Best Satellite TV Dish Reviews 2018

Satellite TV dishes go for a wide range of prices, from as low as about $75 to as much as $300 plus. Quite a few factors affect price, such as the presence of a tripod stand and the size of the dish. Since a larger dish gives more channels, it naturally costs more than a smaller one, and of course, a tripod stand in your kit equals more money.

There are quite a number of cheap satellite TV dishes available in the market today and they could be tempting to get. But before you decide to buy, you might want to consider the fact that most of these dishes are unnecessarily difficult to install and cannot stand up to the demands of harsh weather conditions. Wouldn’t you rather just get a quality, howbeit slightly expensive, product?

Here are some features to look out for when deciding on a satellite TV dish:

• Type
• Low Noise Block Downconverter Type
• Appearance
• Size

Let’s get into the details already!

You need to consider the type of satellite TV dish you plan on getting along with its appearance. Knowing a little more on these topics is going to be really helpful when you’re out shopping for one, so we presented some info on each topic below.

Type

There are two basic types of satellite dishes: the stationary, and the motorized. We will discuss each briefly.

Stationary Satellite Dish: This is a little inconvenient to own as receiving signals can be a bit of a chore. Since it cannot rotate electronically, you’d have to physically align it with a geosynchronous satellite, and yes, it’s every bit as stressful as it sounds.

You can usually find this type in a wide range of sizes. But for more signals, you’d have to go for the larger ones. Stationary satellite dishes are quite limited in that they have difficulties in picking up signals that aren’t close together in location, unless they are manually adjusted.

Motorized Satellite Dish: This type is kinda like the opposite of the stationary. It comes with a built-in motor that works with a remote to adjust the dish to whatever position. Ahhhh... yes… sweet, blissful convenience. As a result, it is able to pick up a wide range of signals regardless of their location, and the good news is that most of these signals are actually free.

But there’s a drawback though. Most motorized dishes are large, like when we say “large”, we mean “large.” So, if your neighborhood is already clustered, it might present a problem.

Appearance

Lastly, in this section, we will talk about appearance…

First off, satellite dishes do not come in a variety of colors. Well, it’s not like the color impacts the output though, so that shouldn’t be a big deal. But then, because satellites aren’t exactly the cutest things you’d ever find in a building, you’d have to learn to place them properly in a place where they won’t be visually appalling, like close to the chimney or the shrubs, or on the rear wall of your building. Just make sure it’s not in a place where the signal could be blocked.

There are two things that will most affect the performance and ease of use you get from your satellite TV dish: its size and its Low Noise Block Downconverter (or LNB) type. Below is some more information on both of these topics.

Size

The size of your dish plays a vital role in its performance, as it determines the number of channels your unit will be able to receive. So, the larger the surface area of your dish, the more channels you can receive. Another plus for larger satellite dishes is that they tend to be more durable under adverse weather conditions such as storms, winds, or snow. Only issue, like we have seen before, is that they can be quite unappealing to the eyes.

Low Noise Block Downconverter Type

Next, let’s talk about the LNB…

The LNB is what is known in full as the Low Noise Block Downconverter. Yeah, we know, pretty big vocabs, but the bottom-line is that it contributes to the output of your dish. It’s actually the little arm that juts out of your dish and helps to convert signals which are sent down through the cable and into your receiver. There are different types.

Sky LNB/ Universal LNB: This type is specifically designed for Sky dishes and is compatible with both zones 1 and 2.

Single-line LNB: This is designed to receive and send only one signal to one receiver alone.

Dual Band LNB: This type can receive multiple signals.

Multi LNB: This uses a coaxial cable to send signals to multiple receivers.

When choosing an LNB, you should consider the number of TVs and receivers the satellite dish is supposed to serve. If it’s just one, a single-line will do, but if you have quite a number, then you know you have to go for a multi-LNB.