Help! DTV HD Dish Installation Question

[wordman6579]

I'll try to keep this short...

We live in a HOA-governed condo community, and drilling is not permitted for satellite installations. Our deck (we live in a second floor unit) is not all that big (11x 6.) I informed DTV of this when I ordered HD, and they told me "no problem.. the dish will mounted on a 9ft. poll or tripod."

Wrong.

DTV Installer #1 comes out, installs a 3x3 steel platform, held down by cinder blocks, with the dish rising all of 2 feet up, essentially taking up 20-25% of our deck. I complain to DTV, so out comes Installer #2 who says there's no other option. I then ask DTV to get out of the contract, and not surprisingly, they say "no... you're past the 24 hour window."

Installer #3 is due here next Thursday, and I'm hoping/praying that there is some other option available to us to get this thing mounted so that the dish at least extends a couple of feel above the deck railing.

I'm just not sure where to turn, and I'm hoping you folks can help. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[raoul5788]

I'll try to keep this short...

We live in a HOA-governed condo community, and drilling is not permitted for satellite installations. Our deck (we live in a second floor unit) is not all that big (11x 6.) I informed DTV of this when I ordered HD, and they told me "no problem.. the dish will mounted on a 9ft. poll or tripod."

Wrong.

DTV Installer #1 comes out, installs a 3x3 steel platform, held down by cinder blocks, with the dish rising all of 2 feet up, essentially taking up 20-25% of our deck. I complain to DTV, so out comes Installer #2 who says there's no other option. I then ask DTV to get out of the contract, and not surprisingly, they say "no... you're past the 24 hour window."

Installer #3 is due here next Thursday, and I'm hoping/praying that there is some other option available to us to get this thing mounted so that the dish at least extends a couple of feel above the deck railing.

I'm just not sure where to turn, and I'm hoping you folks can help. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

You can install a longer pole, but the longer it is, the more likely you could have issues with losing signal because of the movement. That being said, I have my dish on a 9' pole and have never lost signal due to the pole moving. Also, with the type of mount you have, a longer pole is more likely to move somewhat. Good luck, and make sure to let us know how it all works out!

 

[wordman6579]

Thank you so much for your reply... lots of interesting threads here, so I suspect I'll be sticking around much longer after this thread.

Question about your installation... is that an HD dish mounted to the top or a standard definition? The installers keep telling me that the HD dish won't work on such a poll given that the dish itself it too heavy... I'm using the slimline HD dish.

Thanks again for your input.

 

[Jimbo]

I'll try to keep this short...

We live in a HOA-governed condo community, and drilling is not permitted for satellite installations. Our deck (we live in a second floor unit) is not all that big (11x 6.) I informed DTV of this when I ordered HD, and they told me "no problem.. the dish will mounted on a 9ft. poll or tripod."

Wrong.

DTV Installer #1 comes out, installs a 3x3 steel platform, held down by cinder blocks, with the dish rising all of 2 feet up, essentially taking up 20-25% of our deck. I complain to DTV, so out comes Installer #2 who says there's no other option. I then ask DTV to get out of the contract, and not surprisingly, they say "no... you're past the 24 hour window."

Installer #3 is due here next Thursday, and I'm hoping/praying that there is some other option available to us to get this thing mounted so that the dish at least extends a couple of feel above the deck railing.

I'm just not sure where to turn, and I'm hoping you folks can help. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Question ....
Above you said they were going to install on a pole, then you said WRONG, so I took it that you were not allowed a pole mount.

Then they brought out a second option, one that does not effect the building structure and you said TOO BIG.

What exactly were you wanting them to do ?

I have a Slimline 3 dish on a 16' pole supported at the roof line.
This has worked great for 5 years now.

 

[Davedirectv]

All these things are fine and dandy to do on your own, but if I were to do this at your house, i.e. put a kaku dish on a 9' pole, my super visor would have my job, at the very minimum write me up.

A 18" round is a different story, we put those on 8' poles to shoot over the rooftops whenever needed.

Just a question, by why would you sign off on something that you weren't happy with in the first place?

And seeing the installer doing what he was doing, why did you just let him do it?

 

[wordman6579]

Above you said they were going to install on a pole, then you said WRONG, so I took it that you were not allowed a pole mount.

I'm actually permitted to have a pole mount, but they wouldn't install it that way. No holes can be drilled into the building, but non-penetrating mounts, tripods, and poles, are OK.


Then they brought out a second option, one that does not effect the building structure and you said TOO BIG.

I wasn't aware that a poll mount would require drilling a hole into the building... I called Dish Network as well, told them my issue, and said that yes, HD dishes can be installed on such poles. I also see that another resident has a 9ft. pole on his deck though I'm not certain whether it's an HD or standard dish.


What exactly were you wanting them to do?

What they told me they would do... that being a tripod or pole, not a steel platform that takes up 25% of my deck.


I have a Slimline 3 dish on a 16' pole supported at the roof line.
This has worked great for 5 years now.


How is it supported at the roof line?

 

[wordman6579]

Just a question, by why would you sign off on something that you weren't happy with in the first place?


I expressed our displeasure the day of the install, but the tech said he had no other options... I called DTV and they said they'd correct the issue with another installer, only then send out a different tech who gave the same answer.
If it weren't for my sick and twisted desire to watch Cleveland Browns games on TV from the west coast, and the fact that my only TV is a an HD one, I wouldn't even bother with DTV.

 

[wordman6579]

By the way, I'm not locked into the idea of a 9 ft. pole... but would like to know if the 3x3 steel platform I mentioned above would support a 3-5 foot pole that would place the dish itself above the railing and slightly out of the way of people standing on the deck.

 

[Jimbo]

Above you said they were going to install on a pole, then you said WRONG, so I took it that you were not allowed a pole mount.

I'm actually permitted to have a pole mount, but they wouldn't install it that way. No holes can be drilled into the building, but non-penetrating mounts, tripods, and poles, are OK.


Then they brought out a second option, one that does not effect the building structure and you said TOO BIG.

I wasn't aware that a poll mount would require drilling a hole into the building... I called Dish Network as well, told them my issue, and said that yes, HD dishes can be installed on such poles. I also see that another resident has a 9ft. pole on his deck though I'm not certain whether it's an HD or standard dish.


What exactly were you wanting them to do?

What they told me they would do... that being a tripod or pole, not a steel platform that takes up 25% of my deck.


I have a Slimline 3 dish on a 16' pole supported at the roof line.
This has worked great for 5 years now.


How is it supported at the roof line?

Lag bolts and welds.
You can't do that as you cant permanantly support anything to the building.

Here's an idea, look around the buildings and see if you see cable coax supported on the building anywhere, IF you do, you should be able to have a pole mounted and a coax run up to your location.

 

[harshness]

DTV Installer #1 comes out, installs a 3x3 steel platform, held down by cinder blocks, with the dish rising all of 2 feet up, essentially taking up 20-25% of our deck.

This is what I would have done.

Gravity is your lone ally in the quest for a stable mount. You can't clamp it to anything and there's no amount of zip ties or duct tape that is going to be reliable long-term. The non-penetrating requirement prevents the installer from screwing or nailing down a tripod. You could try dragging a thick piece of steel plate up there, but you would have to weld the mount to the plate (or have the plate counterbored).

In any case, the dish is big and whether the pile of blocks is 2" or 2' high, you're going to want to stay well away from it to avoid moving or damaging the dish.

The big question I have for you is: did you sign for the installation? If you signed off the you're getting the services you subscribed to, the installation is complete and you're on your own to clean it up.

 

[Jimbo]

By the way, I'm not locked into the idea of a 9 ft. pole... but would like to know if the 3x3 steel platform I mentioned above would support a 3-5 foot pole that would place the dish itself above the railing and slightly out of the way of people standing on the deck.

I would say YES a 3x3 Steel platform would work fine.
They also mentioned a Tripod, the tripod would be larger than the platform I would think.

 

[wordman6579]

They also mentioned a Tripod, the tripod would be larger than the platform I would think.

True, but the #1 goal here is to get the dish high enough off the deck so that it's not interfering with everything else.