Building a New Cottage - Question

[Packersrule]

I am currently building a new cottage and have a few questions. I only spend a few weeks a year at the cottage but plan on retiring in 5 years.

I would like to get it wired for DirecTV while it's being built.

I would like to have the roofing contractor install the dish. Can I just order a dish off eBay and have it installed?

Any other things I should think about?

[joe diamond]

I am currently building a new cottage and have a few questions. I only spend a few weeks a year at the cottage but plan on retiring in 5 years.

I would like to get it wired for DirecTV while it's being built.

I would like to have the roofing contractor install the dish. Can I just order a dish off eBay and have it installed?

Any other things I should think about?

A few:

(1)Take a look at a product called a ComDeck. This is a way of installing a dish mast on a roof so it won't leak. Roofers will know what to do with it.
(2)Decide on HD or SD reception. The masts are different & the ComDeck parts.
(3) Go to dishpointer.com and enter your address...they will tell you the line the dish has to "look" at. You need to be clear of trees & mountains!
(4) The dish should be near the electric meter for grounding and for locating the cable entrance.
(5) Receivers require a "home run" wire plan without splitters.....this is being changed as the Single Wire Multiswitch (SWM) comes into use.
(6) Recorders (DVRs) count as two tuners and require two lines from the dish........this is being changed as the Single Wire Multiswitch (SWM) comes into use.
(7) You should plan to have all TVs present for activation at the same time as the receivers and dish are installed.
(8) Plan for adequate electric outlets in the area of the TVs and run two cable lines in addition to any line run for the OTA antenna.

Aside from that ....just call DTV...have the tech give you the remote when he is done.

Joe

[Shades228]

The biggest thing I can recomend, outside of joe's post, is depending on your budgett look at getting a central AV cabinet so all of your cables go from the rooms to 1 location without splitters. Make sure that cabinet has the ability to be accessed easily from the outside. Garage or a room without an outside wall work the best.

[BattleZone]

I also strongly recommend the Commdeck, as well as using DishPointer.com to make sure you place the Commdeck in a location that will give you a clear Line-Of-Site, both today and years into the future (think: trees). Run at least 5 RG6 coax lines from the Commdeck to your wiring panel, and from the wiring panel, at least 2 coax and 2 CAT6 cables to each room (media-heavy rooms may need more than one such set of outlets, either to allow more devices or to allow furniture re-arrangement). You cannot run "too much" cable, and hardwiring is always far more reliable than other solutions.

When ordering the Commdeck, make sure you get the model for HD (the DirecTV "Slimline" dish) and get the two extra "tabs" for the two support arms.

http://www.rstcenterprises.com/images/photos/lstrutclip1.jpg

[JimInNJ]

Here's the link:

http://www.rstcenterprises.com/

[stilen621]

The biggest thing I can recomend, outside of joe's post, is depending on your budgett look at getting a central AV cabinet so all of your cables go from the rooms to 1 location without splitters. Make sure that cabinet has the ability to be accessed easily from the outside. Garage or a room without an outside wall work the best.

Just to add a little to this post is that if you can get air circulating in the enclosed unit the better off your equipment will be.

[ndole]

Run 2 extra coax lines just in case someday you live there. Hughesnet & Wildblue both require 2 cable runs to your modem, which should be centrally located near your media gear for ease of access to a router.

[Packersrule]

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the help. I will order one this week.

[wildbill129]

A few:

(1)Take a look at a product called a ComDeck. This is a way of installing a dish mast on a roof so it won't leak. Roofers will know what to do with it.
(2)Decide on HD or SD reception. The masts are different & the ComDeck parts.
(3) Go to dishpointer.com and enter your address...they will tell you the line the dish has to "look" at. You need to be clear of trees & mountains!
(4) The dish should be near the electric meter for grounding and for locating the cable entrance.
(5) Receivers require a "home run" wire plan without splitters.....this is being changed as the Single Wire Multiswitch (SWM) comes into use.
(6) Recorders (DVRs) count as two tuners and require two lines from the dish........this is being changed as the Single Wire Multiswitch (SWM) comes into use.
(7) You should plan to have all TVs present for activation at the same time as the receivers and dish are installed.
(8) Plan for adequate electric outlets in the area of the TVs and run two cable lines in addition to any line run for the OTA antenna.

Aside from that ....just call DTV...have the tech give you the remote when he is done.

Joe

Joe gives good advice....however....If I was doing this, I would home run everything to a media panel. Then run a line or two to the cable/phone panel on the side of your house. Run a ground from this panel to your media panel.

I would also put the dish were it gets the best line of site, and it's where you want it. ( I like mine hidden from the street) I don't like wires running down the walls outside my house. You can prewire the ground like the rest of the coax. Tie it to the house bond. It can be in the panel, in an AC sub panel, or to the actual ground rod below the panel, a grounding block can be placed where the cables come out of the wall or eave before going to your dish, and the prewired ground can terminated there at the block...

[joe diamond]

Joe gives good advice....however....If I was doing this, I would home run everything to a media panel. Then run a line or two to the cable/phone panel on the side of your house. Run a ground from this panel to your media panel.

I would also put the dish were it gets the best line of site, and it's where you want it. ( I like mine hidden from the street) I don't like wires running down the walls outside my house. You can prewire the ground like the rest of the coax. Tie it to the house bond. It can be in the panel, in an AC sub panel, or to the actual ground rod below the panel, a grounding block can be placed where the cables come out of the wall or eave before going to your dish, and the prewired ground can terminated there at the block...

Yup!,

The best one I ever saw was a basement setup where the steps from the first floor curved as they came down to a basement club room. Inside the triangle formed by the stairs was the electric panel...the telco punch down block & a distribution box for twelve double coax cable runs. On the outside of the curved wall below the steps was a big screen flat panel TV.

The customer had a light rigged inside this closet, all lines had been marked by the electrical contractor.

I was able to spike the Ka/Ku dish to the outside wall next to the external e meter, all the boxes got connected to the land line phone. I did have to drill the masonry wall but no biggie! There was even a phone jack & phone in the closet. The WB 6x8 & all the cable got tacked to an existing 3/4" plywood panel.

The eventual plan was to install an RF remote system while moving all the boxes into this closet...the racks were already in!

Sweet!

Joe