Layering up to work in the cold

Dan Dahlgren of Rock Island hops inside his van, turns the ignition and blasts the heat.

He has spent hours climbing ladders installing satellite TV dishes to Quad-Citians' roofs.

Regardless of Tuesday's frigid single temps, business for Dahlgren, who works for a local DirecTV contractor, was no less busy than on any other day of the year.

And being that it was New Year's Eve only added to the number of service calls.

"Try to keep as much skin as possible covered," Dahlgren advises, as the wind chill makes the outside temperature feel like it's below zero.

One installation job takes at least an hour. Tuesday had him zipping from Bettendorf to Long Grove, Iowa, and back to Davenport.

He ascends a ladder with an ice scraper or a snow brush in hand. He clears away ice or snow from an area where he'll install a dish.

He points the dish south or southeast to get the best connection.

In conditions such as Tuesday's, he's careful about drilling into vinyl siding, as it easily cracks in the cold. Then he loops the wires through the holes.

He said working in the snow is the "fun part," and being originally from Minnesota, he's used to freezing weather.

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Layering up to work in the cold