# Grounding when you don't have central distribution



## stevenmh (Jun 19, 2009)

My house is about 50 years old... no central distribution. All cabling is run exterior with separate drops into house. Original cable installation 20 years ago wasn't grounded. DirecTV installation 5 years ago wasn't grounded. I didn't really realize I had a problem until 3 years ago when I put up my own OTA antenna. I read NEC and grounded both mast and cable properly to ground rod. Went back to cable 2 years ago and they properly grounded it. 

I'm getting ready to switch to Dish, and I'm sure it will be installed by the same guys who did my DirecTV installation. I'm going to insist they ground the dish properly, but not sure what to do about the individual cable drops. My main TV is on the opposite corner of the house from the ground rod. Even if I recabled the whole house to have central distribution from the basement near the ground rod, I still can't get from the basement to this room. Should I just have them ground the cables coming off the dish to the same copper grounding the mast? Or is there a better idea? What are other people in older homes doing? I have surge protectors on all my equipment.


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## Mertzen (Dec 8, 2006)

The individual wires to the box don't have to be grounded individually.

The way it's done is.
Dish > RG6 + #17 > ground block > RG6 > IRD

What they would have to do is run all wires to the ground and in this case run a wire from the ground location back over the roof to that location. Grounding that wire on it's own makes no sense if you run it straight from the dish.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)




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## stevenmh (Jun 19, 2009)

In the first diagram, what is the "radio" lead? Why are there two coax wires going into the building? In the second, it's showing an installation for a single receiver, which makes sense to me. But I'm going to have multiple receivers.

If I understood the conversation I had with an installer today, I'm wrong in thinking of my DirecTV days where I had 4 wires coming straight off my dish. It sounds like with Dish, I'll have a single coax + ground wire than I can route down to ground, with coax going into the inlet of the cable ground block. The outlet of the ground block feeds my cable splitter box, where I can replace the 4-way cable splitter with the Dish switch which will feed up to 4 receivers.

Does that sound correct?


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

The diagrams I posted were from various sources; I was just trying to show typical ground block connections.

With Dish Network and using Dish Pro Plus LNBs or switches, you need one line to each receiver, whether it is a single or dual-tuner receiver. If you aren't using a switch, then each line must be connected directly to the LNB. 2 receivers means 2 lines to the LNB, 3 receivers means 3 lines to the LNB, etc.

For SD, a DP Plus Twin LNB will support 2 receivers.
For HD, a 1000.2 or 1000.4 dish will support 3 receivers.

Otherwise, you must use an external switch. When using an external switch, there must be one line from each orbital location at the dish going to the inputs of the switch, and then (at least) one line out of the switch for each receiver.

Currently there is one Dish Pro switch (requires 2 lines for dual-tuner receivers) and 2 Dish Pro Plus switches.

DishPro = DP34 = Dish Pro 3-input, 4 outputs. Can trunk 2 more DP34s for a total of 12 tuners. Requires 2 cables per dual-tuner receiver. Fairly cheap at around $75 new.


DishProPlus = DPP33 and DPP44.

DPP33 = 3 inputs (3 oribtal locations) and 3 DPP outputs for receivers. NOT expandable Retails around $100.

DPP44 = 4 inputs, 4 DPP outputs. Can trunk 2 additional DPP44s to support up to 12 receivers. Requires a power inserter. Retails for around $200.


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## stevenmh (Jun 19, 2009)

Uhh... I'm gonna have to read that a couple more times to absorb it.  When I had DirecTV I installed additional receivers, multiplexer, and OTA myself and thought it was straightforward. For some reason I'm struggling with the Dish technology and equipment.

The info is appreciated... thanks!


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## scoobyxj (Apr 15, 2008)

stevenmh said:


> Uhh... I'm gonna have to read that a couple more times to absorb it.  When I had DirecTV I installed additional receivers, multiplexer, and OTA myself and thought it was straightforward. For some reason I'm struggling with the Dish technology and equipment.
> 
> The info is appreciated... thanks!


I really wouldn't sweat the details to much. Your installer is going to to familiar with all required process for proper grounding, and connection techniques to properly install your system.

Also FYI If your doing a 4 room system you're more then likely going to have two DP+ dual tuner receivers. Each receiver is going to have two tuners in it with the ability to run two TVs with separate programming on each.


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## stevenmh (Jun 19, 2009)

The guy that did my last satellite installation installed zero grounding of any kind. It wasn't until a couple years later when I did my OTA and read the NEC that I realized I'd been hosed. And this is one of the only local installers, whom I spoke with the other day about this installation, and offered to let him come by for a survey or stop by his office with a sketch of what I want to do. He said he doesn't do preinstallation surveys, and doesn't like sketches. :eek2: I'd feel a lot better if I know what needs to be done before any installer from any company shows up. Just in case.

The problem with my setup is that I have no way to get a cable from a tuner at my main or basement TVs over to the other end of the house for the bedrooms. But I can easily get cable between the two bedrooms. So based on BattleZone's info, I'm thinking a 1000.2 dish that can feed 3 receivers; Solo DVR 612 at the main TV, Solo 211k in the basement, and 322 in one bedroom which will also feed the other bedroom. Pair of diplexers and a separator to get the dual sat signals + OTA to the main TV on a single cable. No switch needed. And I can detour the 3 LNB feeds down to the ground rod for some ground blocks before taking them over to where the existing cable splitter is to pick up the existing RG6 lines to the TVs.

I'm not 100% certain I have everything worked out properly, but I feel better than I did 24 hours ago, thanks to you guys helping me out here.


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## audiomaster (Jun 24, 2004)

I believe the code requires that each coax that enters your house must be separately grounded or run thru a multiple coax ground block. The ground wire from these blocks must be connected to the main ground for your electrical service which is usually at the point where the meter is or the service enters the house. The telephone and cable feeds are also supposed to be grounded this way. You don't have to run a ground from the receiver locations


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## scoobyxj (Apr 15, 2008)

stevenmh said:


> The guy that did my last satellite installation installed zero grounding of any kind. It wasn't until a couple years later when I did my OTA and read the NEC that I realized I'd been hosed. And this is one of the only local installers, whom I spoke with the other day about this installation, and offered to let him come by for a survey or stop by his office with a sketch of what I want to do. He said he doesn't do preinstallation surveys, and doesn't like sketches. :eek2: I'd feel a lot better if I know what needs to be done before any installer from any company shows up. Just in case.
> 
> The problem with my setup is that I have no way to get a cable from a tuner at my main or basement TVs over to the other end of the house for the bedrooms. But I can easily get cable between the two bedrooms. So based on BattleZone's info, I'm thinking a 1000.2 dish that can feed 3 receivers; Solo DVR 612 at the main TV, Solo 211k in the basement, and 322 in one bedroom which will also feed the other bedroom. Pair of diplexers and a separator to get the dual sat signals + OTA to the main TV on a single cable. No switch needed. And I can detour the 3 LNB feeds down to the ground rod for some ground blocks before taking them over to where the existing cable splitter is to pick up the existing RG6 lines to the TVs.
> 
> I'm not 100% certain I have everything worked out properly, but I feel better than I did 24 hours ago, thanks to you guys helping me out here.


If your saying, and my thinking are on the same page that sounds like a viable plan for an install. The post below yours is correct on the grounding techniques (at least how we follow them here in OH). Also don't bash on your original installer quite yet. Grounding OTA antennas has been code for a ***** age. Dishes however have only been required to be grounded for a few years now (not counting the C bands), and, it's just been within the last 6 months, or so we have been forced to always use ground blocks with a ground messenger from the dish even if there isn't a ground available.


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## marks177 (Jun 26, 2009)

Maby try satelite TV for PC ?


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