The below checklist should help in determining if your home meets the minimum requirements to be eligible to install satellite TV.

Unobstructed Southern Exposure. To receive satellite TV, the satellite antenna must be mounted with an unobstructed view of the southern sky. Objects such as trees, building, etc. may block signal, so it is critical that your dish have an obstruction-free line of sight to the south. Apartment dwellers with no southern exposure may have the option of mounting the antenna on the roof with landlord permission. House dwellers may also position antennas in the yard to eliminate obstructions that may block line of sight.

An Appropriate Area for a Satellite Dish. Satellite TV customers need an exterior area to mount a satellite antenna. As mentioned above, a clear view of the southern sky is required on this exterior area. Satellite antennas may be mounted on many solid surfaces such as the side of houses/buildings, chimneys, roofs or on poles. Mounting satellite antennas on trees or other places that will move or be insecure is not recommended.

Proper Cabling. Some installation sites have coaxial cable from the previous service provider. Using this pre-existing cable may not always be acceptable. The signal distributed from a satellite antenna runs on a higher frequency than most cable and off-air signals. When installing satellite TV, a minimum of RG6 coaxial cable must be used to ensure it will meet the demands of the satellite signal. The RG6 coaxial cable must also be rated to carry a signal up to 2,200 MHz.

Proper Grounding. This is one of the most crucial, but often overlooked areas of the satellite installation. Please ensure that whoever installs the satellite antenna grounds the system to meet the Local/NEC requirements.

Phone-line Access. This is not a requirement for all satellite providers, but will make life easier and may save a few dollars in the process. Some satellite providers charge monthly fees if the system is not connected to a phone line. Because most residential satellite antennas are “receive-only”, information from the customer’s satellite receivers may not be sent back to the provider unless it is connected to a phone line. This connection allows customers to send important updates to the service provider, while also increasing the service provider’s protection against fraud.

These are just a few basics when considering a satellite antenna installation. Any trained professional satellite installer should be able to properly mount, align and peak the satellite antenna on the roof, balcony or other location within 100 ft. of the primary television. The installer should also use approved materials, including RG 6 cable, switches and connectors. The installer should also connect the receiver(s) to a phone line and ground the system to meet Local/NEC requirements.