Fitting a Satellite dish in the attic

flanzer

I've recently bought an top floor apartment with an attic and am due to move in in the next few weeks. My contract of purchase states that I cannot have a satellite attached to the externals of the building.
Someone told me that a Sky dish will work from the inside of an attic and pick up the signal thru the roof? Don't see how myself Anyone done that? Does it work?

Zaphod

You need either a window/skylight in the attic, or special tiles which are transparent to satellite signals - sold by a Swiss company IIRC.

If you have a balcony you could use a disguised dish:
http://www.digicams-uk.com/category20_1.htm

Or try a dish inside a window:
http://www.satlex.de/cgi/sub.image_window.php?lang=en&name=curiosities&pic=3

shabbyroad

if you have a balcony there might be nothing stopping you from putting a temporary dish on a pole housed in a large flowerpot (with concrete in it !)

have seen some people doing this in an apartment block nearby. might be worth looking into ?

flanzer

Super, Thanks for that!

maisflocke

shabbyroad wrote:

if you have a balcony there might be nothing stopping you from putting a temporary dish on a pole housed in a large flowerpot (with concrete in it !)

You can also make a permanent installation by clamping your dish to the inside of the balcony fencing, like I did.

no concrete flower-power needed

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/attachment.php?s=&postid=1342871

Greenman

flanzer wrote:

Super, Thanks for that!

So what have you decided???

Capt'n Midnight

You could mount the dish horizontally !

Normally the dish is vertical with a signal coming from a satellite about 1/4 of a right angle above the horizon. The LNB is at the focal point of a larger dish, part of which is the bit you have.

Can't find a pic but you are rotating the dish about 180 around the arm so the LNB is now above it - maybe someone has a link.

It would be nearly invisible from ground level - but a rain catcher if out in the open.

seano

or you could use a flat dish and when you go to work you could hang you washing on it to keep it out of sight

weehamster

Here try this.


The is a non penetrating roof mount. All you add is pavement slabs or bricks.

Ulsterman 1690

Sometimes that lining stuff*that goes under the rooftiles can block signals depending on what material its made out of

* Havent a clue what its called (Im not a builder) but Ive heard some of them are lined with metal foil to keep in heat. Maybe someone who knows a bit about roofing materials can confirm/debunk this

flanzer

Think I'll goes for what Zapho said!!
http://www.digicams-uk.com/prod30.htm
Though people will think I'm some sort of CIA Secret agent when I tell them what it is!!

Capt'n Midnight

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

Sometimes that lining stuff*that goes under the rooftiles can block signals depending on what material its made out of

* Havent a clue what its called (Im not a builder) but Ive heard some of them are lined with metal foil to keep in heat. Maybe someone who knows a bit about roofing materials can confirm/debunk this

Roof tiles are usually made of concrete about an inch thick, also in this part of the world you can assume that it's wet concrete. At best (downhill with the wind behind you) At 2.4GHz the attenuation is over 18dB, - every 6dB corresponds to a dish twice the diameter - so instead of a 60cm dish you would need something like 4.8m :eek:

Ok satellite runs at a frequency 4 times higher and the losses would be different but you get the general idea..

el Bastardo

Failing all that, try an parasol stand (e.g. the water filled ones). It's done the trick for me with a large dish (not a whole satellite!) indoors.

Zaphod

Ronan|Raven

They had article about this very thing in an issue of tele-satellite a few months back. I will look for my copy and scan it in for yea if I find it.

Zaphod

Issue 10/11 2004 - where the above pic comes from!

Greenman

Ronan|Raven wrote:

They had article about this very thing in an issue of tele-satellite a few months back. I will look for my copy and scan it in for yea if I find it.

Off topic but thats a great mag, well worth a purchase. I buy it from time to time, great hard copy freq chart inside!!!

doh.ie

Also this product is a potential:
http://www.smssat.biz/product.php?3200259

Can't vouch for it, haven't used it - but I do know that a dish will work inside a window, even a 40cm Sky UK minidish, perfectly well. I have a Sky+ set up just like that, no problems on any channel with very strong signal/quality measurements.

flanzer

I might look at getting a mini dish. With some of the above, the neighbours might think I'm working for George W!!

Zaphod

doh.ie wrote:

Also this product is a potential:
http://www.smssat.biz/product.php?3200259

The 'pipe antenna' is a neat idea, but any reviews of it have been very negative. Poor construction and poor performance.

A transparent dish is another possibility:
http://www.satellitesuperstore.com/fixed-dishes.htm (1/3 down page)

doh.ie

flanzer wrote:

I might look at getting a mini dish. With some of the above, the neighbours might think I'm working for George W!!

And, of course, main thing is to make sure that you're facing south (where the sun appears at around 11am) so you know for sure that your window/balcony will be able to pick up the Astra 2 satellite.

Macy

Greenman wrote:

Off topic but thats a great mag, well worth a purchase. I buy it from time to time, great hard copy freq chart inside!!!

Is that a concensus on the best mag? Is it subscription only or would easons etc have it?

Ronan|Raven

Easons are the official distributor for it in ireland, you may need to order it from yer local newsagents who get it from them anyway or direct from the website. Its a great magazine lots of interesting reviews and not as mnay ads as most.

Zaphod

Painting a dish:
http://www.silvertv.co.uk/aerial/discrete_satellite_dish.htm

Dish in attic with skylight + camouflaging:
http://www.selkirkshire.demon.co.uk/analoguesat/paintingdishes.html

Dish on balcony horizontally mounted:
http://www.catv-sat.ch/liegend.htm

Zaphod

And sat reception from dish behind a window - by way of a car tyre!
http://www.selkirkshire.demon.co.uk/analoguesat/windowdish2.html

Zaphod

http://www.logmonster.com/images/full/?pic=Picture%20054_1136546086-1-4718.jpg

Zaphod

Pic showing that offset dishes, including those behind glass, don't 'aim' where you might expect them to. If this was a prime dish, it would be blocked by the wall:



as per the theory:
http://bytelive.com/wiki/tiki-index.php?page=Where+to+point+the+Dish%3F

Zaphod

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW85vLA4xnM

www.drdish-tv.com

Zaphod

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W59QZbUs_2M

www.drdish-tv.com

Zaphod

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxM5xT8v6bM

www.drdish-tv.com

Zaphod

Another discreet dish design - the Selfsat. The quoted dish gain of 33 dB puts it on a par with a 45cm dish.



According to the FAQ it's based on a "horn array antenna". Existing flat panels, like the Attisat, are based on phased arrays. And any horn antennas I've seen are pretty distinctive looking. So not exactly sure if this is really a new design or not.