VOOM Installations

[RickyMac]

Good Advise

RickyMac,

given the story above, I will be very hesitant to install with these guys if I were you. I would call installs inc and ask for another installer (even at the sacrifice of rescheduling). I would not take the chance. Just my opinion.

You know, I am sure your advise is correct. My common sense tells me to reschedule. But, I just can't resist the opportunity to observe the Emerald installers in action. I am charging the battery on my DVD movie camera at this very moment.

I will report on the install and the second chance for Emerald Coast Broadband Communications.

 

[soledade]

If all your stations are UHF try a channelmaster 4228. It is one of the best UHF antennas out there. I get LA stations 90 miles away. Only drawback is that the beamwidth is very small (I think around 15 degrees) so it works best if all your stations are broadcasting from the same location.

The channel master 4221 has less gain but the beamwidth is almost 60 degrees.

Good Luck!
Carlos

I posted this on another forum, but will share it here also in case some do not read both.


After reading all of the install horror stories I thought I would
share my install experience.

I was the first to post on the Sears $399 deal last week. I
purchased on 2/28 and my install was 3/04.

I received an email from Installs Inc. with the installers
name and number the day after purchase.

I called him that evening to confirm the install date. We talked
awhile of tv's and sats. He normally does Dish installs. Had done
two other Voom installs.

Received a call from him 3/03. He said he had not received the
equipment yet but FedEx tracking shows it had arrived at sort center
in town.
He went to the center when it opened 3/04 and picked it up rather
that wait for delivery which would have been that afternoon. Install
was scheduled for 9 AM. He arrived at my house at 9:30 with
equipment in hand and began install. He had no problem with running
two lines for sat. and OAR, in fact he stated he recommended it.

By 11:00 we had a sat. signal and began working on the stealth
antenna install. I got a ladder from my garage and he went on the
roof of my two story house. Had the stealth up quickly and went to
check signal. The best signal I could get with the internal amp. on
the stealth was 45. Tried moving antenna around but no better. I am
14.5 miles from the transmitters. We talked about getting another
antenna and searched the web for a local source. Found one in stock
at Radio Shack that showed it was good for up to 60 mi. He rode with
me there and bought it on his own credit card.

We assembled and installed on the roof. This was a big antenna but
the best signal we could get was 40. By now it was 2:00. He then ran
another line and tried the Stealth on ground level, moving it around
did no good.

Now it's 3:00. He said he was going to purchase external amp to try
on the stealth. Will be here tomorrow for another try.

After he left I removed the amp on the stealth and installed the
regular card which he had left. Moving it around on my deck the best
I could get with it was 35.

Sorry for the long winded thread but I thought it would be good to
share a happier install experience.

This guy has really went the extra mile on my install.

If anyone has other ideas on the antenna I would like to hear from
you. All locals are UHF, My zone shows as violet on antennaweb. I am in East Tennessee so we do have some tall ridges but no mountains between me and the towers which are all together in the same location for the major nets.

 

[Gr8Reb8]

You know, I am sure your advise is correct. My common sense tells me to reschedule. But, I just can't resist the opportunity to observe the Emerald installers in action. I am charging the battery on my DVD movie camera at this very moment.

I will report on the install and the second chance for Emerald Coast Broadband Communications.

Let us know if they are able to sell you on "upgrades", like extra charges for wall fishing, difficult location, extra cable runs etc. Seems like they are expecting this extra cash. Perhaps they view the "extra" cash as a bribe to do the job they are suppose to do.

 

[Crypto]

If you are going to go ahead and go with Emerald Coast (out of Gulfbreeze, FL), you might want to definately mention this to them. It would be a really strong sign to send these guys by calling them up and saying, "Hey the entire national Voom satellite community knows about the fiasco that occurred in Hammond, LA on Wednesday and frankly I am very concerned." --- I think it would really go far. Just to help you out my VOOM friend, I can provide you with the cell phone number of their supervisor Mark. Just to let you know, I literally had to get extremely IRATE with Emerald Coast sweet little phone receptionist just to get his number. Something I found extremely irritating about this company likewise. Especially considering the problems I was having at the time of the call.

All in all, if a couple of poorly dressed installers hop out of an old black S-10 pickup and announce themselves as Daryl and Dallas, tell them to leave on the spot. Watch your tools, your ladders, and make sure you have plenty of film rolling. It should be very interesting to watch. I would honestly recommend strongly against Emerald Coast simply because they never did return my call to apologize. Something they should have done on merit and because I was the customer and their Mississippi boys did a hideous job on this install. No one will answer my calls there any longer including Mark and none of this was my fault.

So you might want some piece of mind and reschedule this whole thing. But please mention the forum and the overall exposure about the Hammond, LA install --- I think they truly need to comprehend the scope of exposure jobs like this receive. I know for a fact that Installs, Inc. and VOOM take this very seriously as it has direct impact upon their business. Installs, Inc and Voom both informed me that there would be serious acton taken against Emerald Coast for this issue including but not limited to suspension or termination of their installation contract. I have been rescheduled with a company out of LA and I have already spoken to their contact. Obviously Installs, Inc had already briefed this individual on my problems and he will probably show up with kid gloves on due to all of this.

Think about it and let me know what happens.
Regards,
Andy

 

[RickyMac]

E-Mail from Joe Harkins

Thanks Andy,

I received and e-mail from Joe Harkins this morning regarding my install on Saturday. He told me that he would call Emerald and ensure that professional installers are sent to my home. I thought this was very kind of him. I will let you know what happens.

Thanks again for your concern.

If you are going to go ahead and go with Emerald Coast (out of Gulfbreeze, FL), you might want to definately mention this to them. It would be a really strong sign to send these guys by calling them up and saying, "Hey the entire national Voom satellite community knows about the fiasco that occurred in Hammond, LA on Wednesday and frankly I am very concerned." --- I think it would really go far. Just to help you out my VOOM friend, I can provide you with the cell phone number of their supervisor Mark. Just to let you know, I literally had to get extremely IRATE with Emerald Coast sweet little phone receptionist just to get his number. Something I found extremely irritating about this company likewise. Especially considering the problems I was having at the time of the call.

All in all, if a couple of poorly dressed installers hop out of an old black S-10 pickup and announce themselves as Daryl and Dallas, tell them to leave on the spot. Watch y
our tools, your ladders, and make sure you have plenty of film rolling. It should be very interesting to watch. I would honestly recommend strongly against Emerald Coast simply because they never did return my call to apologize. Something they should have done on merit and because I was the customer and their Mississippi boys did a hideous job on this install. No one will answer my calls there any longer including Mark and none of this was my fault.

So you might want some piece of mind and reschedule this whole thing. But please mention the forum and the overall exposure about the Hammond, LA install --- I think they truly need to comprehend the scope of exposure jobs like this receive. I know for a fact that Installs, Inc. and VOOM take this very seriously as it has direct impact upon their business. Installs, Inc and Voom both informed me that there would be serious acton taken against Emerald Coast for this issue including but not limited to suspension or termination of their installation contract. I have been rescheduled with a company out of LA and I have already spoken to their contact. Obviously Installs, Inc had already briefed this individual on my problems and he will probably show up with kid gloves on due to all of this.

Think about it and let me know what happens.
Regards,
Andy

 

[traxxs]

Well after having to track my installer down he showed up at about 6:00 the install went fine everything seems to be working now and i am very pleased my signal strengths are sat 65, OTA 86. I live in northern VA about 30 miles from transmitters

 

[Lobstah]

Well, my install is scheduled for Saturday. Guess who my installer is? Emerald Coast, just my luck. I called them two days ago. They are located in Gulf Shores, they explained that Voom sends them the box and then they sent it to an installer in my area. I live in Phenix City, AL (200+ miles away).
After checking antennaweb I discovered that my antenna zones are red, blue and violet. The Stealth covers yellow and green. I called Emerald and asked them to also bring the upgraded antenna to prevent a possible 2nd trip. They explained that the installer must come and verify that I need the antenna first. This seems like a dumb and costly way to do business to me, but I will wait and see.
I will call them again tomorrow to see if they received the Voom and sent it to the installer.

RickyMac,
Be aware of the fact that antennaweb.org's antenna selections are pretty conservative, based on several experiences here in the Northeast. They call for a bigger antenna with a preamp for my location, and my $22 Radio Shack UHF antenna does just fine. I helped a friend set up OTA at his house, and again, antennaweb had recommended a stronger antenna with preamp, and the $22 model works fine. They have a great site, but I think they don't want to take any chances when it comes to specs on antennas...

Bottom line is you may be fine with what they bring.

Good Luck...

Lob

 

[truqui]

Signed up two days ago (3/9)...got all setup immediately, account number, website user name, password, installation # and date for 3/15....everything went like a charm up to now on the VOOM side!

Problem is...no word from the installer yet!?!?! I don't know whom it will be and am anxiuosly waiting for them to call. Is there any way I can find out what company it will be? Should I call Voom CSR or am I being too impatient?

 

[omard.]

Here is the recap of my install. It was done by Adant Wireless the name of my installer was David or Dale not sure which. He called to let me know that he would be there in 1 hour and he was. I asked him about the diplexer and was happy to run two cables. Also covered up the holes with a two connector wall plate free of charge and with out asking for it. There was a huge problem with the activation the serial number and the card number did not match. So they (install inc. I believe) had to email somebody so they could have them match and I had to call later to activate it. I called 2 hours later and had it activated I was not at home so could not test it. When I got home the light on the front of my receiver was red and never turned green. I called Voom and they are sending someone out on Saturday the 13th to fix my problem. The over all install was great Adant did an awesome job the OTA antenna works great. The installer used www.antennaweb.org to get the correct settings for the antenna. I get all my channels even CBS which is known for being hard to get in my area (Chicago).

 

[Sean Mota]

Omard, so are you getting a signal right now on non-ota channels or are you still getting a red signal. Did you try to reboot the stb (by holding power button for 10 seconds and letting it go)?

 

[truqui]

Oh no...hopefully this isn't the company that will do my install!!!
I am in Broward County, Florida...

Signed up two days ago (3/9)...got all setup immediately, account number, website user name, password, installation # and date for 3/15....everything went like a charm up to now on the VOOM side!

Problem is...no word from the installer yet!?!?! I don't know whom it will be and am anxiuosly waiting for them to call. Is there any way I can find out what company it will be? Should I call Voom CSR or am I being too impatient?

 

[Mr. Biggles]

Is there any way I can find out what company it will be? Should I call Voom CSR or am I being too impatient?

Just call InstallsInc and they should provide you with all the information.

Bill

 

[Sean Mota]

Installs Inc 888-987-3474 Let them know that you want the installer to call you...

 

[omard.]

I'm sorry I did not explain my self very well. I'm receiving OTA thru my 801 I get nothing from the Voom receiver. I have unpluged the power cord twice and have held down the front button next to the light a few times. I don't know if this matter but when the installer was locking in on a signal the screen that tells you the power of the signal the bar was always yellow and the signal was only 37 and know it real low about 20 or so.

 

[Sean Mota]

I'm sorry I did not explain my self very well. I'm receiving OTA thru my 801 I get nothing from the Voom receiver. I have unpluged the power cord twice and have held down the front button next to the light a few times. I don't know if this matter but when the installer was locking in on a signal the screen that tells you the power of the signal the bar was always yellow and the signal was only 37 and know it real low about 20 or so.

Yeah that sounds like the dish is not aligned correctly. 37 is kind of low too. It should get in the 40s at least.

 

[omard.]

Should I go up and tinker with it some or just wait untill Saturday.

 

[Sean Mota]

Should I go up and tinker with it some or just wait untill Saturday.

It's up to you. I don't want you to go up if you do not feel comfortable with it.

Also check all you coax ends to ensure that they are not loose. Do you have diplexer installed or two lines (OTA and Coax).

 

[omard.]

Two lines no diplexer. I will check the lines when I get home.

 

[vission]

I was just curious whereabouts are you located? My install is suppose to happen tomorrow, and god forbid, I see an S-10 pull up!

Vission

 

[K4LK]

Oh no...hopefully this isn't the company that will do my install!!!
I am in Broward County, Florida...

Signed up two days ago (3/9)...got all setup immediately, account number, website user name, password, installation # and date for 3/15....everything went like a charm up to now on the VOOM side!

Problem is...no word from the installer yet!?!?! I don't know whom it will be and am anxiuosly waiting for them to call. Is there any way I can find out what company it will be? Should I call Voom CSR or am I being too impatient?

FYI:
I called on Friday morning 3/5 and received the Installs, Inc email on Monday 3/8 confirming my install this Saturday 3/13.