Ted The Bug

Hey gang,

I really, REALLY want to drop my digital cable (Charter) and get DirecTV (with DirecTiVO of course).

Problem is, I rent my apartment, and when I called my landlord to ask about it, he said he didn't want anything screwed into his roof.

Has anybody else had to overcome this obstacle? Any suggestions on how I can convince him that his roof won't be damaged?

Alternatively, can they put the DirecTV dishes anywhere else besides the roof? I think I've seen a dish on a big pole somewhere once before...How does the cable then get into the building?

Also, my apartment is surrounded by trees... Can I get someone from DirecTV to come out here for free to make sure that a dish would even be able to pick up a signal?

Thanks for any help / advice you can give!

das Monkey

Is it a directional problem or a property damage issue? If you have a good line of sight, there are many options. You can buy some 2x8s or 4x8s and drill the dish into that and then clamp the wood to a railing or balcony (although drilling may cause less damage in the longrun, but if he goes for it, who cares). You can get a tripod and a wooden dowel and attach the dish to that, or you can bury a pole like you've noted. The cable gets into the building through wire and a hole in the wall.

As for testing the sat signal from your location, I'm not sure what they'll do in this area. I suspect you could work something out with them, though. They really want your monthly fees and annual contracts and are often willing to go the extra mile to make it happen.

Good luck.

das

Deftones

First of all, the dish has to face towards Texas, so I'd be facing South West for you. Do you have a direct line of sight to the sky in that direction w/o any obstacles?

Second, your apartment manager can not prevent you from putting a dish on your balcony or porch, but they can restrict if you attach it to anything.

Check here for more information: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

jasonp5

My roomate set a 4X4 in a 5 gallon bucket of cement and mounted the dish to that and set it on the balcony. It worked fine, never moved around or anything and everyone was happy.

Big Worms

I have seen this set up before. There a few creative ways you can do it, but the biggest thing you need to make sure is that you have a clear line of sight from your balcony.

Ted The Bug

My problem is that I don't have a porch or balcony of any kind...

And I don't think the pole idea will work, as the whole building is literally surrounded by trees...

I dunno what I can do except move to another apartment building, I guess...

Josh H

My dish is on a cinder block on my patio, but if you don't have one you're pretty much out of luck since the pole isn't an option for you.

Red Dog

Yeah - you're fucked. Welcome to my world.

Big Worms

Probably easier said than done, but move is your answer. That is what I did.

Again easier said than done.

Ted The Bug

Well, looks like I'm moving then...

Flashback

Actually there is what they call a non-penetrating setup. So you can put the dish on the roof (if they allow it) without doing any damage...that's how mine is set up.

fujishig

I actually have a north-facing balcony, and my view of the southern sky is blocked by trees and another building (I live in an apartment complex too).

For years I've hated cable, and longed for DirecTV. Even though apartment policy was that I could not put anything on the roof, I saw numerous other dishes scattered around the place. So I decided to put one up. 5 months later, I got the notice to bring it down... running outside, I saw that my neighbors were forced to bring their's down too.

I had to pay 100 bucks or so to get out of the contract, but I was more bummed that I could no longer use my DirecTIVO that I had grown to love. Ah well. Bottom line is, there is a law protecting the use of a satellite dish as long as it's on the property that you're renting (a balcony, etc.). They can't make you take it down because it's "unsightly." However, common property, including the roof and even the outside of your apartment, is off limits and up to management to decide. Sometimes, there is even an agreement between complex managers and cable companies which would bias them against letting you put up a dish in the first place.

Ted The Bug

Well, I ended up finding a place where I will have my own balcony. The balcony even faces south/southwest too, I really lucked out. I move in Dec 1st.

Now my question is this. They will still need to drill a hole through the wall to get the signal from the dish on my balcony into my apartment right? Can my landlord prevent me from getting that hole drilled?

Also, how does it work on the inside? Will they run cable inside the walls that terminate in plugs that will be plated to the wall? Since I want the DTivo, does that mean they'll have to put 2 plugs in my living room? Again, any experience with landlords getting pissed that additional plugs were added to the walls of an apartment?

Thanks.

Dr_Evil

I was not allowed to put any exterior holes in my apartment. So I ended up getting some flat RG6 cables and running those through my balcony door( could use a window just as easily). I have DTivo which takes 2 cables from the satellite, and neither of them are wired in to the wall (again, this was against my lease YMMV), the cable is just laying loose. Luckily the TV is close to the balcony door.

Here is a link to the flat cables. Word of caution on these, supposedly they can cause fires, so it's best not to keep slamming them in a door. I cut a little piece of foam insullation off of my door to give them so more room/less impact from the door.flat cable link

Big Worms

That is what I used. They work pretty good.

BenCJedi

I have enjoyed satellite for my apartment for 5+ years now. I used a 5 gallon bucket of cement and a 15' water pipe to construct my technological terror since the property owner would not allow dishes on the property. It's on my balcony, but I had to overshoot the tree line, hence the 15' pipe.

I used the flat RG-6 coupler to snake the cables through the window, but last year the apartment owner decided to renovate and install new windows that made it impossible to run in cable. When the window people were installing my new windows they saw the cables and drilled a hole right through the wall and put the cables through there. I could not absolutely believe it. I'm not paying for that destruction when I eventually move out because it was not my choice and I am sure they did not ask the apartment manager if they could do it.

I'd have DirecTV if I could point the dish a little to the left, but it is impossible due to the foliage that I can't get around.

MJKTool

Wow your moving so you can get DirecTV! Now thats commitment!

Ted The Bug

Haha, actually, DirecTV was not the only reason I moved..... my new place actually has the same rent as my current place, but it has a balcony and air conditioner where this place does not. Plus its a nicer building in a nicer complex, and its about 1 minute closer to work

although, the fact that I couldn't get DirecTiVo where I lived was my original motivation to start looking at other apartments

Anyway, thank you Dr. Evil, your plans sounds like what I will end up having to do. Now I just have to estimate how much flat cable I'll be needing to do what I want to do

Thanks again to everyone who posted...

NC-36

You only need 2 small pieces of flat cable. They are about 6 to 8 inches long, just long enough lay across a windowsill or sliding door threshhold. They can be found for just a buck or two for each flat cable.

The cables from the dish connect to the both ends of the flat cable on the outside of the building, then another set of cables connects the indoor ends of the flat cables to the DirecTiVo or multiswitch.

Ted The Bug

Right, but I was thinking about getting another receiver for my living room, so that on Wednesdays I could record Lost and Smallville while watching That 70's Show. I was also contemplating getting a receiver for the computer room, because even though I only have one tv, my monitor accepts S-Video in