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I was planning on making a thread today as well.. My install is tomorrow 12-4pm and I'm sure the installer isn't going to be pleased. We're keeping our local cable co as well as adding DTV. While I've read 4 rooms and or 125ft of cable x 4 many posts here don't say the same thing. From what I've read here installers hit you for everything they can and some. While I get the whole sympathy for the installer thing I refuse to be taken by any private contractor.

I havent read much on the directv forum as I dont have it but thats changing here shortly on the 19th. Mastec will most likely be installing my system for an hr20 and a standard digital box and a slim line 5 lnbf dish. In my situation it will be easy, the dish will go onto a fascia mount on the north side and the two cables run under the eave all the way on the back to the south side to the grounding and two existing cables and their done. In my situation there are no reasons for additional charges as this will fall within the scope of a standard install.

I don't understand how having to fish cable is not considered part of the standard installation, when the dual tuner dvr's requires two home runs (well, for D* anyway). Most "standard" houses have one cable going to each room, not two. So perhaps they should say installation is free unless you are ordering any dual tuner receiver, until they figure out how to do what E* has been doing for years.

Thank you for the replys. If I leave the ends in the house unterminated and precut a hole for a new plate, will the installer add the plate and terminate the cables at the receiver locations as part of the "free" install. I want to keep the CATV jacks for future use. I do not mind the wall fishing since it has never seemed hard and I have the tools anyway, also my attic has plenty of room and open floor system which is great for doing this.

grydlok - unfotunately my phone and power are on opposite ends of the house in the rear. Where the los is best is on the power end of the house (matches the same end as other E* and D* subscribers in the neighborhood) and has an easier access for the cables to exit the attic and to the roof. I do not like the way the E* installer ran the cables from my neighbor's crawl space to the roof.

Van - thank you for the heads up! I was wondering due to watertightness. What should I look for when the installer mounts it to the roof to ward off leaks?

Sorry for so many questions, but the DW wants to know the costs upfront since I'm already looking to upgrade my bedroom with a 46" 1080p plasma, 7.1 SS and HD/BR LG Player from Best Buy.

LuBi said:

I was planning on making a thread today as well.. My install is tomorrow 12-4pm and I'm sure the installer isn't going to be pleased. We're keeping our local cable co as well as adding DTV. While I've read 4 rooms and or 125ft of cable x 4 many posts here don't say the same thing. From what I've read here installers hit you for everything they can and some. While I get the whole sympathy for the installer thing I refuse to be taken by any private contractor.

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Think of it this way...If the installer tires to charge you for a basic onstall he is in violation..If you are expecting additional services beyond the scope of the work order and a basic install, do not expect to get the addtional services free of charge.
Let me put it this way....if your boss came to you and asked you to work two hours additional for no pay, would you?
Or if you hired an electrician to do a basic installation of a ceiling fam and he discovered that the wiring was inadeqate, would you expect him to do the entire job for no additional payment?
We try to accomodate customers with a few frills to make them happy. But when a customer wants additinal tv's connected/ wired, wall fishes, trenches dug, etc..we have to draw the line.. We are trying to make a living. This is a business just lke anything else
Time is money. Materials costs keep going up. We cannot afford to give the materials, time, talent and labor away for free.
Thanks for your understanding.

Van said:

I havent read much on the directv forum as I dont have it but thats changing here shortly on the 19th. Mastec will most likely be installing my system for an hr20 and a standard digital box and a slim line 5 lnbf dish. In my situation it will be easy, the dish will go onto a fascia mount on the north side and the two cables run under the eave all the way on the back to the south side to the grounding and two existing cables and their done. In my situation there are no reasons for additional charges as this will fall within the scope of a standard install.

Click to expand...

Nope...yours is a basic install. actually sounds like a pcinic.

dishbd said:

I don't understand how having to fish cable is not considered part of the standard installation, when the dual tuner dvr's requires two home runs (well, for D* anyway). Most "standard" houses have one cable going to each room, not two. So perhaps they should say installation is free unless you are ordering any dual tuner receiver, until they figure out how to do what E* has been doing for years.

Click to expand...

It's not for you to understand. Wall fishes take more time. Wall fishes in this business have always been considered custom work. It is what it is. Go to DTV's website or the website of the retailer you used to buy the system and read ALL of the terms and conditions regarding insatllation of the system.
BTW not all cable runs require a wall fish... Is your tv located on an outside wall? Is it downstairs? Above a crawlspace or basement?..
If one of these criteria are met, then there should be no additional charge for the cabel to be installed.. Why? Because the aformentioned are examples of what would be a standard or basic install method.

enthuzist said:

Thank you for the replys. If I leave the ends in the house unterminated and precut a hole for a new plate, will the installer add the plate and terminate the cables at the receiver locations as part of the "free" install. I want to keep the CATV jacks for future use. I do not mind the wall fishing since it has never seemed hard and I have the tools anyway, also my attic has plenty of room and open floor system which is great for doing this.

grydlok - unfotunately my phone and power are on opposite ends of the house in the rear. Where the los is best is on the power end of the house (matches the same end as other E* and D* subscribers in the neighborhood) and has an easier access for the cables to exit the attic and to the roof. I do not like the way the E* installer ran the cables from my neighbor's crawl space to the roof.

Van - thank you for the heads up! I was wondering due to watertightness. What should I look for when the installer mounts it to the roof to ward off leaks?

Sorry for so many questions, but the DW wants to know the costs upfront since I'm already looking to upgrade my bedroom with a 46" 1080p plasma, 7.1 SS and HD/BR LG Player from Best Buy.

Click to expand...

Any good installer that does a roof mount will pre drill the holes for the mast foot plate then fill them with a sealer such as roofing tar or smaller dabs of silicone, then he will put pitch pads between the foot plate and the roof covering the holes on the plate and the predrilled and sink the lag bolts into the roof. Doing this will prevent roof leaks though it is not a %100 garauntee I never had a roof leak in my 6 years. A coax line from the dish should never go from the dish into the attic, it should always drop to the vicinity of a grounding source then after being grounded can go into attic through the wall but never through the roof.

You can leave the cable ends unfitted but be sure to cover the ends in electrical tape or seal them with wax to keep moisture out for the ends that are outside. You can also prep the wall for the wall plates to and the installer will terminate though there's no garauntee he will have the plates himself though he should. What you can do is get the multi service plates that allow for modular items to be added such as coax and phone jacks and run what you need to that location though its a gamble as to wether the installer will be able to terminate a phone line.

If your wanting the installer to mount the dish near the 220 weather head it has to be 10ft away from the weather head and the 220 line coming in as its NEC requirement.

Before you get that LG take a look at Vizio tv's you can get them at Sam's club, I have one and love it and wouldnt trade it for anything even a Sony and I love Sony.

dishcomm said:

Nope...yours is a basic install. actually sounds like a pcinic.

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It should be the easiest install of the day for the Mastec guy, I figure an hour from arival to departure if he prebuilds his dishes and an hour and half if he doesnt.