A satellite dish is an antenna designed to focus on a specific broadcast source. The standard dish consists of a parabolic (bowl-shaped) surface and a central feed horn. A controller sends it through the horn, and the dish focuses the signal into a relatively narrow beam.
A narrow beam is generated as the dish reflects energy from the feed horn. The dish on the receiving end can only receive information; it cannot transmit information. The receiving dish works in the exact opposite way of the transmitter. When a beam hits the curved dish, the parabola shape reflects the radio signal inward onto a particular point, just like a concave mirror focuses light onto a particular point. The curved dish focuses incoming radio waves onto the feed horn.The feed horn then passes the signal onto the receiving equipment. Ideally, there will be no obstructions, such as trees to interferewith the signal from the satellite to the satellite dish. With no obstructionsyou receive a much clearer signal. Some systems are set up to receive signals from more than one satellite.A new dish design uses two or more horns to pick up different satellite signals. As the beams from different satellites hit the curved dish, they reflect at different angles so that one beam hits one of the horns and another beam hits a different horn. The central element in the feed horn is the LNB (low noise blockdown converter) The LNB amplifies the radio signal bouncing off the dish and filters out the noise (radio signals not carrying programming). The LNB passes the amplified, filtered signal to the satellite receiver inside the viewer's house. A cable is run from the satellite dish into the house and then connects to thesatellite TV receiver (black box) thus completing the connection.
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Satellite Orbits
Any object that moves around the earth has an orbit. The orbit is defined by 3 factors. The first is the shape of the orbit, which can be circular or elliptical. The second is the altitude of the orbit. The altitude is constant for a circular orbit but changes constantly for an elliptical orbit. The third factor is the angle the orbit makes with the equator. An orbit that brings the satellite over the poles or close to it has a large angle. An orbit that makes the satellite stay close to the equator has a small angle.
DirecTV and DISH Network Merger
It was in October 2001 that General Motors Hughes (Parent company of Direct TV) and EchoStar Communications Corp., trader of Dish Network agreed to a merger. The new company would have improved the services for satellite TV clients by adding many HDTV channels and local channels would then be available to all satellite TV viewers.
Satellite TV Reception
You are sitting at home, watching TV, and while your show is entertaining you, outside the weather is getting worse. It starts raining, the wind is getting stronger, but your Satellite Antenna is doing its work as if it is a sunny quiet day.
