ever looked like that I know I would have no signal before even checking. I am in interior NY and whenever a big snow (noreaster) comes along, thats the end of that as that dish is pointed straight towards where the wind is coming from. The D500 doesn't have this problem since it is aimed lower and to the SW.

Just a thought and please don't flame me if I mention something dumb that does not work..

It seems to me that some older C-Band type dishes are of a mesh type. Why can't the smaller DBS dishes be like that? Wouldn't the snow just blow right through the dish? Maybe they would need to be a little bigger for better reflecting but what is the issue here?

OK.. Let the flaming begin. :lol: But it was just a thought.
 
Yes616 said:
If my D300 (aimed at 61.5) ever looked like that I know I would have no signal before even checking. I am in interior NY and whenever a big snow (noreaster) comes along, thats the end of that as that dish is pointed straight towards where the wind is coming from. The D500 doesn't have this problem since it is aimed lower and to the SW.

Just a thought and please don't flame me if I mention something dumb that does not work..

It seems to me that some older C-Band type dishes are of a mesh type. Why can't the smaller DBS dishes be like that? Wouldn't the snow just blow right through the dish? Maybe they would need to be a little bigger for better reflecting but what is the issue here?

OK.. Let the flaming begin. :lol: But it was just a thought.
No flaming, but somewhere I have pix my wife took of me on a tall stepladder perched on an icy deck using a broom to clean the snow off our old C-band. Those holes seemed to allow any slush to drip through then refreeze.
 
Depending on how far you have to reach. I have used Chimmney sticks(Home Depot, Lowes and other places sell them), 4ft sections and fiberglass, add as many as needed with a broom head on the end, and brush it off. Somebody mentioned using electrical conduit as well, that works too, I just prefer FiberGlass or PVC for stuff like that, as I hate holding a Long metal pole up in the air if I don't have to.
 
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