The Solid Signal Blog

There’s something on YouTube for everyone, no matter what your “thing” is. Case in point: I personally like watching videos where people clean and restore old tech. First of all I usually remember the thing from when it was new, and it makes me sad to see it looking so beat up. Then of course I love the idea that you can take something that old and still give it some use. It’s an extra added bonus that most of these things look brand new when they’re done, which is similar to the way I remember them looking. Case in point This television was made in 1989. Which, to my way of thinking, wasn’t that long ago. And yet it’s far enough in the past that this little 5″ beauty looks like a creature from another age. Which I suppose it is...

Before I ran this blog, I was involved in enthusiast forums. Before reddit, before Facebook groups, before YouTube, this was how people got critical tech support information for their hobbies. Often times you had a group of people who were pushing hardware to the limit and they wanted to know how to solve weird problems. I met lifelong friends in those user communities and I still participate in a few today. That’s why I was a little ticked off, pardon me for saying so, when a user forum for the satellite TV community featured a thread saying everyone was in a rush to leave DIRECTV and DISH. Is it really true? Is it all over for satellite TV? Or is it just more hype? Here’s the fact: satellite TV is still huge DIRECTV and DISH...

If you have DIRECTV service, start here for a list of solutions to common DIRECTV problems! PROBLEM: No picture or sound Check to make sure the receiver is plugged in and functioning. Are front panel lights lit? Can you turn the receiver on with the front panel? If you push a button on the remote, do you see a green light on the top? You may need new batteries. Make sure TV is plugged in and turned on to the correct input. This is a simple step but it’s worth checking. If you have the TV remote, try using the TV INPUT or SOURCE button to change the input to the right one. Make sure all cables are connected between receiver and TV. 90% of problems are caused by bad cable connections. Make sure every cable is tight. If you cannot turn...

A customer recently called us with this question, and it seemed like a good idea for a blog post. I could make it a pretty short one, but I thought it would also be good to explain why the answer is the way it is. Simple answer: no. DIRECTV does not have a system like DISH’s Auto Hop or Xfinity’s Commercial Skip. You can skip forward 30 seconds at a time instantly, and since your average commercial break is 3 minutes, pushing the skip button 6 times is pretty easy. To enable instant 30-second skip: Press the BLUE button on older remotes or the DASH button on Genie/H26K remotes to enter search. Enter the code 30SKIP and press SELECT. Press EXIT to go back to live TV. It’s that simple. Now, the SKIP button on DIRECTV remotes will...

Unfortunately, we at Solid Signal sometimes get calls from customers who have lost satellite signal. Because we’re the largest mobile and marine satellite dealer, we get a lot of calls from folks who had service when they left in the morning and don’t have service now. What’s the problem here? It’s called “line of sight” The term “line of sight” means the direct line between you and the thing you’re trying to receive signal from. It doesn’t mean you can actually see the thing. Even if you have great eyesight you won’t be able to see a satellite 22,000 miles away. But, you can receive signals from it, miraculously. I think that’s amazing, really. How do you know if you have line-of-sight? This is generally pretty easy, because you...

Frustrated with dropped calls and sluggish data? Signal strength might be the culprit! This guide dives into using the Wilson Pro 5G Network Scanner, a powerful tool that goes beyond basic bars. It measures signal strength in detail, including 5G, to help you identify and optimise your cellular reception. Learn how to unlock the secrets of your mobile network and finally experience reliable connections. This blog post will delve into using the Wilson Pro 5G Network Scanner to measure signal strength and uncover valuable insights about your cellular environment. Whether you’re experiencing dropped calls or slow data speeds, this tool can be your secret weapon for optimising your mobile experience. 1: Introduction to 5G Technology The...

Blockbuster Video has to be, in my opinion, one of the most interesting marketing studies in the last fifty years, along with New Coke. Hear me out a minute. Back around 1990, Blockbuster Video was a bona fide sensation. I mean, people couldn’t wait to go to one for the first time. They were coming across the country in one blue-and-orange wave, and people were primed. They were psyched. They were incredibly joyous. Blockbuster Video was an application of the chain store concept, except for video stores. In the 1980s, you probably shopped at Sears, KMart, or Walmart, or you shopped at one of their competitors. These were large organizations that brought consistency and a large selection to shopping. However, when it came to renting...

Friends, you don’t need me to tell you that the price of everything has gone up. This isn’t a financial blog and it’s for sure not a political one so let’s not get into the reasons why that might be happening. But, it’s a fact that we all have to be more careful with our money than we have in a long time. That’s one of the reasons why so many people are rushing to buy over-the-air antennas lately. With a one-time investment, about 95% of people can get a lot of free entertainment. No monthly fee, no buffering, no problems if other people are using the internet. Sounds great, right? Which antenna to choose, that’s the question When TV antennas got popular in the late ’00s, the government tried creating a color-code system to help...

People love amplified antennas. While there’s no substitute for a giant antenna on the roof, an amplified antenna can make the most of a small space. A clean, modern amplifier helps weak signals travel over a cable to your television without getting lost. Today’s antennas are designed to last for years. But, let’s be honest. Sometimes things break. Sometimes you step on a cable or pull something out of the wall the wrong way when you vacuum. This can be true of the power supplies that come with antennas too. (We call them “power injectors,” and I’ll explain why below.) Unfortunately these power injectors aren’t usually sold separately. So what can you do? Amplifiers with a USB power supply Many antennas and amplifiers, like...

This week Ken welcomes actor, producer and woman behind Be Brave Media Joanne Rubino. Ken and Joanne discuss the path from in front of the camera to behind it, moving a lot, being your own friends, getting guest spots on big series, ER, production management, indie films, volunteering to help run a tight ship, how long projects take, Hatfields & McCoys, ITV, never giving up, believing in the project, working with the best people, being nominated for an Emmy, making stuff happen, getting interviews with big Hollywood actors, Marlon Brando, telling real life stories, documentaries, docudrama, scripted TV, the difficulty of getting past gatekeepers, how you have to do everything, how the same people in a small group are A-listers, the...

Everyone has a cell phone. Of course they do. It’s 2024. We hardly even stop anymore to think of the little marvels in our pockets. Yet, as much as we love cell phones, we hate cell towers. They’re big, they’re ugly, and they seem like they’re everywhere. Why do we even need them when our phones have gotten so advanced? Cell phones don’t work by themselves We don’t really stop to think about how cell phones actually work. When you call someone else, you’re not connecting straight to them. It’s actually a pretty weird path. Your phone connects to at least one tower (often two or three) The call is sent to the strongest tower That tower sends the call over the internet to a landline phone provider The landline phone provider routes it...

There’s a technology in your DIRECTV receiver that makes everything better. Imagine not worrying about changing inputs on the TV or even bothering to point the remote. It’s time to get rid of those confusing universal remotes and use your DIRECTV equipment the way it was intended. All you need is a little knowledge. It’s called HDMI Control The industry calls it HDMI-CEC, but DIRECTV boxes call it HDMI Control. It’s part of the HDMI standard so it’s built into almost all consumer electronics today. It’s probably been there all along and you’ve never realized it. The point of HDMI Control is to send very basic information to your TV from some other source like a DIRECTV box. For example, power up and go to the right input. This saves...

If you or someone you love were born between 1946 and 1965, TV has been there for them their whole live. Don’t deprive them of it now. Get DIRECTV for Senior Communities! Want to know more? Call 888-233-7563 and talk to the experts! Listen to the podcast your way! Just choose one of the following: Option 1: Click on the image above to stream the podcast in your browser. If you use the YouTube player above, be sure to subscribe to get future videos delivered to you! Option 2: The Solid Signal Podcast is available on several podcast aggregators. Search for us, or tap on the links below on your mobile device. If you want us to add another aggregator leave a comment below. Amazon iTunes Overcast TuneIn Spreaker Player.fm Spotify Option...

Satellite TV for business is alive and well. Why? Of course it’s because satellite TV is a great value that doesn’t suck up your company’s expensive internet plan. There’s another reason, too: most streaming apps can’t be used in a business environment. Anyone with even a little understanding of the internet will realize that they’ll find your location if you try to stream at your business. But, then again, why would you? DIRECTV has nationwide exclusive sports that brings people in the door and keeps them there. No matter what your employees like, no matter what politics they follow, they’ll find something to watch on DIRECTV. And, of course, DIRECTV is even better because of the new H26K Commercial Receiver. It adds 4K, a built-in...

If you go to Europe, you probably won’t be spending a lot of time watching TV in the room. But if you do, you’ll probably notice that it’s a little bit different. Even today, you’ll see fewer over-the-air channels than we have in the US, and the ones that are there are more national than local. Of course most of those countries are smaller, so “national” and “local” are a little more similar anyway. A little bit of how TV works over there In most countries, free television isn’t free. It’s provided by government license. You pay a tax that gives you access to it, and in exchange you get some device that lets you actually watch. The stations, more often than not, are government owned too. It’s a very different take on television than...