installation tips anyone? (1 Viewer)

[DarrinH]

I just ordered a Hughes system with an extra platinum receiver. Any general tips to setting up the system? Anything I could be doing ahead of time before my system arrives? I already installed phone jacks near the locations of the two TVs.
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The EC
The Entertainment Cave
"People that talk in metaphors oughta shampoo my crotch"

 

[DarrinH]

Can someone tell me what the diameter of the mounting pole is? I want to go ahead and prepare a pole to mount it to early. I already know my azimuth and elevation so I have a spot already picked out for the dish.
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The EC
The Entertainment Cave
"People that talk in metaphors oughta shampoo my crotch"

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Don't know about the diameter, but you could start on the cables. They are usually terminated with a grounding block (Radio shack 15-909) from your dish. Then a second cable runs into your house - a long drill bit might be needed for this, along with a coax feed-through bushing (RS 278-1644) and some silicone rubber sealent (RS-64-2314). This may or may not be included. If you will have two cables running down from the dish, it will be more work, but you knew that!
You should also ground the grounding block with an 8' grounding rod that is driven into the ground, unless you have one nearby from the electric company or cable company.
You'll have to get enough cable as well. Only use RG-6. The fittings won't fit through the coax feed-through busing, which requires that you get some fittings and a crimper, and be handy with a knife to strip away the outer layers. All of mine are quad shield, and yes, the Rat Shack has all of that stuff too.
It is well worth it. Oh, and have fun!
Glenn

 

[Kyle Richardson]

This may sound kind of dumb, but when you are trying to aim the dish have someone watch the TV while you are turning the dish and communicate with the FSR 2 way radios. Makes aiming much easier and you can get it almost perfect without yelling from the roof "Is the signal strength going up or down?..."...."Now??...."...."OK, how about now???..."
(Personal experience tip)
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[Mike Meisch]

This may sound kind of dumb, but when you are trying to aim the dish have someone watch the TV while you are turning the dish and communicate with the FSR 2 way radios. Makes aiming much easier and you can get it almost perfect without yelling from the roof "Is the signal strength going up or down?..."...."Now??...."...."OK, how about now???..."
(Personal experience tip)

This doesn't sound dumb at all. It's good advice. What might be considered dumb is what I did: I actually took the receiver and a small TV up to the roof top with me. Not something I would recommend, but it works well if you have no one to help you.

 

[Wendell R. Breland]

DarrinH
The ones RCA use is 1.66" OD.
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Wendell
Technical Services Supervisor
MAETV

 

[DarrinH]

Thanks guys, I went with a treated 4"by4" post placed in concrete. Its probably overkill but we can get some high winds at my house. We are up on a ridgetop which I hope gives me a clear shot to the satellite. I used one of the sites mentioned earlier to get the azimuth and elevation for the aim and went off of that to place the post. I pick up my Hughes system today.
How does the Terk antenna get its power?
Do these antenna have two outputs on them for dual receivers or do you have to split the signal before you diplex it?
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The EC
The Entertainment Cave
"People that talk in metaphors oughta shampoo my crotch"

 

[StephenL]

Information about grounding:
http://www.cinergy.com/surge/ttip08.htm
http://www.psihq.com/iread/strpgrnd.htm
http://www.powerclinic.com/tex01.htm
http://www.polyphaser.com/ppc_technical.asp
http://www.qsl.net/n1lo/tower.htm

 

[DarrinH]

Hello all, the installation went pretty well. Took me a while. Wanted to ask a couple of questions.
1. My Panamax surge protector appears to be filtering out all of my even transponder signals. Is there anyplace online where I can get a decent deal on a surge protector that will work for satellite signals? My local shop quoted me a $50 price tag for the Panamax model that can be used for satellite systems. Can I do any better?
2. I got a message on my system stating my cable connections may be incorrect. I diplexed my local cable in for the time being and everything comes through and looks good. I called Hughes tech support they said it could be a grounding problem. Since my local cable just comes off the pole (I guess) is this the problem since it is diplexed in? Is it grounded? Should I just get a grounding block to run the local cable through also? Would this degrade the signal sending it through a grounding block?
3. Rather than use the 8' copper clad grounding rod for the dish I used a 3' aluminum rod that was easier to deal with. My dish sits very low to the ground (about 4 feet). I just wondered if one satellite dish required such a major ground as the 8' rod?
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The EC
The Entertainment Cave
"People that talk in metaphors oughta shampoo my crotch"

 

[Mike_P]

Isn't there an input on the back of the receiver for your antenna or local cable? Check you owner's manual. I wouldn't skimp on the ground rod. It is the path for lightning to follow away from your equipment, and you want as little resistance as possible. That's why they suggest 8' of copper. It also provides the zero volts reference for your system.
Mike P.

 

[StephenL]

If your dish is mounted near the power grounding electrode system it may be best to ground it there. If a supplemental ground rod is used for the dish, the ground rod must be bonded to the power grounding electrode system with a minimum of a No. 6 copper conductor. If these separate grounds are not bonded together, a very large difference in ground potential can develop across, and equalize through, your satellite receiver.
More information at NEC Direct (search for "dish"): Link Removed

 

[Richard Driskill]

Darrin,
The ground rod length that needs to be chosen is in direct relationship to the ground conductivity. In some areas you might get away with a 6' rod, in others it might require a 10' rod. Since most areas have a certain amount of ground conductivity, 8' is commonly stocked. I suggest you pull the present rod (trust me, it is NOT enough) and go with a 8' rod unless you are living in a very arrid place, then I would suggest a 10' rod.
Cable companies are required to adequately ground their system as close as possible to the entry point into the abode.
"You can never over-kill something enough. If you really want to be sure, set the blender to puree."

 

[DarrinH]

Ok, will do. I will pull the rod and replace it with a 8' copper rod. So the cable company grounds their cables as well? I was wondering if I should send my cable line through a ground block as well.
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The EC
The Entertainment Cave
"People that talk in metaphors oughta shampoo my crotch"

 

[Richard Driskill]

Darrin,
Wise decision.
Yes, they are requird by law (local codes) to do so, and it must be done in a specific manner. If you have cable now, go outside and search for where the coax enters the house, then trace back towards the pole (or whatever) to see where the grounding occurs. In all likelyhood, it should be within a few feet of your house, unless strange circumstances exist.
Absolutely; everything from normal static electricity in the air (especialy in arrid areas), to the potential from a nearby lightening strike needs a path to reach ground and remove this unwanted build-up from your system. If you live in a area that has a very high thunderstorm rate, you should also consider buying a EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) block. ($40?)
Additionally, it would be very smart (and inexpensive) to seal all external connections with sealant tape from Radio Shack (once they are properly tightened), as water (even one drop) has a nasty way of getting into things you would not expect.
I know this is all starting to add up in time and nickels, but it will be worth it and will make your viewing pleasure that much more headache/safety/maintenance free.
Good luck, and welcome to the bliss(ters) of HDTV.

 

[StephenL]

My cable TV service has a ground block on the exterior of the house next to the electric meter. (All utilities are underground.) The grounding conductor is connected to the power service enclosure (main breaker panel) inside the house. Of course, the power service must be properly grounded. Diagram showing proper grounding: http://www.powerclinic.com/images/te1fig1.gif
I grounded my dish to a grounded interior copper water pipe because that is the nearest location (NEC Section 810-21). Check your local codes.
Other suggestions for dish installation:
To insure reliable coax connections I applied anti-oxidant joint compound (Ideal NOALOX, Home Depot) to the coax braid after folding it back. Make sure the compound doesn't get between the shield and the center conductor. I applied a thin film of Permatex silicone dielectric tune-up grease to the center conductor. I wrapped all connections with Radio Shack self fusing silicone tape 64-2336. I used Permatex anti-seize lubricant on all antenna mounting hardware. I used Thomas & Betts KOPR-SHIELD CP8-TB on ground clamps, ground block and copper grounding conductor connections. There are many more good tips at http://www.qsl.net/n1lo/tower.htm