Satellite Dish

A satellite dish is a type of parabolic antenna designed with the specific purpose of transmitting signals to and/or receiving from a satellite. A satellite dish is a particular type of microwave antenna. Satellite dishes come in varying sizes and designs, and are most commonly used to receive satellite television.

Modern dishes intended for home television use are generally 18" to 31" in width and are fixed in one position. This type of system is referred to as direct broadcast satellite.

Systems commonly used with communications satellites for Ku-Band free-to-air and ethnic broadcast reception use a slightly larger antenna, typically about one metre in size.

Older types of home satellite dishes, called television receive-only or TVRO, were several feet in width and had motors which could position the dish to receive signals from several different satellites.

A common misconception is that the LNBF (Low-Noise Block/Feedhorn), the device at the front of the dish, receives the signal directly from the atmosphere. See, for instance, this BBC News countdown that shows a data stream"being received directly instead of being beamed to the satellite dish.