Some people are content to sit back and enjoy their new satellite network dish with no concern for how it actually works. Others are not so passive. Were you the kind of kid who wasn't satisfied until you had taken everything apart and figured out how it worked? If this sounds like you, then here are a few basic explanations of how your satellite TV service works.



Satellite TV systems are the result of many other kinds of satellite technology. Everything from radio signals to police communication devices use satellite dishes to communicate with satellites that are orbiting the planet.

The signals transmitted use your network dish to eliminate the need for thousands of miles of wire and cable that are ordinarily used to transmit any kind of data signal, whether it is a phone conversation or your favorite television station.

Satellite TV service occurs because of the dish's shape, known as "parabolic". Parabolic essentially means that it is a conic section, or an inverted curve, generated by a circular dip into a surface of some sort.

There's all sorts of math equations that can accurately describe this better, but if you're ever driven past a satellite dish or stared at your own, you know what parabolic is.

This parabolic surface provides satellite TV service in that it sends the signal and reflects it to the focal point, usually the satellite. The network dish uses a low-noise block down converter or LNB to convert the signals your dish gets from the satellite into electric energy, thus turning the electromagnetic energy from the satellite into television channels for you to watch.

Most of the dishes used for television purposes in today's day and age are in a fixed position, but many other dishes are not fixed. They actually move to get clearer shots at the signal.

If you have an Echostar dish from DISH Network, that dish does not need to move to get the signal because of its design.

It includes several technological gadgets and pieces to grab the signal from the satellite dish, as long as the network dish points in the right direction, usually south.

Though you don't really need to understand the intricate details of how your network dish works, the knowledge may help you when the time comes to make decisions about upgrades or additional services. If nothing else, this knowledge will help give you a greater appreciation for the technology that you have at your fingertips.

As the field continues to grow, this base of knowledge will help you understand the changes and improvements made.