Recommended Tests

Is your WildBlue dish grounded???  Attached to a house of roof there should be a green wire leading to a grounding point or the one will get almost unexpected results. There is a ground screw on the back edge of the modulator on the satellite dish.  Not connected to a sewer stand pipe or chimney.. A water pipe or electrical meter grounding rod.  Probably not connected to a television antenna, unless there is a superior separate ground wire.  The WildBlue is connected not to the pole, but the ground wire itself.  Consider this: what are your height constraints, are ther any radio/television, cell phone, utility towers in the area. Is the dish near the powerline ganghead.  Grounding and neutral planes are what stabilize the signal by actully giving good bounce to reflect off of into the transducer.

No, but grounding your transmitter will.  If you don't it will cause static to buildup in the modem, thus reducing performance.