# Should I allow a roof mount?



## cowboy56

I'm switching from Comcast to Dish this week and I see most mounts in my neighborhood are on the roof. I am just concerned about screwing holes in the roof. My fascia is not strong enough for a mount.
Back when I had Direct TV, I had mounted my dish directly onto my electrical mast coming through the roof using stainless steel U-clamps and it withstood hurricane Charlie. Do you think the installer would use that method again, or would that be a no-no being that close to electrical lines?
I guess the mount being above the overhang should be fine but I'm just uncomfortable about putting holes in a new roof.

Great Forum, Thanks.


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## subeluvr

A roof that has no holes is only that way until someone puts holes in it. Regardless of the bull on the tube of the goop or tape or sealer the installer uses to seal the holes they just made, a roof with no holes doesn't leak. No holes in the roof for me... under NO circumstances. JMO

No installer in his/her right mind around here would EVER install ANYTHING on the power drop pole. Might be a code violation, but in the least it is just plain STUPID.

There's always the pole in the ground solution.


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## MysteryMan

There are several options where to mount the dish (roof, side of building, ground pole, ect) but your line of site will dictate where best to mount your dish. As you can see I've been with DirecTV for 15 years. All of my dish's were mounted on the roof. Not one leak to date! As long as the support braces and plate are screwed into the rafters and sealed you will have no problems. Many homes dictate that the gutters be attached using hangers that are nailed into the roof and sealed. As long as the screws are sealed properly you won't have a problem.


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## greatwhitenorth

cowboy56 said:


> I'm switching from Comcast to Dish this week and I see most mounts in my neighborhood are on the roof. I am just concerned about screwing holes in the roof. My fascia is not strong enough for a mount.
> Back when I had Direct TV, I had mounted my dish directly onto my electrical mast coming through the roof using stainless steel U-clamps and it withstood hurricane Charlie. Do you think the installer would use that method again, or would that be a no-no being that close to electrical lines?
> I guess the mount being above the overhang should be fine but I'm just uncomfortable about putting holes in a new roof.
> 
> Great Forum, Thanks.


Thanks for stopping by. At DISH Network, we consider roof mounts to be the last resort. We have mounts for walls, eaves, exposed rafters, poles, etc. As was said earlier, Line of Sight will have a lot to say about where it is installed, but roofs are not the only option. Also, we are never supposed to mount on a roof over a living area (overhangs, etc.). And regarding the electrical drop, my techs would get written up for trying something like that, extreme violation of safety rules. I'm guessing in FL, with the high "look angle" to the satellites, Line Of Sight should be easy to find, even not on the roof. Good Luck!


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## Nick

MysteryMan said:


> ...As long as the screws are sealed properly you won't have a problem.


Neither you, the OP or the installer can guarantee that a roof mount won't leak at some point. I would NEVER allow a roof mount on my house where there is another option, but then, I would never choose a residence location where there was no LOS other than from the roof.

And it's 'line of sight', not site -- as in "The site (location) must provide a clear line of sight (view) to the satellite."


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## 356B

Putting the dish over the "eve" or overhang is always the best option if a roof mount is the only line of sight........drilling into a roof is... and eventually will become problematic........
40 years as a General Contractor has taught me (several for sure things).........


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## davejacobson

Oh the old dont mount anything to my roof thread.A properly mounted dish on your roof will not leak.Ive been mounting dishes and antennas on roofs for 20yrs. No complaints ever about my installs leaking. And believe me if my install would have caused problems we would hear about it.I have taken down antenna installations that were so bad I dont know how they didn't leak,but they didn't. I have reinstalled dishes that the roofers have butchered still no leaks.Does a leak happen from improper install yes,but its not that often so don't worry to much about it.Depending on LOS and what type of siding on you house roof mount while the last choice may be the only choice. Mounting to the electrical mast NO WAY. Do you have roof vents = holes do you have plumbing vent=holes. What to they do around them flashing and caulking.The holes for your dish mount are alot smaller.


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## MysteryMan

Nick said:


> Neither you, the OP or the installer can guarantee that a roof mount won't leak at some point. I would NEVER allow a roof mount where there is another option.
> 
> And it's 'line of sight', not site -- as in "The site (location) must provide a clear line of sight (view) to the satellite."


Wow Nick, I had no idea you were the "Grammar Police". Do you want a note from my father for my error?


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## TulsaOK

Sounds like you got off with just a warning this time.


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## MysteryMan

Long before cable and satellite millions of people all over the globe mounted over the air antennas on their roof to receive television transmissions. I don' recall a epidemic of leaking roofs being a result!


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## subeluvr

davejacobson said:


> Oh the old dont mount anything to my roof thread.A properly mounted dish on your roof will not leak.Ive been mounting dishes and antennas on roofs for 20yrs.


Installers scream that holes in roofs are OK and roofers love to void warranties when they are called to repair holes in roofs.

The number of times that something is done wrong never makes it right way to do it.

The number of times that something is done wrong simply sustains the stupidity of the people who continue to do it the wrong way and their lack of respect for other people's property .


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## MysteryMan




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## klang

There are probably already many things sticking out of your roof. I doubt a dish installation will be more prone to leaking then any of the other holes already there.


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## BattleZone

I promise you, your roof is FULL of holes. How else do you think those shingles or tiles are attached? Talk to any roofer, and they'll tell you the same.










While I don't tell you it was always the case, these days pretty much all satellite techs know how to properly seal roof penetrations, as QCs for both DirecTV and Dish have been pretty harsh for the last few years. In most cases, installers should be (and will be) using "Bishop Tape", which is a plasticized asphalt roof sealer that comes in strips or on a roll that is cut into strips. It is the right product for the job, and in 7 years of installing, I've only had a single roof-leak claim, company-wide, and my company does around 4,500 installs a year. And the one claim was completely bogus; we mounted the dish on the fascia on the left side of the building and the roof leaks on the claim were on the right side of the house. I'd say that's a pretty good track record.

Other asphault-based products, such as Henry's roof tar, are also fine, but messy and harder to work with.

Aside from the sealant, it is also important that the installer pre-drills and that he hits a stud with either the centerline bolt-holes (preferred) or the top bolt holes (if not mounting over a vertical-running rafter). Longer bolts (2.5-3") should be used for those than the other 4, as you need to get into the stud. You don't want the mast foot attached only to the plywood, as the wind will move the mast around and over time cause a leak.

And, whenever possible, the dish should be installed on the overhang, rather than directly over the living space, though some houses have no overhang. If installed on the overhang, even if it did ever leak, it would be leaking OUTSIDE.

Following these basic rules, which is how all techs are taught, will prevent leaks from ever being a problem.


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## Driver_1

BattleZone said:


> I promise you, your roof is FULL of holes. How else do you think those shingles or tiles are attached?


What I was looking for...

I don't think you could FORCE water through the bolt hole, probably not even with vacuum pressure from the inside?


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## Yoda-DBSguy

Driver_1 said:


> What I was looking for...
> 
> I don't think you could FORCE water through the bolt hole, probably not even with vacuum pressure from the inside?


You'd be wrong.

Although you may "seal the holes" during installation with tar tape, the dish ends up being the actual cause of leakage. The dish will be a resistance factor on windy/stormy days. Slowly but surely the dish wobbles from side to side slowly wallering out those holes which in turn causes leaks down the line. How long this may take depends on how sever the wind is as well as how and where the dish is secured relating to your roof line. It could be days to several years before a problem could make itself apparent. Just simply avoiding a rood mount would stop any potential problems from taking place altogether (such as actual roof damage, matted/useless insulation and eventually drywall saturation causing mold, mildew and or total collapse depending on the amount of water being infiltrated).


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## subeluvr

BattleZone said:


> I promise you, your roof is FULL of holes. How else do you think those shingles or tiles are attached? Talk to any roofer, and they'll tell you the same.


Yea, talk to any roofer and they'll tell you that exactly what nails can be used, how long they will be, and WHERE they are driven through the shingle is specified in the code.

Not like a dish installer whose had (how much?) training (and by whom) will use lag bolts often missing studs and de-laminating the sheathing underneath the roof. Dish installers are oblivious to the code requirements and skills of roofing and frankly, shouldn't be permitted to touch a roof with any pointed object.

Driver_1,

Water won't be forced down the lag bolt it will WICK down the lag bolt.


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## BobaBird

Nick said:


> And it's 'line of sight', not site -- as in "The site (location) must provide a clear line of sight (view) to the satellite."


Please cite (acknowledge) the source of your definitions.


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## cowboy56

Thank you everyone for your comments and advice. I guess I'll see what the tech want's to do. About every Direct TV and Dish installation down here is right on the roof with no support brackets and I'm sure not fastened into the truss. 
I guess that's why they call it Flori-Dah!
The house is block and stucco so a wall mount would be great, however the wires are already on the wrong side of the house to get a clear shot sky.


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## Nick

cowboy56 said:


> Thank you everyone for your comments and advice. I guess I'll see what the tech want's to do.
> 
> 
> 
> Go ahead and consult with the installer, but remember, it's your money and your house, not the tech's.
> 
> 
> 
> About every Direct TV and Dish installation down here is right on the roof with no support brackets and I'm sure not fastened into the truss. I guess that's why they call it Flori-Dah!
> 
> 
> 
> Dare to be different -- do what's best for you. And it's Flori-duh!
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


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## 356B

I think it's weird this subject gets this much ink......but to reiterate my thoughts. Most installers are young and or very inexperienced with the work they're sent out to do, unfortunately it's the nature of that business. I have been ask for permission to do roof installs on my rentals, I meet with the installer and assess his capabilities and go forward from there...some are good with it...some are not...I don't care it's my property.
40 years as a General Contractor has taught me (several for sure things).........


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## matt

356B said:


> I have been ask for permission to do roof installs on my rentals.........


Your tenants actually ask?


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## 356B

matt1124 said:


> Your tenants actually ask?


It's in the rental agreement. In my world failure to play by my rules equals trouble......:brush: my renters a relatively sophisticated, looking for a clean, safe and affordable home..... !pepsi! they don't want any trouble......:coffee

:icon_band


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## Stewart Vernon

My roof has a giant "hole" right down the center at the top or the arch in the room... for heating/cooling purposes there is a gap at the top (i.e. the peak of the roof doesn't actually get sealed.

There are also some of those airhole "pipes" in a couple of places.

Some people (not me) have a huge hole for a chimney for their fireplace... and you can be sure that those shingles are not 100% sealed all the time.

Lack of training for Dish installers? Perhaps... but have you REALLY observed home builders on the job? There is a lot of cheap labor being used... and you might find some of those roofs have been installed by people with less experience than your Dish installer.

If all else "fails"... my dish is on the roof above my garage... so even if it did leak, I'd not lose anything to it in the open-ceiling-interior garage before I found and fixed the leak.

Oh, and the inside part of my air conditioner/heat exchanger is in the attic... lots of potential for that to leak inside and probably more likely to do so than my rooftop dish installation.


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## matt

356B said:


> It's in the rental agreement. In my world failure to play by my rules equals trouble......:brush: my renters a relatively sophisticated, looking for a clean, safe and affordable home..... !pepsi! they don't want any trouble......:coffee
> 
> :icon_band


Ah.

Sophisticated is one of that last words that comes to mind when thinking about all the rent houses my parents have. Usually clean isn't there either.

Dad is always mad when a new dish pops up without his permission. This is when not having a roof mount is important. Sure, most are mounted on the roof and don't have any leaks. But when it is a rent house, people come and go and they also switch providers. That is either a lot of little dish feet all over the roof or a bunch of holes. Don't even get me started on cabling, switches, splitters, etc...


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## 356B

I live and own property in a rural area of NorCal. Quality rentals are at a premium these days in my area. My renters have been in residence an average of 7 years. Then again we only rent 6 homes. I would imagine the apartment business is much different as would be a more urban area. 
The issue of service people has always been problematic......fortunately for me I do all that myself, or at least oversee the work. Some roof installs/installers are true pros, some are hacks, some are kids who don't know squat....that's where I have always come in offering guidance and assistance if needed to all, regardless if they like it or not...so far so good.


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## janeslogin

Someone here claims that dish-installer-made-my-roof-leak-caused-20k-of-damage.

Note the story was posted by "anonymous"


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## Nick

Now this from Complainers Anonymous:

"Dish has too many channels -- they won't all fit in my tv set. 
Some channels even leaked on the floor and wet my slippers"


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## gomezma1

Mount it on the ground. I mounted my Directv Slimline on the ground. Dug hole and cemented pole. I mounted the dish and had an installer do a side job and align it for $20. This will make realigns easy but I doubt it because it sits between my house and next door neighboors so wind will no be factor. Good luck.


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## Stewart Vernon

The power company made a whole in the side of my house... the phone company did too.

What will happen!


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## James Long

Stewart Vernon said:


> The power company made a whole in the side of my house... the phone company did too.


Roofs are different than the side of the house. My power drop does come through a hole in the roof (near the eves with a pipe coming down to the meter box on the outside of the house - then another pipe going inside to the breaker panel). But those holes were NOT put there by the power company. They were put there by the contractor who built the house. The power company came by later and tied their drop in to the wires left by the electrical contractor.

Not so much care goes in to the temporary installation of a dish.


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## Stewart Vernon

James Long said:


> Roofs are different than the side of the house. My power drop does come through a hole in the roof (near the eves with a pipe coming down to the meter box on the outside of the house - then another pipe going inside to the breaker panel). But those holes were NOT put there by the power company. They were put there by the contractor who built the house. The power company came by later and tied their drop in to the wires left by the electrical contractor.
> 
> Not so much care goes in to the temporary installation of a dish.


I mentioned it in jest... but for full disclosure...

Rain can leak from the walls too... especially those driving sideways kind of rainstorms!

Also... the holes in the side of my house for cable/phone are actually just big holes with some of that clear "caulk" kind of sealant around after the cables were fed through. Honestly not very well sealed at all. IF it weren't for the fact that the entry point is in my unfinished garage, I would actually be concerned about leaks from there much moreso than on my roof-mounted dishes.


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## gomezma1

You guys are misunderstanding me. The hole is on the ground to mount the the pole for the dish, not the house. it's inevitable about holes being drilled to the structure. Mount the dish to the ground and then figure out where you want the cable to enter the house.


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## billcg

When my dish was installed many years ago, the center of the roof was the only place that would work. The installer refused to mount it driectly on the roof. The solution was a metal pad and two cinder blocks, I think it came from Weinguard and cost about $100. It has never been a problem.


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## grog

I am not worried about the roof issue. Both Dish and DirecTV have been on my roof and both installed mounts very professionally.

The way I see it. My roof has maybe 15 to 20 years left before we need to replace it. I don't expect the dish mounts to cause any issues within that time frame.

I actually like the new DirecTV dish the best since it only has a single wire from the dish all the way into the house. A lot better than the massive about of wires the Dish version had going to the DPP44. Don't get me wrong here. I think the DPP44 setup is a fine piece of technology but the DirecTV Slimline Dish with a single wire is just plain awesome.

Where I do see a need to address dish mount installs is with multi-tenant dwellings.



At least for apartments this may be changing soon!



> DirecTV to launch lower-cost apartment system
> Associated Press, 11.10.10, 06:21 PM EST
> 
> EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- DirecTV said Wednesday that it has successfully tested technology that allows it to install one or two satellite dishes on top of an apartment building that will serve multiple customers with its full suite of products. The new method saves costs and reduces the number of dishes required to be installed.
> 
> The system worked in Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Boise, Idaho, and the company plans to roll it out nationwide next year.
> 
> The technology works by delivering the satellite signal over a single wire to a lockbox that houses a 32-channel switch that transmits signals over the building's existing coaxial cables.


http://www.rapidtvnews.com/index.ph...v-dishes-are-done-for-apartment-dwellers.html

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010...ments_8095155.html?boxes=Homepagebusinessnews

I would expect Dish to also follow up with similar offering.



matt1124 said:


> Ah.
> 
> Sophisticated is one of that last words that comes to mind when thinking about all the rent houses my parents have. Usually clean isn't there either.
> 
> Dad is always mad when a new dish pops up without his permission. This is when not having a roof mount is important. Sure, most are mounted on the roof and don't have any leaks. But when it is a rent house, people come and go and they also switch providers. That is either a lot of little dish feet all over the roof or a bunch of holes. Don't even get me started on cabling, switches, splitters, etc...


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## James Long

grog said:


> At least for apartments this may be changing soon!
> 
> I would expect Dish to also follow up with similar offering.


DISH already has a MDU offering ... and has had one for several years.


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## jsk

I'd rather have a pole mount on the ground anyway. You can easily brush snow off of it.


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## axg9504

I'm considering leaving Directv for Dish. 

Directv has brackets all over my roof (3 to date) where they incorrectly positioned the dish. It is now moved from the far edge of the roof over the garage to the near end (facing the street) but they didn't bother to change the cable route, it streaks all the way across the roof (yes I'm an idiot for putting up with it).

Anyway, somebody here said that Dish has various mounts, is there a mount that could hold the current dish (1000.4??) screwed to the fascia board at the edge of the roof?

My view to the South only accomodates the DTV channels (around 100 I believe). I have trees and fortunately there is a gap between the trees where the DTV sats are. 3 years ago I was told by Dish installer I could not have it because their birds were low and more to the east of DTV's Sats. I am told now that things have changed.

If I am getting DTV with strong signal on all channels currently will Dish work for me?

Thanks.


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## BattleZone

http://www.dishpointer.com

Enter your address, zoom in, reposition the pointer to where your dish is on your roof, and then pull down the angles for 61.5, 72.5, and 77. Those are the orbital locations for the Eastern Arc sats. That should give you an idea of what you can get.

DirecTV is on 101.


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## Stewart Vernon

Regarding the hole-in-the-roof thing... what about people who get solar panels installed? They should have more problems with leaking if this was such a difficult thing to do.

I grant you that some installers might not be experienced at their jobs... but a roof-mount shouldn't inherently be a bad thing on principle.


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## samhevener

Never, never drill or cut into a roof. Mount the unit on the ground or the side of the building. :nono:


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## axg9504

This dishpointer is neat. It confirms that I can't get the positions you mentioned 50-70. That is in the thick of the woods. Now why is the dealer telling me that's OK we can use the satellites around 101?


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## SaltiDawg

samhevener said:


> Never, never drill or cut into a roof. ...


And never nail a picture hook to the wall.


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## MysteryMan

SaltiDawg said:


> And never nail a picture hook to the wall.


Next thing you know they'll be saying the "Great Flood" was caused by Noah because he mounted something on his roof!


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## axg9504

Can anybody tell me about any nice decorative whatchamacallits that you could use around a dish mounted on a pole (about 4 ft) in the yard that might make it look a little more acceptable. Actually it won't be seen from the street since it will go in front of a bush. It will be seen from the house. Maybe I could recess it into the bush (globe arboretum) and trim around the dish. Presently it is on my roof.

Also is it OK to just spade and bury the cable, does it not need a conduit. Installer says no need. Thanks.


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## photogman

First time poster here.....I am going to put Dish Network, internet microwave dish, local terrestrial TV antenna, weather station, and small ham antenna on same tower to keep everything neat. With new home I was not about to punch a hole through the roof or through brick.


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## Mugsy

I am new to this site and just thought I would pitch in my 2 cents. I know this thread is a little old, but it may be useful information to anyone with the same problem. From my experience and being a contractor all of my life, I would shy away from stick four bolts in my roof and taring them.(Tho I have seen it many times) You CAN, however, still mount your dish on your roof!!! Have used these a few times and work great! They are the same thing as your plumbing roof boots. Sry I can't post the full URL because I'm new, but just search for dish roof mounts(And not the tripods)

sadoun.com/Sat/Products/Commdeck/Commdeck_Dish_Mount. Put htm and the end


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## Davenlr

photogman said:


> First time poster here.....I am going to put Dish Network, internet microwave dish, local terrestrial TV antenna, weather station, and small ham antenna on same tower to keep everything neat. With new home I was not about to punch a hole through the roof or through brick.


Must be great to have a location like that where a 20' tower has 50 mile LOS.


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## Davenlr

Mugsy said:


> Sry I can't post the full URL because I'm new, but just search for dish roof mounts(And not the tripods)


http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/Commdeck/Commdeck_Dish_Mount.htm

Here is your link.


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## Stewart Vernon

photogman said:


> First time poster here.....I am going to put Dish Network, internet microwave dish, local terrestrial TV antenna, weather station, and small ham antenna on same tower to keep everything neat. With new home I was not about to punch a hole through the roof or through brick.


Now that's a horse of a different color... IF I were considering installing that much equipment, then I'd look into a tower too. You can get much higher that way, and given the amount of stuff you are installing, it makes the tower investment pay off.

I would definitely go that way if I were putting up multiple things.


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