# Satellite TV Dish

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-dish/138042>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 21, 2002, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-dish/138042 "2002-11-21T23:02:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-dish/138042/1 "2002-11-21T23:02:25Z")

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When I look out my window, (I have just the one window.) I can see the roofs of neighboring buildings. There are half a dozen of those small satellite TV dishes. Well the other day I notice they are all facing the other way. They had been pointing towards the northwest, now they face the southeast. Why? What happen?

While we are talking about satellites, what is the useful lifetime of satellites?  
What happens to them when they no longer work?  
Will they fall back to earth?

Thank you.

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-dish/138042/2 "2002-11-22T00:19:28Z")

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It would have never have pointed towards the N anythiing unless you are in the southern hemp.

Direct tv an\d dish network are 2 different sats. and are in different positions but all are over the equator.

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-dish/138042/3 "2002-11-22T00:45:44Z")

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Southern hemp? I hear that’s real good sh!t, man.

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**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-dish/138042/4 "2002-11-22T01:11:06Z")

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Southern hemp must be what **fogmage** was smokin’ cause a non-movable dish has to point to a geo-staionary bird, and they have to be over the equator…

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**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-dish/138042/5 "2002-11-22T01:21:30Z")

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It could be that one of the satellite providers (most likely Echostar) has moved local channels or some other programming popular in your area to another satellite.

The dishes will still face south, of course (toward the equator), but Dish has satellites from 61W longitude (over Brazil) to 148W (the geographic center of nowhere, southeast of Hawaii.

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**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellite-tv-dish/138042/6 "2002-11-22T03:18:57Z")

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Well I’m not smoking anything, maybe its the meds. :D(Drugs you got to love them.)  
I can’t find my compass or binoculars right now, but I’m sure that the dishes have been moved since they first showed up.

What about the other questions?