Wiring for future in motion sat

[Paladin]

The recent thread on sat upgrades got me thinking. I would like to install an in motion sat dish for down the road when funds allow......someday wayyy down the road.
Here is my question, where do you normally mount them? I see them mostly pretty far forward, is that where I should route my wire chase?
Also, how many cables do I need? I'm guessing 12v power feed plus up to 5 cables for Lnbs, or is there more??? How many do I need? We plan on two tv's that would need separate receivers, if there were a third it could share one of the boxes with another. Can you get HD and have two boxes?
(I'm not HD savvy)

I thought I'd make a conduit run up to the point where I expect to mount the dish and pre-wire it with what I expect to need but allow for adding as needed although it's always harder after the ceiling is finished in.

Along those lines I'd also like to wire in for solar in the future.

Thoughts?

-Dave   

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Dave,

1 RJ6 coaxel cable is all you need for signal and power if you are planning on KVH equipment.

At worst, you may need a second RJ6 if you plan on DVR's.

Good Luck
Nick-

[H3Jim]

and for solar panels, you need 2 conductor at least 10 guage, maybe even 8 guage.  The low voltage DC is very sensitive to wire size, and you might as well get all you can out of the panels.  Just two conductgors supposes that you will connect all the panels on the roof top, with wires running bewtween panels (not a bad supposition).

I would run them down to a circuit breaker that then ties in to my DC panel.  It nice to have the ability to cut off current for the panels.  You will ulimately want to have a solar controller, and perhaps a power / battery monitor that tracks all power in and out of your house batteries.  The solar controller would be the first thing the panels connect to in your coach.

While you are running wires, you might consider running a wire from the future site of your controller to the start batteries, in case you plan on getting a controller like the Blue Sky 3024i (30 amps, 24 volts) that will trickle charge your starts when the house is full.

[Tom Y]

Jim, Do you mean 2 conductor? Not 2 strand?  Tom Y

[H3Jim]

Yes, thanks.  That what I meant, and now thanks to the modify command, that's what I said )

[white-eagle]

with changes to things occurring all the time, i think i'd run a conduit down the frig vent from the roof.  for satellite, i'd run 4 rg6 for a receiver and dvr in each location, or optionally, use the rear bedroom dvr cable for the outside cable in case you want to have a TV in the bay.

most RV types have a switch box in the front so you can select what to send to the rear tv, so run all your cables to the switch area.  the controller cable is almost always different.  run a conduit from the front satellite location to the windshield if that is where you plan on controlling the satellite dish up/down remote.  both motosat and winegard use a separate remote that doesn't have to be next to the sat receiver, but you can't just run 12v to the roof.  won't work.

  if you are getting a bubble, they change satellites automatically once set up initially.  if using an automatic dish, you press a button to turn them on or find satellite.  i just installed on a winnebago and they had a fancy twist lock connector for the sat dish.  unfortunately, the sat dish had a diff connector, so we fished it down the windshield and over to a shelf.  the twist lock is still in the ceiling.

changes occur so often with technology, it's hard to make a rule.  i'd just make it easy to roll with the changes.  i have an easy way to add or change a wire, with pull wires in the conduit.