Dish TV and Snow Problems

Snow build-up can prevent you from watching your favorite shows.

Dish Network TV can be a great alternative to cable. Unfortunately, the snow that plagues most of the country each winter can wreck havoc on satellite reception. A few tips can help keep your reception coming in clearly all year.

What Snow Does

Snow or rain will not hurt the outdoor equipment, However, any accumulation can interfere with the strength of the signal to the dish or low-noise block converter (LNB). Wet snow and ice tend to cause more problems than lighter, "fluffy" snow.

Physical Solutions

If you can safely reach your dish, snow may be gently brushed off with a broom. There are also several add-on devices designed to prevent snow from accumulating, either by covering the dish, adding a slick coating or using a heating element. Flat dishes are another option. However, their signal can be weak because of a lack of a low-noise block converter.

Hardware Solutions

After the snow stops, try resetting your receiver or searching for a different satellite.

References

• DirectTV Advisor: DirectTV FAQ
• Satellite TV Guru: How to Get Better Satellite TV Reception