Slimline Fence Mount

[mluntz]

My wife absolutely refuses to have the new dish mounted on the roof. She says to mount it on a pole, or to the fence in the back yard.

I should be able to get line of sight, because my next door neighbor has a single LNB mounted to his fence.

It is a standard wood fence, and after thinking about it, it seems like the fence mount would be the easiest way to go.

Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

 

[Brewer4]

Because the Slimline is bigger then the regular 18" or even the 3 LNB dish, it requires braces like a tri-pod. Its heavier and needs the extra support. A monopole wont really work. It might but the base on your fence better be strong enough. Between the weight and size, any strong wind might move it around or worse, pull your fence down.

I mounted mine on the side on an existing monopole and was able to get away with one brace. Its really stable. I would have preferred the tri-pod but that too meant a roof mount and my roof is really high and steep. I never go up there and even installers are not keen to it.

Any pole mounting folks out there?

 

[JAG72]

I would personally go with a pole mount over anything else. When I had D* the installer installed the pole and the AT9 dish for me at zero cost. It really worked out great because you don't have to worry about any braces.

 

[mluntz]

If I decide to go withe pole mount, will D* do it for me? Should I let them know I want a pole mount ahead of time?

 

[JAG72]

If I decide to go withe pole mount, will D* do it for me? Should I let them know I want a pole mount ahead of time?

They did it for me at zero cost. When you talk to them about the install, make sure they know you want a pole mount done. I have also heard that some charge extra for this type of installation.

 

[Jimbo]

If I decide to go withe pole mount, will D* do it for me? Should I let them know I want a pole mount ahead of time?

I would definatly go with a pole mount vs the fence mount, 1. wood warps and 2. the fence may not be plumb, not many are.

If you plan to have D* do the pole mount, Yes I would definatly let them know ahead of time.
Or you can get your own pole and a bag of concrete and do it yourself in under an hour and know it's done correctly.

Jimbo

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Directv will dig a hole,and pour concrete for free??Just to mount a your dish? Thats unheard of around my area.I know 2 people who had a "custom Install" and it cost them $200 each .I would also suggest you mount the pole yourself, Then have Directv mount the Dish on it.

 

[charper1]

Any chance of posting what your wife's concerns are for mounting the dish in the best overall place, such as the roof or chimney (unless LoS is the concern)? I have a FTA and DBS dish above the roof line; one mounted on the roof and the other on the chimney; for more than 3 years on the FTA and 10+ on the DBS without any issue, including leaking.

 

[JAG72]

Directv will dig a hole,and pour concrete for free??Just to mount a your dish? Thats unheard of around my area.I know 2 people who had a "custom Install" and it cost them $200 each .I would also suggest you mount the pole yourself, Then have Directv mount the Dish on it.

Yes. I upgraded to the H20 and AT9 dish for a total of $0. I asked for a pole mount and the D* installers brought the pole and concrete. I just asked the CSR on the phone what my costs would be and she quoted the $0 price. I also have heard of installers charging for this type of installation.

 

[iwc5893]

Yes. I upgraded to the H20 and AT9 dish for a total of $0. I asked for a pole mount and the D* installers brought the pole and concrete. I just asked the CSR on the phone what my costs would be and she quoted the $0 price. I also have heard of installers charging for this type of installation.

It's not really up to D* on whether or not the installation company charges for this type of work. A pole and concrete is considered non-standard installation, and therefore the HSP can charge for it if they want.

The company I work for charges $20 for a pole & concrete mount unless it is required for LOS, then it's free. If we can obtain LOS with a traditional mounting option, but you if insist on a pole and concrete then you will be charged for it.

 

[JAG72]

I have to somewhat disagree with you. If D* tells you it is free and then the installer charges I would not be happy. If it is non-standard and they want to charge me then I would force D* to eat the cost.

I would have to say that $20 is a very reasonable price for the installation of the pole.

 

[iwc5893]

And D* may very well reimburse you for the cost. My point is that D* may not obligate another company (the HSP) to eat the costs associated with NON-STANDARD installation because a CSR said it would be free. This would be like telling your mechanic that the custom work he is doing on your car is going to be free because the car manufacturer's CSR said it would be free.

 

[JAG72]

I don't think that the HSP should be punished for this either but D* should. If this is what the CSR promised, D* should pay the HSP direct for the custom installation. I just don't think that the customer should be impacted by these poor decisions.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

I don't think that the HSP should be punished for this either but D* should. If this is what the CSR promised, D* should pay the HSP direct for the custom installation. I just don't think that the customer should be impacted by these poor decisions.

Its not that I don't believe you, Its just the first time I ever heard of Directv doing a non standard install for free.That sounds great if they will.But if you live in Northeastern Pa,Don't hold your breath.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

I have to somewhat disagree with you. If D* tells you it is free and then the installer charges I would not be happy. If it is non-standard and they want to charge me then I would force D* to eat the cost.

I would have to say that $20 is a very reasonable price for the installation of the pole.

See Directv never told my brother,or my friend that the pole mounts were free.They were told right up front, a custom install would be at least $100.Well they didn't lie because my brother's pole mount was $185,and my friends was $200.all because they had to bury the wires also.What did they do with your wires,lay them on the ground,or did that include burying the wires?

 

[JAG72]

See Directv never told my brother,or my friend that the pole mounts were free.They were told right up front, a custom install would be at least $100.Well they didn't lie because my brother's pole mount was $185,and my friends was $200.all because they had to bury the wires also.What did they do with your wires,lay them on the ground,or did that include burying the wires?

The D* CSR did originally tell me that the cost would be around $75 and I told them that was not good enough. I worked out the deal that everything would be at zero cost. I was worried while the installer was here but they never charged me for anything.

The pole was mounted 5 feet from the house. Pole was installed right outside of 5 feet of patio pavers. The D* installer lifted each paver (2.5' x 2.5') and placed the wire under them. They asked if this was OK prior to doing the work and I agreed to it. I did feel really bad for the installer as it was in the 90's that day. I helped them out by installing the H20 and the multiswitch for them. I also had my daughters running lots of ice cold water out to them every 15 min. I would recomend these installers to anybody that was getting D*. I am also very glad to know that I have them around if I ever choose to go back to D*.

 

[iwc5893]

See Directv never told my brother,or my friend that the pole mounts were free.They were told right up front, a custom install would be at least $100.Well they didn't lie because my brother's pole mount was $185,and my friends was $200.all because they had to bury the wires also.What did they do with your wires,lay them on the ground,or did that include burying the wires?

Burial is considered custom labor, at a rate of $75.00/hour. The $20 is strictly for the pole & concrete. Most customers prefer to bury the cable themselves when they hear what the labor rate is for us to do it.

 

[iwc5893]

I don't think that the HSP should be punished for this either but D* should. If this is what the CSR promised, D* should pay the HSP direct for the custom installation. I just don't think that the customer should be impacted by these poor decisions.

I'm curious as to how you'd propose to do this, considering that any customer could claim that the CSR told them it would be free.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Burial is considered custom labor, at a rate of $75.00/hour. The $20 is strictly for the pole & concrete. Most customers prefer to bury the cable themselves when they hear what the labor rate is for us to do it.

Well that sounds about right .Took them 3 hours to do my brothers D* install.2 hours of non standard and 1 hour of standard.Plus taxes and what ever other fees they tacked on.

 

[JAG72]

I'm curious as to how you'd propose to do this, considering that any customer could claim that the CSR told them it would be free.

Does the installation order have a comments section that D* can add information to? If it doesn't then I bet it could be added. I agree that you would have to have something so all customers don't just make an excuse and try to get it for free.