I remember the C Band days (that Chaparral reciver and 10 ft dish was nice).
What I don't get is that, since we know a larger dish size reduces rain fade, why didn't DirecTV go with that concept from the beginning or perhaps go that route a few years after they arrived on the satt scene? Cost? That's my 1st guess, but it would seem that they would have saved themselves $$'s in the long run with the competitor's counterpoint of "no rain fade with our svc", etc.
I had a Chaparral Monterey 50 for 16 years then upgraded to the 4DTV. I had my 12 foot bud since 1989 and will not part with it.
As far as (excuse the term I'm in LSD territory) pizza dishes go, they are ascetically pleasing. Direct knows bigger is better but ignores it because sales would fall off.