Community Forums

curtismb · 04-22-2014, 11:46 AM

Has anyone self-installed this satellite dish? It seems straight forward. I am replacing a King Dome in-motion standard definition with the new Winegard SK-SWM3 HD Dish. King Dome worked perfectly-no problems - just want to standardize all my TV setups. Only problem encountered is I must drill new hole in roof to provide power control cable from Dish to Control Box which runs off 110v. I can use existing coax cables. I tried to pull on present control cable and it does not budge-must be tacked down in celing-so must provide new routing. Has anyone drilled a new roof hole? Besides making sure there is no obstacles; anything else to consider. I am concerned about the overal length since I think from top of roof to inside ceiling may be as much as 8" and I don't have that length of drill bit. thots, anyone, please

mbrandt1402 · 04-22-2014, 12:08 PM

I installed a Traveler a couple of years ago. Biggest challenge was getting it up on the roof.

I was able to pull the dish control cable through existing holes / channels. Can you pull the coax through, dragging a couple of lengths of twine or heavy string? If not, I would see if it is possible to drill an access hole near where the King Dome cables enter the roof and fish the new cable through alongside.

I've repaired the radio antenna mount on a past rig and have installed Sirius antennas through new holes in the roof. Obviously keep the hole as small as possible. I seal the hole with RTV silicone, and I prefer to have access from both sides so I can get a good bond inside and out. I've not had any leaks. My oldest repair of this style had about 5 years on it when we sold that RV.

dennis45 · 04-22-2014, 12:21 PM

I had my Traveler installed by a fellow that contracted to the provider. He was in and out in about 1 1/2 hours and installed two receivers, one front and one rear and programmed both TV's. He used a 1/4" drill bit that was about 12-14" long and drilled new holes for power and cables near the front. He fed a stiff wire down from the top, taped the wire to it and pulled it back up through the roof.
When finished he sealed everything with Dicor Sealant.
FYI, If you have an EDPM roof, RTV Silicone is a No No. Even on a Fiberglass roof I think I would use Dicor as it is a self levelling compound made for this purpose. Just make sure all surfaces are clean.

johnboy99 · 04-22-2014, 12:25 PM

I used the same hole that the kingdome used, had room to shove down a pull string,because i could not see my control cable
So I pulled it back up pushed down about 10 feet of string, got shop vac, stuck shop vac hose up and it sucked string,
Tied string to control cable, pulled new cable in, took longer to get all the stuff up on the roof than do the install.

Johnboy99

bobmac · 04-22-2014, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbrandt1402

I installed a Traveler a couple of years ago. Biggest challenge was getting it up on the roof.

+1 !!! Very simple to install.

TVforMyRV · 04-22-2014, 02:28 PM

There is an install video HERE of the SK-3005 Travler. Only difference is you don't have any extra coax to run. Everything else is the same as the SWM3.

gemert · 04-22-2014, 06:41 PM

How do you make sure that there is nothing in the way when you drill holes in the roof?

bluegrassrv · 04-22-2014, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnboy99

I used the same hole that the kingdome used, had room to shove down a pull string,because i could not see my control cable
So I pulled it back up pushed down about 10 feet of string, got shop vac, stuck shop vac hose up and it sucked string,
Tied string to control cable, pulled new cable in, took longer to get all the stuff up on the roof than do the install.

Johnboy99

Shop vac and string, now that's ingenuity.

TVforMyRV · 04-23-2014, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemert

How do you make sure that there is nothing in the way when you drill holes in the roof?

There is no 100% guarantee... However there are a few tips and tricks.

1. One place for extra caution is BESIDE the A/C units. Usually 120VAC power for the rooftop A/Cs comes up a side wall and across a "rafter" to the A/C unit.

2. I always start by drilling from the inside - out, using a small ( 1/8" ) drill bit that is about 12 inches long. This way you know where you the hole is going to end up on the inside which is usually most critical. Drill slowly and FEEL what is happening. Normally you will first drill though the ceiling which is only 1/4 - 3/8 and then you will be in insulation. What you want at this point is to proceed up through the insulation without feeling anything else. In many cases you can do this part in the insulation with the drill not even running. Then the drill will contact the roof sheeting and again is 1/2" or less and you should be through. I usually un-chuck the drill bit leaving it sticking through the roof and then go up to check if all is well on the roof. If you did this without feeling anything out of the ordinary, then you should be OK, and then can use whatever size drill or hole saw you want to the bigger hole. Key here is feel what is happening to the drill on the first pass. if you feel anything odd, well really anything at all between the ceiling and the roof sheeting, then stop and investigate. 99.5 times out of a hundred you'll hit nothing....

Pirate · 04-23-2014, 05:27 PM

Why not just run the wires on the roof to the front cap? My cap had an area reinforced with wood for mounting a search light. This area was right above my tv area. So now I have my trucker antenna mounted there and the wires for my new HD Winegard SK dish and the wire for the Jefa tech antenna all run back to that point and go into the roof mounting gizmo that came with the SK dish.

johnboy99 · 04-23-2014, 10:41 PM

I have never seen anyone drill up thru the ceiling panels, how do you repair it? Go to center of the dash look up in a cabinet and you will see room to fish the cable down. If you cant, pay a guy for 2 hours work to install it for you and you wont be replacing your headliner etc.

TVforMyRV · 04-24-2014, 07:58 AM

I guess I should have clarified that I am drilling from inside a cabinet, or sometimes a closet... Some cabinets have "ceiling" above them and some do not. The easiest place to bring cables in is usually the front cap, but that is not always where the cables need to end up inside... Besides, the front cap doesn't exist in most towable RVs either.

Even if I am using the front cap for cables, I still drill from inside out first.