Can direct tv satellite be hooked up in an apt that has no outside access for dish installation?

Question

If i were able to point the dish out of a window, which direction in the sky does it need to be pointing at if i live in Tampa FL?

Answer 1

i have friends that live in an apartment and they have a satellite dish and they just have it on the ground outside. But the direction would all depend what is best for the signal and your wouldn't know until you hooked it up.

Answer 2

This is a difficult situation. There is actually Federal guidelines that prohibit Landowners from refusing you to use a dish on the exterior of a building, unless it's physically impossible to do so. Getting that enforced is another matter though. Back to your question:

I have personally used a Dish through a window opening, however in my case I had to have the window open to do so. Most glass these days includes elements that will weaken the signal too much for you to use if the dish was simply in front of a window. It's also hard to always match up the correct angle to point your dish at.

BTW, the satellite will NOT be due west from your location. All the TV sats are lined up in an arc 22000 miles above the equator.. the sat will be somewhat SW of your position; the exact angle to point at though would best be provided by Direct TV. There are some online pointing calculators though that you can use, see the source calculator below for example.

Do you have a balconey of any kind? All kinds of mounts can be fabricated that do not attach to the building itself; one of the best is a pole mount that uses a bucket of cement to anchor the antenna.

Answer 3

The satellite for DirecTV is located over Texas so you would need to point it due West. I don't know the bearing or inclination your dish would need to be set at.

Have you asked your Landlord if you can mount the dish on the outside of the building? My Step-Daughter's Landlord said it would be fine at her place. They don't cause any permanent damage. Besides, I've never heard of a Dish being installed inside a house/apartment.