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Here we will attempt
to give you an overview of Satellite Dish Installation
and what you can expect if you decide to get one installed
for your home.
Satellite Dish Installation
Most DBS systems are designed for do-it-yourself
installation for someone with basic mechanical skills
and a few basic tools. Primestar requires dealer installation.
Manuals supplied with DBS systems are generally very
thorough and complete. This page also provides information
which should be helpful both in planning for your DBS
purchase and in doing your installation. System manufacturers
sell installation kits for around $70 that contain coaxial
cable, lag bolts, a compass, and other material that
may be helpful. The kit may be convenient, but you can
probably buy this material separately as you need it.
This will help keep your cost low. If you hire an installer,
he will generally supply these materials and you do
not need to buy the kit. We offer a free basic installation
kit with all systems sold to new DSS or Dish Network
customers. Satellites are a very long distance away,
and operate on battery power, so the signals received
at the dish are very weak and will not travel through
any solid material except perhaps a pane of glass or
thin plastic sheet. In other words, the dish must have
a clear shot at the satellite with no trees or other
obstructions in the way. You must do a site survey before
you buy a DBS system to be sure that it will work at
your location. If you are unsure, call a local satellite
dealer who will do it for a small fee or as part of
the installation cost if you contract them for the work.
The satellites are located in a geostationary orbit
which is 22,753 miles above the equator in the Clarke
(named for Arthur C Clarke) belt. Therefore, for North
America the satellites are toward the south. The DSS
satellites are located at 101 degrees west longitude,
which is south of Texas, the Dakotas, and states in
between. The EchoStar satellite is located at 119 degrees
which is south of California, Washington, and Oregon.
The satellite used by Primestar is at 85 degrees, which
is south of the Florida panhandle, Kentucky, and Michigan.
Note that in the Northeast, the angle of elevation is
about 10 degrees lower for EchoStar than for DIRECTV,
and this could be a deciding factor in determining which
system can be used in many locations in this heavily
wooded region. The satellites used by Primestar are
even farther east and therefore have an even higher
elevation in the east. Of course, the opposite is true,
and the satellites located farther west have a higher
elevation in the western states. When actually setting
up a dish, aiming must be precise. More than around
three degrees off in either azimuth or elevation angle
and there will be no signal at all. One or two degrees
off may still produce a picture, but the signal may
be easily lost during heavy wind or rain. DBS systems
have built-in meter devices to assist in aiming the
dish. The usual on-screen signal meters are accurate
but difficult to use if, for example, the TV is in the
house and the dish is on the roof. Setting up a portable
TV set at the dish site is a big help. Professional
installers use a portable signal meter to accurately
set the dish.
Surveying the Site
The all important consideration for DBS
at your location is where are the satellites, and is
there anything in the way. If you know the direction
to the satellite, and how high up it is from the ground,
you know exactly where the satellite is and you can
see if there is anything in the way. You will need a
compass and an angle finder. If you cannot find these
among your tools or camping equipment, they should be
available at local hardware, home improvement, or camping
stores. You will need to be exactly where the dish is
to be located when you do the survey. You may need to
sit on the ground, climb a ladder, get on the roof,
or do all of these before you find a suitable place
for the dish. The actual satellite direction, or "azimuth",
to the DIRECTV and EchoStar satellites from various
locations can be found in our "Dish Aiming" section,
along with the angle of elevation to the satellites.
Pick the closest city , or take an average from cities
on either side of you. Hold the compass so that the
needle lines up with N and S. The satellite is in the
direction of the azimuth number. Hold the angle finder
with the flat side horizontal and the pointer should
read zero. Rotate until the pointer reads the angle
of elevation, and sight along the flat surface in the
proper direction as found by the compass, and you will
be looking right at the satellite. Use a chair, box,
or other object as a steady-rest to make these sightings
easier. Remember that a compass can be thrown off by
a car or other metal object.
Installation Procedures
A DBS dish can be mounted on the roof,
wall, chimney, deck, a pole in the ground, or any other
sturdy surface that you can fasten to. Read the directions
and warnings that come with your particular system before
you start. Dish location should be determined before
you buy the dish to be sure that you have a suitable
location you will be satisfied with and the dish will
work properly. Refer to our "Site Survey" section for
details. A roof mount on a shingled (not-too-steep)
roof over an attic is an easy job. Locate where the
dish is to be mounted, go in the attic and drill a small
pilot hole up through the roof on each side of the nearest
rafter. Go back on the roof, seal the two holes with
silicone sealant, and mount the dish foot over the holes
with lag bolts screwed into the beam between the two
pilot holes. Drill another hole beside the foot and
run the coaxial cable into the attic. Seal all penetrations
with silicone sealant. A chimney mount is relatively
easy if you use a mounting system designed for the dish.
The dish mounting foot bolts directly to the chimney
mount bracket. A ground mount requires a steel pipe
and a bag of ready mix cement. Water pipe or electric
conduit, 1 1/4 nominal ID will work. Flatten bottom
section of pipe or make an irregular cut so the pipe
won't easily turn in the cement. Dig a small hole a
couple of feet deep or below the frost line. Mount the
pipe vertical and fill the hole with cement. Detailed
instructions for these and other mounting methods come
with the dish system.
Connections and Wiring Procedures
A DBS receiver is usually installed at
the main household TV set. The satellite receiver is
where satellite channels are selected for TV viewing.
In addition to the normal coaxial output, the receiver
usually has audio-video and S-video outputs that can
be connected directly to the TV, a VCR, and a stereo
or surround sound system if you have one. A new dedicated
RG6 coaxial line must be run from the dish to the receiver.
This line carries power (13-18 vdc) to the amplifier
at the dish, and carries the high frequency transmission
signal down to the receiver for processing into the
audio and video signals. If a second receiver is installed
in the house, a separate line must be run from the dish
to that receiver also. Ideally, you would like to be
able to watch the satellite channel on all TV sets in
the house. The coaxial output (ch. 3/4) from your receiver
may be sent around the house distribution system, but
most homes also have either a cable or a regular TV
antenna for local channels that also has a signal on
at least one of those channels. The solution is to convert
the satellite channel to an unused UHF or cable channel
and then combine signals so that all TV sets can tune
to regular or cable channels, or to the satellite signal
(on ch. 20 or ch. 60, for example). Good quality UHF
converters are expensive, in the $150-$200 price range.
Your TV set needs to have a working UHF tuner, and if
there are separate UHF and VHF inputs, you will need
a UHF/VHF splitter at the TV set. Satellite channels
can be recorded on a VCR. Run the signal from the receiver
to the recorder either as channel 3/4 on a coaxial cable
or an audio/video signal with RCA type cables.
The Satellite-Dish-Systems.info
website offers you the following articles of information
about satellite tv and dish systems. These articles
have been written for informational and entertainment
purposes only.
1) General
Satellite Tv Dish Information - Includes general
information about the dish and satellite systems as
a whole. This article focuses on the basics.
2) Satellite
Dish Installation - Everything that you wanted to
know about satellite dish installation but were afraid
to ask. The best bit of information here is that you
can get satellite dish installation for free from Dish
Network and Directv®.
3) Dish
Repair for Satellite Systems - Information about
dish repair. Of course, if you opt for a satellite system
from Directv® or Dish Network, you won't ever have
to worry about satellite dish repair.
4) Satellite
Dish Pointing - There are certain devices and techniques
when it comes to dish pointing. This article contains
some basic information on this subject.
5) Digital
Satellite Systems - It is a digital world that we
live in. How does digital techknowledgy fit in with
a satellite dish?
6) Internet
Satellite Dish - Yes, it is now possible to get
broadband internet through a satellite dish. Here's
the scoop.
7) Satellite
Dish Receivers - There are many choices when it
comes to satellite dish receivers. In this article you
will find an overview of the choices that are available
to you.
8) Satellite
Systems - From big dish systems to mini dish systems,
you have a few choices when it comes to the type of
satellite system that you get.
9) Satellite
Dish Covers - This article is fairly straight-forward.
It's about satellite dish covers.
10) Satellite
Dish Antenna - What do you mean by 'satellite dish
antenna'? An antenna is a separate issue. Anyway, here
is what you need to know about satellite antennas.
11) Dish
Network Satellite TV Systems - The number one choice
for satellite tv in the United States, Dish Network
has much to offer to it's subscribers. Looking for low
base price packages? Look right here.
12) Direct
TV Satellite Systems - Direct TV is well known for
their sports programming packages.
13) Free
Satellite TV Systems - What is the scoop on these
free satellite tv systems that we are always hearing
about?
14) Satellite
Dish Equipment - Well, let's see, there's a dish,
a receiver, a remote control... what else could you
need?
15) Music
Channels for Satellite Dish Systems - This article
gives some information about the all-digital music channels
that you can get when you sign up for Dish Network or
Direct TV.
16) Sports
Programming for Satellite Systems - One of the best
things about getting a satellite dish is the incredible
amount of sports programming that you can get.
17) Satellite
Dish Channels - Here you will find an overview of
the types of channels and programming that you can get
when you sign up to get a free satellite dish system
from one of the top providers.
18) Local
Channels for Dish Systems - This article kind of
brings us back to the 'satellite dish antenna' issue.
Do you need an extra antenna in order to get your local
television stations?
19) HDTV
Satellite Systems - High definition is one of those
things that you can probably live without... unless
you've already experienced it.
20) DVR
for Satellite Dish Systems - Digital video recording
allows you to skip through the commercials. You can
record one show while watching another. You can pause
live tv and perform some other nifty tricks.
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