State Warns Of Faulty Satellite TV Installations

[Paul W. Abernathy]

State Warns Of Faulty Satellite TV Installations

The largest Dish Network affiliate in the Midwest has agreed to inspect 6,700 systems installed between Rochester and St. Cloud -- including the Twin Cities -- for improper installation that may be a safety risk.


The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry said Tuesday that Dish Network and Galaxy 1 Marketing of Bettendorf, Iowa, were cooperating after a random sampling of 100 installations showed 80 didn't meet the state's electrical code. The department said the improper installations increase the risk of lightning blowing out electronic gear, starting a fire or injuring people.


Officials said the systems were installed for Dish Network in 2004 and 2005. Labor and Industry spokesman James Honerman said no injuries or fires have been tied to the improperly installed systems. Faulty grounding was the most common problem, he said.


The inspections and necessary corrections will be done without cost to consumers. Honerman said the risk exists even if the satellite TV systems aren't being used.

Article from the Associated Press of St. Paul.


Mike Holt’s Comment: I am actually surprised that 20% of the installations were NEC compliant and I applaud the State of Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry for their efforts. We can expect about the same NEC compliance (less than 20%) nationwide, and we can expect that same rate of compliance (less than 20%) for cable television (CATV) industry. To the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, please do a sample on the grounding practices of CATV industry, this might open your eyes even further. I hope that other states would consider this issue as well.

Maybe HI's should start inspecting these issues as well.......If Mr. Holt is concerned then others should be concerned...he knows his stuff....

[Greg Fretwell]

Cable, phone and satellite techs are all guilty of this. They seem to think bonding their equipment to the ground electrode system is not important or even legal.
That was the most common cause of modem/computer failure when I was doing the post mortems at IBM. The best tool I had to fix lightning damage issues was a big roll of 4ga wire and clamps.