Communal Satellite Dish - Northam Estate, Southampton

This was a roof-mounted communal dish for a block of flats on the Northam estate, working as part of an ongoing contract with Southampton City Council. The brief was straightforward: get residents reliable satellite reception with the dish kept out of sight from ground level. Three hours on site, all stations now coming through clean with no picture break-up.

The Challenge

Southampton City Council needed a communal satellite system installed on a block of flats at the Northam estate. The dish had to go on the roof and stay out of sight from below, which meant working at height with proper access arranged.

I do a lot of work for this client, so they came straight to me rather than tendering it out. They know what they're getting when I quote a job for them.

Roof-mounted installation on a multi-storey block of flats
Dish needed to be discreet, out of sight from ground level
Multiple residents depending on a single system working reliably
Roof access only possible via scaffolding
Council contract, so the work needed to be right first time

My Solution

I used a Technomate 80cm dish with a Fracarro Quattro LNB on a Blake non-penetrating roof mount. That combination gives the signal strength a communal system needs, and the non-penetrating mount means no holes through the roof structure.

Before mounting, I checked the surroundings to make sure no trees or other obstructions were going to cause signal problems down the line. Once the dish was in position, I aligned it using a Promax professional diagnostic meter, which gives you proper signal readings rather than guessing.

The council had scaffolding erected before I arrived, so access to the roof was already sorted.

Technomate 80cm dish with Fracarro Quattro LNB
Blake non-penetrating roof mount (no roof penetration)
Checked sight lines for trees and obstructions
Professional alignment using Promax diagnostic meter
Installation completed in 3 hours

The Result

The council were happy because residents now had a reliable satellite signal. All stations available, no picture break-up, and a discreet installation that doesn't impact the building's appearance from below.

This was another job for a client I've done plenty of work for already. That ongoing relationship matters - they know the work will be done properly, I know what they need from a council installation, and there's no faffing about with quotes and tendering every time something comes up.

That's the difference between being a contractor on a list and being someone a client actually trusts. They call, I deliver, the residents get a working system.