Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 22, 1999 10:13pm | #1

   *
   I did mine in the rain BUT the cables were already available in the house. I just need to get the satellite cable to the house box. Please be sure you have the correct cable. There are many types coaxial cables. Crimping the connectors area breeze. We we used a poly sulfide cauck under the the mount and around the lag bolts on the side of the house.

   My bigest problem was getting it pointed correctly. I had the general area but holding it in place while you tightened it was the best part. i turned up the sound on the TV and listened to the signal noise and that helped a lot.

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 22, 1999 11:19pm | #2

   *The Sony dishes are easy to tune as they have a convenient signal-strength LED on the back of the LNB. Make sure you have a CLEAR line-of sight before you drill any holes. Plan for any future tree branch growth or high winds blowing branches in front of the dish. After everything is mounted, tighten all of the screws and bolts so that it takes some force to move the dish. This will make sweeping the horizon and azimuth adjustments easier to sneak up on.

2. 
   funb10 | Jun 23, 1999 12:06am | #3

   *
   Thanks for the responses. I'm hoping it will go smooth. We have a great line of sight, but it is from the roof, not the side of the house. Has anyone mounted the dish directly on a roof? Can it be done? I'll have to read the book to get all the details, but I'm just curious.

3. 
   Guest_ | Jun 26, 1999 05:18am | #4

   *
   Another question: Does the coaxial cable need to be spaced away from line voltage when run through walls and ceilings?

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 26, 1999 06:41am | #5

   *coax doesn't absolutely have to be spaced away but depends on the cable you use so always best to keep a foot clearance, especially with high current lines. And when you cross a line cable try to do so perpendicular to the line cable.

4. 
   corky_ | Jun 26, 1999 07:29am | #6

   *
   Hope this isn't too late too help....
   1. The actual location of the satellite is approximately 20 degrees above the angle of the satellite. If you eyeball down the lnb arm, this will not be the location of the satellite in the sky. You can find the elevation angles for your location at http://www.dbsdish.com. Use a protractor to find the correct angle. I attach the protractor to a small level to survey the location.
   2. You really don't want to install the dish on the roof if you can help it. Any penetrations to the roof or shingle structure can only lead to problems.
   3. An installation on the side of the house, using the self install kit is a much more professional installation.
   4. If you need to do any cutting and crimping of the RG-6 cable, buy the cutting tool and crimping tool from Radio Shack. You can purchase both of these tools for less than $25. Don't go cheap on the cables or connectors.
   5. By using good quality cables and connectors you will not have to worry about stringing the cables by power cables.
   6. Be neat with the running of the cables. I see many installations that are sloppy and unprofessional looking, even from "professional" installations!
   7. Make sure that the pole that the dish is installed on is dead level vertical. This makes tweaking the dish much easier.
   8 Good Luck! The hardest part is getting started.

1. 
   garyg_ | Jun 30, 1999 11:34pm | #7

   *Great advice. I would just add that even though the coax is easy to splice in connectors, you should be aware that id you have problems in the future, you will end up tracing the connections. Therefore: be sure to buy top quality wire, carefully fold back ALL the wire just below the insulation jacket. Any of these thin wires touching anything else can cause a bad signal. Also, always make "Home Runs" directly from splitters to wall jacks. This makes tracing bad connections much simpler. Finally I would add that you want to attach the dish as extremely solidly as you can to structural members of the house. Any wiggle in the mount will forever give you troubles tuning.

5. 
   funb10 | Jul 06, 1999 06:43pm | #8

   *
   I finally succumbed and purchased a Sony Sat. dish and plan to install it this weekend with the "Self Install" kit that came with my purchase. Any words of wisdom to someone about to drill some holes in the side of the house and try my hand at cabling?