[BLWedge09]

Heres the story: I live in an apartment that is walk-in level from the front, but is actually the second story ont he back side of the building. When I moved in, I got "unofficial" permission to install a pole mount dish and run cables to may apartment. I have a Slimline-5 on a 2" OD pole that goes about two feet deep in a couple bags of concrete. The pole mounted dish itself is about 75' from the back of my building. Here's the layout: directly behind my building is a small clearing about 15' wide. Beyond that, it is thick woods for about 50-60'. On the other side of that, there is a fence overlooking wide open space and there is another apartment complex down below. There is completely clear LOS from this location, but it was difficult to find a good spot for the pole due to all the trees and roots from those trees. I personally bought the pole and concrete, dug the hole, hammered the end of the pole so that it wouldn't spin in the concrete, and set it in concrete perfectly plumb. I had D* come out and mount the dish and run cables for me. They left enough slack that I was able to bury the cables in the clearing directly behind the apartment building, and I covered the cables int he woods with pine straw. From the back of my building, nothing can be seen except for the cables running up to may apartment in a neat bundle agains the building in a corner.

Some of that story may have been unnecessary, but I wanted you to get a mental image of the setup. (It's nightime now and I can't take pics). I worked from home Friday (home all day). When I went to leave Friday afternoon to go out of town for the weekend, I glanced toward the woods and noticed a new set of cables laying on top of the ground in the woods. I walked out there, and the cables were buried like mine in the clearing behind the building but run to a different apartment on the bottom level of my building. It was done neatly and hidden well except for the cable in the woods. However, I walked through the woods to my dish and found that there is now a Zinwell WB68 multiswitch mounted on and near the bottom of my pole. My cables are now attached to the multiswitch instead of directly to the dish. The other apartment's cables are attached the same.

Now, I've met the girl whose aprtment is now hooked into what was previously only my dish. I have nothing against her. But, I question the installer using the dish that was installed only for my use without at least talking to me about it first. I was home the whole time, but didn't notice because I was working and didn't have my TV on. Everything is functioning correctly, but this just doesn't sit quite right with me. I probably won't say anything about it, as we both have service and I have since hidden the cables in the woods better with pine straw just like mine. It just doesn't seem quite right to me. I understand that I don't own the dish. But at the same time, this isn't a situation where there is a community dish mounted on the building either.

It's not a huge deal...as long as it works correctly, but I just wondered how others would feel about this situation. This seems like it could become an issue if the dish is knocked out of alignment, etc. Normally, i would have tweaked it myself. Now, I'm not sure I can do that.

 

[Rabidfool]

I believe you own the dish but lease the equipment, could be wrong though.

If the dish was used for your install then it is yours. Others cannot just hook onto it without permission. Leased or owned your responsible for it.

You missed the biggest factor in this whole scenario.
IS SHE HOT?

 

[RobertE]

That is a tough one.

He may have did it at the request of the apt management. Or he may have just be short on time (highly probable). Or just saw it and took the lazy way out.

Sharing dishes is no big deal, property managers love it, until it needs service. Then the problem becomes who makes the call and who pays for the service call?

Any pics of said girl who is sharing your dish?

 

[BLWedge09]

You missed the biggest factor in this whole scenario.
IS SHE HOT?

Any pics of said girl who is sharing your dish?

I don't want to be mean about it, so I'll just say there is absolutely no attraction there...none at all.

 

[GregLee]

It's not a huge deal...as long as it works correctly, but I just wondered how others would feel about this situation. This seems like it could becime an issue if the dish is knocked out of alignment, etc. Normally, i would have tweaked it myself. Now, I'm not sure I can do that.

I would feel this girl owed me something. If her dish is knocked up, of course there might be issue, but normally, you should tweak her yourself. Sure, you can do it.

 

[BLWedge09]

That is a tough one.

He may have did it at the request of the apt management. Or he may have just be short on time (highly probable). Or just saw it and took the lazy way out.

Sharing dishes is no big deal, property managers love it, until it needs service. Then the problem becomes who makes the call and who pays for the service call?

The thing is, only one guy up there ever even knew I had the dish...and it is well hidden. I seriously doubt he even remembers now. I also seriously doubt said girl even got permission from the complex.

Honestly, this complex doesn't care too much unless your doing something seriously out of line. It's a nice enough place...they're just lenient.

I might say something to the girl about the situation. Not confrontational...just talk to he about the tech that came out. I'm betting he made that call without any input from anyone else.

What if I move and want to take that dish with me instead of doing the movers connection again? If I was in a house with a dish, I see no reason I couldn't take the dish with me and install it. D* might not like or recommend it, but they wouldn't be there to stop me. Now I can't do that without killing the other girl's service.

As for service calls, I have the PP, so that shouldn't be a big issue But like I said, I sometimes like to tweak my own dish. Now I have to worry about messing up her signals or knocking out her service while she's watching something.

If someone had asked me, I probably would have said to go ahead. The fact that they didn't is what irks me.

 

[Supervolcano]

My humble uneducated opinion...
You own the dish, tweak it if you want to.

 

[brockley]

Let her know politely that it is your dish and if you decide to tweak it or move, it might/will cause loss of DirecTV service for her. If this is a concern for her then she will have to contact the installer/DirecTV to have her own dish installed.

 

[jimmyv2000]

diconnect all her wires,remove the multi switch and make her get her own dish!

 

[TigersFanJJ]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. As stated earlier, I'd let her know that the installer connected her stuff to your dish and you will take it with you if/when you ever move. So she will need to have her own dish installed either now or when that day comes.

If your dish needs tweaking, by all means, tweak away.

 

[JoeF]

I think you need to address this. What happens if she decides to move before you and takes the dish? I suspect she has no idea that it's not hers.

 

[thespaceghost]

The moment you attach something to the property, it becomes the property owners...as in the apartments. It is no longer yours to take and remove w/out permission. This is why Dish/Direct always tell you to leave the dish behind.

The apt manager will nearly always favor using an existing dish as opposed to putting up another dish. If you have trouble with the system and need a tech, it will be up to whoever wants to get the system fixed first.

 

[curt8403]

I would feel this girl owed me something. If her dish is knocked up, of course there might be issue, but normally, you should tweak her yourself. Sure, you can do it.

it is the same dish, but the post borders on dirty. The O.P. does not want her, but he should have her call and complain to Directv about how they used his dish.

 

[Supervolcano]

it is the same dish, but the post borders on dirty. The O.P. does not want her, but he should have her call and complain to Directv about how they used his dish.

I wouldn't COMPLAIN to anyone about it.
Not the lady.
Not the apartment complex.
And especially not DirecTV because they'll contact the other two.

If the apartment complex gets a complaint, they might say "screw you, remove the dish and the coax cables from our property".

I'd tell the lady nicely that it's your dish and you'll tweak it when/if it ever needs tweaking (since she probably wouldn't know how to anyways). I'd also nicely beg her not to take the dish when/if she moves away, since it's your dish.


The only sticky issue is what to do when/if you move away.
I'd probably call it a loss and leave it behind.
You can find dishes pretty cheap on ebay, or your mover's connection.

 

[BattleZone]

If the apartment complex gets a complaint, they might say "screw you, remove the dish and the coax cables from our property".

About 90% of apartment managers I've ever dealt with would do exactly this!

The simplist way to eliminate this problem is to eliminate the dish entirely. Since the OP has not lost anything, and is not out any service, etc., I recommend leaving things just as they are.

 

[houskamp]

As long as the other person understands what was done, I wouldn't worry about it..

 

[curt8403]

As long as the other person understands what was done, I wouldn't worry about it..

service calls that require adjustment of the dish would worry me sick
I mean who pays the OP or the Interloper girl

 

[TigersFanJJ]

service calls that require adjustment of the dish would worry me sick
I mean who pays the OP or the Interloper girl

The OP already said he has the protection plan so he doesn't have to pay for a service call. Most techs understand they may come across this situation when on a service call to an apartment complex. They really could care less who is paying Directv.

 

[BLWedge09]

I wouldn't COMPLAIN to anyone about it.
Not the lady.
Not the apartment complex.
And especially not DirecTV because they'll contact the other two.

If the apartment complex gets a complaint, they might say "screw you, remove the dish and the coax cables from our property".

I'd tell the lady nicely that it's your dish and you'll tweak it when/if it ever needs tweaking (since she probably wouldn't know how to anyways). I'd also nicely beg her not to take the dish when/if she moves away, since it's your dish.


The only sticky issue is what to do when/if you move away.
I'd probably call it a loss and leave it behind.
You can find dishes pretty cheap on ebay, or your mover's connection.

And this is pretty much what I plan to do. I don't want to stir up anything because, well, I want my D* and it is working correctly right now. I do question the installer's methods however. Mainly, I worry about my service interrupted by having what is (for me anyway) an unnecessary piece of equipment mounted on a pole out in the elements (multiswitch). I'm not sure if they're designed to be mounted out in the open like that.

To be perfectly honest, if someone had asked me, I would have been ok with it. That's why I'll probably just let it go. But, I feel like I should have been consulted as this is something that could potentially affect my service.

I don't want anyone to get the impression I'm trying to be difficult. I just don't like the idea that it was done behind my back. I doubt that the girl in the other apartment even knows though, and I haven't had a chance to talk to her about it yet.

 

[Johnnie5000]

Mainly, I worry about my service interrupted by having what is (for me anyway) an unnecessary piece of equipment mounted on a pole out in the elements (multiswitch). I'm not sure if they're designed to be mounted out in the open like that.

They're made to be mounted outdoors. Next time you go out check and see if the tech used weather seals (thick black rubber rings) on all of the connectors at the switch. If not, get yourself a tube of silicone sealant and seal up all of the connectors yourself just to truly keep the elements out.

Look on the bright side, if your LNB or switch goes bad, you two can split the bill on the service call.