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Ok - this is a new one for me. Found a DirectTV dish wires and all lying curbside today - actually drove past it but it was still there on my way home so I picked it up. Anyone have any experience with these?? Should they be scrapped or is there value intact? Seems an odd thing to put by the curb, I would think DirectTv would want it back, but I really have no clue. Thanks in advance...

I haven't scrapped any satellite dishes but there are other uses for them. Some people claim with some work you can use them to get free to air satellite channels. I have also seen on you tube where guys are using them to make solar cookers using reflective film made for home and automobile applications.

Satellite Dish Solar Collector/Cooker

scrap steel thats it!

Yepper, just switched to DishNetwork from DirectTV. They came and replaced the 'dish'. Just scrap metal...and very light. The actual round dish part could be bent in half without much effort. Scrap is scrap!

Thanks for the replies guys! The solar cooker deal has interesting value in a SHTF scenario. I'll probably mess around with it a little, just to check out what's inside, maybe keep the dish and scrap the rest. Just thought it was something new/interesting to find by the roadside.

marhjan wrote:Found a DirectTV dish wires and all lying curbside today ...

It can also be used as a reflector for extending the range of your personal LAN (or to parasite off a free WI-FI). Hook up two, facing each other. As I recall, you have to extend the thing the original horn was on to get the antenna out to the focal point. I ran acros this while doing research for something else.

FCC regs apply regarding signal strength, so the really big dishes might get you in trouble if you try using one of them instead. I used a cantenna, until the ISP folded.

Sound like you found a birdbath? The birds love mine