I’m trying to find out if the mounting that’s currently on my roof that is used for my current Directv (non-HD) can be reused for the new HD dish. We have a metal roof that is not easy to climb and was expensive enough that I don’t want anyone messing with it.
The old mount is permanently mounted and was done after the dish was there, so the spot was made in the roof specially for it. I don’t want to modify the roof for this.
Anyone know? Thanks in advance.
We just switched from regular Dish Network to HD Dish Network. They had to install a new dish. About 2 feet from the old one, they point in very different directions.
And they left the old one on the roof. Great, now I have to get up there and basically remove some scrap metal, and seal the four bolt holes that will be left behind in a new roof.
Also, the old dish had four bolt holes, while the new dish has four bolt holes, plus another one for each of the two support arms that they had to install, so six total.
But the HD is so worth it on our new HD TV!
Nope. DirecTV HD dishes (Slimline-5, -3, and the SWM variants) use a 2" mounting mast while the older non-HD ones used a pole of smaller diameter. Further, DirecTV installation rules require one or more monopoles to stiffen the support.
The mounting base of the HD dishes is also different from the one used on the non-HD ones - the “footprint” is larger and the holes are in different places.
You could go ask over at DBStalk.com (there’s an installation forum there). Also, you could look at SolidSignal.com, where they have the installation manuals for various dishes online.
Thanks for the information.
New question… Do the installers work in rain? I’m not talking lightening. Just rain. I don’t want anyone up there in the rain, as the metal makes it like standing in grease and the angle is pretty steep.
In theory, the installer can postpone or reject the job if they feel there’s an unsafe situation. In practice, in many areas (different parts of the country are managed differently) there’s a lot of pressure to get jobs done no matter what.
You should get a phone call before the installer comes out, and at that time you can ask to postpone because of inclement weather. That will probably put you at the back of the list again, and doesn’t help if you already took the day off from work.
When you place the order with DirecTV, you can ask for this to be noted on the paperwork. It is rather hit and miss whether the note will actually get to the local contractor that schedules the work, though.
I’m looking into getting HD Dish Network myself; which way does it point?
Funny you should say this… They did call. To postpone. Seems they booked too many installs for one day and wanted to cancel mine. It was pouring today, so I think this is the wisest choice. Also, when I had the dispatcher on the line, I made her note our roof in the paperwork, just as you suggested. I’d hate to have someone come out here unprepared and don’t want to see anyone (or anything as in the case of my roof) get hurt!
South 
You’d be amazed at the number of dishes here “in the hood” that were “installed” as status symbols or something - they point in every possible direction. And I’m not talking about the 95° international dishes - I mean ones installed on the north face of a building wall…
Seriously, you can use Dish Pointer. Put in your address, select “Multi-LNB Setups” on the list head, and pick the correct Dish setup. That’ll get you in the ballpark - then you can select each satellite individually to check for obstacles.