Perhaps you can install the system yourself. If you can drill a hole into the wall of your house, read a compass, climb a ladder, and use socket wrenches, you probably can do it.
As you read, you will be deciding where to put the DISH, how to distribute the signal to all your TV's and VCR's, where the coax enters the house, and where the grounding block will be. In general, position the DISH for visibility to the satellite. Inside, distribute the signal to all your TV's and VCR's with either new cable along baseboards, inside walls, or using existing cables in the walls, or wireless distribution. Bring the coax into the house at the closest point to the interior cabling. Put the grounding block on the coax at the point closest to your existing electrical service ground rod (near the meter).
Although various products and dealers are mentioned below, they are not the only products that will do the job, I can't vouch for quality, and there are lots of other dealers local and on the Internet who carry them.
Note: Some of these suggestions were plagiarized from others on the Internet.
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If you live in the 48 contiguous states and have a clear line-of-sight to the satellites, you are in luck. Those in Puerto Rico will need to buy at least a 1.6-meter dish such as the Channel Master to get enough of the signal. I don't know about Alaska and Hawaii, but I am guessing that in Hawaii you will need a larger dish. Discuss it with a local dealer and EchoStar.
What they will give you, for your zipcode, is the azimuth. This is the actual compass reading you need, the "magnetic" bearing, which is the direction in degrees. (This is not the so-called "True" bearing, which you do not need.) They will also give you the satellite's incline (elevation), in degrees, which is how high the satellite is above the horizon.
Virus alert: Speaking of downloading programs - don't download from anywhere a program called DSS.EXE promising free satellite TV. It contains a virus.
A new FCC regulation preempts any Home Owner's Association's, condo CC&R, and zoning laws that restrict small dishes on your property or "Exclusive Use Area". You don't need permission; just install it now. Then notify them, if you like, referencing the FCC ruling. Read http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Cable/Orders/1996_TXT/fcc96328.txt and http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Factsheets/otafacts.html. The SBCA (Satellite Broadcasting & Communications Association) 703-549-6990, and at http://www.sbca.com supports these rights. Also, in California the Davis-Stirling act says that HOAs cannot impose unreasonable restrictions on the installation of your dish on a common area structure. Your state may not be so liberal.
Unfortunately, renters still have to deal with the landlord first.
In my opinion, you don't need the "Installation Kit". There are no special magic parts; they are all common items available at hardware stores and radio/TV parts stores. The DISH manual explains how to install everything and what parts are required. This is the "Optional Installation Kit"
Figure out which parts you really need and get them locally. For what it's worth, this is what I needed (everybody is different):
Since the grounding block is installed outdoors, wrap it in "Connector Sealant" Radio Shack cat. No. 278-1645, Permatex Super Lube Gel, or CoaxSeal. This is important because there is a small DC current in the satellite dish coax (unlike Cable or TV antenna coax), so if you don't seal out moisture corrosion will be a big problem. The coax should have drip loops to keep water from running down the coax into the connections or house.
On the other hand, you can get this locally at a radio/TV part or hardware store. For example, use Belden 9114 or 1189A QUAD Shield RG6U. RG-6U is $0.16/ft at Home Depot. Crimping tool at Radio Shack $14. Connectors: One type is AUGAT Snap-N-Seal SN6; be sure to include nut w/recessed o-ring. You need the AUGAT special crimp tool to crimp and seal the connector.
The surge protector (surge suppressor) is, like the grounding block, not necessary to the operation of the dish, but you need it. Your DISH receiver, just like your computer, can be damaged by thunderstorms (rain or snow) anywhere in your area, which create static pulses on the phone line, power plug, and dish coax. This also protects you from power over-voltage and under-voltage. The grounding block (lightning arrestor) is not sufficient. Do not attempt to run the satellite connection through a surge protector designed for TV antenna or Cable.
Warning: EchoStar's warranty does not cover you for surge damage, and they will ask you to prove it wasn't surge.
You need one that can handle AC power, telephone, TV or Cable, and satellite dish antenna coax. You can use a single surge protector for each purpose. A switch on it would be nice, to turn power to your system off when a thunderstorm is likely or you leave for a few days. Prices vary, as does quality. You can get these cheap locally e.g. radio/TV part store, computer store, etc. but I don't know about quality. Make sure it is specifically rated for use with satellite dish frequencies (1450Mhz), not just TV or cable.
HiTech Industries, among others, strongly recommends the Panamax brand Powermax DBS + Surge Protector, $89. It's specifically made for DBS systems. It has four AC outlets, three sets (in and out) of coax connectors labeled Antenna, Satellite, and Additional TV, and one set of Telephone connectors. It comes with the 3-year DBS warranty, so if your DISH gets fried, they cover you.
An alternative product is at http://www.brickwall.com/.
There was a change to the DISH manual. My old one shows no such ground, probably because they knew the LNBF already connects the metal DISH arm to the coax shield. The newer manual has no text describing such a ground wire, but it has two new diagrams showing a wire clamped to the DISH mast foot going to the service ground rod. If you are grounding the coax, you should also ground the DISH mast foot. Clamp a ground wire to one of the bolts on the mast foot, mast, or DISH and run it to wherever the grounding block ground wire goes. At the ground rod, you need two separate ground clamps or one that is designed for two wires.
You have four choices.
Paraphrased from his Usenet post, here is Rod's alternative opinion (not mine) on grounding dishes that are on structures detached from the house:
If you are smart, you will not ground the antenna when it is on a structure detached from the house. Most people don't realize that it is ground skew, the difference in potential of several grounds, that results in burnt LNBF's or worse. The ground at the house is sufficient.
I have installed 400 C-band and DSS systems, and the worst and most repeated damage has been to systems grounded at both ends. What if you ground at the dish end? Well, the receiver will be grounded at its neutral wire to your house service ground, and that results in two grounds of different potentials. BOOM.
It took us several years to learn this. We began to realize the facts after looking at all our installs and realizing that we have NEVER had lightning damage to a system mounted on a roof isolated from ground. We had one customer put SIX ground rods in a radial pattern six feet from his dish. During the next storm he had the worst lightning damage I ever saw to a system.
I personally would not even go five feet away from my house and put in a ground rod because it will never be at the same potential as my house ground unless both ground rods were next to each other and the same depth.
Also, if you can get away with it, don't bury the cable.
My 2 cents,
Rod
The NEC electrical code seems to require a ground at the detached antenna structure, such as a separate ground rod at a separate garage or at a post in the yard. However, Rod may have a point. Perhaps his theory is that when a lot of current from lightning is flowing through the ground, it causes the two ground rods to be at different potentials (ground skew). This causes current spikes to flow through the coax sheath, and this causes damaging voltage spikes at the receiver input.
You don't have to put holes in your roof and seal them. If you have a tile roof, this may help you. Erik K. Sorgatz mailto:eks1@earthlink.net posted (and I paraphrase) this simple inexpensive roof DISH mounting method.
Be it house, duplex, townhouse, office, condo or even apartment building you probably have a vent pipe. Look approximately above the bathroom. Those vent pipes are strong enough to support a DISH. If it is plastic, a hurricane might cause the pipe to break with the DISH on it. You will have to decide.
Caution! Do NOT mount your DISH on a HOT stove vent pipe, or one from a water heater! This would be a building code violation in most states of the US. Besides, such vents are not constructed as strongly as vents for sewer, sink, etc.
You need two pieces of 1/4" threaded stock, 24" long each, and four washers, four lockwashers, four 1/4-24 nuts, and some duct tape, all for about $6.00 at a local hardware supply.
Wrap the duct tape around the whole vent pipe, spiraling upward, to electrically insulate the DISH "foot" mount and hardware from the vent (See "Hum Problems").
Bend the threaded stock around the taped vent pipe. Push it through the holes in the "foot" of the dish mount. Put on the washers, lockwashers, and nuts. Tighten the nuts gently. Align the boom approximately towards the satellite. Using the installation instructions in the DISH manual, find the satellite. Tighten the nuts snugly, but do not over-tighten. There is no need to put a death grip on it or bend anything. Make a convenient hole for the coax where you want it to go into the house, or use a flat window bypass at a door or window. Mount the grounding block next to the bypass or hole. Run a coax from the grounding block to the bypass, or into the hole, and seal the hole with silicone sealant. Run another coax from the DISH to the grounding block. The coax should have drip loops to keep water from running down the coax into the grounding block connections, flat bypass, or house. Run a ground wire from the grounding block to the electrical service ground rod. That's it.
Although EchoStar recommends you not install the DISH on a tile roof, an expert can do it using this mounting system designed for a solar panel.
To mount it on a shingled roof over an attic: On the roof, decide where you want the DISH. In the attic, drill a small pilot hole up through the roof on each side of the rafter where you want the DISH. Go back on the roof, seal the two holes with silicone sealant, and mount the dish foot over the holes using lag bolts screwed into the beam between the two pilot holes. Drill a larger hole for the coax where you want it to go into the house. Mount the grounding block beside it. Run the coax from the grounding block into the attic. Seal all penetrations with silicone sealant. The coax should have drip loops to keep water from running down the coax into the connections or house.
To mount the DISH to a chimney or brick wall, use the DISH foot as a guide and mark where to drill the holes in the brick or concrete. Do not drill into the mortar between the bricks. Using a 3/16" masonry drill bit, drill the holes. Insert Tapcon 1/4" x 2 1/4" screws from Home Depot. Then just screw on the DISH foot. There are no plugs to worry about. If you have to remove the dish for whatever reason, you won't have huge gaping holes in the brick.
Alternatively, you could buy a pair of ratchet-type chimney straps (perhaps better quality than Radio Shack), and install a 1 5/8-inch mast between the straps. Mount the dish to the mast.
You can install the dish on a post in the yard. It is made to clamp to a 1 5/8 inch outside-diameter mast (that bent pipe thing you get with the dish which you won't need now.) Any strong material for the post is fine, and galvanized steel is cheap. The building materials store (Home Depot, etc.) can sell you a 1 5/8 inch outside-diameter galvanized steel fence post pipe (used in chain-link fences) for $7 and a couple of bags of fence post mix (concrete) for a couple bucks. If necessary have them cut the pipe to the length you need. Hammer the end flat so the pipe can never turn once the concrete sets. Dig a hole big enough to dump the contents of the bags in. Three feet is more than plenty deep. Rip the bags and dump them in. Hose some water into it. Stick your pipe in, and make it vertical with a spirit level. After it firms up, put the dish on top. Be aware that the post provides the DISH with a little electrical grounding. See "Rod's alternative opinion on dish grounding". Rod would probably insulate the DISH hardware from the post.
Underground coax: Use only RG-6 coax that is rated for burial. Even so, varmints like gophers, moles, etc. can chew the jacket right off coax as if it was a vine. Bury cable in a PVC jacket, black 1/2" drip tube, or gray ABS plastic electric pipe. Your local Home Depot has PVC, some junctions and a couple of bends. Get it large enough to easily get two coaxes through it. Put it together with a pull string running through it. At the ends run it straight up a few feet in the air next to the post or structure to protect the cable from lawn mowers. Put a bend on each end pointing down to prevent rain from filling the pipe. Cement it together. Then pull your cable through it with the string. Then bury it.
If you want to try keeping the DISH indoors, you might try pointing it out through the window at the satellite, and replacing the glass with acrylic Plexiglas. You will need some floor space and a small tripod. Glass does not allow the signal to come through (my signal drops from 69 to 0 when I put a piece of glass in the way). If you replace the glass with acrylic Plexiglas, it will work somewhat better (my signal drops from 69 to 57). Even if you do get the signal, it may quit when it rains. Plastic film would work much better. A bamboo curtain on my balcony with about 80% visible obscuration has no signal loss. I expect metallic screens would be very bad. Plastic/vinyl screens probably have no loss.
If you want to avoid drilling a hole in the outside wall, there are devices that pass the coax signals through a window.
No. (Well, yes, but they would both get the same DISH channel.) For each independently tunable TV or VCR you need a separate DISH receiver. You also need the dual LNBF in the DISH and two coaxes from the DISH to the receivers in the house. If you install a single coax, pull a string through the walls along with your coax. In the future when you want a second TV, the string will make it easier to pull the second coax through.
No. However, using multi-switches (SBCA (voltage line splitters) you can have up to six receivers, and only two coaxes are required. Some vendors are Sony, DLS, Tru-Spec, Spaun USA, Channel Master (not responding) or Magic Switches, about $80.
If the broadcast TV antenna for local stations is mounted near the DISH, you don't need to install a separate lead-in for the antenna. Use a diplexor to mix the TV signals into the DISH coax. At the DISH receiver, use another diplexor to split out the TV signals from the DISH signal. Diplexors are cheap, about $20 a pair, and work well, but like any TV splitter, in weak TV signal areas you may notice some degradation in TV signal strength. Some multi-switches come with diplexor capability, so you can have more than two TV sets that only need two coaxes and no antenna lead-in. Steve Goetz says he tried DLS, Tru-Spec, and Spaun USA brands with similar performance specs and experienced different results. DLS and Tru-Spec had problems with the broadcast signals. The third brand, Spaun USA (Germany manufacturer with a US sales office), delivered the very best picture quality for both satellite and broadcast transmissions. Jim of Starlink-DSS.com (see dealer list) recommends it. Steve says he seems to recall paying about $129~$149. Expensive, but WORTH it, he says.
Yes, if the distance is short and there are no splitters, amplifiers, etc. RG-59 has lots more signal loss per foot then RG-6. For example, at 800 MHz the loss in decibels per 100 feet is 7.35 in RG-59, 5.79 in RG-6, and 3.76 in RG-11. For DBS At 1450 MHz there is an even bigger difference (I don't have those numbers). The more loss you have, the more susceptible to rain fade outages, but there is no reduction in picture or sound quality.
If you don't mind the appearance, you can tack it to the baseboard or woodwork between the receiver and where it comes in.
If you absolutely cannot run coax from the DISH receiver to your TV set, consider these devices. Although a lot more expensive than coax, they will transmit the video and audio (some of them stereo) output of the DISH receiver through the air or the electrical wiring up to 300 feet to your TV set. To control the receiver from that distance, the remote must be UHF.
So that you don't need to run a telephone wire to your DISH receiver, DISH Network has a Wireless Phone Extender for about $99.99. It connects your telephone line to your power lines, so that you can plug the DISH receiver telephone connection (or a telephone) into a wall power socket instead of a telephone plug. Where the receiver is not near a telephone jack, this allows the receiver to call EchoStar in the middle of the night and tell them what PPV movies you have watched. Alternatively, forget the telephone line, and after you have watched several PPV movies, lug the receiver to a telephone line, plug it in, turn it on, and leave it there. The next day, haul it back where it belongs. Or, hey, just don't watch PPV.
Snow and ice stuck to the inside of the DISH might block the signal. Here are a few ideas. Note: rain does not effect the DISH, so don't buy a cover just to keep it dry.
You can paint the inside of the DISH flat black to melt the snow a little better. Don't get any paint on the LNBF! Use masking tape! A flat/matte finish paint won't harm the dish. Don't use a glossy finish because when sunlight comes from behind the satellite, its reflection might overheat the LNBF. You can paint the dish back, arm, mast, foot, coax, etc. any way you want.
There are covers that disguise the appearance somewhat at http://www.satcover.com/. There is also a fake rock product ($259) for hiding the DISH.
If you want PrimeTime 24 networks, but didn't lie or qualify under SHVA, or lost a network by challenge, or you want to see local news, you need an antenna. You may want a diplexor to go with it. Here are some I have seen on the Net. These are omnidirectional antennas with low gain, so are only useful in areas of strong signals where there are minimal reflections (ghosts) from mountains and buildings. For that you need a good log-periodic type or Yagi type TV antenna with a rotator, e.g. Winegard or Channel Master (not responding).
The DISH receiver generates an unusual amount of heat and must vent it out the top. Stacking a VCR or other equipment on top of the DISH receiver will probably overheat both of them. Two inches of separation between would be best. At minimum, get four or eight of those big stick-on feet at a local electronics store to raise the VCR up away from the receiver.
To take a IR/UHF remote control apart remove the two screws in the battery compartment, then carefully pry the two halves apart at the skinny end first, then walk up the side of the remote while continuing to pry.
The four non-brand-name AAA batteries supplied with my remote control were too weak to control my TV after one day of use. Even worse, someone reported that his batteries supplied with the remote leaked acid. Replace yours with a reliable brand right away, before you program the remote. When the batteries die, you will have to reprogram the remote.
Note: The four batteries are connected as two sets of two batteries each. One set of batteries powers one section of the remote and the other set powers another section. If one set of batteries is low or unseated the LED's may appear to be functional (giving the appearance that the remote is working) while the UHF and/or IR portion does not control the receiver.
I you are not able to program the remote with a code that will control your brand and model of VCR, call DISH. They will help you, and for some VCR's can give you a better remote.
Someone reported fixing a hum problem by insulating, with tape, the DISH mount from the roof vent pipe on which it was clamped. I am speculating that this may have been because the pipe is grounded at a point other than the electrical service ground rod. In general this problem may arise if the DISH ground is not bonded to the house service ground.
Some folks report a problem with hum in a stereo or surround system connected to a TV, which is connected to either cable or the RF output from a satellite receiver. Here is a fix for one type of hum problem: Connect the coax from your satellite receiver or cable into a coax-to-twin-lead adapter (matching transformer or converter) for connecting 75-ohm coax to twin-lead. Then connect with a very short twin-lead to a second identical converter. Then from the coax end of the second converter run a coax to the TV system. These transformers do not have a direct electrical connection and no 60 Hz hum goes through. Cost for two devices is about $3.
If you decide not to do it yourself, hire someone you trust with antenna installation skills. It is NOT required to have a master's degree in Satellite DISHology and a Certificate of Installational Wonderfulness from EchoStar. Check the local yellow pages under "satellite", but be careful and check them out because there are lots of incompetents. Better a smart electrician, smart carpenter or smart brother-in-law than a careless bozo with lots of "experience". It typically costs about $100. They will not need the "Installation Kit" either because they have the parts or can get them locally. If you can't find someone you can trust to know what they are doing, the DISH Installations Network, or Echonet, Installation hotline is 800-799-7175. They can do an installation in most areas, with a 90-day warranty, for $199 plus tax for a basic system, $59.99 for each auxiliary receiver, and they usually schedule to come out within 3 days.
Changes last made on: April 28, 1999 7:27 AMJa Page created by: carl_alsing@bigfoot.com
Copyright 1997, 1998, 1999 Carl J. Alsing