indoor installs of 5lnb

[asousa]

anyone do an indoor install of a 5lnb? My new apartment complex that I will be moving into does not have a patio and will not let me mount on there building. They claim that some people have it in their apartment. How would this be possible, isn't the spread needed just to much esp for the 5lnb? Is there a window sil mount that I can just put in the window when I want to watch tv??

 

[Jimbo]

anyone do an indoor install of a 5lnb? My new apartment complex that I will be moving into does not have a patio and will not let me mount on there building. They claim that some people have it in their apartment. How would this be possible, isn't the spread needed just to much esp for the 5lnb? Is there a window sil mount that I can just put in the window when I want to watch tv??

I don't see why you would not be able to do this , provided you have the room and the correct LOS, if you are talking permanant, you could do the old bucket mount, or there may be tripod or several other types of mounts as well.
You'll have to see what would be appropriate for your situation, but I don't see any reason why it would not work.

Jimbo

 

[PoitNarf]

When I was in my on campus college apartment, I had a dish inside since I couldn't mount it on the building. I attached it to a milk crate and put marks on the floor with masking tape for where the milk crate should be to get a good signal. The window also had a metal screen, so I went to Home Depot and replaced the screen with vinyl. I also got some of that clear construction plastic and taped it over the open window so the apartment wouldn't get too cold in the winter. It worked very very well

I've got pics of that setup at home, I'll post them later if possible.

 

[jakeh54]

I'm considering doing the exact same thing at my new apartment. I will have a large sunroom with floor to ceiling windows (facing directly south) and have been told that, if I want a dish, it needs to stay inside. I would be really interested to hear of anyone else who has had experience with an indoor dish - I am very worried about getting stuck in a contract when my setup results in spotty signal quality - could this have implications for receiving HD programming?

Thanks very much - I have done some research on this recently and have heard conflicting reports. I'm willing to let an installer make a recommendation, but I also know that they are trying to get paid - and could easily lead me astray.

 

[PoitNarf]

Found a pic showing my indoor install. It wasn't the cleanest looking, but it worked great! You can probably see the tape I used to mark the border of the milk crate. The LNB arm was firmly pressed up against the vinyl screen and actually pushes it out maybe 1/2". You really couldn't see the dish from the outside.

Will you be able to open the windows? I've seen some situations where the signal will actually go through the glass depending on what it's made out of.

 

[benj]

There is no window sill that will work with a 5 LNB dish.

Who cares if someone has successfully "mounted" an 18" single LNB dish and gotten satellite through a window? While this is a cool concept and can work if the proper preparations were taken, you won't be as successful with a KA/KU dish.

I wish more people would realize that this thing is harder to mount and achieve consistent signals when compared to the good old 18"-ers we've been using for years. Heck, I've seen single-lnb dish mounted upside down get great signals.

 

[damaged]

Found a pic showing my indoor install. It wasn't the cleanest looking, but it worked great! You can probably see the tape I used to mark the border of the milk crate. The LNB arm was firmly pressed up against the vinyl screen and actually pushes it out maybe 1/2". You really couldn't see the dish from the outside.

Will you be able to open the windows? I've seen some situations where the signal will actually go through the glass depending on what it's made out of.

intriguing, talk about necessity being the mother of invention...

What kind of signal strengths do you get, it's a round dish/single lnb right? Do you think you could get 3lnb or 5lnb slots from there?

 

[PoitNarf]

There is no window sill that will work with a 5 LNB dish.

Who cares if someone has successfully "mounted" an 18" single LNB dish and gotten satellite through a window? While this is a cool concept and can work if the proper preparations were taken, you won't be as successful with a KA/KU dish.

I wish more people would realize that this thing is harder to mount and achieve consistent signals when compared to the good old 18"-ers we've been using for years. Heck, I've seen single-lnb dish mounted upside down get great signals.

I was just giving an example of what I have done to mount a dish indoors. The window in my pic was open at all times, I put the plastic over the open part of the window to keep everything insulated in the apartment. As long as you have a clear shot to the sats and have the window open or it is of a material that the signal can penetrate, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Just need a bigger window for an AT9 for example. The size window I had there would probably work with a Phase III.

intriguing, talk about necessity being the mother of invention...

What kind of signal strengths do you get, it's a round dish/single lnb right? Do you think you could get 3lnb or 5lnb slots from there?

It was a round single LNB. I think I got signal in the 90s with that setup? It was 3 years ago when I had that setup, so all I can give you is the pics as reference. Again, if you have a big enough window the 3LNB dish would probably work, but you're gonna need quite a large window for the 5LNB.

 

[raoul5788]

intriguing, talk about necessity being the mother of invention...

I thought Frank Zappa was the Mothers of Invention!

 

[damaged]

but you're gonna need quite a large window for the 5LNB.

Ha! And perhaps a bigger crate.

 

[raysat]

Did you see the part where he said that he had to leave the window open? That's a hint. I tried to install a Dish system for a potential customer in a historical district in her bedroom looking out the window. My meter showed great signal but the dish point screen showed no signal. As soon as I opened the window Dish receiver showed a great signal. Glass has lead in it which blocks the signal. I suggested she have the glass taken out and plexiglass put in but her landlord wouldn't allow it as he was worried what would happen if the district committee found out.

 

[PoitNarf]

I've seen it work through actual glass with a single lnb round dish. I don't know the composition of the glass in that case, but it probably had a low metal content. I imagine single pane glass windows would probably work better than another type of window. Assume that it won't work through the glass at all and work from there. Good luck!

 

[hobojoe]

i have seen this suction cup thing that will hold the dish to the outside of the window. and a bracket that clamps onto the wall like a upside down "U" one bar inside one out side the bottom of the u is on the window sill like a upside down u with a bar going out to the dish. hard to explain. but looked good. if there is any window treatments like tint can effect signal. the higher in the states you are the lower in the sky the signal comes in. if your in the south good luck the signal is so high you will need the dish right up in the window so the roof is not shadowing the signal. good luck!