Not as ready as I thought… Slimline Install

[Swagger]

I’m doing an install tomorrow for my father. He has a new Slimline dish that he wants to install at his new house.

I do not have the slimline box with me; it’s at his house. It was purchased from Solid Signal. Can anyone tell me if installation hardware is included or if I’m going to need to stop and pick up some supplies on my way?

If so, what size lags or screw would you recommend?

The dish will be mounted on the roof. Should I purchase a sealant or tar to ensure there will be no leaks? Will the shingles seal around the lags themselves.

How important is it to find a beam as opposed to only penetrating the plywood.

IF important, is there an easy was to find the beam on a roof, like with a stud finder?

Is the extra support bracket included in the box? At this point, I hope so! My dish was professionally installed and it has 2 small arms that attach to the roof in addition to the mast. Is this an extra option or included with the dish?

How important is grounding? I’ve read conflicting views. Of the six or so installers that have been at my house over the years, all of them were against grounding. Were they lazy or did they have a point?

If I do ground, I know I’ll need an 8 ft grounding rod… can you recommend the type and gauge of grounding cable. It’s about a 25 ft run between where the dish will be mounted and where the grounding rod will be.

Sorry for all of the questions!
Any advice or suggestions is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

[spartanstew]

Not sure if this answers your questions, but here's what's included:

http://pimages.solidsignal.com/AU9-S_zoom.jpg

And HERE'S (http://www.solidsignal.com/manuals/Slimline_Dish_Installation_Manual.pdf)the installation manual.

[Swagger]

Thanks for the quick response! That picture and manual were the items that prompted me to post my questions. It seems like every slimline dish I’ve seen has the extra two arms. I was hoping (more like wishing) that maybe it was a “not pictured” item.

Is the extra support absolutely necessary? If so, which supports would you recommend for a roof install? Solid signal seems to have many options to choose from.

The other thing not mentioned in the manual or installation videos is how to affix the mast to the roof and what type / size hardware to use. The manual says it doesn’t comment on these issues due to the multitude of installation options available. What’s the standard for roof installs?

Thanks!

[kevinm34232]

Yes the support arms (monopoles) are necessary to brace the dish from wind.

Use Bishops tape between the mounts and shingles to help prevent leaks. Also, mount the dish over the eave, not over any living area just in case.

I think the lag bolt size is 5/8" x 2" long or so. It is of course is better if you can hit a rafter with the center bolts, but most times they don't. Sometimes you can hit the 2x6 fascia board if you line it up right with the bottom 2 bolts.

But regardless, just make sure you use 6 bolts on the main mount, and 2 on each monopole and you'll be fine.

[David MacLeod]

I just bought 2 of the monopoles on ebay (new) for approx 15 $ with shipping.
I have an odd installation. 2 20 inch 2x4 lag bolted (7/16 x 4) into studs on siding(skipping 1 level between) and then dish lagged onto the studs. absolutely no movement in winds up to 40mph. I am attaching monopoles just to be safe.
I get 3+ feet of wind drifts on roof with every storm, a roof mount plain will not work. I have to rake snow every storm and would lose signal until I got it raked. D* installers refused to mount onto siding so I had to install myself.
aiming is not that hard if pole is level on all axis.

[MIKE0616]

How important is grounding? I’ve read conflicting views. Of the six or so installers that have been at my house over the years, all of them were against grounding. Were they lazy or did they have a point?

If I do ground, I know I’ll need an 8 ft grounding rod… can you recommend the type and gauge of grounding cable. It’s about a 25 ft run between where the dish will be mounted and where the grounding rod will be.

Sorry for all of the questions!
Any advice or suggestions is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

They were all LAZY and its part of the code that the antennas MUST be grounded for a reason.

In lieu of the 8' stake, you can always ground to a cold water pipe if that would be easier to attach to.

Use 6 gauge wire (aluminum will do) to run from the antenna to the ground and you should be OK.

As to your personal antenna, if the idiots did not ground it, you should do it yourself. You could probably get the company that did the installs to come back if you call them or the local electrical inspector and have them cited. :)

[sperho]

For attachment to the roof, I recommend a Commdeck box with the clips that they sell for the monopole supports. Installs like a roof vent and no exposed shingles are left with holes that need to be sealed. I ordered mine directly from Commdeck as no one else seems to have the clips that go with them for the bigger dishes.

http://www.rstcenterprises.com/

[Swagger]

Thank you for the excellent responses!

When purchasing the monopoles, should I get two standards, two longs, or one of each? The pitch of the roof is mild. I’m not sure if the length of the brace is to account for more stability or the pitch of the roof.

The Commdeck and monopole clips looks like an excellent solution for mounting the dish. I looked at the website and the “Retrodeck” looks to be the best choice for me. It’s pretty close to the edge of the roof and I plan to run the cable down the J channel to its penetration point. Going through the roof with the Commdeck would make the cabling impossible on that area of the roof due to the attic being inaccessible.

Has anyone had any experience with the retrodeck?

Thanks again for all of your help!

[sperho]

If I were in your wiring situation, I'd use a Retrodeck. No shingle-cutting as both feet slip under shingles and the screws are hidden. I'm just not a lag-through-the-shingle kind of person...