Sat dishes vs snow (was "Re: [BC] KFI Tower replacement ?")

[WFIFeng@aol.com]

In a message dated 01/04/2006 07:29:01 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
RRSounds at aol.com writes:

> Shortly before I left my job as Manager of Radio Ops at WNYC to go to Z100 
>  (1988), our NPR dish atop the Municipal Building was badly snowed in. My 
> boss 
>  found a paint product called "Vellox" that allegedly would repel moisture, 
> and 
>  was claimed to be a godsend for satellite dishes. So, I ordered a couple 
of 
>  cans and the following summer they applied it. Had to paint an undercoat, 
> then 
>  the Vellox slippery stuff. Some time later when I was there visiting, they 
>  showed me a photo of the dish. Covered in snow. So much for easy 
solutions. 
> I 
>  recommend a heater.   :-)

Our dish has a cover, so a heater wouldn't do much for it... unless it blew 
warm air at the cover. Believe me, I *have* thought of putting a small 
forced-air portable heater out there, under the cover... but that would mess-up the 
focus of the signal, so it's not a viable option.

The dish is at a fairly steep angle. The cover is virtually flat, and even at 
that steep angle, the stupid wet snow sticks like oatmeal mixed with glue. It 
takes some doing to broom the thing off!

Willie...