Neighbour interfering with Satelite dish?

drykin

I'm looking for advice in relation to an issue with a satellite dish.

My house had a satellite dish on the roof when I moved in so all I had to do was connect the free to air receiver. The satellite dish is on the (flat) roof of my semi-d.

I had no problems at all until my neighbours next door moved out and new ones moved in a couple of weeks ago. One evening there was a significant amount of drilling and it turns out they were running a satellite cable from the roof, down the side of the house and into the living room via a newly-drilled hole in the exterior wall.

I noticed the next morning that my receiver was no longer receiving a signal. Today, I went up onto the roof to investigate what has happened. I noticed that the cables that my neighbours recently installed from the roof down the side of the house are actually running into some type of junction box on my roof. The cables aren't running to my satellite dish as I expected to see. The only cables (3 of them) running from my dish are my own.

I'm guessing that a) either this is the reason that my satellite receiver is no longer working or b) in connecting to this junction box that whoever did the work moved my satellite dish and it's no longer aligned to Astra 2d.

I'd like to know what's going on before I speak to my neighbour. Firstly, I'd like to know if there's any legitimate reason why the cables would be running onto my roof and secondly, if the fact that they are is affecting my satellite reception.

Some photos attached. First one shows cables running from my neighbour's roof onto mine. Second shows the box, the two cables heading off to the right of the photo are my neighbour's.

Many thanks and apologies for long post!

Xertz

Pic 2 would appear to be a Virgin Media CATV coax trunk line and 4-way tap. It's nothing to do with your satellite dish and shouldn't be interfered with at all. It's pretty poorly installed though.

Is it possible someone simply walked into the satellite dish and knocked it out of line?

Your neighbours should not be on your roof without your authorisation though. It's trespass and also raises an insurance issue if there's any kind of accident.

Perhaps just ask them if someone's maybe accidentally knocked something off ...

Johnboy1951

My attitude would be that my roof is MINE and without permission no one has a right to go on it, and no right to leave anything on it or run cables along it.
It would have been common courtesy to request permission to access your property BEFORE doing so.

So I would request that their cables be removed from my property within a couple of days.

It is likely that your satellite dish was bumped when they were on the roof ..... hopefully no other damage was done.

That connector block on the roof is new?

If so I would demand it be removed.

Is the area cabled?

Xertz

Even walking on a roof without knowing what you're doing can cause serious damage or could result in injury if you slip or fall, which implicates your insurance as it's your roof.

Whatever about way leaves being negotiated by old cable companies back in the day or assumed to exist, your neighbours shouldn't be anywhere near your roof.

drykin

Thanks for the replies.

Sunday was the first time I was ever on the roof. I've no idea if the area is cabled. All I could see is that the black cable in the second photo is going from roof to roof. across a number of properties. I've no idea why my neighbours needed to access my roof to connect to the connector block. I'll have to speak to them about it.

The Cush

drykin wrote: »

I've no idea why my neighbours needed to access my roof to connect to the connector block. I'll have to speak to them about it.

Illegal tap possibly, the 3 black cables appear to have an i.d. tag but the white one doesn't.

Tony

I agree , I've never seen a white external cable before going to a tap

The Cush wrote: »

Illegal tap possibly, the 3 black cables appear to have an i.d. tag but the white one doesn't.

Xertz

The white cable definitely looks a bit out of place. They would normally use black outdoor-rated coax and also it's missing a tag both on the little cable tie and on the connector jack, which all the others have.

Given that Virgin's turning off analogue (and in many areas it's already long gone), I have no idea what they'd be bothered tapping, as pretty much all of their other services are encrypted.

That tap however is Virgin Media's property and network, so has no connection whatsoever with your satellite dish. It definitely sounds like someone may have bumped into the dish and knocked it off line, which is quite easy to do actually if someone leaned on it for example. Or, they may have pulled a cable somehow e.g. someone who wasn't quite sure what they were up to decided to pull on a cable etc. Coax connectors can sometimes be rather easy to dislodge the cable from.

Vic_08

Tony wrote: »

I agree , I've never seen a white external cable before going to a tap

Mine is white, lots are around here. Sod all reason to tap now with analogue gone, VM don't bother removing cables for expired contracts now either, just kill the account through the viewing card/box.

Johnboy1951

The white cable does not appear to be of the same quality as the black cables .... seems to be a different quality outer - almost like indoor cable.

I find it strange that the connector block should be just thrown on the roof like that and not fixed in some location.
It seems to have fixing brackets attached.
It looks like it was pulled off somewhere else and added in there.

Maybe you should contact VM and demand a site visit?
If it is their gear they are responsible and having cables thrown about and routed like that is completely unacceptable.

I would be inclined to point out that if the cables remain as they are they are likely to get seriously damaged by works you intend to carry out on your roof. That might encourage them to have a look.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

My attitude would be that my roof is MINE and without permission no one has a right to go on it, and no right to leave anything on it or run cables along it.
It would have been common courtesy to request permission to access your property BEFORE doing so.

So I would request that their cables be removed from my property within a couple of days.

It is likely that your satellite dish was bumped when they were on the roof ..... hopefully no other damage was done.

That connector block on the roof is new?

If so I would demand it be removed.

Is the area cabled?

Terrible advice, regardless of legalities, given that the new neighbors could be around for a very long time. Is it really worth the hassle?

MrMusician18

Xertz wrote: »

Even walking on a roof without knowing what you're doing can cause serious damage or could result in injury if you slip or fall, which implicates your insurance as it's your roof.

Whatever about way leaves being negotiated by old cable companies back in the day or assumed to exist, your neighbours shouldn't be anywhere near your roof.

Nowhere is it stated that the neighbours were on his roof, could've just been the cable company installer.

Cable companies offer have historic permissions and way leaves to access their equipment

ozmo

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

The white cable does not appear to be of the same quality as the black cables .... seems to be a different quality outer - almost like indoor cable.

The black rubber sleeve is on upside down - and there are shielding wires poking out from the top of the new plug - if it was really VM that installed this they are not as professional as NTL were...

You might need someone to realign the satellite? - or try yourself using the built-in utilities menu in the sat box?

The Real B-man

Grant Fat Connection wrote: »

Terrible advice, regardless of legalities, given that the new neighbors could be around for a very long time. Is it really worth the hassle?

I agree,

OP States it's the first time on there roof cable has probably been a cable there for years serving a terrace of houses, the dodgy looking white coax tap is more than likely from when you could receieve anologue tv but this has now ceased, more likely VM where installing your neighbours TV service for the first time or running cable to a new location on there property.

I would suggest you contact VM to tidy it up as it's messy! but if you ask them to remove the main thick black cable, you risk cutting off service not only for your neighbours but the whole street.

Johnboy1951

Grant Fat Connection wrote: »

Terrible advice, regardless of legalities, given that the new neighbors could be around for a very long time. Is it really worth the hassle?

If they, being new, are quite prepared to invade a neighbours property without the courtesy of requesting permission for their intended work, then most definitely this is the time to lay out some very basic rules.

IF it was the neighbours, and not VM, on the roof, then they had no business or permission to be there.

Neighbours like that need to know what is acceptable and what is not.

Johnboy1951

MrMusician18 wrote: »

Nowhere is it stated that the neighbours were on his roof, could've just been the cable company installer.

It is quite clear from this that the OP says the neighbours were on the roof .... as well as the heading of this thread!

I had no problems at all until my neighbours next door moved out and new ones moved in a couple of weeks ago. One evening there was a significant amount of drilling and it turns out they were running a satellite cable from the roof, down the side of the house and into the living room via a newly-drilled hole in the exterior wall.

Cable companies offer have historic permissions and way leaves to access their equipment

Yes, as previously pointed out it was possibly the cable company and the OP is mistaken.

Xertz

Considering that the white cable is dirty and has evidence of some mild lichen growing on it, that been connected for at least a few months.

Johnboy1951

The Real B-man wrote: »

I agree,

OP States it's the first time on there roof cable has probably been a cable there for years serving a terrace of houses, the dodgy looking white coax tap is more than likely from when you could receieve anologue tv but this has now ceased, more likely VM where installing your neighbours TV service for the first time or running cable to a new location on there property.

If it was VM on the roof they should have dealt with an illegal tap, if that is what it is, by disconnecting it and removing the cable.

I would suggest you contact VM to tidy it up as it's messy! but if you ask them to remove the main thick black cable, you risk cutting off service not only for your neighbours but the whole street.

Yes, well worth contacting them to sort it out.
'Messy' is putting it mildly.

Xertz

I remember living in a small 'apartment' in Dublin when I was a student and ordered digital tv from UPC and they just posted out a box. I connected it - constantly weak signal.

They sent out engineers - there were 8 apartments in two houses all connected to one cable tap via a splitter in a small press in the hall and just one active analogue UPC account.

You'd be amazed at what people do (or did in the days of analogue).

LillySV

Go to the neighbors, say you were aware they were doing work on satellite a while ago and your connection was lost, could they please rectify this

Your well in your right to except them to fix any damage they did

spaceHopper

They didn't do anything VM did it if look at the picture there is a connector with a yellow band that is nice and shiny, that's the new cable added by VM.

Contact them tell them the cable has fallen down and is across your roof that when they where on it they should have fixed it and that they knocked you satellite out can they fix it too.

NewClareman

LillySV wrote: »

Go to the neighbors, say you were aware they were doing work on satellite a while ago and your connection was lost, could they please rectify this
Your well in your right to except them to fix any damage they did

Xertz wrote: »

You'd be amazed at what people do (or did in the days of analogue).

Indeed, but not everybody is a cowboy either - one needs to careful before approaching neighbours.

Many years ago, I rerouted the Chorus TV cable in via the attic, to avoid having to drill through new windows. Purely by coincidence, our next door neighbours TV started acting up at the same time. Months later they tackled me, convinced that their poor reception was due to this work. They couldn’t be convinced, even when I offered to put them in contact with the Chorus technical manager, that it wasn’t my fault.

It was only when I brought in a portable TV, that worked perfectly, that they accepted that their TV was faulty. I understood where they were coming from, so we didn’t fall out. However, someone else might not have been so understanding.

drykin

OP here.

Thanks for the replies.

The house next door is rented and was vacant for a couple of months. New tenants moved in and I heard drilling around 9pm on one of the first nights. My satellite signal was gone the next morning. I didn't see the cable going up the house and on to my roof until recently given that it's dark every evening and it's not something that I was looking out for.

I had no idea that there was a VM cable up there so the only thing I could think of was that the cable was running to my satellite dish. The second poster here identified the cable and box for me. Until then, I thought the only thing on the roof was the dish.

I'll contact VM and see if they can tell me if they were on the roof recently. I'd be surprised if they give any info as they'll probably claim that they can't divulge anything about one of their customers.

BTW the white cable leading from the box goes nowhere, it was cut about 20 feet from the box.

Vic_08

drykin wrote: »

OP here.

Thanks for the replies.

The house next door is rented and was vacant for a couple of months. New tenants moved in and I heard drilling around 9pm on one of the first nights. My satellite signal was gone the next morning. I didn't see the cable going up the house and on to my roof until recently given that it's dark every evening and it's not something that I was looking out for.

I had no idea that there was a VM cable up there so the only thing I could think of was that the cable was running to my satellite dish. The second poster here identified the cable and box for me. Until then, I thought the only thing on the roof was the dish.

I'll contact VM and see if they can tell me if they were on the roof recently. I'd be surprised if they give any info as they'll probably claim that they can't divulge anything about one of their customers.

BTW the white cable leading from the box goes nowhere, it was cut about 20 feet from the box.

Have you considered that, like the story in the post before you, the neighbours moving in and your reception failing may well be entirely unconnected?

If properly attached satellite dishes need considerable force to be moved. Apart from theorising about who is at fault have you done any investigating into what is faulty?

Xertz

If you've easy access to your own dish, just check the connections at the dish's LNB are secure.
To me, the most likely thing is someone has either snagged or pulled a cable accidentally.

Moving the dish would require leaning on it fairly hard, which is fairly unlikely unless it's very loosely mounted, in which case it would be at risk of moving anyway on a windy night.

If it's out of line, it's unlikely to be by very much so you could just try to realign the dish yourself, especially if it's on a flat roof and you've absolutely no risks and can walk around it. You'd just need someone to watch the signal strength indicator on the satellite box and keep in communication with you by mobile and just gently realign it by a couple of degrees either direction and see if it improves.

Other than that, you might need a service call which is unlikely to be huge money just to fix an alignment issue.

In terms of your neighbours, you need to balance out whether accusing them of something you can't necessarily prove they did and causing a bad relationship with someone you've got to live next to is worth it. Or, do you just get it fixed, and chalk it down to experience.

I would also suggest that you give VM a call and just report some loose cables on your roof that must have come off their mount. That tap shouldn't be sitting loose like that anyway and could easily end up sitting in a puddle or becoming damaged or even a trip hazard on the flat roof.

Marcusm

If the VM people (who are all subcontractors) are going to access your roof without notifying you then I would insist on the removal of the cable and junction box as a safety matter. Generally, any permission they obtain is not a registered wayleave and can be rescinded. There is no sensible reason to permit a continued nuisance on your property.

Johnboy1951

Marcusm wrote: »

If the VM people (who are all subcontractors) are going to access your roof without notifying you then I would insist on the removal of the cable and junction box as a safety matter. Generally, any permission they obtain is not a registered wayleave and can be rescinded. There is no sensible reason to permit a continued nuisance on your property.

That is the crux of the matter ....... regardless who entered the property it should (edit) never happen without permission, and when it does, some reaction to those concerned needs to be actioned.

Certainly the minimum I would require would be a tidying up of their 'stuff' so it cannot become a safety hazard or damage anything.

Marcusm

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

That is the crux of the matter ....... regardless who entered the property it never happen without permission, and when it does, some reaction to those concerned needs to be actioned.

Certainly the minimum I would require would be a tidying up of their 'stuff' so it cannot become a safety hazard or damage anything.

Respectfully, I disagree. I would insist on its complete removal and rerouting without crossing the property. Overtime, as signals drop off etc, neighbours will end up going on to the roof to “fix” it. Damage to the flat roof and or claims for injury (however lacking in merit) will (almost inevitably) follow. Remove it as a preventative measure. If you have not been notified of any formal wayleave when you purchased the property, I would simply disconnect and place each side on the adjacent properties. I would have no concern in discommoding the newly arrived renters who did not have the decency to ensure that their contractor did not enter your property without permission.

keepalive213

Id check the skew on the LNB, cables connected onto it should be at around 7 o clock.

MrMusician18

Marcusm wrote: »

Respectfully, I disagree. I would insist on its complete removal and rerouting without crossing the property. Overtime, as signals drop off etc, neighbours will end up going on to the roof to “fix” it. Damage to the flat roof and or claims for injury (however lacking in merit) will (almost inevitably) follow. Remove it as a preventative measure. If you have not been notified of any formal wayleave when you purchased the property, I would simply disconnect and place each side on the adjacent properties. I would have no concern in discommoding the newly arrived renters who did not have the decency to ensure that their contractor did not enter your property without permission.

Would you have concern in discommoding an entire street, that you just moved onto?

The cable is on his property, but isn't his property. He shouldn't touch it.

Marcusm

MrMusician18 wrote: »

Would you have concern in discommoding an entire street, that you just moved onto?

The cable is on his property, but isn't his property. He shouldn't touch it.

It's the person who has just moved in who has had someone up on the roof without permission or notice. A cowboy technician who does that may very well not be insured meaning that the OP's house insurance could face a claim (however unmeritorious) in the event of an injury and/or could damage the flat roof which is likely not designed for regular traffic.

STB.

MrMusician18 wrote: »

Would you have concern in discommoding an entire street, that you just moved onto?

The cable is on his property, but isn't his property. He shouldn't touch it.

Oh for FS.

Nobody has permission to access someone else's roof never mind run a cable across it.

The person that did this has clearly walked into the LNB arm and knocked out the satellite signal on the OP's dish.

MrMusician18

STB. wrote: »

Oh for FS.

Nobody has permission to access someone else's roof never mind run a cable across it.

The person that did this has clearly walked into the LNB arm and knocked out the satellite signal on the OP's dish.

Virgin media or whatever cable company would have permission to run cables across houses.l If the new owner wants to revoke this permission he'll have to contend with the rest of his neighbours that will be put out by that.

You don't actually have the right to interfere with private property even when it's left on your property.

Johnboy1951

MrMusician18 wrote: »

Virgin media or whatever cable company would have permission to run cables across houses.l If the new owner wants to revoke this permission he'll have to contend with the rest of his neighbours that will be put out by that.

You don't actually have the right to interfere with private property even when it's left on your property.

What 'new owner' are you referring to?
The OP never said they are a new owner, and it is his roof that was accessed without permission.

Even IF he (or a previous owner) had given permission for cable to be run across his roof that does not imply free and open access to employees/contractors of the cable owners without notice.

In his position, I would be tempted, if there was no positive response from the cable owners, to disconnect them and throw them off my roof.
They would have to deal with me then.

STB.

MrMusician18 wrote: »

Virgin media or whatever cable company would have permission to run cables across houses.l If the new owner wants to revoke this permission he'll have to contend with the rest of his neighbours that will be put out by that.

You don't actually have the right to interfere with private property even when it's left on your property.

NO THEY DONT.

Marcusm

MrMusician18 wrote: »

Virgin media or whatever cable company would have permission to run cables across houses.l If the new owner wants to revoke this permission he'll have to contend with the rest of his neighbours that will be put out by that.

You don't actually have the right to interfere with private property even when it's left on your property.

A reasonable inference from the OP’s post and the attendant photos is that the new resident was provided with the cable service by it being newly strung across the OP’s rooof and down onto the adjacent property. At worst, it would be that new resident whose service would be interrupted. If something has been placed on your property without your permission and you can remove it without damaging it and return it to the rightful owner or a place of safety from which they can recover it, not crime or damage will have been committed. The junction box has not been fixed in place. The new cables can be disconnected and the separate pieces placed on the adjacent roofs without having to enter them.

Hellrazer

MrMusician18 wrote: »

Virgin media or whatever cable company would have permission to run cables across houses.l If the new owner wants to revoke this permission he'll have to contend with the rest of his neighbours that will be put out by that.

You don't actually have the right to interfere with private property even when it's left on your property.

VM have absolutely no right to run cables across your house or even access your property without giving PRIOR notification.

Ive been down this road with them in the past when they stuck a ladder up against the house while my daughter(15) was getting changed in her bedroom.
Told them the cables were getting a hatchet through them if a manager didnt contact me and the manager confirmed they need permission to access your property.

They need to give at least 24 hours notice for access to your property in writing.