Like any other outdoor structure a satellite dish will be subject to wind loading. Large dishes in particular can experience very large wind loads. Wind loadings increase with height above the ground so roof mounted antennas will be subject to higher wind loadings than antennas mounted at ground level. Generalising, tropical and coastal regions suffer higher wind gust speeds than inland areas. But for large installations the wind data for the local area should be consulted.
The wind loading will need to be considered when assessing the required size of the concrete foundations and strength of mounting hardware. Some dish suppliers have offered dishes with different wind speed ratings. For example the wind loading of a mesh style dish is considerably less than for a solid dish. For motorised antennas it is a good practice to "park" the antenna when it is not in use to minimise wind loading. This means pointing the dish directly upwards.
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