I recently received a question from someone that had just moved into a new build property. They asked whether it would be possible to install a satellite dish for Freesat in the loft space. After quizzing the homeowner as to why they would want it in the loft, they said that the builders had run the twin satellite cable from the downstairs living room in to the loft along with the aerial cables.
So, giving that the cables were already there, they’d assumed that it was possible to successfully install a satellite dish within the loft, more information here.
Can a Satellite dish be fitted within a loft?
In order for a satellite dish to receive a good enough signal to use, it must have an unobscured line of sight. That means it cannot have anything in the way of the signal, such as buildings, trees and even branches with block a signal. Therefore, installing it within a loft would prohibit the dish from receiving any signal whatsoever. Unlike the signal for a TV aerial, the signal from the satellites that are in geostationary orbit is weaker and simply will not penetrate through the roof of a house.
Why do Home Builders leave the satellite cables in the loft?
So, if the satellite dish can’t be fitted in a loft, why are there satellite cables there? Well, in the process of installing the cable for the house, the fitter, usually an electrician runs the coax cable for the aerial points to one place in the loft, in order for an aerial installer to join to when fitting an aerial in the loft. It makes sense then to run the satellite cables there too, since all of the cables for the TV points can then be found in one place.
The electrician won’t know when installing the satellite cables, where exactly on the property the freesat or sky dish will be fitted. Due to this a central location that is easy to find is the best place for them to be run. The loft is the logical place for this. All the satellite engineer needs to do is to route the cables from the newly installed dish into the loft and connect up to the pre-installed cables.
Discreet Sky dish Installations
One of the reasons why we sometimes get asked if it is possible to fit a satellite dish in a loft is for the aesthetics of it. Some people really don’t like the look of either an aerial or a satellite dish on their property. They would prefer it was completely out of sight, including the cables. One of the services we provide is this kind of installation, but in all honesty there is only so much we can do. As mentioned before, the satellite dish must have a completely clear line of sight and this can restrict where on a property it can go. Then there is the run of cables and depending how many cables need running to which rooms in the house.
All of this can kind of hinder the attempt to reduce the visibility of unsightly cables and a satellite dish. However, if it can be done we can do it. We find that mounting a dish in a discreet location such as on a chimney stack for instance immediately reduces its visibility. Second, by running cable behind drain pipes and under the eaves can also make the wiring less visible. We have on a number of occasions fitted a sky dish to a pole at the bottom of a garden.
Each property is different but in most cases a discreet satellite installation can be possible to do.
Digitec Aerials Preston
Address: The Watermark,
9 – 15 Ribbleton Lane,Preston,PR1 5EZ
Telephone: 01772 369629