FAQ for self-installers?

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deniro

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Jan 20, 2005
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I am moving soon into a new house and will need to get DirecTV. I have been trying to read up on it (previous Comcast customer), as it is a little more involved than cable.
I would like to install this myself, as I fell I can do it and I think I will need more done than that which is part of a standard installation. This is a new home, but only has 1 coax to each tv location, and all coaxes meet in a 3rd floor HVAC closet.
I have read various threads about installing a dish on a pole, using a multi-switch or diplexer, etc. but haven't found one good source of information about each step of the process.
Here are the types of things I am curious about, is there a FAQ somewhere for the uninitiated like myself?
--How is the dish mounted to a concrete block/brick foundation?
--Is a pole mount better? How to run coax from the dish/pole to the house?
--I guess I need to run 4 coax from the dish to the 3rd floor, where it goes into the multi-switch, then to each tv location.
--Can I simply run 4 coax through a hole drilled in the foundation to get under my house into the crawl space, then up an interior wall into the attic?
--What 'gotchas' are there to look out for?
???

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm too uninformed to do this myself, I just tend to ask lots of questions so I am overly sure of the answer. I'd rather ask a stupid question than not know the answer or be wrong.

Thanks for any help.
 
deniro said:
I am moving soon into a new house and will need to get DirecTV. I have been trying to read up on it (previous Comcast customer), as it is a little more involved than cable.
I would like to install this myself, as I fell I can do it and I think I will need more done than that which is part of a standard installation. This is a new home, but only has 1 coax to each tv location, and all coaxes meet in a 3rd floor HVAC closet.
I have read various threads about installing a dish on a pole, using a multi-switch or diplexer, etc. but haven't found one good source of information about each step of the process.
Here are the types of things I am curious about, is there a FAQ somewhere for the uninitiated like myself?
--How is the dish mounted to a concrete block/brick foundation?
--Is a pole mount better? How to run coax from the dish/pole to the house?
--I guess I need to run 4 coax from the dish to the 3rd floor, where it goes into the multi-switch, then to each tv location.
--Can I simply run 4 coax through a hole drilled in the foundation to get under my house into the crawl space, then up an interior wall into the attic?
--What 'gotchas' are there to look out for?
???

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm too uninformed to do this myself, I just tend to ask lots of questions so I am overly sure of the answer. I'd rather ask a stupid question than not know the answer or be wrong.

Thanks for any help.


They have concrete bolts that you can use

either mount is good . You have to bury the cable from the pole to the house

if you have a oval dish then you will not need a multi-switch unless you need more than 4 lines.

yes you can go through a interior wall can be trick though trying to go up you might try go from attic to crawl space may be a little easier


But if it were me i would mount on the roof drill a hole in the eve and run straight into the attic and ground it in your box in the closet
 
Thanks for the info. It's hard for me to really go through this as I am not in the house yet and don't know the exact setup of wiring or locations to run coax into the house. Also, not being familiar with mounting a dish to a roof makes me less aware.
Would it possible and not a waste of the installer's time to do some of the work myself, like hooking up a multi-switch, and the installer can only mount the dish and run the 4 coax into the attic to the multi-switch? That way I can do the 'non-standard' stuff, and the installer can do the dish part.
I really just need to wait until I move in, so I can see where the dish would need to be mounted to get the proper view of the sky, and where the wiring would go if mounted to the roof. I guess I am just getting antsy and want it to be ready to go as soon as possible after I move in.
 
As an installer I would run the 4 lines for you and hook them up to the multiswitch. Then I would also hook up the 4 lines to your tv's. Thats all included in the free install. Fishing wires up from a crawl space 3 floors is not. It can also be very time consuming. My suggestion is to call a local installer and have them do a site survey to determine the best approach to take. If they are good they will go over all your concerns during the survey. We charge $45 dollars for the survey. It can save you time and headaches. :)
 
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