What Are DirecTV's Standard Proceedures for Non-Prewired (For Satellite) Apartments?

[Joe Diamond]

Doubt it's vinyl, it's probably masonry.

The only issue now is will they drill though the brick walls to install outlets? If not, do they carry the flat adapters for windows on hand?

Installing clips to brick is going to be real fun for them.

BTW, this is all for a family member not myself, I'm in a brick house and rather than drill though brick I run everything though the attic and though the ceiling inside.

Some of the things I would look at = (1) Be sure the walls are masonry and not "hard wall" or similar. (2) From the dish I would run the cables down the back of a downspout using quick ties. (3) Along a brick wall I would dig the cable underground. Spade as close to the wall as possible and down a few inches rather than spike cable to a brick wall but, yes, there are masonry cable clips designed to go into brick. The wise tech predrills holes.(4) At some point I would have to get out the rotohammer @ $20.00 per 3/4" hole through the masonry walls......bits are around $100.00 & the drill is around $300.00 / carried only for these jobs. Yes they have flat cables for under windows but they are often a problem.(5) Getting the cable into the attic and down into the structure is better but can't say more about a cable route from the pics. (6) IF there are existing cable outlets I would consider ringing them back and connecting them to the sat lines if possible. Cable companies dislike & discourage this!

There is a reason why we do not see other dishes on the property. You got permission for putting a dish where the blue Xs are? This deal looks like the residence of a cable customer.

Good luck...report how it goes.

Joe

 

[TheTechGuru]

Some of the things I would look at = (1) Be sure the walls are masonry and not "hard wall" or similar. (2) From the dish I would run the cables down the back of a downspout using quick ties. (3) Along a brick wall I would dig the cable underground. Spade as close to the wall as possible and down a few inches rather than spike cable to a brick wall but, yes, there are masonry cable clips designed to go into brick. The wise tech predrills holes.(4) At some point I would have to get out the rotohammer @ $20.00 per 3/4" hole through the masonry walls......bits are around $100.00 & the drill is around $300.00 / carried only for these jobs. Yes they have flat cables for under windows but they are often a problem.(5) Getting the cable into the attic and down into the structure is better but can't say more about a cable route from the pics. (6) IF there are existing cable outlets I would consider ringing them back and connecting them to the sat lines if possible. Cable companies dislike & discourage this!

There is a reason why we do not see other dishes on the property. You got permission for putting a dish where the blue Xs are? This deal looks like the residence of a cable customer.

Good luck...report how it goes.

Joe

Ya, permission was granted to put the dish "Anywhere necessary to get a signal".

Using the existing coax wiring is no longer a option as we found out AT&T UVerse internet is way over priced for what you get compared to Time Warner's cable internet.

What are these charges you talk of? MoversConnection is supposed to cover all installation costs and the apartment managment is doing nothing to increase the costs of installation. I've never heard of having to pay more just because of the materials a home is built out of.

If they want to charge to drill holes screw that and run it though windows temporarily and when I go over I'll bring my hammer-drill to make the holes myself.

Now being that these are a newer construction, I'm betting the brick is thin vernier brick (does not support the structure) and not solid structure supporting brick. Also the masonry sides are probably that wire mesh with a 1 inch coating of mortar.

Splitters will need to be installed outside, one at the dish since going opposite directions from it and another at the other side of the building.

---

Ya, the long run around the building would be nice to have buried.

 

[Joe Diamond]

Guru,
You are going in the right direction.
(1) A window technique you might want to try = Cut 2x4 lumber to fit the width of the window and drill the board to allow the cable to come through and the window to close. This is NOT recommended for 1st floors and will interfere with building security systems because the window no longer completes alarm circuits.
(2) RE the charges....the Directv FREE installation = surface wire routes. They will drill wooden walls or one layer of masonry. Those flat cables come and go because they cause so much trouble. You should be informed of any additional charges before the work begins and are free to decline them but there could be some.....I see the dish on a pole for example. You can dig in the cable....the tech may want to tack it. As a contractor I would dig it and charge for the work.
(3) I am going to ask someone with more recent experience to look at what your cable plan. I would expect a run from the dish to a ground block or SWM approved grounded splitter with enough ports for all your runs. A PI (Power Inserter) is connected at that splitter. I am pretty sure about the need for home run cables from the splitter to the receivers....but check this.
(4) The building technique you describe sounds like a variation of "hard wall" You may have exterior FG insulation with either brick veneer panels or textured coating applied to the insulation panels beneath. The stuff is not hard to drill but is not strong enough to support the weight of the dish. You could end up drilling the wall completely and putting a backer board in the inside wall, using molly bolts & washers.
(5) This looks like a job for the wi-fi systems.

Yer gittin' it.

Joe

 

[TheTechGuru]

I just found out today that a roof install would not be allowed. Well I assumed this anyway since the roof is curved ceramic tiles, I just hope the wall above the garage is not considered a roof to them, if so, then a pole install is the only option and it would have to be in a high traffic area with a limited field of view (SL3 should be fine, but SL5 might not be able to see 119).

I'm assuming 811 will need to be called before any digging for a pole can be done especially since it's near a electrical transformer? So add a week wait for that...

 

[Joe Diamond]

I just found out today that a roof install would not be allowed. Well I assumed this anyway since the roof is curved ceramic tiles, I just hope the wall above the garage is not considered a roof to them, if so, then a pole install is the only option and it would have to be in a high traffic area with a limited field of view (SL3 should be fine, but SL5 might not be able to see 119).

I'm assuming 811 will need to be called before any digging for a pole can be done especially since it's near a electrical transformer? So add a week wait for that...

Ok Guru,
Now I can see something that may move things. In the above pic. you can just use a taller pole to clear the roof where those gray boxes are. From Texas the azimuth will be almost south (anyone?) so you just have to lift the dish high enough to clear the roof (or less). Post your zip & we can get an exact az & el for your location.......Anyhow, the pole goes in close enough to the building for it to be attached by monopoles. You can use 2" OD pipe. You will need to hand dig the hole because there are electric & probably telco lines where the dish / pole will go. Then ground the dish right there at the main electric bond & run the cable near the building as discussed to your unit.

Do check the splitter detail (anyone?)/

Joe

 

[raoul5788]

I'm a bit late to this party!
Have you considered a non penetrating mount like this one? It could go on the garage roof if you have los from there.
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.as...tched-roof-non-penetrating-roof-mount-(prm-2)

 

[Jimbo]

Is there a Basement in this home ?
If it's not finished, mount a pole place dish, drill hole into the basement and run wires to wherever you need them.

Provided you have a basement.

 

[TheTechGuru]

I'm a bit late to this party!
Have you considered a non penetrating mount like this one? It could go on the garage roof if you have los from there.
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.as...tched-roof-non-penetrating-roof-mount-(prm-2)

No money will be spent on the install. Must be installed within what MoversConnection will cover.

 

[raoul5788]

That's up to you, of course, but if a non penetrating mount would be the best choice over all, it seems a reasonable price to pay. YMMV.

 

[TheTechGuru]

Is there a Basement in this home ?
If it's not finished, mount a pole place dish, drill hole into the basement and run wires to wherever you need them.

Provided you have a basement.

Nope.

 

[TheTechGuru]

Ok, I am pretty f****** pi**** off right now, been on phone with family member and apartment rep all morning.

DirecTV sent MasTec out today and they said NLOS bye.

There is conflicting info with the apartment complex, one manager says it must be installed on the balcony which faces north so would not work, and another says they're not allowed to be installed on the balcony and must be installed on a pole.

So until this is cleared up, I dunno what to suggest. I have put in a request to have the satellite addendum faxed to me.

 

[Joe Diamond]

Ok, I am pretty f****** pi**** off right now, been on phone with family member and apartment rep all morning.

DirecTV sent MasTec out today and they said NLOS bye.

There is conflicting info with the apartment complex, one manager says it must be installed on the balcony which faces north so would not work, and another says they're not allowed to be installed on the balcony and must be installed on a pole.

So until this is cleared up, I dunno what to suggest. I have put in a request to have the satellite addendum faxed to me.

Gurui,
You are screwed. The north facing balcony will not work and apartment management is not renting you space on the grounds for a dish. The whole system must be installed in areas you control / rent.

If this helps, I was often able to avoid even showing up for apartment work orders. I would call and ask what the customer saw from their balcony. These were sites I had been to many times and I had the manager's phone numbers so I would not even arrive to cancel the work order for no line of sight (NLOS). I was never wrong.

Somehow I got the impression you had permission for a pole on the grounds....but your pics didn't show any other poles.

Enjoy the world of CATV and or OTA feeds.

Joe

 

[TheTechGuru]

Gurui,
You are screwed. The north facing balcony will not work and apartment management is not renting you space on the grounds for a dish. The whole system must be installed in areas you control / rent.

If this helps, I was often able to avoid even showing up for apartment work orders. I would call and ask what the customer saw from their balcony. These were sites I had been to many times and I had the manager's phone numbers so I would not even arrive to cancel the work order for no line of sight (NLOS). I was never wrong.

Somehow I got the impression you had permission for a pole on the grounds....but your pics didn't show any other poles.

Enjoy the world of CATV and or OTA feeds.

Joe

NO! You're wrong, two managers are giving conflicting information. NONE OF THE BALCONYS IN THE COMPLEX FACE SOUTH, NONE! There are DirecTV users in the complex, about 10 of them (there is Time Warner & AT&T UVerse to choose from too) and those DirecTV users have their dishes on poles.

There is no reason this should not be doable, I have emailed the OWNER of the complex, I expect to hear back Monday. This location is hidden behind a garage and as far as looks are concerned there are already ugly electrical boxes in the area. So even if it's still not allowed once the official rules are clarified I'm going to try to get the owner to give special permission for it since it would be in a low traffic, low seen area.

 

[superiorman01]

Find a local company willing to install a central dish on the unit with 4 lines going to a swm switch in the cable room. Maybe you could sell that to the management.

 

[Joe Diamond]

NO! You're wrong, two managers are giving conflicting information. NONE OF THE BALCONYS IN THE COMPLEX FACE SOUTH, NONE! There are DirecTV users in the complex, about 10 of them (there is Time Warner & AT&T UVerse to choose from too) and those DirecTV users have their dishes on poles.

There is no reason this should not be doable, I have emailed the OWNER of the complex, I expect to hear back Monday. This location is hidden behind a garage and as far as looks are concerned there are already ugly electrical boxes in the area. So even if it's still not allowed once the official rules are clarified I'm going to try to get the owner to give special permission for it since it would be in a low traffic, low seen area.

Go for it,
My emphasis was that there is a federal law forcing HOAs to allow dishes to be placed on common grounds. Apartment rental property is a different matter. With permission things can go forward. The spot you show should work fine...have the tech get the dish as close to the building as possible. Consider the lawn cutters. If they bang the arm every time they mow you will be back where you started.

Also, the tech will want to run the underground cable to the electric boxes and ground the system there........electric code requirement......and then run the cable to your unit. He may ask to drill the wall rather than wrap the building.

JUST noticed something. IF that yellow line is actually north to south the azimuth shown is 99 west. South = 180 and........... 99.3 will be quite a bit to the left / counterclockwise direction of the yellow line. You must be in west texas..........or that AZ is wrong. .....or the pole will have to go elsewhere.

Report success.
Joe

 

[raoul5788]

Go for it,
My emphasis was that there is a federal law forcing HOAs to allow dishes to be placed on common grounds. Apartments are a different matter. With permission things can go forward. The spot you show should work fine...have the tech get the dish as close to the building as possible. Consider the lawn cutters. If they bank the arm every time they mow you will be back where you started.

Report success.
Joe

I'm not familiar with that law Joe. Can you explain?

 

[TheTechGuru]

Go for it,
My emphasis was that there is a federal law forcing HOAs to allow dishes to be placed on common grounds. Apartment rental property is a different matter. With permission things can go forward. The spot you show should work fine...have the tech get the dish as close to the building as possible. Consider the lawn cutters. If they bang the arm every time they mow you will be back where you started.

Also, the tech will want to run the underground cable to the electric boxes and ground the system there........electric code requirement......and then run the cable to your unit. He may ask to drill the wall rather than wrap the building.

JUST noticed something. IF that yellow line is actually north to south the azimuth shown is 99 west. South = 180 and........... 99.3 will be quite a bit to the left / counterclockwise direction of the yellow line. You must be in west texas..........or that AZ is wrong. .....or the pole will have to go elsewhere.

Report success.
Joe

I don't see a need for a ground when the metal dish would be on a metal pole that is IN THE GROUND.

All the lines need to be buried, they're not going to want screws in a brick wall nor do I think a installer wants to deal with that.

The bottom pic is the other way around, N top and S bottom.

Here is a updated overlay.

 

[raoul5788]

Guru, you said there couldn't be any additional costs, that it had to be covered by the mover's connection. Is that by choice? If you put a non penetrating mount on the peak of the garage roof, that could solve all of the problems. It would be under $100.

 

[Mr Tony]

My emphasis was that there is a federal law forcing HOAs to allow dishes to be placed on common grounds.

no there hasn't. OTARD is still the most current and it protects you for EXCLUSIVE areas.....nothing about common areas

 

[TheTechGuru]

Guru, you said there couldn't be any additional costs, that it had to be covered by the mover's connection. Is that by choice? If you put a non penetrating mount on the peak of the garage roof, that could solve all of the problems. It would be under $100.

When they said nothing on the roof, I think they mean both penetrating and non penetrating. Besides, it would be more visible up there than where I'm suggesting.

At this point, probably willing to spend anything necessary. Because currently have everything but HBO for about $101 a month (LOYALTY DISCOUNTS!) . UVerse or Time Warner would probably run $170/mo for the same channels.

no there hasn't. OTARD is still the most current and it protects you for EXCLUSIVE areas.....nothing about common areas

That's the difference between apartments and condos. Condos you own your roof, thus should not be a problem to mount a dish on it, don't know why one would need to put it in a common area in a condo. Now condo highrises is another story, they need to have a central dish on the roof.