Moving my satellite dish

[hrbib21]

Since I live in a community that decided they wanted to have an HOA, I now have to move the dish from the side of the house to the rear after 4.5 years in the current location. Can anyone tell me what exactly would be involved in moving it? I would like to just be able to maybe lengthen the wire and move only the dish itself, keeping the hookups on the side where they are. Would that be possible? Another solution would be to just have D* come out and move it for me, I assume for the $75 service fee.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Zynergi]

Well the $75 is an undue burden to move the dish for aesthetic purposes.. ie some stiff on a HOA board doesn't like it, is illegal. Check the FCC website for more information.

Gotta love places that make up rules but don't check laws oO

For example, if installing an antenna in the rear of the house costs significantly more than installation on the side of the house, then such a requirement would be prohibited.

Some communities have written restrictions that provide a prioritized list of placement preferences so that residents can see where the association wants them to install the antenna. The residents should comply with the placement preferences provided the preferred placement does not impose unreasonable delay or expense or preclude reception of an acceptable quality signal

Here is a FAQ (http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html) that you can review, I am sure others will chime in as well.. but IMO (I am not a lawyer) If the HOA wants these dishes moved, and LOS can be obtained within where they want the dish, they should cover the costs of re-installation. I would not recommend "splicing" the line as it introduces signal loss, voltage loss and a potential for future problems which will end up costing your further expense.

 

[jdspencer]

In my opinion, you are grandfathered in as to the location of the dish. Tell them to pound salt.

 

[Aurora]

If the HOA wants these dishes moved, and LOS can be obtained within where they want the dish, they should cover the costs of re-installation.

Good point, but then the HOA fees go up for everyone, a situation that nobody wants. Tell the HOA they have no right to tell you to move it.

 

[mecro]

I laid a copy of the FCC rules on my landlord's desk when he tried the same thing. They can't make you move it, especially on a house!

 

[Spize]

I laid a copy of the FCC rules on my landlord's desk when he tried the same thing. They can't make you move it, especially on a house!

It's nice being an independent... A couple years ago I was just wrapping up a very long, very hard, very hot day of installing 4 systems when a Condo association officer (all free standing condos) come up and tell me to move the dish to the other side back corner of a house (right under a tree) because the side of the house by the electric meter and existing cable box were a violation of the rules. I went to my truck and grabbed my handy dandy copy of the F.C.C. rules and handed them to them (My customer was pleased by this as they pretty much hated the Condo association people). He went out to his car and read them on the hood, made a phone call, and then came back to me at my truck and told me that the dish was in a common area. It was clearly not a common area by any stretch of the definition. I explained that to him and he says "all areas outside of the inside living space are considered common areas by the association. I asked him if my customer and myself could have his address in the condos so we could go sit by his electric meter and have a picnic. He called me silly and I replied that if it is a common area he needs to make it accessible to my customer and their guest, me... needless to say the dish stayed where it was and I was right. (The customer still sends me a Christmas card)

Condo/Home owners associations are on the long list of people I don't care much for.

While this probably wouldn't be an example that Patrick the clean cut DTV installer from the training videos would recommend, I was hot, sweaty, and tired and wasn't ready to deal with the prettiness police that day.

Moral of the story... tell the HOA to get bent. If this doesn't work I can almost guarantee you can find 3-4 violations of the HOA Agreement at each of the board members/officers house.

P.S. unless you know what you are doing, don't move the dish yourself... I have had way too many service calls start with "I played with the dish for 4 hours and couldn't get a signal..."

 

[jtwex]

I would not recommend "splicing" the line as it introduces signal loss, voltage loss and a potential for future problems which will end up costing your further expense.

The single worse thing I ever did was splicing a line outside when I moved my dish. If you move it, run complete new lines at least until you get inside your house.

 

[Aurora]

Condo/Home owners associations are on the long list of people I don't care much for.

In my experience, they've never done anything to help me. They just keep digging deeper into my pockets!

 

[stonecold]

As long as it 36 inches or less they cant tell you squat. Bigger then 36 then you have to listen to them where you can put it.

Only other rules are if they can prove to the fcc that it is a saftey hazzard where it is, or historical building

 

[jdspencer]

Since I live in a community that decided they wanted to have an HOA, ....

Any possibility that the community could reverse this decision?
Exactly what advantages were promised for doing this?

And I stand by my previous reply and all of the others here.

Please get back to us with your results.

 

[srenker]

Moral of the story... tell the HOA to get bent. If this doesn't work I can almost guarantee you can find 3-4 violations of the HOA Agreement at each of the board members/officers house.

The following started playing in my head:

I want to tell you all a story 'bout a Harper Valley widowed wife
Who had a teenage daughter who attended Harper Valley Junior High
Well her daughter came home one afternoon and didn't even stop to play
She said, "Mom, I got a note here from the Harper Valley P.T.A."

The note said, "Mrs. Johnson, you're wearing your dresses way too high
It's reported you've been drinking and a-runnin' 'round with men and going wild
And we don't believe you ought to be bringing up your little girl this way"
It was signed by the secretary, Harper Valley P.T.A.

Well, it happened that the P.T.A. was gonna meet that very afternoon
They were sure surprised when Mrs. Johnson wore her mini-skirt into the room
And as she walked up to the blackboard, I still recall the words she had to say
She said, "I'd like to address this meeting of the Harper Valley P.T.A."

Well, there's Bobby Taylor sittin' there and seven times he's asked me for a date
Mrs. Taylor sure seems to use a lot of ice whenever he's away
And Mr. Baker, can you tell us why your secretary had to leave this town?
And shouldn't widow Jones be told to keep her window shades all pulled completely down?

Well, Mr. Harper couldn't be here 'cause he stayed too long at Kelly's Bar again
And if you smell Shirley Thompson's breath, you'll find she's had a little nip of gin
Then you have the nerve to tell me you think that as a mother I'm not fit
Well, this is just a little Peyton Place and you're all Harper Valley hypocrites

No I wouldn't put you on because it really did, it happened just this way
The day my Mama socked it to the Harper Valley P.T.A.

 

[hrbib21]

Thanks for the info, guys. Much appreciated. I will be printing out the FCC guidelines and sending it to the HOA.

A little more background info: I specifically called and asked the builder, who still own/ran the community, on the day of the install about this when I had it installed because the installer asked me about this very thing. I was told "No problem, go right ahead." Of course, in hindsight, I should have gotten something in writing.

As to being grandfathered, I'm not sure if I am or not. The HOA carried over some of the rules the builder had in place and I don't have a copy of that, only the updated HOA rules. HOwever, the FCC laws seem to supercede that anyway.

I cannot wait until I can afford to move. This community is going into the crapper and the people running the HOA are solely responsible.

 

[Spize]

The following started playing in my head:

That's funny... I am thinking you doubt my story, but in all seriousness if you met me and hung out for an hour or so you wouldn't doubt it... I am all kinds of silly.

BTW, mini-skirts are not on my list of things I don't care for.

On HOAs, I really dislike any group that takes themselves quite that seriously... when I get customers that are freaking out about the dish because the HOA made them remove a shrub earlier because it wasn't on the approved list... I just get irritated that there are people that think this is a proper and good thing. I really am shocked that these types of things are legal. In the realm of satellite TV a lot of their silly rules are not legal, but most of the tenants are too intimidated by the HOA to consider their TV options... It's bothersome to me.

I take my work and my business life very serious, but when the HOA Gestapo shows up and tries to intimidate myself and my customers I will tell you that sarcasm is a very effective tool against people that just take themselves way too serious.

In this business when you start to take yourself too serious and think too highly of your self the satellite gods tend to find a nice trailer for you to have to crawl under on your next install, lol.

 

[Spize]

Thanks for the info, guys. Much appreciated. I will be printing out the FCC guidelines and sending it to the HOA.

A little more background info: I specifically called and asked the builder, who still own/ran the community, on the day of the install about this when I had it installed because the installer asked me about this very thing. I was told "No problem, go right ahead." Of course, in hindsight, I should have gotten something in writing.

As to being grandfathered, I'm not sure if I am or not. The HOA carried over some of the rules the builder had in place and I don't have a copy of that, only the updated HOA rules. HOwever, the FCC laws seem to supercede that anyway.

I cannot wait until I can afford to move. This community is going into the crapper and the people running the HOA are solely responsible.

Yep, The F.C.C. does have a little higher authority than the HOA. As far as the Grandfathering goes, as irrelevant as it may be because of the F.C.C., I would be willing to bet that unless the builder's restriction were considered their own HOA and that the new HOA was established as a continuance of that original HOA that you would be grandfathered... sounds to me like regardless of what they want to say that your HOA has no leg to stand on here.

 

[srenker]

On HOAs, I really dislike any group that takes themselves quite that seriously...

My point. I don't doubt your story at all.

 

[randyk47]

One caution on HOA's and the law. HOA's can ask, consistent with not causing loss of signal or increased expense, that dishes be placed in the least obtrusive location as possible. To that end some HOA's still have "permit" procedures but they're written so as to not say you can't have a dish only that the dish is installed properly and as much out of sight as possible consistent with the law. Bottom line is that they can't turn you down per se but they still can to some extent control where you put the dish.

 

[Zynergi]

Unless it causes additional cost... es specifically explained in the FCC rulings... If the Dish has LOS on the side of the house and LOS on the back of the house but the back of the house costs more, then it is not permitted to require the placement in the back.

Basically HOA and POA's have such little leg to stand on when it comes to Dish Placement its not even funny.. The point of a HOA is to help maintain a Clean Community and appreciate home and property values. A Dish does not distract from a homes value unless it has damaged that home.

 

[jdspencer]

I suggested that you might be grandfathered because the dish was located 4.5 years before the community became an HOA.

I still say that you should tell them where to go, unless they are willing to pay full cost of a relocation.