Former Dish customer
 

sorry, dumb question:
the dish is still on the roof and wiring from roof into my apt is still intact.
can I just put an outdoor antenna up there and re-use everything to get OTA channels, or is it not that easy?
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...8e0372de3030d2

Welcome, cd1515:

It's not a dumb question.

You can use some of the equipment, but not all. Remove the dish and put an RCA ANT751 antenna in its place aimed at 97 degrees magnetic by a pocket compass. Use just one of the coax lines that goes to the apartment. Remove all dish splitters and multi switches; do not use them.

The dish guy should have grounded the coax in some way using a grounding block. You should try to use that for you coax downlead.

The coax shield should be grounded with a grounding block that is connected to the house electrical system ground with 10 gauge copper wire for electrical safety and to reject interference. For further compliance with the electrical code (NEC), the mast should also be grounded in a similar manner to drain any buildup of static charge, but the system will not survive a direct strike.

Todd Humphrey doesn't speak for the NFPA that publishes the NEC code, but he has some ideas that are helpful. The local electrical inspector has the final say if you are willing to get him involved. Some inspectors are more friendly than others; a local electrician could tell you.
http://www.dbsinstall.com/diy/Grounding-2.asp

great info, thanks!