Hello

Sparks

Sparks

DTVUSA Member
#1
#1
I have purchased a few different brands of converter boxes for myself and have hooked up several more brands of them to help out neighbors. I might add that I provide that help for free to be a good neighbor since it is illegal in this state to hook up anything like this for hire or for other than personal use without a low voltage electricians license.

When I came across this website that is dedicated to digital TV. I thought that others might benefit from my experiences with converter boxes and HDTV sets. I live in an area where I use an antenna rotor to get TV stations from five different directions. These stations range in distance from about 18 - 90 miles away.

I am not in any business that has anything to do with television other than I contract to work with backup emergency power systems mainly at communications towers and most of them are for telephone. I am in the power generation business and that is where I got the nickname that I am using for a user name.
 
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acwriter

acwriter

DTVUSA Member
#4
#4
Hi Sparks,

Welcome to DTV USA!!! We are very happy to have you and not just because of your expertise. Although, we welcome that too. This is a very friendly forum. Feel free to jump right in, check out the threads, make new ones, talk about your favorite shows and mainly have fun. See ya around the board.
 
Sparks

Sparks

DTVUSA Member
#5
#5
Electricians License

A license is required in Minnesota and probably some other states to run what they call low voltage wiring. Low voltage wiring as it applies to what we are interested in on this forum is the coax or twin lead to the antenna. This would also include the coax cable to the satellite dish. It also refers to running telephone or computer networking cable.

As I understand the state electrical code a homeowner can do any type of electrical work on his own home that he lives in without the license. Higher voltage wiring such as to a receptacle within the home must be inspected and approved. Low voltage does not require the inspection and fee for the inspection. Without the proper license you cannot legally do any of this on your other property that you own such as rental, commercial or property that you do not live on. If any of this is to be down in any other situation, even as a favor to help a neighbor. An electricians license is required.

A license is not required in most situations to simply plug in an electrical device. A license is required to wire in an electrical device or work on the electrical device unless it is like I said on the property that you own and live on when you do it yourself.

My work to do with design, layout, repairs and maintenance of power generation equipment is totally related to power plants, power companies and communications. This includes phone companies and transmitting towers. If you have read much of what I have put on this forum you can probably tell that I have spent some time around and working in transmitting towers as well as working with the people that keep them going.

What I do in power plants and communications is exempt from the license. That is probably because they do not have inspectors that understands what any of us is doing in these areas. I cannot legally change the oil or rebuild the engine on a companies or an individuals generator without the electricians license other than to do with communications and power plants. The electrician does not have the background or training to repair or maintain the generator. The power generation person would not have the background pulling wires to qualify for the electricians license.

As you can tell the law makers in Minnesota must be idiots. Luckily I do business in three other states where I do not have to play these games.

If anyone has any questions or wants to contact me please feel free to send me an email or to post it. I might even find it on this forum. I am still learning my way around.
 
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