I am moving to a new apartment next week, and am considering my options for TV. The basic cable package around here with digital cable ends up being around $42/month. DirecTV seems to be around $31 plus some miscellaneous fees. I don't care about most of the extra channels or whatever, but I was considering going the DirecTivo route.

The one thing I'm concerned about with DirecTV is rain fade. I've heard varying accounts of how much the weather affects DirecTV reception, so I'd like some input from anyone out there who's got one. It still remains to be seen if I will be able to find a place to mount the dish where I can see the DirecTV satellite.. How do I figure that out? DirecTV's page says my Azimuth angle is 228. I'm guessing that measures 228 degrees from due north, but in which direction?

Anyway I pulled up an aerial view of my soon-to-be apartment complex and I circled my building. This image was pulled from MapQuest which I am pretty sure orients all of their images with due north facing up. The red line facing southwest-ish is my back patio, the green facing southeast-ish is my bedroom window on the first floor. I figure one of these is where I'll put the dish, since I read the satellite is somewhere in the Southern hemisphere.

So, after all that, is there anyone who, after looking at that picture, and knowing something about DirecTV and the fact that my azimuth angle is 228 degrees, has any idea if I'd be able to get to the DirecTV satellite? My elevation angle is like 37 or so, and I'm very certain that I have that angle unobstructed all the way around. I'm just concerned about finding a good place for the dish, I read that putting it in a window can cause problems. Also, some comments on the effects of rain and snow would be helpful in my decision.

Thanks, all.