Winegard DM46 Satellite dish install

I realized I would like a roof mounted satellite dish for short stays or inclement weather. The Winegard representative's discussion at the MOC Fall Rally was enough to convince me to purchasing a dish. I went with the Winegard DM-46 with digital elevation display,  hand crank model instead of the automated one because of cost and I was not High Definition configured for Direct TV. I saved about $1300 that way. The dish arrived from PPL Motorhomes about two weeks ago. We had a lot of rain and windy weather after it arrived. I also was not ready to put a hole in the roof without a second opinion on my measurements. Tuesday I called an RV repair shop in Goshen to price them installing the dish and me running the cables. Their fair labor price was $100 an hour and the estimated that would be the cost. They would reduce if the time did not take that long or add to the bill if it did. I felt the cost was fair but chewed on the $100 bill knowing I could install it my self. I had already done some preliminary measurements and know where the dish should go. Thursday morning was a warm sunny day. At 7:30 my sister contacted me and I asked her if Dean was available. He was sighting in a rifle in the morning but should be available in the afternoon. I asked for his help.

At 8 am I was on the roof measuring again and again and again. I had a stud finder and was using it with some luck. The roof was still wet with dew. I had already measured inside and put a mark on the inside ceiling where I thought the center of the hole should be. This hole allows the manual crank up and rotation connection to attach to the dish. About 10 am I remeasured and found I was too close to a rafter when measuring from the roof. I adjusted the center point back to my original mark and drilled a pilot hole. The distance to the ceiling inside was about 5.75". I tried a long philips bit in the drill to make a hole through the ceiling so I knew here to cut the inside hole. Nope, no workie, so I purchased a 6" mason bit (cheapest) and completed drilling the pilot hole through the ceiling from the roof. The hole was within a 1/4" from my mark. Not bad for old government work.

The hardware store did not have a 1 3/4" bit so I used my trusty Dremel and cut the hole in the roof and then in the ceiling. The hard or dreaded work was done. I mounted the dish on the roof, ran the wires and completed the install inside.

Since my solar panels already had a weather proof box and a hold in it for access through the roof I used it for the satellite coax and elevation cable. This dish has a digital elevation reading which is GREAT! I cut the coax cable and put connectors on it so I could splice in the box in case the outsides ones needed replacing.

Dean arrived about 1:30 pm and left at 3:30 with my trailer disassembled in multiple areas but the coax run to the convenient center. While I had the inner wall out for routing the coax cable I pulled the wire for my Tri-metrix battery monitoring system and put a foam pad under the water pump to cut down some of the noise. The foam may have helped some.

I was scheduled to have supper with Mom, Dean and Glenda at 5 pm so I needed to get a move on. I put GOOD coax connectors on the RG 6 coax and tested the dish out.  IT WORKED GREAT! Now I had to pick stuff up and put it back together. I got the outside cleaned up and the steps inside returned and anchored. They were one of the disassembled areas.

Got my shower at 4:30 and left at 4:45 to make it to the restaurant by 5:05. Well not too bad.  I got my exercise yesterday and will pack up my ground mounted dish for emergencies only

I prepare for movement to Goshen, IN. on Saturday and am looking at the pending storm coming through.