Install Help for Apartment

[Justin23]

Hello. I have some questions about having D* installed in my apartment. I am probably going to get an HD-DVR and a 5LNB dish. I am on the first floor with a screened-in porch with a door leading out there. There is a railing but it is on the outside of the screen. Here are my questions:

1. My complex is VERY understanding about dishes. They even have the proper FCC OTARD policy in their new resident documents which was a surprise. They will not allow the dish to be installed outside my porch but they said that I can install the dish on a tripod on the porch or I can get it mounted to the porch railing as long as what is used to attach the dish to the railing is "non-intrusive". Is there some sort of clamp that can be used without drilling into the wooden railing?

2. Is there such a thing as flat cables that can run from the dish to go under my door? I really don't want to drill either into the door or the wall.

Thanks!

Justin

[HDTVsportsfan]

To answer #2. There are flat cables tht can be used. It's about 8 inches long just for what you're asking. however, I don't know how well they work for the whole bandwidth spectrum that DirecTV now uses.

Do a google search for Eagale Aspen part # 8FC-300LX-8.

Also there are mounts you can use. Go to www.solidsignal.com and see if there is anything there that you can use.

I'm sure RobertE or one of the other installers that frequent the board will come along and give you some ideas.

[joe diamond]

IF your screen faces NORTH you are screwed.
From FLA your line will be SW and your el will be high..that is good.
The screen on your porch is important. If it is metal ...probably wont work. If you can chang the screen to FG or plactic it will work.
Know that the signal will go through CLEAR glass.
Go to dishpointer.com and enter your zip. It will give you the line to the DTV sats. It will also give you a cool sat view of your building and anything on other decks.

Hope this helps.

Joe

[Justin23]

Well I wanted to mount it on the actual railing, which is on the outside of the screen. So from my aparment it goes: porch--->screen----->railing

J

[Justin23]

Bump.

Any one have ideas for me? I looked at some non-intrusive mounts and they look like they are for balconies and porches that don't have screens.

J

[johnck78]

I'm not an installer, but have put my dish up. The Slimline is heavy, i would be concerned as to the stability of a clamp-type solution. I know I needed to add two more arms on mine cuz i was getting too much movement in the wind.

[BubblePuppy]

Here is how the installer solved my apartment issue:http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1433935&postcount=10

Works great.

[dshu82]

Also, with it on the outside, you will have to run the wire "through" the screen?

Tripod may be the way to go, or Non Pentrating Roof mount, but you will need some concrete blocks to hold it down.

I thought the available flat wires dont' pass the HD signal?

[dshu82]

I tried the bucket of cement, larger planter pots of cement, etc. in the last townhouse I lived in but the Slimline was just too top heavy. I need the pole long enough to get the LNB over the railing and to shoot through the large, main part of the screen.

I ended up with a rigged stack of concrete blocks to hold it in place. Drilled through the one and bolted the dish arm flat on top, then place others around it to weigh it down. Not the prettiest set up, but it worked. Had to drill a hole next to the sliding glass door though to get cable inside. Easy patch when I moved out.

[Justin23]

I'll try to post some pics of my porch tonight to give everyone a better idea of what I'm dealing with. Thanks for the great suggestions!

J

[BubblePuppy]

Also, with it on the outside, you will have to run the wire "through" the screen?

Tripod may be the way to go, or Non Pentrating Roof mount, but you will need some concrete blocks to hold it down.

I thought the available flat wires dont' pass the HD signal?

Well yes...in fact the cable is running through my kitchen behind the stove and fridge and along the wall through my dining room to the HR20 in my living room. Not pretty I admit but.... I have Dtv!!!:)

[BattleZone]

http://www.universalsat.net/Services.htm

http://www.universalsat.net/images/railmount1.jpg

Something like this might help, or you can try what I've done:

I get a 2x10 board and cut it into two 3 1/2' lengths. Putting one on each side of the railing, drill holes and bolt the two boards together, clamping the boards to the railing. The design of the rail will determine exactly where the bolts go. Be sure to leave the center free, as that's where you'll mount the foot of the mast. The boards are long to allow the monopoles to be mounted, giving the dish proper side-to-side support. Use 5/16" bolts for everything.

[HDTVsportsfan]

Nice mount......but that would hang over the tenannts controlled space wouldn't it?

[jmorty732]

You may want to check out this thread.

**The board won't let me post a full URL(UGGH) ** so here it is all mucked up, hopefully you can put it together. ****
satelliteguys.us / directv-forum / 107400-perfect-slimline-apartment-balcony-install . html


It has pictures and a very good description on an apartment install. It uses an interesting "non penetrating" mount, which is a nice alternative to installing on a railing.

I have successfully used the flat cable adapters to feed the cable through a window in the past with DirectTV Slimline and got all my HD channels perfectly clear. They are only about $1 a piece (I think I got mine off of ebay) so it is worth a try at that price.

Good luck!
Morty

[AntAltMike]

I have succesfully used the really flat, thin 300 ohm wire that is part of the FM "dipole" antennas you can buy for a buck and a half. I just pigtail the coax to it at both cut ends.

[Justin23]

Will that rail mount work for a 5LNB dish?

[Mike500]

We do a lot of apartment installs. Because of strength of the railing and liability issues, we avoid clamping to railings and use a tripod.

The available tripods for a two inch actual pole are specialty items and sell for expensive prices. They are usually not carried locally by suppliers due to costs.

A subcontractor colleague of mine has solved the problem. Radio Shack stocks a heavy duty 3 foot Rohn Made in USA heavy duty tripod for $35.

A section of 2 inch actual pole is also hard to find and will not fit inside the Radioshack tripod.

A standard 1-5/8" actual galvanized chain link fence line post will fit perfectly.

My colleague developed and manufactures an adapter to bring the 1-5/8" pole to exactly two inches. The mount for the slimline fits perfectly. The clamping force of the socket's bolts transfers to the 1-5/8 pole and no additional fasteners are required.

Unlike the bucket, the tripod has a wide base and the bolts allow perfectly plumbing the pole. A few paint or Sharpie marks on the dech would allow perfect realignment; should the tripod be moved by accident.

We have done over 150 apartment installs this way. We have had no dissatisfied customers.

Anyone can buy this adapter on eBay;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150264565421

[Justin23]

The ebay auction has pictures of it being mounted on the roof. Were the apartment installs you have done on the roof or on a porch/patio/balcony?

J

[BattleZone]

None of the tripod/non-pen mounts are going to work inside a screened-in porch, which is why we were talking about the rail mounting options (unless a pole or tripod could be placed outside the patio).

[Mike500]

The ebay auction has pictures of it being mounted on the roof. Were the apartment installs you have done on the roof or on a porch/patio/balcony?

J

Yes, that is amultipurpose adapter. It will work on any system mounted with the older standard 1-5/8" pole. A tripod takes a standard 1-5/8" pole.

[Mike500]

None of the tripod/non-pen mounts are going to work inside a screened-in porch, which is why we were talking about the rail mounting options (unless a pole or tripod could be placed outside the patio).


It depends on the material that makes up the screen. If the screen is made of aluminum, you'd have problems. If the screen is polyester or fiberglass, it will not matter. It would be invisible to the satellite signal.

Years ago, they made copper screens. But, it is no longer available.

[BubblePuppy]

Here is how the installer solved my apartment issue:http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1433935&postcount=10

Works great.

Will that rail mount work for a 5LNB dish?

None of the tripod/non-pen mounts are going to work inside a screened-in porch, which is why we were talking about the rail mounting options (unless a pole or tripod could be placed outside the patio).

It depends on the material that makes up the screen. If the screen is made of aluminum, you'd have problems. If the screen is polyester or fiberglass, it will not matter. It would be invisible to the satellite signal.

Years ago, they made copper screens. But, it is no longer available.

Check out my post.
I have had the dish installed for over 8 months and the dish has never gotten out of alignment.

A neighbor a few units up did the same thing on his back porch...the pole was clamped to the railing. A bucket may not be stable anough for a 5lnb. It is is a bit of a wind sail.:)

[Justin23]

Here are some pictures of my porch. I do not know what the screen is made out of. New screens were installed 2 weeks ago when the exterior of my building was repainted. Hope this will help with the suggestions. Thanks!

J

[Justin23]

Also, my property manager is very good with dealing with the OTARD rule and she said it has to be within the balcony. But, I noticed a dish on another unit that is mounted to the railing outside the balcony.

J

[Justin23]

How difficult is it to plug the holes that a dish leaves? I might just try to sweet talk my property manager to have me mount the dish on the side of the balcony post then run the wires into my apt. Are there flat cables that will work for HD?

J

[Justin23]

Bump. Any suggestions for the pictures I posted above?

J

[kevinm34232]

I just did an HD install inside a screened balcony. I used a tripod with the $4 adaptor talked about above to make it a 2" pole. You can decide if you want to tapcon it to the concrete floor or not. If not atleast outline the tripod feet with a marker. I drilled one hole in the wall to bring the lines inside instead of trying flat cable. This was obviously against the rules but the customer will patch it. Anyway it worked great.

[dshu82]

How difficult is it to plug the holes that a dish leaves? I might just try to sweet talk my property manager to have me mount the dish on the side of the balcony post then run the wires into my apt. Are there flat cables that will work for HD?

J

The outside our my place was stucco. A tube of concrete patch and small trowel did the trick.

Looks like yours is wood or composite.

[dshu82]

Here are some pictures of my porch. I do not know what the screen is made out of. New screens were installed 2 weeks ago when the exterior of my building was repainted. Hope this will help with the suggestions. Thanks!

J

Yours looks simialar to what mine looked like as far as railing, etc.

I am willing to bet that is fiberglass screen as just replaced, probably cheaper.

I think tripod is your way to go.......

[Justin23]

The outside our my place was stucco. A tube of concrete patch and small trowel did the trick.

Looks like yours is wood or composite.

Yes the outside of my porch is all wood.

J

[Justin23]

Yours looks simialar to what mine looked like as far as railing, etc.

I am willing to bet that is fiberglass screen as just replaced, probably cheaper.

I think tripod is your way to go.......

Will a 5 LNB dish work for the tripod that installers use?

J

[Justin23]

Bump.

[SebastianBlack]

Also, with it on the outside, you will have to run the wire "through" the screen?

Tripod may be the way to go, or Non Pentrating Roof mount, but you will need some concrete blocks to hold it down.

I thought the available flat wires dont' pass the HD signal?

The inside of the flat cable must be blue to pass the HD signal. The white or greyish color flat wires will pass the HD signal, but eventually fail causing 771 message

SB

[SebastianBlack]

We do a lot of apartment installs. Because of strength of the railing and liability issues, we avoid clamping to railings and use a tripod.

The available tripods for a two inch actual pole are specialty items and sell for expensive prices. They are usually not carried locally by suppliers due to costs.

A subcontractor colleague of mine has solved the problem. Radio Shack stocks a heavy duty 3 foot Rohn Made in USA heavy duty tripod for $35.

A section of 2 inch actual pole is also hard to find and will not fit inside the Radioshack tripod.

A standard 1-5/8" actual galvanized chain link fence line post will fit perfectly.

My colleague developed and manufactures an adapter to bring the 1-5/8" pole to exactly two inches. The mount for the slimline fits perfectly. The clamping force of the socket's bolts transfers to the 1-5/8 pole and no additional fasteners are required.

Unlike the bucket, the tripod has a wide base and the bolts allow perfectly plumbing the pole. A few paint or Sharpie marks on the dech would allow perfect realignment; should the tripod be moved by accident.

We have done over 150 apartment installs this way. We have had no dissatisfied customers.

Anyone can buy this adapter on eBay;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150264565421

Why not get a standard tripod, self tap about 8 inches of the KAKU sized pole to the standard pole on the tripod? Then anchor the dish through the floor.

[Mike500]

Why not get a standard tripod, self tap about 8 inches of the KAKU sized pole to the standard pole on the tripod? Then anchor the dish through the floor.

It would not be concentric. The jury rigged adapter would likely wobble. Eack application might require additional tweakingf The adapter is cheap and easy. It requires no screws or extra calculations or adjustments.

I would probably work, but as professional installers, we can't take a half and hour or more of trail and error to get it to work. We need something that works the same each time and every time in the same way and to be consistant and reliable. Callbacks are very expensive.

You slip the adapter on, and it works like it was a 2 inch pole with no other figuring or adjustment.

If you are a hobbyist with plenty of time to spend on making it work, anything, including a Rube Goldberg contraption can be made to work.

[Justin23]

I am eligible for VIP Installation. What is included additional in this install that isn't included in the Standard Installation?

J

[joe diamond]

It would not be concentric. The jury rigged adapter would likely wobble. Eack application might require additional tweakingf The adapter is cheap and easy. It requires no screws or extra calculations or adjustments.

I would probably work, but as professional installers, we can't take a half and hour or more of trail and error to get it to work. We need something that works the same each time and every time in the same way and to be consistant and reliable. Callbacks are very expensive.

You slip the adapter on, and it works like it was a 2 inch pole with no other figuring or adjustment.

If you are a hobbyist with plenty of time to spend on making it work, anything, including a Rube Goldberg contraption can be made to work.

The adapters I have used had two bolts. You slid the adapter over the existing pipe and tighten the two bolts while holding the adapter to make it tighten down plumb. A common error was to just tighten the two bolts.

Joe

[Mike500]

The adapters I have used had two bolts. You slid the adapter over the existing pipe and tighten the two bolts while holding the adapter to make it tighten down plumb. A common error was to just tighten the two bolts.

Joe


That adaptor with the two ts is not neant to go over the pole. It was meant that the slot to straddle the edge of a larger pipe like that use in C-band or the old Primestar pole. Unless the I.D. is within 1-2 thousandths of an inch greater thean the old pole, it WILL wobble. The adapter that I use provides 360 degrees of contact and full contact with the mounting socket and transfers nearly all of the clamping force to the pole. And, it does not change the axial alignment of the old pole. If it was plumb, the new dish's mount will be plumb, even when the dish is turned through all 360 degrees of the circle.

[joe diamond]

Different stuff!

Joe

[Mike500]

The attached photo shows the design and intended use of the adapter sold with the two bolts.

[tvjay]

I tried the bucket of cement, larger planter pots of cement, etc. in the last townhouse I lived in but the Slimline was just too top heavy. I need the pole long enough to get the LNB over the railing and to shoot through the large, main part of the screen.

If you can you should do a hybrid pole in bucket and railing solution like the one I did. http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1669122&postcount=28

I thought the available flat wires dont' pass the HD signal?

I got some from solidsignal.com and they work however recently DirecTV came out and swapped them out during a service call. I installed the solidsignal ones under the door and when putting the door back I messed up the cable so to avoid a future service call they just replaced them and put them on the side of the door instead.

[CJTE]

I am eligible for VIP Installation. What is included additional in this install that isn't included in the Standard Installation?

J

Who told you you were eligible for VIP install?

/
Anyway, that means, if I remember correctly, some of what's considered custom work, is free. I think you can get up to 2 wall fishes, among other things.

[cartrivision]

See this post for a possible solution.....

http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1669122&postcount=28

[cartrivision]

The attached photo shows the design and intended use of the adapter sold with the two bolts.

http://www.dbstalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=14443&d=1215030589

That doesn't look very solid and stable. That's a very poor design for a pole adapter. The slightest loosening of the bolts will allow the dish to move. I would never use that adapter.