In Reply to: DSS Dish antenna posted by KoolFind on February 17, 2001 at 15:08:16:
When I was 10 I put my mag-mount CB stick in a shortbread cookie tin and aimed it at my buddies house. I swear to god I got more gain this way. I am not a CB'er, and in fact, I now think that CB sucks. I mean who the hell would I want to talk to who is willing to use a CB anyway? Ever notice all the dudes who have linears SOUND LIKE THE SAME GUY?! Kinda weird and frightening, but this is a social issue and I can get distracted a million different ways. ANYWAYS! Yes you can bring your gain up (a little bit) by bouncing waves back onto your receptor, or your LNA, or whatever antenna (even if the surface reflection is not optimized to your working frequency). However, I agree with all the replies you got, a directional yagi would just be an awesome solution for your problem, and would surpass any attempt to get directional DB gain from your old DIRECTV dish. Although in my opinion, your idea is an improvement over just having a stick in the air. There is a LOT of black magic involved in the design of this sort of thing, and I dont hold steadfast to any notion of the "RIGHT" antenna. Find what works best for you, experiment. This is one of the greatest aspects of this hobby. Happy Scanning!:)