Bad practice & Nightmare installations

[rolfw]

Thought I'd start this thread for any of our members to post photos of bad installations, or installation techniques they have personally spotted.

Here's one to start off with, was looking through my photos from last year and had forgotten about this. It was from a block of flats where a company had installed a 20ft steel mast with a UNIX 100 antenna on the top (very big and very heavy). Not only had they fitted it using two very close together 18" T&K brackets (12" would have done), they had secured them using short coach bolts and plastic plugs (two together on the top bracket), but had also put the top bracket only a couple of bricks from the roof line.



The results are plain to see.

 

[Analoguesat]

Ooh nasty - you should send those to Wrights Aerials for inclusion in the rogues gallery

 

[rolfw]

Unfortunately the photos were taken with the phone, so not too good, but may well do.

 

[guest]

Good grief!

Looks like that Installer would be better off working in the Demolitions Industry.

 

[guest poster]

I think those T & K's were originally put up for a 60cm analogue sky dish as a pole/dish over the roof job and using typical small coach bolts (or 2) as they did and close T & Ks including too close to the top of a wall.

The LNB that is hanging down looks like an old Cambridge .6db pre 22kHz with the vertical (£1 a dish Amstrad ?) 60s holder still on the neck.

Time passed (as it dus)....and along comes Johnny Freeview Installer ... who sees the T & Ks and thinks aahh!.. they'll save a lot of time just reusing them for a (20'?) Freeview install.

Well that’s wot I fink apened there....guvner..I do...I tel ya...

 

[rolfw]

Don't think so, the dish came from another mast, there were in fact three dead analogue dishes up there and another three short masts now with four minidishes. Although the antenna may have been upgraded in recent years (perhaps when channel five arrived) and the bigger mast installed, the appearance of the older mast amp would indicate pre Freeview and channel five.

But whatever the history, not a sensible thing to do.

 

[shane77]

nice pics keep them coming

 

[guest poster]

Don't think so, the dish came from another mast, there were in fact three dead analogue dishes up there .............

you'd never know that was a stray Sky lnb from another mast... but well spotted with the older mast head amp... we don't have anything to do with them.


Seeing pictures like that begs the question to me.. how did that happen... it still looks like an old sky install converted and even the sky guy would have winced at the pole they ended up sticking on it years later...

 

[satpro]

Looks bad poor install, Rolf did you have to put that install right or did you take a photo,

Around my area sky have been installing mini dishes iwith black swan neck brakets if it has to go above the roof like this _http://www.raven.co.uk/satellite-products/RavenUniversalMountExtended.htm and clap the hinge braket to the pole, They look a mess most are very poor installs i will take a phto and post it up if you want.

 

[rolfw]

I moved the whole thing across the following day onto two pairs of 12" T&K brackets with sleeve anchors, was peeing down with rain that day, so no photos.

Only put up photos if they are real shockers, or very silly.

 

[rolfw]

Here's a nice case of creative cable joining on a terrestrial aerial system, note how the tape wrapping is cleverly done so that it can hold water coming in via the hole at the top of the plastic connection box.

 

[rolfw]

Don't think they can have read the assembly instructions.;)

 

[rolfw]

Interesting one this.

 

[Analoguesat]

Interesting one this.

Oh good grief. Dont these cowboys have any brain at all???

 

[PaulR]

And yet it'll probably work fine. If you think about it, it's just missing a few directors.

An awful lot of aerials put up are overkill for the signal strength in the area. Some installers think they have to put up a big aerial to justify their fee.

 

[rolfw]

The area where this is installed needs every director it can get Paul, if you look closely you'll also see that the directors haven't been rotated and clamped, they are still in the flatpack position, plus the reflector and the balun/dipole are the wrong way around. I installed an aerial around the corner, group A high gain and was only pulling in around 33 - 35db on the digital multiplexes.

There is also a lot to be said for high gain aerials in reasonable reception areas, as they will often facilitate a passive split to several rooms, much less noise than an amplified system and less to go wrong.

 

[rolfw]

Not sure whether I've posted this before, but just in case, will post it again.

 

[Analoguesat]

Not sure whether I've posted this before, but just in case, will post it again.

Mmmm nice installation!

 

[Lazarus]

Don't think they can have read the assembly instructions.;)

A sad reflection (geddit ..... ?!) on the cowboy end of the market

 

[Vipersan]

Don't think they can have read the assembly instructions.;)

..lol ..
The wood pigeon looks suitably bemused by the whole thing ..
Probably thinking ...'I could have done a better job' ..