Minimum cover for coax to satellite antenna.

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wshoard

Member
Location
Tallahassee, FL
Commercial building, Motel to be exact, the coax going out to the VSAT satellite antenna for their data communication to corp. Cable exits the side of the building, then goes under a sidewalk that surrounds the buiding, and then about 3' underground to the antenna. What is the min cover required?

The photo is of the installation in question.
 

hbiss

EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
Location
Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
Occupation
EC
There are none. But that appears to be the least of the problem. You couldn't find a better, more secure location for that dish and wiring? Pretty poor.

-Hal
 

wshoard

Member
Location
Tallahassee, FL
The antenna is installed where the owner wanted it and we had line of sight. The cable is a repair job done by QSX, not us, the original cable got cut by an edger. I agree the installer hosed this one up, just want to be sure on the cover requirement.

We aren't paid a dime more to cut and replace a sidewalk or to provide conduit, furthermore if we would have had to put it on the other side of the road and either bore or cut and replace, not a dime more than the basic price. There is no such thing as a change order in what we do. :mad:

Oh yea the basic price is less than $500.

The people we work for are saying 300.5, any opinions?
 
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Ruff-N

Member
If thats the coax running on top of the sidewalk I wouldn't worry to much about burial depths, I would be more worried about a law suit because of the tripping hazard, someone will be out to replace that cable many times over.
 

gndrod

Senior Member
Location
Ca and Wa
Antenna

Antenna

Commercial building, Motel to be exact, the coax going out to the VSAT satellite antenna for their data communication to corp. Cable exits the side of the building, then goes under a sidewalk that surrounds the buiding, and then about 3' underground to the antenna. What is the min cover required?

The photo is of the installation in question.

Where is the headend located? Is it accessible to a relocated roof mounted dish? The trip liability of the temporary fix may encourage the landlord to relocate the antenna to the roof if possible.
 
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hbiss

EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
Location
Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
Occupation
EC
Around here in NY the state lotto commission switched to Hughes Net last fall. Every gas station, bar, restaurant, hotel/motel, bodega and mom & pop convenience store has that exact same dish and LNB/BUC setup as what you are talking about. There have to be thousands of them within a 10 mile radius of where I am. Not once did I see something like that. The structures run the gamut of every type and age imaginable. The installers didn't have a problem mounting to any of them and keeping the dish out of the way.

As to your question, what have you got, 10 feet of trenching including the sidewalk? Why are you even asking about the Code when common sense is all it takes. It was already cut because of stupidity. Trench to 18" and put the friggin thing in schedule 40 PVC conduit. What's it going to take you- 30 minutes? Just tell Mr. Patel that's what has to be done unless he want's to relocate the dish.

-Hal
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
Trench to 18" and put the friggin thing in schedule 40 PVC conduit. What's it going to take you- 30 minutes?

Are you sending him a check?

We aren't paid a dime more to cut and replace a sidewalk or to provide conduit, furthermore if we would have had to put it on the other side of the road and either bore or cut and replace, not a dime more than the basic price. There is no such thing as a change order in what we do. :mad:

Oh yea the basic price is less than $500.

For $500 bucks I would not trench anything, they got what they paid for.
 

hbiss

EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
Location
Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
Occupation
EC
We aren't paid a dime more to cut and replace a sidewalk or to provide conduit, furthermore if we would have had to put it on the other side of the road and either bore or cut and replace, not a dime more than the basic price. There is no such thing as a change order in what we do. :mad:

Oh yea the basic price is less than $500.

For $500 bucks I would not trench anything, they got what they paid for.

I totally agree.

-Hal
 

gndrod

Senior Member
Location
Ca and Wa
It wouldn't take much to side mount that mast to the structure siding and run the RG6/U up the wall from the lb fitting to the LNB dish.
 
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tom baker

First Chief Moderator
Staff member
There are no burial requirements for coax in the NEC. I pointed this out to Washington State about ten years ago and they added a rule to the state electrical rules, they called it the Tom Baker WAC Rule.
 
The problem with direct burial and PVC is that your cable and electronics may be damaged by lightning. I'd say use galvanized rigid 6 inches down and bond the conduit and coax sheath to whatever you're using as an EGC.

Or the quick-and-dirty solution: Make an aerial run of the cable over to the building. You can support it with your #10 ground wire. Hopefully, that's above people's heads? Otherwise, it'll be "Lights out!" for anybody walking by absentmindedly.:D
 

hbiss

EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
Location
Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
Occupation
EC
That shouldn't be a problem if the dish, pole and electronics are properly grounded as well as both ends of the cable. If it were me I would drive an 8'x5/8" ground rod next to the dish and pole. Bond the pole and a ground block for the cable to it, then run #2 copper from the ground rod back to the building in the trench and bond it to the service ground.

But that's another $1000 right there.

-Hal
 
I do sattellite and other low voltage installations daily. There is no minimum cover unless its written into local addendum's.

Bury the thing 6" with a shovel.
 
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