HAL9000... Any tips for a person thinking about switching from cable to Dish? Time Warner is still increasing their rates so I'm looking into alternatives and Dish seems to be good.
If you have ice storms, consider installing a short pole for mounting your dish on the ground instead of the roof, as I mentioned in the previous post. If the installer puts your dish on the roof, you may lose reception if your dish gets covered in sleet and ice. The ground-level dish can be easily de-iced with a pitcher of warm water.
If you do install your own pole, you may need to do some research to make sure it is installed where satellite reception will be available. You may have to aim through a bunch of trees like I did, which could be tricky. I used a good compass to find a location with the best angles. Check the Dish Network/DirecTV web sites to get the azimuth/elevation angles for your location. Then you need a bag of Quik-rete and a fence post level to set it straight. Also, try to make sure that the installer grounds the dish grounded properly. Most installers don't bother with that.
If your satellite provider doesn't carry your local channels, you will need a separate antenna for local broadcast stations. There is a special type of splitter called a "Diplexer" (available at Lowes) that can combine your satellite cable and your antenna cable into a single cable.
If you live in a storm-prone area, be sure to install antenna lighting arrestors and surge protectors.