It took more than 2 weeks, but I finally found a company in Vegas that does FTA systems. I told him I want to get a motorized system and he's trying to talk me out of it. He said they're a real PITA to install and that they are in constant need of tweaking. He also said that they probably wouldn't lock in to the eastern sats properly. He said that any sat below 90 degrees would be a no go with a motorized system. He told me that it could take 3-4 hours to set up (at $150 an hour). Ouch! No thanks. He said that there aren't any motors on the market that are accurate enough to lock on to ALL the sats properly. The more east you go, the more inaccurate it gets. That surprised me because many people here, and on other sites, have motorized systems that work pretty well. I asked what motors he has worked with and couldn't tell me off hand. He gave me a lot of technical reasons why it wouldn't work and he really seemed to know his stuff. He kept telling me I would be better off with a fixed dish pointed at one bird, or to get a C-band/Ku-band 7.5 foot dish which is much more forgiving when positioning it. Since I live in a condo, that's out of the question. Now I don't know what to do. I guess I'll either have to find someone else or just wait a couple of years until I move into a single family house so I could get the 7.5 foot dish.
Finally found an installer, now he's trying to talk me OUT of a system
- Thread starter bruin95
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 21
- Views 3K
-
WELCOME TO THE NEW SERVER!
If you are seeing this you are on our new server WELCOME HOME!
While the new server is online Scott is still working on the backend including the cachine. But the site is usable while the work is being completes!
Thank you for your patience and again WELCOME HOME!
CLICK THE X IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE BOX TO DISMISS THIS MESSAGE
- Status
Sounds like bull to me. Why don't you do the install yourself. It's not that difficult and thousands of satisfied FTA users have done it themselves. It would be a good learning experience and you can get lots of help from your fellow members of this site. It will open up a whole new tv world to you.
Sunelec's right.
I didn't know a thing about FTA until I set up my first dish in July of last year.
Thanks to the guys on this site, they walked me through it step by step.
Now I have 2 motorized dishes up, and 1 fixed dish. My motorized Primestar dish pulls in just as good a signal 148W to 43.1W with the same Signal Quality all across the arc just using USALS for the motor setup. If you aren't familiar with where those coordinates are, 148W is out over the Pacific, and 43.1W is out over the Atlantic. I am just Northwest of St. Louis.
Now I love this hobby, and the new world of TV is fabulous. Getting ready to put up a motorized Ku dish for my family if it ever warms up again.
Jump in there with both feet. The water is fine.
Fred
I didn't know a thing about FTA until I set up my first dish in July of last year.
Thanks to the guys on this site, they walked me through it step by step.
Now I have 2 motorized dishes up, and 1 fixed dish. My motorized Primestar dish pulls in just as good a signal 148W to 43.1W with the same Signal Quality all across the arc just using USALS for the motor setup. If you aren't familiar with where those coordinates are, 148W is out over the Pacific, and 43.1W is out over the Atlantic. I am just Northwest of St. Louis.
Now I love this hobby, and the new world of TV is fabulous. Getting ready to put up a motorized Ku dish for my family if it ever warms up again.
Jump in there with both feet. The water is fine.
Fred
I have had trouble with the slack or backlash within the gears of a motor drive system. I have had two H/H motors and not been happy with either one. I have gone to a Toroidal T-90 dish with multi - LNBFs. If you do get a motor I believe that you will need to tweak it now and then. Others have had better luck then I, but I would say that your installer's caution probably has some justification.
I have to agree. (With the first 2 posts) I installed mine and it was not half as bad as I thought it would be. I have zero experiance with this kind of stuff.
Just take your time. The most important thing I learned is to make sure the pole you mount the motor/dish is plumb before you even think about mounting the motor and dish. After you get it mounted check the plumb again..
fil
Just take your time. The most important thing I learned is to make sure the pole you mount the motor/dish is plumb before you even think about mounting the motor and dish. After you get it mounted check the plumb again..
fil
Forgot to mention that it is extremely easy to tweak your motor. You just go into your receiver menu for positioning and manually move your motor a little bit east or west while you watch your quality meter which is also displayed. My system has been up for 3 mo. and I havn't had to do it yet. Sounds to me like your installers prices are way too high anyway.
He is blowing smoke at you . Either does not know what he is doing or does not want to do it ( and be held accountable for a good install ) or both . RUN from him as fast as you can !
Get a 30" or larger dish ( this is for a Ku band system ? ) . Get a motor rated for at least one size larger dish ( look into the specs as far as weight ratings ) . I like the Stab brand of motor .
Plant a schedule 40 or 80 steel pole FIRMLY in the ground . Probably 2" inside diameter ( depends on the mount on the dish . Make sure it is plumb both ways , use the longest level you can get your hands on .
Buy a receiver that is USALS capable . Good coax . A good LNBF , probably Standard . A cheap signal meter ( EBay ) . Maybe an angle finder / inclinometer from Harbor Freight .
Come back when you have all this gathered up & a lot of people can help you from there .
Wyr
I would love to do it myself, but that's not possible. As I have mentioned in earlier threads, my condo association strictly forbids residents from going on the roof. The installation MUST be done by a certified, bonded professional. Copies of their licenses and certifications must be presented to the association for approval prior to any work being done. I've already asked if I could do it myself and they responded with a resounding NO!! And before you ask, my balcony faces north. The only place the dish could go is on the roof.
Last edited:
Sounds to me like this falls under FCC rules . Your association cannot stop you by using excessive rules or by making you spend excessive money. They could stop you for safety reasons ( to other people ). However If you followed proper safety rules with an assistant during the install I don't see how they can stop you. The Sadoun internet site has an explanation of these rules including instructions on how to protest to the FCC. I put my 30 inch dish on the front of my house ( south ). Shortly after my association wrote me a letter ordering me to remove the dish with a bill for a fine. They had a rule allowing only an 18 inch dish and only in the backyard. I mailed them a copy of the FCC rules and informed them they were in violation of Federal rules. That shut them up and for 3 mo. now I havn't heard another word from them.
technically he isnt covered under OTARD (FCC Document) since the roof is a common area. His patio/balcony is his exclusive area which OTARD would cover him
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html
sounds like my ass'n when I bought my house. I had put 5 dishes up (2 30", a D500, a D300 for the minor locals and a SC dish) and they said you're allowed one dish (when Minneapolis locals at the time REQUIRED two dishes to get all the locals)
I showed them OTARD and they dropped that "rule". And thank goodness they havent said anything about the 6 foot C-Band dish
As you can see were all trying to help you already, maybe we'll think of something. Iceberg is right I missed the part about your townhouse. You know, trying to type with one arm and kids pulling on the other one. Another idea ( which I did when I lived in a apartment with a north exposure ) is to talk to your neighbor on the south side . Maybe you can do the installation on his balcony or porch provided you install a receiver for him also. Of course you would have to communicate with him on which sat. to watch before you turn your motor. And then the obvious would be to keep looking for a competant installer. See if there are any foreign dish installers like korean, spanish or arabic. These guys usually know what they are doing and are fast so they can charge a reasonable price.
For liability reasons , I can see that he would at least have to sign some kind of release .
Another thing is , they probably do not want any one that is not a professional messing up the roof and causing leaks .
All this is not 100% unreasonable .
Best of luck ,
Wyr
Well I dont know about legal mumbo-jumbo, but sounds to me like this guy is blowing smoke, I didnt know jack squat about FTA and I put up a motorized system at the house. I think this guy is trying to cover his a$$ prolly figuring there is going to be some fiddling to get it right and he is trying to watch his bottom line, he'd rather just point a dish lock it in and never have to come back its easier to do, just sounds to me he is concerned about profits which is understandable. I think your best bet is to have a meeting with your assoc. and see what you can do about this.
I appreciate all the responses to my problem and everyone trying to help. That's why this site is the best.:up I guess I'll keep looking for an installer that will have no problems doing a motorized system, and one that will do it at a reasonable price.
With all this talk about motors, I was wondering which one would be the best to get? The thing I would need the most is one that is reasonably quiet. Condo, you know. Any suggestions?
With all this talk about motors, I was wondering which one would be the best to get? The thing I would need the most is one that is reasonably quiet. Condo, you know.
Any suggestions?
I love a good challenge...
...and as you can see from all the helpful info posted, so do a lot of the fine folks, here.
What floor are you on? Ground, 2nd, etc?
How many floors tall is your building?
Does the roof or upper balcony overhang your patio/balcony?
Can you take a couple of pictures of the outside of your building, and post them please?
I've seen some weird installs, and I'll wager someone here can figure a way to make yours pretty easy.
If in doubt about the crazies out there, stroll through some of these dish installations and tell me yours will be more difficult.
...and as you can see from all the helpful info posted, so do a lot of the fine folks, here.
What floor are you on? Ground, 2nd, etc?
How many floors tall is your building?
Does the roof or upper balcony overhang your patio/balcony?
Can you take a couple of pictures of the outside of your building, and post them please?
I've seen some weird installs, and I'll wager someone here can figure a way to make yours pretty easy.
If in doubt about the crazies out there, stroll through some of these dish installations and tell me yours will be more difficult.
bruin95
It seems that installer had a bad experience with his 1st motorized install and gave up on the whole thing. Now he is discouraging you from pursuing this because in my opinion he may not be capable of installing the motorized system successfully. The std charge is $160 (complete) for a motorized system installation here in Columbus, OHIO.
I would recommend you do the installation yourself.
As stated above, since you live in a condo with shared walls with another tenant, avoid all common areas on your property. Stick to your exclusive use areas only. If you live in a single family house, you can put the dish anywhere you want.
It seems that installer had a bad experience with his 1st motorized install and gave up on the whole thing. Now he is discouraging you from pursuing this because in my opinion he may not be capable of installing the motorized system successfully. The std charge is $160 (complete) for a motorized system installation here in Columbus, OHIO.
I would recommend you do the installation yourself.
As stated above, since you live in a condo with shared walls with another tenant, avoid all common areas on your property. Stick to your exclusive use areas only. If you live in a single family house, you can put the dish anywhere you want.
I was afraid to make my setup motorized, but when I did, it was so easy! It took me longer to scan in the satellites than to set the motor up. When I moved my dish setup, it took minutes to rest it up. I found the motor installation to be real easy WELL worth it!
WELL worth it!- Status
