Install, grounding, etc.

[TiminMb]

Can someone steer me towards the proper setup for a basic dish to receiver install? I'm wondering if I should be running a ground wire up to the dish itself, and if I should have a ground block up on the roof, or down at ground level? Are any sort of static or spark / spike / lightening suppressors to be employed? If so, where in the system?

Tim

 

[Technojunky]

There are some pro's in here that could tell you what they do, but I run my coax to the entry point of the house and put a ground block right as it enters. The place where the coax enters should be near the house grounding point if at all possible. Taking grounds from other areas could cause a ground loop. I am running what I have now with a ground block inide the house. I have a ground block inside with my amateur radio gear. When I terminate the new cables to my next mounting location, I will put the grounding block outside, then put the Diseq inside before the diplexer. Joe

 

[PSB]

MOVED FROM THE PC DVB area!

TiminMb please use the regular FTA area for your posts unless you asking about a PC DVB card, thanks : )

Have a look at the below for proper grounding of your FTA system, its a MUST!

http://www.dbsinstall.com/Whatis/Whatisgood-5.htm

 

[bigOleB]

PSB, do you know if there is any db loss when using grounding blocks?

 

[Technojunky]

There is a loss for every connection you make, 3db being the standard loss.

 

[rkrenicki]

eh.. groundblocks dont have 3dB loss... they are closer to 0.1dB

3dB loss is Half the signal.. if a groundblock cut the signal in half then they would greatly loose their usefullness.

 

[TiminMb]

Aside from the groundblock, does anyone add any sort of spark suppression like a MOV or similar?

 

[Technojunky]

I was wrong, that should have read .3db , but the published loss is .17 at 1GHZ, and .25 at 2GHZ. It can go up higher depending on the quality of the connections you make, connectors you use, and having good clean metal parts to work with. They sell surge suppressors for coax at sadoun, and other places. even Home Depot, but Home depot will charge you too much for the exact same thing you can get at sadoun.

 

[Shawn95GT]

The ground requirements are still vauge to me.

I had the ground wire from my house connected to a ground block for the Cable TV coming into my house. I also grounded my Voom dish there since it's still up on the roof.

When cox did the phone install, they cut away the house ground from my ground block and ran a wire from their phone box over to my Demarc box. In my box they put a ground nut/clamp deal to 'splice' the wires together. I complained that they un-grounded my Voom dish and in the mean time I used a piece of #10 copper between my ground block and their 'nut splice' deal.

When the installer came back he pitched a fit over my wire and again cut the wires away from my ground block. He moved the voom dish ground to his 'nut splice' and said the ground block wasn't needed since it (CATV in) was being grounded at the phone box.

I can't see how his way was better but he said something about my setup introdcing a new path to ground as well as having been concidered a splice.

How does this all apply to FTA? Well, I want my antennas and coax grounded properly. In my case, one of the coax runs enters at the demark box so that one is pretty straight forward. I plan on running a messenger ground along with the coax that will ground the pole to the home ground. I'll use a ground block and ground that to the home ground (much to the demise of the Cox guy).

The other cable run enters the house before the demark box but the dishes are on the same pole so the pole's ground is good. The plan is to install a ground block where these come into the house and run a ground back to the house ground (under 20').

As per the link Pete posted, my pole's ground should be good and to code. The coax ground is what I'm not sure of - mostly because of the fit the cable guy threw over me having grounded my ground block to the house wire where everything else is grounded. Is there some other way I'm supposed to ground the coax? Is a #10 wire between the house ground in the demark box and a ground block at the other point of entry going to be correct and to code? I think so but I want to be sure.