Newbie Help w/ installation

[LoneShark]

Hi, This is my first post here, and hope to get some help.

I have a fairly typically home (see pic) and was wondering if it is fairly simple to install a complete satellite system. I will be ordering from Sadoun :

~Fortec Star Lifetime CLASSIC NA FTA Digital satellite receiver x 2
~ Moteck SG-2100 DiSEqC Motor
~ Fortec 31" FS80P Dish
~ Universal mount that lets you put the satellite dish on your roof or exterior wall of your house.
~Fortec Star Universal QUAD Ku 0.7 dB LNBF FSKU-4v

my roof slopes east to west (house faces east) so, I would be installing the dish on the back roof facing left (south). I am not really a handy man, but was wondering if the average joe could do this, without hiring professional help. Also, if anyone has a URL that gives good installation directions, that would help.

Thanks,

 

[bidaw]

The only problem that I would see in your setup would be line of sight issues. In looking at your picture, and I might be wrong, but there are a lot of trees to the left of the back roof. If you are motorizing, you might not get the full arc. Nice equipment for what you are wanting to do though. Just be sure you can see most of the southern sky.

 

[mastermesh]

I'm assuming the pic is showing the south side of the house? If so installing a satellite should be easy. If all those trees are the south you may have a bit more trouble.

 

[swampman]

Absolutely. A motorized dish needs a clear LOS from anywhere between SE and a SW direction.

 

[PSB]

Hopefully you have a better line of sight than the picture suggests!

I would install the dish on the apex of the roof at the garage end of the house as far away from the trees as possible.

In your case to get line of sight to as many satellites as possible this is your only choice, when mounted check for clearance with the roof before motoring! After you line up your true south satellite and set up the receiver using USALS, I would go back to the roof and motor east and west using the manual buttons under the dish just to make sure you will not hit the roof.

Good Luck.

 

[LoneShark]

The trees in the back of the home are west (about 30 feet from the the home) as the house faces east. There are a few homes in our neighborhood that have FTA satellite systems. So, I'm assumming that the LOS shouldn't be an issue. Its just a matter of actually installing it. Thanks for the advice so far. I am very glad I joined this Forum

 

[laseradam]

It might work OK on a pole by that transformer by the driveway. What I would do is go and buy a compass and an angle meter. The angle meter you can get from Home Depot for around $10. Then make a simple device by screwing a 4ft and 1 foot piece of two by four together in a T shape. Set the wood where you think the satellite might work. Angle the short piece of wood up or down as you sight along the top edge to the top of the trees. Measure the angle with you angle finder. Then use you compass to measure the heading.

The little bit of trouble you spend now will save you a HUGE amount of time later if you install the dish in a location where it is blocked by trees.

Consult the aiming software of report back here for advice.

I would be looking for an angle to the top of the trees of less than 40 deg at a compass heading of 177 deg and an angle of less than 25 deg at a compass heading of 244 deg.

These are the number for Newport VA

2nd number= Heading 3rd = Angle
Brasilsat B1 ( 70.0 W) 171.3 45.3
Nahuel 1 ( 72.0 W) 174.4 45.8
AMC 6 ( 72.0 W) 174.4 45.8
SBS 6 ( 74.0 W) 177.6 46.2
Galaxy 3R ( 74.0 W) 177.6 46.2
AMC 5 ( 79.0 W) 185.8 46.7
Nimiq 2 ( 82.0 W) 190.8 46.7
Brasilsat B3 ( 84.0 W) 194.0 46.6
XM Roll ( 85.0 W) 195.7 46.5
AMC 2 ( 85.0 W) 195.7 46.5
AMC 3 ( 87.0 W) 198.9 46.2
Telstar 4 ( 89.0 W) 202.1 45.8
Galaxy 11 ( 91.0 W) 205.3 45.4
Nimiq 1 ( 91.0 W) 205.3 45.4
Brasilsat B4 ( 92.0 W) 206.8 45.1
Telstar 6 ( 93.0 W) 208.4 44.8
Galaxy 3C ( 95.0 W) 211.4 44.1
Telstar 5 ( 97.0 W) 214.3 43.4
Galaxy 4R ( 99.0 W) 217.2 42.6
DirecTV 1R/2/4S (101.0 W) 220.0 41.7
AMC 4 (101.0 W) 220.0 41.7
AMC 1 (103.0 W) 222.6 40.7
GStar 4 (105.0 W) 225.2 39.7
Anik F1 (107.3 W) 228.1 38.4
DirecTV 1 (110.0 W) 231.3 36.9
EchoStar 6 (110.0 W) 231.3 36.9
EchoStar 8 (110.0 W) 231.3 36.9
Anik E2 (111.1 W) 232.6 36.2
Solidaridad 2 (113.0 W) 234.7 35.0
XM Rock (115.0 W) 236.9 33.7
SatMex 5 (116.8 W) 238.8 32.5
Anik E1 (119.0 W) 241.0 31.1
DirecTV 5 (119.0 W) 241.0 31.1
EchoStar 7 (119.0 W) 241.0 31.1
Galaxy 10R (123.0 W) 244.8 28.3

 

[LoneShark]

Latitude/Longitude for where I live
38.7380/-77.5569

Does anyone have a step by step guide to do this myself?

Thanks,
Lone

 

[PSB]

See our FAQ area for details on how to setup this motor...........

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=50257

I advise setting up the system WITHOUT the motor to start with, find and store your true south satellite THEN add the motor.

Thats the way most of here started!

 

[LoneShark]

running coxial cable

Could someone explain the best method of running the coxial cables from the dish to the receiver inside. What is the cleanest way of doing this. According the pic, I will most likely mount the dish on a vertical pole in front of the small pine bush on the right. Two receivers...one in the bedroom directly above the garage and one in the family room directly behind the garage. Anyone have any tips.

Thanks,
Lone

 

[PSB]

Those trees look ominous! I hope there is a clearing in the direction of the satellites! I recommend a site survey before starting any work!

If you are talking about cable runs inside the house you may be able to use any coax thats already run to each room, with such a nice house the LAST thing you want is cable runs on the outside walls.

Do you already have cable run in the home and are they in use? If they are being used for off-air or analog cable you can share these cables with satellite by using diplexers at each end of the cable runs.

For ourside there is special (Flooded) RG6 cable for underground use, make sure to bury the cable at least 6". From the pole its best to run as short as possible to the main electrical / service input to the home where the system should be grounded. Instead of special underground coax some people run double the an=mout of regular cable just incase one fails.

make sure there are no sharp bends or kinks in the cable!

 

[LoneShark]

Thanks PSB,

I will definately do a site survey before I install the system. But, my guess is that those trees should not be an issue as the LOS to the south is pointing away from the trees in the opposite direction (I only have trees in my back yard, and I have a neighbor with a Fortec system pointing the way as well). Also, I may be a bit of a dummy, but I do know that I have cable outlets in each of the rooms, but how do I run the lines from the dish to those outlets? Is there supposed to be some type of cable box in my house that the dish line plugs into. Sorry for sounding like a dope.

 

[PSB]

Usually there is one place in the home where all the cables come together, this maybe a cable TV box on the outside of the home or more often than not at least in this area in a laundry or utility room.

I would search around as they will all come together someplace!

I have a special tool that can trace cables behind walls that I sometimes use but usually I head right for the cable box or utility room.

 

[LoneShark]

If for any reason I am not able to do this installation, roughly\typically how much would an installer charge for a motorized system and two receivers?

 

[PSB]

I would check locally, but for example I am fully licenced bonded and insured and I charge $135 for a basic single installation, and add $50 for the addition of a motor to the install. An extra receiver hookup can be as little as $20 for exisiting cable runs to maybe an extra $50 if a new cable run is needed.

I would call around!

 

[iafirebuff]

Licensed and bonded are very important! If something gets screwed up, you could have a costly repair

 

[mrweather]

One concern I have regarding already-existing internal coax runs is they builder may have used RG59 instead RG6... unless he knew what he was doing and planned for the future!

RG59 isn't so hot for satellite hookups. It isn't shielded as well and the attenuation (signal loss) is greater.

 

[LoneShark]

I checked on the outside of the house and I see a couple of "Digital RG6" lines (one black and one white) bundled up and coming into the house. I assume that is what I need to connect to the LNB? One end is going into the house, the other ends are cut and loose.

Thanks,

 

[PSB]

I checked on the outside of the house and I see a couple of "Digital RG6" lines (one black and one white) bundled up and coming into the house. I assume that is what I need to connect to the LNB? One end is going into the house, the other ends are cut and loose.

Thanks,

Sounds like it! Now you have to workout what cable goes where! Again I have a couple of tools for that!

 

[LoneShark]

I opened up a few of the cable TV wall outlets and matched them up with the ones on the outside. Each wall outlet has two RG6 inputs (top one is black and bottom is white) in sync with the ones outside. One other question I have is will it make a big difference to go from a 31" dish to a 36"? Does a 36" dish pick up more satellites?