If you have a crawl space or basement, you may want to take them there before separating them. String the wire to the place where you will need to drill the hole(s) for the wire(s) to go through the floor or wall. Carefully select the correct bit for the size cable you are running. You do not want any extra space beside the cable as it passes from the outside to the inside. Drill the hole(s). If the coax already has the connectors attached, you will need holes large enough to allow the connector to pass.
If the coax does not have the connectors installed, you will need to install one on the end of each wire. If you are not an electrical wizard, you can buy the kind that screw on to the end of the wire. Most professionals are making ugly faces or laughing at this, but it will work.
You will need to carefully remove the outside insulation back about 3/4 of an inch. This will expose the wire mesh that works as a shield for the inner axel. Pull this wire mesh back about 1/2 inch from the inner plastic sheath. Carefully cut through this plastic and remove it to expose the stiff wire inside. Now, you are ready to slide the connector over the center wire and twist it onto the coax. It will use the wire mesh like threads to secure itself to the wire. When you are finished, you should have hidden all of the wire mesh and have a wire that sticks up and out of the connector. Clip this to about the same level as the end of the connector. Do not be too picky here because a near miss will work fine. You are ready to continue to hook up.
Once the cable has been pushed through the wall or floor, go inside and pull as much as possible into the room. Make the connections to the back of the descrambler. Attach all of the wires so that the cables are hooked to the descrambler first. Go from the descrambler to your DVD player or VCR. Next, make the connection to any other devices that you may have attached before you get to your TV. The final cable will attach to the television. Plug everything into the outlet or power strip with a surge protector. Install the batteries into the remote for the new equipment.
Turn on the television and descrambler. There is no need to turn on other equipment unless it is needed to make your television work. Your TV should be set to the correct channel. This is usually 3 or 4 depending on your area and equipment. When the descrambler and TV are both on, you should see something about your equipment warming up and booting itself up for the first time. If you have your dish installed just right, after a few minutes, you should be able to receive programming. Most systems require you to contact a provider like DISH or DIRECTTV to activate programming. This can take up to a few hours, but normally less than an hour. You may want to make a preliminary call before starting to work on the installation. This will give them time begin the activation process.
Once your system is activated, you will be able to use the software to adjust your dish until your signal strength is above 90%. If you can get close to 100%, it will be better.
Do not install your equipment during a thunderstorm or time of potential lightning. The satellite provider can coach you if you are unable to get a picture after the installation. The fixes are usually easy. Take the time to read through the manual that comes with your equipment so that you can maximize your enjoyment of your new system.
