Dumb install questions

[MarkIndy]

Hello, I'm about to make the plunge for DTV, but have a delicate situation on my hands re: installation. My house is vinyl sided on the garage side where the RG6 cables come from the rooms and terminate. The house is 2 stories on that side also. I really don't want the dish that high up.

1. Is there no way to attach a dish to (or through) vinyl siding? Even the corner of the house has a vinyl strip going up it, but behind it, of course, is wood.

2. If I put the dish on the other side of the house, I have a low roofline there to attach it to "normally". However, then wouldn't the cable have to run outside the house all the way to the current connection point? Or would they just put in new cables?

3. Will installers pole-mount the dish, or is that something I'd have to install before they got there? What would the extra cost be?

4. I'm getting a 3 room system -- can the multiswitch be located inside the garage where all the lines running to the rooms terminate, or does the switch have to be with the dish itself?

Thanks for your input...

[installguy]

Why not mount the dish to the boxing, tuck the wire in the corner channeling for the vynil, and there ya go!

David

[MarkIndy]

Help me... the boxing? I'm so construction-illiterate.

[Karl Foster]

I don't know anything about construction either, but I am sure most competent installers have experience with this type of installation. Vinyl siding is pretty common, so it shouldn't be too difficult for a good installer. Go to a good, reputable dealer, and you shouldn't have any problems.

To answer question #4 your multiswitch can be located anywhere between the dish and the receivers. To be safe, I'd mount it inside your garage where the lines to your rooms terminate. That will keep your switch dry and your installation easier. You'll then take the two wires coming from the dish into the multiswitch.

Good luck with your installation.

[Doug V]

Vinyl siding is a poor choice because it is not very solid. The siding plus the insulation board under it make it hard to get a solid mounting, but it can be done that way if needed. The installer will have to combine 3 factors, clear signal, appearance, and obtaining a good ground (very important). A common saying in the industry is that a good install "disappears" after a week. Try sitting in your kitchen and write down how many of your neighbors have dishes, then go outside and check your results. You might be suprised. A pole mount will probably be $50-$75 plus $2 a foot to bury the cable. I personally think they are just one more thing to mow around. The installer will definetely want to tie into the existing cable.

[Paralyn]

My dish is on a pole with a hedge growing around it. The pole is about 6 ft high and the hedge is kept at 5.5 ft so it doesn't interfere. My installer dug a hole, pounded in the 8 ft pole 2 ft into the ground and filled the hole with QuickCrete, premixed concrete ready for water. He leveled the pole and braced it by filling the hole around the concrete while it was setting. He then did the house and switch wiring which took about an hour and a half. The concrete had set up and he was then able to mount the antenna, wire it an finish the installation.

[MarkIndy]

Paralyn, what was the additional installation cost?

Has anyone used the "auger" type poles? (link: http://www.satelliteinno.com )

[MarkIndy]

What about vinyl siding mounting kits? http://www.accessorywarehouse.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=AWI&Product_Code=VSMB


ML