[BC] Re: Sat dishes vs snow

[Sherrod Munday]

On Wednesday 04 January 2006 23:24, Sherrod Munday wrote:
> Get a standard hardware or country supply store tarp (or Wally World for
> those of you that are corporate America nuts ;-), stretch it across the
> dish aperature, and stick a little ceramic heater inside it. ?Plug it into
> a thermostat-controlled outlet set for 35-40 degrees or so, and leave it
> alone.

Cowboy had it right on several regards:  All heat inside a covered dish is 
going to lose heat due to radiation and convection from all surfaces, 
including the back side of the dish reflector (where you probably really 
don't care about it unless you're worried about the weight of the ice).  

Some appropriately cut and shaped Styrofoam or other insulation could be 
applied to the back of the dish to keep the dish from radiating its heat out 
the back but instead keep all the heat where it's needed between the dish and 
its cover.  Even if the dish isn't covered and you're just trying to use 
those strip heaters attached to the dish, it would still help to insulate the 
back so you aren't losing heat into the air behind the dish.

All of this could be judged by the locally-determined question of "is it worth 
the trouble?" to insulate or cover dishes.  Here in the D/FW Texas area, the 
answer is no, but we only get a few ice storms every few years.  Snow isn't a 
real big problem. ;-)
-- 
Sherrod Munday <smunday at srnradio.com>
Technical Director
Salem Radio Network    (972) 831-1920