>Of course this will only work if you have a line-of-sight with the
>satellite.
> Do you have a south view? Before proceeding any further,
> locate the web site that has the ZIP code antenna pointing tool.
> Then, find a compass and a protractor. When you figure out
> where the DSS satellite is in relation to your home/condo,
> site it with the compass and protracor to see if you've got
> a view from ground level or any window.
About this line of sight thing, i have an interesting story. My next
door neighbor works for Direct TV here in El Segundo, Calif. She
gets DSS for free, and had her dish installed by Direct TV technicians.
When they were mounting the dish to her roof, they had it pointing
directly at my 2nd floor bedroom wall as my building is blocking her
line-of-sight to the satellite. On top of that, there's a 3-story apt
building on the other side of me, further blocking her line-of-sight.
Her dish angle is very shallow, maybe 20 degrees from horizontal.
I asked the guys how could that work with my building completely
blocking the path and they said it's not a problem. I responded that
everything i've ever heard or read indicates that it needs a clear
line-of-sight to the satellite, and they responded that they work
for Direct TV and they know what they're doing thank you very much.
If her dish were to have a laser beam emitting from the center, the
beam would pass through my bedroom and living room, and through
the two upstairs bedrooms of the 3-story directly south of me. The
buildings are completely in the path of her line-of-sight. When the
technicians were done, my neighbor invited me down to see how it
works and her picture was absolutely perfect, and Speedvision
comes in perfectly clear, even though it's passing through two
buildings. This goes against everything i've ever heard, but
it's working fine for her and her picture really is perfect.
For those concerned with line-of-sight issues, i suggest calling
Direct TV directly and discuss the line-of-sight issues with someone
who's knowledgeable. My next door neighbor is proof positive that
it can be done in some instances at least, and may very well work
for you. Their corporate offices are in El Segundo, California in the
310 area code (i don't have the number though).
Randy Walters
So California
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