So, I just moved to a new apratment. The cable system offered there sucks, so I was thinking of getting a satellite dish. I can get away with one that’s only 20" across, but can’t put it outside the building, since I’m only renting.
There is space on the back porch, but a sheet of glass due south and I can’t het rid of that.
I want the SD now: Can I get reception through the glass. I’ve asked in some stores and one guy said “Yup” and another siad “Nope.” I don’t wanna spend $500 and discover it won’t work.
Radio waves travel through glass just fine. Want an example you can see every day? Look at a radar detector.
Satellite broadcasts are in the S/C/Ku/Ka bands, all microwave.
Police radar are in the X/K/Ka bands again all microwave.
Police radar goes through the windshield of a police cruiser off your car and back through their windshield with no problems, or alternately through their windshield and yours to your radar detector.
If microwaves did not pass easily through glass, radar units and detectors would have to be located with the transmitting and receiving antennas outside the car.
When Charlie Ergen was launching DISH network, I went to an investor presentation where he demonstrated the product. The dish was behind the glass in a hotel.
Note, though that it was a newer hotel. Older glass may pose challenges, as noted. Also, Charlie said something to the effect of “this isn’t really supposed to work, but there you go.” So I wouldn’t expect the satellite company to offer any guarantees.
<dredging up Dr. Ho’s lectures on conductive reflectors>
One thing that might be a cause for concern is if the window is screened. If there’s a metal mesh on the outside, it might block the signal (most window screen meshes are about the right size to block microwaves). That’s why there’s a metal screen in the doors of microwave ovens. A grounded conductor acts as a reflector to radio waves, but even an ungrounded mesh could cause significant attenuation.
As noted, other rules in Sweden. Putting up a dish outside the balcony/ back porch, say on the railing of said porch, gives the landlord reason to demand I take it down. If I don’t, the company can terminate the contract.
No window screen.
As Duck Duck noted, the jury is still out. I’ve googled too. I’ve searched on websites from companies making the dishes, and it’s still a big maybe. I can always take the damned thing back (also - other rules here), but would be happy not to have to going through all the trouble of putting it up, only to discover it didn’t work.
UHF and VHF antennas are routinely installed in enclosures such as radomes. Fiberglass reinforced epoxy is a common material for such use. The attentuation will depend upon the dielectric losses in the glass, but most window glass is pretty transparent.
As I was saying with the radar example, glass is transparent to microwaves.
Other examples: Glass is a good container for stuff in a microwave oven. If glass was not transparent to microwaves it would not be. I was also a radar technician for 8 years. High powered radars used pressurized waveguides to prevent sparking. The ends of the waveguide must be sealed to hold the air and be transparent to microwave, they are often glass or ceramic based. Back to police radar, not only does that microwave pass right through windscreens on the cars no problem, the freqency ranges overlap with those used by sattelite.
I would say the jury is in.
As long as the dish would have a clear site of the sattelite through the window it will work just fine. Even if it doesn’t have a completely clear site, it will probably be fine if the window frames and surrounding wall don’t have a significant metal (conductor) content.
"it will probably be fine if the window frames and surrounding wall don’t have a significant metal (conductor) content.
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yes, but glass has lead & lead is a metal so one would think you can’t do this. Of course, you could always visit a glass shop & get a new window that has low lead
Tinted glass can contain metals used in the tinting process. A ham-radio friend tested our tall building (with tinted windows) and found a greater than 50% signal strength loss through the glass.
Home glass probably wouldn’t have this problem. How 'bout mounting to an exterior post or tree?
Here’s Yet another page with some discussion about putting a dish indoors. It sounds like good reception depends on lots of things, so even if Cecil himself said he got his dish working indoors, it doesn’t mean yours will.
One point mentioned is “Should the glass have an electrically conducting layer for heat insulation purposes then you are in real trouble as there is little you can do.” I believe this refers to “low E” glass. Does your glass appear tinted at all?
The advice to try putting sheets of glass or plexiglass on the window (if you have problems with reception) would be worth trying.
