issue with satellite installation

da46

New Member
Original poster
May 23, 2011
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0
ny
Hi, I currently live in a townhome community I decide it to get dish network because I can not keep up with comcast outrageous prices. Once I inquire the management company that I want to put a satellite dish. They told me the only location where I can put it is under the eave of the roof. But I can not installed it there because I can not LOS not even in my patio I do not get LOS. The only place I will get signal is in the roof. When I told them about a roof install the property manager told me no.After looking around in the neighborhood I see one townhome that has a dish on the roof. When I e-mailed those people about their dish they told me that they got theirs more than 3 years ago. Now I say that's pure bulls@#$ that they have theirs on their roof I can not have mine. Because of this I am going forward with a roof install. What do you guys think
 
There's a very good chance the installer will refuse to do as you want without written permission from your property manager. Are you aware that dish has two sets of satelites? You may be able to get LOS on one arc even if you don't with the other. I would explore that option first.
 
Technically Dish installers are no longer required to see a letter of permission. They go on the assumption that you already obtained permission.

I would schedule the installation and see what happens.

Now if the HOA for some reason makes you take it down, don't call Dish and ask to get out if the contract.
 
In case you don't want to search through it all. If you're renting the town home then no you can't put it on the roof, if you own or are renting to own then you can even if they say no because the FCC says they can't stop you no matter what they want to say. Note the condominium townhome sentence if it's applicable to you. Which means if it's a MDU townhome then you can't use the roof, I believe is what it says.

Q: I live in a townhome community. Am I covered by the FCC rule?
A: Yes. If you own the whole townhouse, including the walls and the roof and the land under the building, then the rule applies just as it does for a single family home, and you may be able to put the antenna on the roof, the exterior wall, the backyard or any other place that is part of what you own. If the townhouse is a condominium, then the rule applies as it does for any other type of condominium, which means it applies only where you have an exclusive use area. If it is a condominium townhouse, you probably cannot use the roof, the chimney, or the exterior walls unless the condominium association gives you permission. You may want to check your ownership documents to determine what areas are owned by you or are reserved for your exclusive use.
 
Question, just to be a devil's advocate here. If the roof and siding is covered (painting, re-roofing, etc) in the home owners association dues, doesn't that negate that phrase in the OTARD rules?

I ask that simply for educational purposes, more then anything else. I would just think that a roof (if spanning over multiple houses) is in fact a "common area". One of the other threads in a condo here on Satguys had that exact issue and OTARD was not mentioned there as a way to "bypass" the property managements authority.
 
Question, just to be a devil's advocate here. If the roof and siding is covered (painting, re-roofing, etc) in the home owners association dues, doesn't that negate that phrase in the OTARD rules?

I ask that simply for educational purposes, more then anything else. I would just think that a roof (if spanning over multiple houses) is in fact a "common area". One of the other threads in a condo here on Satguys had that exact issue and OTARD was not mentioned there as a way to "bypass" the property managements authority.

I would think that if it spans multiple houses like you said then it is a common area, but that might be arguable just as your other question might be. The OTARD says that if you own the building you can place it on the roof, it doesn't say if you own it and someone else fixes it then you can't. I agree on both counts here. The first will negate the OTARD and the 2nd as stated above. But I think they are both arguable.

Edit: However if the HMA is fixing the rood, then technically they own it right? which means that you can not put it on the roof as stated in the excerpt above: If you own the whole townhouse, including the walls and the roof and the land under the building.

You could own the house, walls, and land, but if they pay for roof repairs, then I think they would own it.

Good questions, lol, made me think. Obviously a little more info is needed from the OP.
 
If you know the management has called for using an eaves mount ... then why not just tell dish to include it for the install? make it absolutely clear to them that the installer will need an eaves mount.

you could even be proactive and search for a few types.. contact your property management and request any links, or information for mounts *THEY* recommend, and get approval for the type you're going to use.

Here's an example of one http://skyvision.com/store/mi6000042.html
6000042.jpg
and with something like *that* you can clearly see it would clear the gutter, clear the roof, and allow a dish to get signal ... there are other eave mount types too ...

The other possibility would be a non penetrating roof mount, *if* your type of roof would work (depends on pitch, standard A type roofs wouldn't work, but if you had a flat roof (pitched for water run off) you could. It uses cinder-blocks to weigh it down.
 
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If the roof of the home is flat and easily accessed, have a non-penetration mount installed from there. Of course, make sure it fits the guidelines of you owning the whole property there, nobody else above or below you. I would suggest having it installed where it is not visible from the street. Even though the HOA has no authority to have it removed, they may still make a fuss if they can see it and it's better to avoid the hassle.
 
If you know the management has called for using an eaves mount ... then why not just tell dish to include it for the install? make it absolutely clear to them that the installer will need an eaves mount.

you could even be proactive and search for a few types.. contact your property management and request any links, or information for mounts *THEY* recommend, and get approval for the type you're going to use.

Here's an example of one Skyvision Satellite Equipment
View attachment 65869
and with something like *that* you can clearly see it would clear the gutter, clear the roof, and allow a dish to get signal ... there are other eave mount types too ...

The other possibility would be a non penetrating roof mount, *if* your type of roof would work (depends on pitch, standard A type roofs wouldn't work, but if you had a flat roof (pitched for water run off) you could. It uses cinder-blocks to weigh it down.

REALLY cool mount. Have never seen one of those.
 
If the property manager (not the HOA) told you no, why continue? Or Why not approach your property manager with a different attitude...like....ok, lets have a community dish? -1 dish, multiple residents? Have your neighbor there when your Dish tech gets there. (Dish works 365 days a year) It could get done and the property manger not even know it got done.

Like someone else said, if it gets installed, and the manager tells you to get rid of it either:
a) have an attorney on hand, ready to duke it out
b) be ready to pay the fees to get out of the contract. The service agreement states that you had permission prior to the tech being on site
or c) be ready to be evicted.
 
I wouldn't do the install. If you go through dish the the MUST be done up to dish specs or else the tech will be back charged, so the mount should be on Dish "approved list" most are not, If the installer puts up the dish and your HOA tells you to take it down the installer is again back charged and loses all his time and money on the job. So the only conditions I will put up a dish in a MFD is on areas which the home owner has exclusive use and control, or a letter detailing dish placement from the HOA other than that the risk is far greater than the reward.
 
Question, just to be a devil's advocate here. If the roof and siding is covered (painting, re-roofing, etc) in the home owners association dues, doesn't that negate that phrase in the OTARD rules?

I ask that simply for educational purposes, more then anything else. I would just think that a roof (if spanning over multiple houses) is in fact a "common area". One of the other threads in a condo here on Satguys had that exact issue and OTARD was not mentioned there as a way to "bypass" the property managements authority.
A dwelling deeded as a "townhome' can have a "common" roof when the building is multi dwelling and still the roof over each unit is owned by the dwelling owner. In a condominium, the dwelling owner is responsible from the "pain inward. Anything outside the paint is "common area". In the latter case, OTARD rules revert to those covering apartments.
 
If the Dish has been there on the other roof then there is some form of president, I would talk to the people who have the Dish already mounted, see if they has permission, get a letter from them stating how long it has been up.
 
I think the under eave mount was an issue because of LOS, per the OP. I would assume that means it needs to go to a peak, or switch arcs as others have mentioned. From what I gather, he was not concerned with the type of mount, simply LOS where that mount would be. It might be that it is too low on the house to get past trees near the house (condo or townhome?).
 
I think the under eave mount was an issue because of LOS, per the OP. I would assume that means it needs to go to a peak, or switch arcs as others have mentioned. From what I gather, he was not concerned with the type of mount, simply LOS where that mount would be. It might be that it is too low on the house to get past trees near the house (condo or townhome?).

Yeah.. see that's the problem with a poster that comes .. posts once and isn't heard from for 3 days.. to me it sounded like they wanted the dish mounted and hidden some under the eaves ... where as the eave mounts that have been posted.. still extend the dish above the gutter line and out more within peoples sight..

:confused: waits and wonders if OP will come back.. :)