[ewto16]

Getting my DirecTV dish mounted on a pole in the yard versus on the roof. Guy is charging me $70 extra to do that.

Two questions...

1. Should I get it mounted on a pole versus on the roof? Wife doesn't like the idea of it being up there if we move, re-roof, etc.

2. Is $70 the standard fee for something like that?

 

[raoul5788]

Getting my DirecTV dish mounted on a pole in the yard versus on the roof. Guy is charging me $70 extra to do that.

Two questions...

1. Should I get it mounted on a pole versus on the roof? Wife doesn't like the idea of it being up there if we move, re-roof, etc.

2. Is $70 the standard fee for something like that?

The pole is easier to mount onto and service from. $70 is about the going rate. Some installers do it for free IF there is no los from the roof.

 

[ewto16]

OK, I wanted to make sure I wasn't getting ripped off. How does he bury the wire when he is done? Obviously, the yard isn't marked for other lines. He wanted it on the roof, but the wife wanted it in the yard so it goes in the yard. I suppose if I ever need to knock snow off the dish, it will be easier this way.

Any other tips for me while he is here?

 

[joe diamond]

OK, I wanted to make sure I wasn't getting ripped off. How does he bury the wire when he is done? Obviously, the yard isn't marked for other lines. He wanted it on the roof, but the wife wanted it in the yard so it goes in the yard. I suppose if I ever need to knock snow off the dish, it will be easier this way.

Any other tips for me while he is here?

Now you are getting it,

The people who do stuff for FREE are employees of Home Service Providers. It is worth it for the company to eat a pole & labor from time to time to get a job in. Because contractors are paid just for what is on the specification ( and poles are not) they charge for everything. By the way, the maintenance on the pole and dish is covered with the protection plan........lawnmower hits dish arm = repoint dish......weed eater cuts lines = same. And should the tech stick the pole in the wrong place he or some HSP guy will move it.

Joe

 

[Flugelman]

Had my Slimline installed a couple of weeks ago. I had confirmed with the CSR that 1) I needed a pole mount, and 2) There would be no charge for the installation. When the local guy got here he told me it would be $75 for thr pole. I told him what the CSR had told me and he could keep his pole. He shrugged, drove the pole into the ground, and installed the antenna. I had to remind him to crimp the connectors on the coax as he was assembling the cabling...:eek2:

 

[ewto16]

I didn't get the protection plan. Is that something I should reconsider?

Also, I guess he is installing a SWM, though he doesn't seem to know anything about it.

 

[Dirac]

I paid a local guy $100 for a pole mount and to home-run 4 coax up to the attic multiswitch (and it was kind of a crap job, but by watching I figured out how to do it on my own). They did do a good job of burying the cable--straight 6-8 ft run about 12" underground, just lifted the sod and put it back on top of the cable afterward.

Read up on SWMs in the forum, you can SMOKE your receivers if you connect the power inserter incorrectly.

$70 sounds decent to me, hope they do a good job for you.

 

[Annihilator31]

Every customer should expect to pay for a pole mount if it's done right. Unless your an employee, chances are the tech paid out of his pocket for the pole and concrete. Add that to the extra time and labor and thats why we charge. As for burying cables. That is the customers responsability. Techs are not to bury any wires unless the utilities have been marked. And that doesn't mean we will make a second trip out there just to bury them when you do get them marked. Note: All pole mounts should be using a bag of concrete.(quickcreate)

 

[K4SMX]

Most coax is not designed to be buried, although it'll probably last for some time. It doesn't have what the wire industry refers to as a "non-contaminating jacket." Conduit with two el's on each end is much preferred.

A good pole mount job (dead plumb, exactly 2" O.D. aluminum thick wall pipe with a bolt through the bottom so it won't turn, and a bag and a half of concrete) is easily worth $70. It's much better than a roof mount for a lot of reasons, in addition to the fact that it's what we she wants.