A customer recently called us and asked if there was a better satellite dish to use for DISH Western Arc. They were not necessarily looking for something that pulled in more signal, they were looking for something that would hold up to weather a little bit better.
We can help
Here’s a picture found on the internet of DISH’s commercial grade satellite antenna.
This is a genuine DISH product and can be configured for Western Arc or Eastern Arc. It acts just like a traditional non-hybrid dish. It can be used with DPP44, DPH42, or a mix of both multiswitches. It’s exactly what the customer wants. And our Signal Connect team got it for them.
Why is something like this better than a regular dish?
First of all, it has a larger reflector that should, in an ideal situation, pull in more signal than a smaller reflector. A lot of this has to do with precise aiming, though, and that’s why this dish is designed to be more securely mounted than a traditional Western Arc or Eastern Arc dish. It should hold up better in extreme weather, even with a big reflector that is going to be more affected by wind.
Why isn’t it listed at SolidSignal.com?
This is a special order item. It’s considerably more expensive than a traditional DISH satellite antenna. Generally, it’s only used for large quotes where you can absorb a lot of that extra expense. So, at this time it’s not listed for sale individually. If that changes, I’ll be sure to let you all know here at The Solid Signal Blog.
If you’re looking for something like this, though, you can call us at 888-233-7563. This part, and thousands of other parts, are available as special order items. Even if it’s not something we currently carry, we can generally get it in for you. If it ends up being popular, we’ll put it up at SolidSignal.com. A lot of our most popular items started off as special orders!
Why doesn’t DIRECTV have something like this?
DIRECTV doesn’t have a commercial satellite antenna. They do have a dish that’s designed for Alaska and Hawaii, but it’s not really going to help you any more if you aren’t in Alaska or Hawaii. While DIRECTV used to offer larger dishes for continental US use, they don’t anymore. DIRECTV dishes use a larger, thicker mast as well as monopole struts on their regular dishes. This, combined with custom-manufactured LNBs, should give customers the experience they want. Plus, residential customers can use SignalSaver automatically to switch to streaming if the dish is temporarily unable to get signal.
Something to think about before you look at a commercial satellite dish
Friends, far be it from me to tell you not to buy something. As you know, this blog is 100% sponsored by SolidSignal.com and we’re here to help you find what you need… and buy it. But before you spend a lot of money on a commercial dish, it’s worth knowing if you really need it.
It’s important to make sure that the dish you do have is aimed as well as possible. This starts with the “dithering” process. There’s a lot to dithering, but it boils down to turning the dish in small increments until the signal strength starts to drop, then turning it back 1/2 the distance you turned it. Once a dish is dithered on all three axes, it’s important to tighten down all the bolts to the recommended level. Overtightening will stress the metal unnecessarily, but honestly you’re not going to overtighten unless you use a torque wrench.
Traditional wisdom says that a dish that is off axis by as little as 1/32″ of an inch will lose 50% of its sensitivity. That could be the difference between getting good signal in the rain and losing it. So, before choosing a larger dish, make sure that the dish you have is as good as it can be.
…and then call us
Whether you need a commercial satellite antenna or anything else for your DISH project, there’s only one number to call: 888-233-7563. Call us and you’ll reach an expert at our Detroit-area offices who can help you with any project large or small. Home, RV, marine… we can do it all. Call during East Coast business hours or, if it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get right back to you!
