How much would this installation cost me...

[Ken_F]

I've been a satellite subscriber since the early days of DISH and DirecTV, but I've always done my own installs.

I previously installed Dish500 and DirecTV elliptical dishes in my back yard, and have a single 18" dish on my chimney for 61.5. This past winter, my 18" dish got misaligned and I have not yet borrowed/rented a ladder of sufficient height to repoint. In the interim, I've been using a dish in my front yard for 61.5.

I would like to have a dealer/installer come out and repoint the 61.5 dish on my chimney, and move my Dish/DirecTV dishes from the backyard to the chimney. The dishes have to be mounted fairly high on the chimney to see over trees, and on the side opposite to the roof, so this is not a particularly easy job (would require a very tall ladder platform).

If I were to have an installer out to do this, how much should I expect it to pay?

[Claude Greiner]

Anywhere from $75-$125 depending on how much labor is involved.

Pointing the 61.5 Dish is really a non-issue since the installer will be up there anyways.

I would say $75 to mount the Dish and run the wires down the chimney to a ground block. The other $50 would be dependant on how far the wires have to be run and how difficult it is to tie into your existing system. It really depends on your house, some can be really easy to wire, and some can be a pain in the butt!

[waydwolf]

    The standard in these parts is $150 for a tripod or concrete and post installation, so expect a similar charge for such high peak work.

    I also have to strongly caution you AGAINST a chimney mount as chimneys are designed largely for static vertical compression loads and NOT huge lateral torsion and shearing loads other than expected winds over the life of the structure. Putting a dish on the chimney can very easily lead to severe damage, possibly to the roof as well.

    I recommend checking around to find someone with long good experience at high roof work and preferably someone who will have roof work safety equipment including rope and harness. If they fall, well, I hope your insurance is up to date and you're ready to get a lawyer. In civil courts, anything can happen and anyone can be blamed for anything.

 

[Ken_F]

Claude/waydwolf,

Thanks for the advice and info.

I also have to strongly caution you AGAINST a chimney mount as chimneys are designed largely for static vertical compression loads and NOT huge lateral torsion and shearing loads other than expected winds over the life of the structure.The dish is mounted near where the chimney meets the top of the house, so I don't think that will be a problem. When I said "fairly high on the chimney," I meant fairly high off the ground, rather than at the top of the chimney. My house is brick.

[DishDude1]

Why was the Dish ground mounted in the first place? Was it because of the trees? You may have someone come out just to tell you that you don't have a line of sight from the chimney...but you would get the one on the chimney realigned at that point anyway...

[Ken_F]

Dishdude,

I ground mounted cause it was easy to do. I didn't have line of sight to 61.5 from the ground (at least, not in my back yard), so I had to mount it on my chimney. Back in perhaps 1998, I had a DirecTV dish on my roof, but in that particular spot, I think I've lost my line of sight with new tree growth (at least, in the spring/summer).