Examples of what your install should look like.

[HCI]

To combat the everlasting bad installers, if you have or are going to have a satellite internet installed the install is the most important part. This thread will be broken into different sections

1. Mounting
2. Grounding
3. Cabling
4. Point of Entry's
5. Others "IDU's, inside Point of Entries, etc"

It may take me a couple of day's to get everything finished, but I should have it finished this weekend. I have not done any Wildblue's as of yet so you guys that do the regularly please post some just titling what section.


Here are some of the most common mounting techniques.

The first is the standard Trimast. This is what comes in the standard installation and if mounted correctly will work fine.
The way this mount is installed gives it the maximum strength based on the design of the trimast.

The strut that is going out to the side should be on the same side the dish is facing.

If mounted on the roof the proper sealing should be addressed.

This is an example of a pole mount. The pole should be 2" Sch 40 ONLY. 9 foot long so 3 foot can be buried. The hole should be 36" deep or 6" below frost line which ever is deeper and 8" in diameter. Different measures should be used on burying the wire. It depends on what type of wire the installer uses on if it can be buried directly or in conduit.

Next are the Non-Pen mounts.
Two types and two common types of roofs. 1st is the standard flat tar or rubber roofs. A mat goes under the mount and the mount is held down by ballast. The installer should have a tool that Hughes provides to calculate the number of ballast that should be used in your area.

If mounted on a tin roof wood planks should be used in order to build up the roof.

The other type of Non-Pen mount is a ridge mount. These can go on top of a house but are an eye sore.

here are some examples of bad mounts.
I love this one.

Finally what ever type of mount you choose the line of sight should be taken into consideration. This is an example of what you do not want. duh

More to come.

 

[chadzx11]

I thought the ballast was a function of the design of the mount and the weight and design of the dish. Most installers use a pad under all non pens.

The WB systems have to have a pipe reducer, and I have seen some pretty lame attempts at those...........

 

[HCI]

I thought the ballast was a function of the design of the mount and the weight and design of the dish. Most installers use a pad under all non pens.

The WB systems have to have a pipe reducer, and I have seen some pretty lame attempts at those...........

Yes a pad should be used under all non pen mounts. If its a tin roof with buildup the mat should be cut to fit under the wood. The ballast tool that is available through Hughes will tell you how many ballast goes on the mount depending on mount size ex. 4x4 6x6 10x10 and dish size .74 .98 1.2 1.8.

 

[freddy]

DSI has non pen mounts with 2" OD. No need for a reducer

 

[chadzx11]

DSI has non pen mounts with 2" OD. No need for a reducer

The ones I saw with the jerry rigged reducers were on chain link fence posts.

Granted, wild blue is NOT that popular around here. There is only one WB job in the system waiting for me to take a look at it currently. Glad I am not depending on that revenue stream.

 

[Van]

Pics one, two and three show 3 problems.

(1) One of the support arms has a penetration at the lowest point of the roof where extra felt or ice damn fabric is added, putting a dish on a roof at that location or part of it is a bad idea specialy in the event of ice build up that happens in the winter time that anyone who lives where it snows can atest to. Even with proper sealing of the base plate of the mast foot and or the strut foot if water gets under the plate(s) and then freezes it expands as ice and this will over time push the plate up wich inturn pulls the bolts out of the roof slowly and allows for water to get into the attic.

(2) The support strut assembly or trimast unless the mount location does not allow for it should always be set into a " Y " configuration to allow for optimal support and stability of the assembly, this is critical in area's in wide open area's that get alot of moderate to high winds.

(3) The use of silicone as a sealant is a bad idea, silicone once it hardens and cures can when the mount is removed for what ever reason rip apart the shingles its glued to. Its better to use pitch pads or roofers tar to seal the mount location, either of these two sealants are better sealants that will last far longer than silicone and seals better and when you need to remove the mast the chance that a shingle will get torn is considerably rare.

 

[sacul40]

Pole Mount

Where can I get 2" OD pole for AU9 slimline dish?

Thanks

 

[KE4EST]

Great Idea for a thread Tate!!

 

[dirkleearm]

Where can I get 2" OD pole for AU9 slimline dish?

Thanks

Perfect 10 has 2" adapters for ~$10.00

 

[HCI]

Pics one, two and three show 3 problems.

(1) One of the support arms has a penetration at the lowest point of the roof where extra felt or ice damn fabric is added, putting a dish on a roof at that location or part of it is a bad idea specialy in the event of ice build up that happens in the winter time that anyone who lives where it snows can atest to. Even with proper sealing of the base plate of the mast foot and or the strut foot if water gets under the plate(s) and then freezes it expands as ice and this will over time push the plate up wich inturn pulls the bolts out of the roof slowly and allows for water to get into the attic.

If the bolts are in the rafters they will not move. Just screwing them in the plywood might cause that. This is the south also, We may get 1 or 2 inches of snow all year if we are lucky.

(2) The support strut assembly or trimast unless the mount location does not allow for it should always be set into a " Y " configuration to allow for optimal support and stability of the assembly, this is critical in area's in wide open area's that get alot of moderate to high winds.

I knew someone would have a problem with this. Again I will say as I have said before if you read all the FSB that Hughes has put out "and I will post some pics of the one I am referring to later" this is the way Hughes shows the trimast being installed. The way these new trimast are designed you cannot put them in the Y configuration and hit rafters because the arms are not long enough. My configuration you can. I would put that mount you see right there up agaist anything anyone else will do and I guarantee it will have the same structure strength.

(3) The use of silicone as a sealant is a bad idea, silicone once it hardens and cures can when the mount is removed for what ever reason rip apart the shingles its glued to. Its better to use pitch pads or roofers tar to seal the mount location, either of these two sealants are better sealants that will last far longer than silicone and seals better and when you need to remove the mast the chance that a shingle will get torn is considerably rare.

I do agree with you about the silicone. Unfortunately its all that was supplied to me at the time. I now use the tar strips to put under the mast.

One thing installers will always argue about is how to mount a mast.
I am going to finish this one day. I have been very busy lately and have not had alot of time.

 

[HCI]

As per earlier post.

 

[dirkleearm]

I use "roof patch" (tar in a tube) on roof mounts, not silicone.

 

[HCI]

Ok I know I am an ass and have not done anymore work here but here goes.

Grounding

Ground blocks for Hughes must be weather protected. Either inside or wrapped with mocap in weather boxes.

You can ground to a number of different Hughes approved grounding locations. Ill post Hughes approved locations below this post. I know installers yell about grounding but if your local code does not go above and beyond what Hughes states it will fail QC. I don't care what local code says. Hughes and other satellite companys have grounding standards and nothing will pass their inspection below them NO MATTER WHAT LOCAL CODE SAYS. Ex. if your local code says you can use a 4' ground rod and it will be grounded by their standards it will not be per Hughes.

Don't do this!!!

You can do this just turn the power off please. Unless you want to get bitten.

 

[HCI]

Per FSB 050518_01C

FIELD SERVICE – During service calls that require a visit to the antenna, such as repoints, radio or
connector replacements the following actions must be performed.
Inspect all outdoor F-connectors and replace them with compression type connectors from the
HNS approved list in Table 1 and weatherproof them with dielectric grease and silicone tape.
Ensure that the ground block, if located outdoors, is properly oriented, with drip loops.

Use only HNS approved F-connectors, and ground blocks, to install or service HNS broadband satellite systems that
use RG-6 or RG-11 Coaxial Cable as the IFL.

Installation of Connectors, Cables, and Grounding must meet the following requirements.
a. Use only compression type F-connectors from the HNS approved list in Table 1.
b. All F-connectors installed outdoors must be filled with dielectric grease before connecting to the radio or
ground block and then wrapped with a self fusing tape such as MOCAP or GB Electronics silicone tape.
c. Radio and ground block connectors must be tightened to 20 in./lb. using a torque wrench
such as the Ripley TW 207-AH-B
CAUTION: Do not use a torque wrench to tighten the F-connectors on the Indoor Unit.
Applying more than 10 in/lb of torque could damage the IDU connector.
d. Indoor Unit (IDU) connectors must be finger tight plus ¼ turn by wrench.
e. IFL/Coaxial cable must (at minimum) have a solid copper center conductor, be swept to 2.0 GHz or higher
marked with Mfr. name and P/N and should be UL listed. Exception: If less than 50 foot of cable is inside
the building and it is terminated at a ground block it does not need to be UL listed.
f. IFL cable splices are not allowed outdoors except as an emergency measure to restore service. Any
outdoor splice must be sealed with dielectric grease and wrapped with silicone self fusing tape.
g. Ground blocks must be UL listed and rated for 2.0 GHz or higher.
h. HNS requires that Ground Blocks be installed inside the building within 5 feet of the point of
entry if at all possible.
i. If the ground block must be installed outdoors, it must be mounted in a weather resistant
enclosure so that the connectors are horizontal as pictured in Figure 2. Drip loops must be
formed outside the enclosure, to prevent water from running towards the ground block.
1. Install the F-connectors on the cables and fill them with dielectric grease.
2. Connect the F-connectors to the ground block and tighten to 20 in./lbs.
3. Wrap the ground block F-connectors with silicone tape.
4. Mount the ground block properly inside the weather resistant enclosure.
5. Form drip loops in the coax cable to prevent water from running towards the F-connectors.
j. The grounding conductor (ground wire) must be solid or stranded copper covered with green insulation,
no smaller than 14AWG, and listed as suitable for the purpose. It shall be as short as practicable and
must be continuous runs from the radio & canister assembly to the ground block and from the ground
block to the ground point.
k. The radio assembly ground lug must be connected through a grounding conductor to the antenna mast
and the antenna mast must be grounded through a separate grounding conductor to the ground block.
Exception: Separate grounding conductor is not required when Quad Shield coaxial cable is used.
l. In single- and two-family dwellings, the grounding conductor shall not exceed 6m (20ft) in length. In
apartment and commercial buildings a specific length is not specified in the 2005 NEC Code because
such a length limitation may not be practical in some installations.


•Grounded Structural Steel Member – Normally found in commercial buildings. You can usually verify that the
structural steel is grounded by looking for a large grounding conductor attached to a steel beam or column near
the main service panel where the power enters the building.
• Service Equipment Enclosure – Commercial and Residential buildings. The outside of a breaker panel, meter
box, branch circuit enclosure, branch circuit switch box. Connecting the ground wire to the enclosure must not
damage or change the integrity of the enclosure. If possible, verify that the enclosure itself has been grounded via
a ground buss or a separate ground wire.
• Grounded Interior Metal Water Pipe – The ground wire must be connected to a point within 5 feet of where the
water service enters the building to ensure that no plastic pipe will break the ground path.
• Metallic Power Service Raceway – The metal conduit / raceway that provides power to the main service panel.
• Building Ground Conductor - The main ground conductor or the ground electrode of a building’s disconnecting
means (the ground that is attached main service panel or disconnect switch).

DO NOT ATTACH GROUND CONDUCTOR TO:
• Conduit on the load side of a service enclosure e.g. ¾ or 1 inch conduit used for lights, switches, outlets etc.
• Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) chassis enclosures or condensation pipes.
• Driven Ground Rods unless they are bonded to the building’s power grounding electrode system.
• Steel roof trusses unless they are bonded to grounded building structural steel.
• Metal roofs or screws securing metal roofs.
• Metal Screens or Windows.
• Vents or Vent Pipes.
• Gas Pipes.
• Gutters.

Have a nice day

 

[chadzx11]

The vast majority of sites I visit that are marked non compliant, are marked so because the installer used no weatherproofing (mocap or whatever) on the connectors. If people would start doing that, I would be marking one hell of a lot more sites as compliant. It seems to me like a very small thing to do to be compliant, IMO.

I'm starting to see a lot more jobs with the little rubber oring, which I have to mark, even if I think it should be OK. What I think doesn't count. What I see does.

 

[dirkleearm]

I think if they want to have so many things like enclosures and and and and , they need to pay more $$. Having to put mocap on fittings in an enclosure is just plain stupid if you use dielectric compound and good fittings.
The idea that it only takes a few more minutes and $ to do this or that is great for the guy not doing it, just requiring it. Sorta like their .... software installation disk.. it only takes ...........min!

 

[HCI]

I think if they want to have so many things like enclosures and and and and , they need to pay more $$. Having to put mocap on fittings in an enclosure is just plain stupid if you use dielectric compound and good fittings.
The idea that it only takes a few more minutes and $ to do this or that is great for the guy not doing it, just requiring it. Sorta like their .... software installation disk.. it only takes ...........min!

yep and those ........mins turns into another hour you have to stay on the install. do three installs a day and thats 3 more hours you have to work doing little things.