Facts and Tips on Satellite System Installation

All the leading satellite TV programming service providers will do free installation of your free satellite TV system and some will even include free installation in up to four rooms in your home or business when you sign up for an extended service agreement. It’s a great deal and it’s hard to find this kind of free service in other businesses in the community.

If you should move to a new residence though, it’s an entirely different story though, because the free installation policy is only a one time deal and it is prohibitively expensive to do it over and over again free of charge every time a customer relocates. They will do the installations many times as you need, but it is a paid for service after the first time.

They all charge different rates and there are variables that can come into play that can affect the cost of the job. How high and steep your roof is and how accessible your attic is and also the weather can come into play. Doing it yourself is always an option, but it can be a difficult job if you aren’t prepared.

If your roof is a pitched roof and it is icy, it is recommended that you stay off of it and use a tripod to temporarily mount your dish on until the season changes. If you have never slipped off a roof, you will be amazed at how fast it happens and how impossible it is to stop once you’ve started to slide and how badly you can be hurt.

Pick a place to mount your dish securely up on your roof. A gable wall or varge or fascia board works best. Before you mount the dish go in the attic and see if you can rout the cable to the place you have selected. If the cables can’t be routed there, pick a new spot that has a clear view to the south. Try to pick a place that has the shortest distance to the receiver for a better signal. The less cable that you have to use, the better it is for your signal.

Mount the dish solidly, using new hardware that you got from the hardware store. Nice lag bolts in pre drilled holes work best. Avoid using old rusty screws that are going to give you a less than adequate hold and tend to strip out.

Make any outside cable connections with exterior cable connectors that have a rubber boot on them and fasten any loose cables to solid surfaces using cable clips. You can use a compass to make sure that your satellite dish is aimed properly. Run as much of the cables in the attic or under your house so you have as little exposed cable inside the residence as possible.

If you have to pass through a wall, use a long screw driver or piece of metal to make a small discreet hole through the wall and then use a piece of coat hanger to make a long poker to attach the cable to and fish it through from one room to another. Don’t damage your roof, or fall through the ceiling when you are in the attic and don’t smash any big ugly holes in your walls and you should be OK.