Site preparation

Step 1.   Inspect the VSAT equipment

If the equipment has been purchased from several different vendors, small items like cables may not have been provided.

The installer must perform a full inspection of the equipment immediately upon its arrival; any missing items can be identified and ordered while the initial work of installation is proceeding.

Excavating the hole for the antenna

Step 2.   Preparation of the antenna site

The installer will contact the US teleport or the satellite operator in order to get the settings for the compass bearing from the client’s location to the satellite, and the degrees of elevation that are necessary for the antenna to hit the satellite.

Using this information the installer will confirm that there are no trees, buildings or other obstructions that prevent the antenna from having a clear view of the satellite.

The antenna site must be positioned conveniently close to the main building that will house the electronics and provide the electrical power to the antenna.

Building the concrete pad

Even though the larger antennas may sometimes sit on non-penetrating mounts, in Florida we are prone to high winds, and our installation of the Andrew 4.5M was safer mounted on a special concrete pad, but the smaller antennas of 3.8m or less can often sit on the roof of a building or on a firm flat piece of ground.

Next steps 3, 4, 5:

Equipment Installation, Antenna Alignment and Beginning service