Recom. installer to fix D* installation

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axg9504

Well-Known SatelliteGuys Member
Original poster
Dec 3, 2006
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Could someone recommend a contractor who knows where the D* sat's are and where the new ones are going to be, who will go the extra mile,do a site survey to give me a better location to get all satellites (I currently have lost 119 after the leaves came out in March) and then do what is needed to bring them all in. (it might require a tall pole - I have the 5 LNB Slimline) and I'm at zip 29732 near Charlotte NC.

Here's what I have learned after upgrading to HD. (1) Do your instal in the spring after the leaves have come out because then the installer can't leave without giving you all your channels or at least tell you why you can't, and can't lie that you will have no problem in the spring (2) be prepared to spend hours just to get someone to schedule service. I have spent as much as 90 mts trying to get someone to schedule ONE service, being passed around, repeating my request every time (3) the local instal company will not miss a service call, because otherwise they won't get paid (or may be docked too). So they will arrive even 4 hours late, when it's pitch dark and can't do a site survey, do the easiest thing that they can, like rotate the dish and tell you what you already knew that you don't have a signal. (4) techs don't seem to know where the sat's are located. I had one point to an offending tree to the west, the next tech told me no, it was the clump of trees off to the east (about 20 deg east of the other tree). (5) No one at D* will directly take responsibility to fix your real problem, any person you talk to is programmed to do only one thing and they will cheerfully do it, like schedule another service call. Sorry I don't usually rant and I've been very patient and respectful so far but I hope someone else will take some caution from this.
 
axg,

Your installation problems seem basic. There is a reason why many installers who could fix your situation are no longer doing DTV. The money offered to do those FREE installs is going down as the costs of doing business are going up.

Can you find a FREE tree guy to trim your trees?

Joe
 
Joe: what did you mean by 'basic'. The problem is that I now do not know for sure which tree, since one installer contradicted the other. Why does D* keep assuring me that they will find a solution and why do they keep sending techs out there without a mandate to fix the problem or even an audit to see if they have done their job. They may be cutting costs and paying them less and I believe from all that I've heard it is true, but in a couple of days they will have paid for 4 visits when some conclusion should have been reached with 2.

Don't know of any FREE tree trimmer. Got one to come out and he talked me out of even considering taking any of these trees out (it's too expensive, these are mature tall trees in woods surrounded by other trees). As for trimming he suggested I find out specifically which branches needs to go before he starts work on it.
 
Joe: what did you mean by 'basic'. The problem is that I now do not know for sure which tree, since one installer contradicted the other. Why does D* keep assuring me that they will find a solution and why do they keep sending techs out there without a mandate to fix the problem or even an audit to see if they have done their job. They may be cutting costs and paying them less and I believe from all that I've heard it is true, but in a couple of days they will have paid for 4 visits when some conclusion should have been reached with 2.

Don't know of any FREE tree trimmer. Got one to come out and he talked me out of even considering taking any of these trees out (it's too expensive, these are mature tall trees in woods surrounded by other trees). As for trimming he suggested I find out specifically which branches needs to go before he starts work on it.
There must be some Local Independant Dealers in the Charlotte area, contact them yes they will charge you fior doing the repairs but they are LOCAL so they should stand behind their work. Of course if you want to deal with a California based corporation keep using the 800# and eventually they will correct it or chase you back to cable.
 
axg,
Now you see the problem.
To put the best spin on what is happening, it may be that the trees are blocking the line of sight (LOS) between the dish location and the satellite 23,000 miles out. If you have a picture on channel 100 and 201 the dish is pointed in the correct direction. If you stand behind the dish you will see trees that may be blocking the signal. Look up a line between the top edge of the dish and the middle of the LNB (the thing out on the arm. Leaves and limbs there are the problem; the LOS must be clear here. The 119 sat is lowest of all the lines and what you describe seems to be intermittent blockage caused by wind moving the leaves.
Also, try shaking the whole rig. Something may be loose.
I used the word basic but could have said fundamental. I once fixed an installation that was pointed exactly 180 degrees in the wrong direction. Silly compass! That kind of basic, fundamental concept.

Joe
 
Without sounding like a broken record :rolleyes: DTV has pushed the industry in this direction and are getting exactly what they must have wanted. Incompetent techs who do everything for Free, and NOTHING at all right.
They lie NON STOP about what the issue or problem is. A good tech can tell if you have a LOS without ever even pulling a ladder of the truck MOST times just by using their compass/inclinometer. I see alot on this board realizing that a LOS in the middle of winter is no longer one now that spring is arriving. Not to mention all those who think you just need the clear hole at the moment, how many of these "installers" are taking the tree sway into effect too? :rolleyes:

They will continue to pay for trips to you which will cost them double what they could have simply paid a qualified tech to do the first time. :eureka
Their whole fiasco here is starting to look like the good ol self install kit days. :eek: Even though most people would probably be better off with that now vs what they get. ;)
 
NiFi,
I was there and thought it was ok. This DTV install is.......almost said....... "not rocket science".......but trainable folks like me can get it after a few hundred installations. However, I did require that a cx remove his garage one time. You could tell he was a craftsman...all the work was better than you will find. He troweled the concrete around the pole, it was plumb and the UG was in conduit and it went on like that...........BUT the dish was pointed at a clear spot in the sky about North of the 101(wrong az).
We welded the post to a chain link fence post and all worked using another az........his wife asked but I would not tell.

The money to fix it was OK.

Now folks are scheduled for one group of beginners, if anything goes wrong, another group of beginners will QC the mess.

My phone rings next,

Joe
 
I have read many of your posts Joe and would say you definitely care about what you are doing and go the extra mile, there were MANY of you and me like that just a couple years ago, now you are a rarity and getting more so by the day.

Good luck bro and hopefully things work out well for you. :up
 
If I look along the middle LNB I'm looking above a set of trees that are lower than the ones to the east and west. I understand however that the 119 is several degrees west of this middle line. Anyway, I'm going to get a little educated about this, I've ordered a compass.

Yes I wish someone like Joe had come out the first time. I did call a local E* dealer, not the parent company, before I called D* (I had been a D* customer for 8 years). Would you know there is an ethical E* installer in town because he came out and took readings and advised me that it would not be possible. E* also has a sat at 119, worse they have one around 65, which is absolutely not possible from the current location.

I finally had a chat with a supervisor to tell him that I didn't want another service visit (scheduled in a couple of days) with no resolution. He was very understanding and cooperative and promised that they would find a solution. Although he did seem like he was coveringup: his reason for the instal in January without any note of a possible LOS was "we underestimated the amount of bloom that you would get" and the reason for the last guy's visit was a "quality check". He was supposed to do a site survey.

Thanks for the info you've provided. I would like to know from Joe (or anyone else): If they move my dish to a better location should they run new cable all the way to my receiver, avoiding another compression fitting? If the cable is to be buried underground, does it run through conduit or is there an underground grade (as the last installer claimed)? Can you put the slimline 5 LNB on a pole taller than the regulation 7 feet (I think)? If so what would the spec be for the pole to get a stable instal. Thanks.
 
One more question. Which horn or housing contains which sat? Let's say I'm standing behind the slimline. It has 3 LNB housings, one in the middle of the dish and the other 2 to the east. What does each housing receive starting at the middle one and working towards the left? Thanks.
 
axg,
The 3 LNB is designed to "see" from left to right (or east to west) the 101 west longitude sat, the 110 and the119. and if you stand behind the dish that is the order you will see the LNBs

A little tuning trick that I have used for years...set the receiver for 3 LNB or SAT use,set the signal signal meter on your receiver(in menue & set up) to the 101 satellite and select transponder #23. Then tune the dish.


Turn up the volume as high as possible so you can hear the built in signal meter at the dish.The mast MUST be plumb. When you have the strongest signal you can get, lock down the back bolts-know that as you tighten the top,rear bolt it will change the elevation but that is OK because you will peak the elevation as soon as the back bolts are snug. Repeat the process with the elevation but it will be pretty close.

Check the signals on all the sats. They should all be in the 90s. Check the picture. There should be programming on 100 and 201 and a few others. Get the thing activated....you are missing the last of The Sopranos (on HBO).


About the relocating of the dish........see what I mean, the manager you talked to could have said there was a problem but it would be fixed.......but NOOOOOOO! he instinctively needed to use BS.

Anyhow, if they can get it on the building they will. The shortest the cable run the better. Don't let them put barrel connectors underground. Conduit is a possibility in high traffic areas-steel pipe under a driveway. Cable marked "U" is designed for dig in (as rg6U) and has silicone pumped into it during manufacture so it leaks if cut instead of letting water in. This stuff is real expensive. There is also a cable in conduit that underground contractors use; also real expensive. I have just kicked (inserted into a flat shovel cut using a wooded stick) the rg6 in about four inches.....cut the roots or feed the whole thing under. I don't recall cable failures from water......I ran several boxes down a dock once and the cable gets underwater twice a day, no problem after two years. The fittings rot in the salt water.

Good luck & report success.

Joe
 
One more question. Which horn or housing contains which sat? Let's say I'm standing behind the slimline. It has 3 LNB housings, one in the middle of the dish and the other 2 to the east. What does each housing receive starting at the middle one and working towards the left? Thanks.

The lnb on the left (if you are standing behind the dish) is 119, the second is 110 and the larger one is 101 and eventually 99 and 103
 
The lnb on the left (if you are standing behind the dish) is 119, the second is 110 and the larger one is 101 and eventually 99 and 103

Eventually 99 and 103? They are both already up there. The lnb you say has 101 also contains lnbs for 99 and 103.
 
The problem is that the Technicians don't get paid enough on a service call to correct someone elses mess.

I know exactly what your going through, because I used to go behind other installers and dealers and fix their sub-standard installations.

The issue is that the installer is probably looking at a good 5, if not 7 hours of work to do the following...

#1 Find another spot on your property
#2 Remove the Dish from where its mounted now
#3 Properly seal all the holes from where the Dish was mounted before.
#4 Install the Dish in its new location
#5 Re-route all the cables & Clean up the other technicians mistakes.

Its at the point where these guys don't get paid enough to even care and would rather tell you to disconnect then spend the time doing it right!

I think you got 3 Potential Solutions to your problem....

#1 Call Directv and disconnect service, there should be enough documentation on your account for them to allow you to disconnect without being in violation of your contract. Usually at this point, seeing that they do not want to loose you as a customer they will escallate it and you will get a solution

#2 Call a Local dealer and tell them your prepaired to pay whatever it takes to get the install corrected. It will probably cost you a few hundred dollars, but once they leave the system is guaranteed to work. Do not call the local dealers crying about your crappy install and ask them if they can bill Directv or tell them you feel you should not have to pay. No matter how many times they tell you, they are sorry your having problems, the local dealer is on the other end of the phone with a big smile on his face, because he knows you would not have problems if you called him first to begin with See if Directv will agree to re-imburse you to have a local dealer fix the installation.


#3 Call a Local Dish Network dealer and get DISH Network, they got more HD than Directv anyways and got some really good offers right now for new customers! If there is a way, the local dealer will get it to go in, considering your a new customer, they make 5 times more money doing it this way then they would on a standard service call to fix it
 
Wadethe cableguy is correct,

I recited the progression of the satellites but the LNB positions are reversed as he correctly stated. Still, tune the 23 on 101 and all will be well.

The 99 & 103 are distinct satellites on either side of the 101 23,000 miles out. Know that as much as a 1/16th of an inch movement on the dish will be many (how many, you trig guys?) miles. They are separated by nine degrees.

There is more,
Keep on truckin,

Joe
 
(Edited - updated info)
My third visit after the instal today finally provided some answers. He said I could get a good signal on a pole in the front yard (to the side) but he had no equipment to run cable under my sidewalk and I didn't want the cable lying on top of the concrete. So back to trying to find someone who would.

Do you guys know if there are D* authorized installers who will do this? If I can find someone, will D* support it in the future if it's custom installed?
 
Last edited:
Claude, you wrote: "#3 Properly seal all the holes from where the Dish was mounted before". I have my old bracket (from my SD instal 8 yrs ago) still screwed in to the roof. The installer said they don't take it out to prevent leakage problems. Is he right or was he supposed to remove and seal it?
 
Claude, you wrote: "#3 Properly seal all the holes from where the Dish was mounted before". I have my old bracket (from my SD instal 8 yrs ago) still screwed in to the roof. The installer said they don't take it out to prevent leakage problems. Is he right or was he supposed to remove and seal it?

As long as you don't mind seeing it there, I would leave it if it doesn't leak. Why take the chance that it will start leaking?
 
Claude, you wrote: "#3 Properly seal all the holes from where the Dish was mounted before". I have my old bracket (from my SD instal 8 yrs ago) still screwed in to the roof. The installer said they don't take it out to prevent leakage problems. Is he right or was he supposed to remove and seal it?

The instant he removes that bracket he becomes liable for those holes and any leaks that may or may not occur now and down the road. Leaving it alone keeps the previous installer/company still on the hook for it so what he did was the right thing and smart thing to do in my book. :up
 
AXG,

To get the cable under the sidewalk you need a shovel and a pipe. Dig a hole beside the sidewalk and beat the pipe under the sidewalk and pull the pipe out. Push the cable through the hole. Backfill.

Regarding the mast.......leave the base until you re roof. You can unbolt the post with a wrench.

Joe
 
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