Oh, sure. Could easily have done that, if it wasn't needed. I actually left it up there, because... well, long story involving needing additional antenna outputs to feed additional new receivers.
I've tossed a few dishes so far that came down during house renovations (actually, put them in the recycled metal pile at the landfill; I'm SOMEWHAT eco-friendly). Each time, DirecTV told me they didn't want them back. They always SAY they want the receiver back, but never send me the box to ship it, so I'm guessing that it's not really valuable to them if it's not fairly new.