Big ugly dish

A big ugly dish is a colloquial name for a satellite dish used to receive satellite television signals on the C band. A BUD is usually about ten feet or three metres in diameter, which has been the source of much consternation (even local zoning disputes) to neighbors of those with the dishes. The dish is typically made of fiberglass, or a metal mesh which sheds snow and is less unsightly.

Recently, direct broadcast satellite (DBS) services such as DirecTV in North America and Astra and Hotbird in Europe have eliminated the need for BUDs. Signals in the Ku band are higher in power, therefore require smaller dishes than a BUD, and the digital signals now used require far less signal strength at the receiver. For this reason, small dishes roughly 18" or 50cm in diameter are now used for DBS.