My At9 install w/Pics

[Heliopath]

Just thought id post about my AT9 install today.

The tech was within the 8-12 install window after two previous weather cancellations. He showed up at 10:30. I live south of Lexington and the tech was from BlueGrass Satellite out of Gared Co.

The installer was good natured and professional and explained had to wait for an equipment hand off from another tech out of Lexington. I can believe it the way the calls would come in on the guys cell phone. It was Bluegrass 'dispatch' calling to shuffling around service calls and installs to get people worked in. I believe he had to wait for my guy from my Saturday install to drop off his equipment that he had.

I had an AT9
1 H10-250 (from mexico)
2 H20-600

Sad to say not a single HD TV in the house (yet)

My original work order said that a 3LNB dish was to be installed. Directv wouldn't budge on changing the work order when i called the Directv install dept. However, both installers Ive talked with from Bluegrass indicated a new dish was a given for the new HD installs.

The installer had the dish mount on the roof about two minutes after we agreed on a spot. I cant argue with his efficiency our the accuracy (he drilled a beam dead center with both lags) but I would have preferred a little more prep on the water proofing for my piece of mind and maybe a pre drill on the lags since the beam showed a hint of cracking.

I had run a conduit from the basement up through the garage and to the attic to make a couple new in wall runs with and for some future data cabling. My goal is to get all the low voltage wiring to the same spot in the house for vonage and HTPC stuff. The conduit was close enough to the dish that the tech was cool enough to poke the cables through the sofit an I had them fed down to him by the time he was off the ladder.


After a bit of thought on the HD DVR (He hadn't installed one in a couple months) everything was wired up and grounded. He activated the receivers and the wife had some walk through on the HD DVR.

He finished off by putting some silicon sealant around the dish mount. Cleaned up and left about three hours later.

I will keep an eye on the underside of the plywood where the dish it is mounted to see if it absorbing water. I will likely get a tar based sealant before the tech comes out for zeroing in on the two new sats (neither one is zeroed in now)


I'll try posting some pics of the install.

 

[dragon002]

in picture 1, i see a ground block but no ground wire.

in picture 3 i see he used only 2 lag bolts, instead of at least 4. i also DON'T see the MANDATORY stabilizer arms.

he does do nice wiring, though.

 

[boba]

Tracking in the Ka is part of the install process for the AT9 dish. Don't praise the installer for doing only half his job.

 

[ShadowEKU]

Well in our DMA (Lexington) we will be waiting a while.

 

[VIPERS-PIT]

You are gonna have a Leakey dish and since he didn't predrill the studs the will split worse over time(loosing the dish. The lack of support arms is VERY trobling as well. At min I would back out the lags one at a time and seal them up BIG TIME!!

Also as dragon said it looks like you have a grounding issue for the future. Are the cables laying in the gutter they way the look to be? If so thats not a good thing. And how are the exposed cables physically mounted to the house? Rocker clips/zip ties? I would schedule a service call ASAP!

 

[Heliopath]

I’m pretty neutral on the whole install. I posted just for fyi to all who visit here. I am happy to get my service after using the rabbit ears.

I did note the lack of stabilizers and the way the dish was installed. That is thanks to this board and all the great information. The fact that I pre planned the cable route and he agreed to let me feed the runs down on the inside of the house (low voltage conduit from a finished part of the attic down) kept me happy. I left about 5 ft of service slack for an emergency. Everything is grounded and there is no immediate danger to life. Can’t really see the ground in the pics since it goes strait back outside through the panel and out the same hole as the telephone service entrance. It is tied to its own point on the main service ground.

I will see what I can do about the stabilizer arms. No use in arguing with the installer about them if he didn’t have em.

 

[VIPERS-PIT]

The ground sounds good, The cables laying in the gutter could become a problem because it looks like snow on the roof, and when the gutter fills and freezes it could dislodge the cable.

I wold request a service call to have 2 stabalizer bars added.
And def do something to seal those holes!

 

[jim tressler]

Heliopath - Where are you at? Cincinnati?? Bluegrass is who services our area - I have had mixed results with them.

jim

 

[Heliopath]

Lexington Ky area

 

[Mike500]

The grounding blocks need to be outside. The ground wire could be hidden under the gutter.

I would have used SuperDish braces for the AT9 dish, since even the monopole would not be sturdy enough.

 

[dragon002]

The grounding blocks need to be outside. The ground wire could be hidden under the gutter.

I would have used SuperDish braces for the AT9 dish, since even the monopole would not be sturdy enough.

where would a directv tech get super junk braces????:devil:

 

[HCI]

The grounding blocks need to be outside. The ground wire could be hidden under the gutter.

I would have used SuperDish braces for the AT9 dish, since even the monopole would not be sturdy enough.

Actually ground blocks are suppose to be placed inside or in a box.

 

[dragon002]

tate,

not with DISH......................LOL

 

[HCI]

Ha

I have a PDF file of this but I think it may be too big to upload and don't know how to cut pages out so I copied them onto a txt doc.

Edit: This is from a Hughes file.

 

[Mike500]

where would a directv tech get super junk braces????:devil:

A lot of dealers do both Dish and DirecTV. That monopole idea is really lame, Nothing is stronger than a tripod or a tetrahedral. It's a structure with no free degree of movement.

A monopole only supports the structure on one axis. It can actually piviot like a gate on hinges in a severe storm.

I still think the AT9 is the ugliest dish out there,

Rupert has ruined DirecTV for both dealers and customers, especially with the new lease program. Their move away from TiVo has infuriated many users.

 

[Mike500]

Actually ground blocks are suppose to be placed inside or in a box.

Nope;

Article 820 of the NEC requires grounding blocks to be outside and within 20 feet of the building's system ground.

Enclosures are preferred for protecting the connections on the grounding blocks, but they are installed outside.

 

[HCI]

A lot of dealers do both Dish and DirecTV. That monopole idea is really lame, Nothing is stronger than a tripod or a tetrahedral. It's a structure with no free degree of movement.

A monopole only supports the structure on one axis. It can actually piviot like a gate on hinges in a severe storm.

I still think the AT9 is the ugliest dish out there,

Rupert has ruined DirecTV for both dealers and customers, especially with the new lease program. Their move away from TiVo has infuriated many users.

The AT9 fairly rounded dish verses the oblong Superdish.
Ill go with the AT9 any day.

Dish has had a lease program for years.

 

[Mike500]

The AT9 fairly rounded dish verses the oblong Superdish.
Ill go with the AT9 any day.

Dish has had a lease program for years.

The`SuperDish will soon be gone. The Phase III is an elegant design. Dish has moved to the Dish1000. Direct has moved to an overcomplicated balky design.

A know, since I've installed quite a few of all of them.

I do, however, love the lack of the dual tuner one line solution on DirecTV. It is my biggest money maker, since my specialty is in wall fishing of cables.

Just wait 'til all these AT9 users find that they can't use diplexors.

 

[HCI]

When did dish announce the superdish will soon be gone?

 

[Mike500]

When did dish announce the superdish will soon be gone?

Just recently. And, I'm glad. I hated them.

No new SuperDishes will be installed after Feb. 22 for International Programming. They are migrationg to 61.5 and 148.

With Echo 10, SuperDish locals will migrate to 110.

When MPEG2 HD on 110 shuts down, a lot of locals will go there.