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Best of the Blog 2023, Volume 12

The Solid Signal Blog is your resource for thousands of articles and reviews, with new content coming every day. 2023 marks our seventeeth year since our humble beginnings, and today over 250,000 people read the blog every month. Every month, the staff gets together and gathers articles that really seem like they have long-term appeal. Here’s the list for December, 2023: Antenna Man is wrong about converting a satellite dish to a TV antenna Western Arc problems with your Tailgater or Intellian i3? Here’s an even better workaround Why don’t more TVs and devices support HDMI Cable Power? NICE AND EASY: What is a “donor antenna?” 2023 Predictions: How did I do? Predictions for 2024 Dipping my toes into the “grain reduction” controversy...
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STREAMING SATURDAY: Dune Part Two (the unpopular view)

Over the long weekend I watched Dune Part Two. You probably did too, if you have Max. It’s been hotly anticipated, and in order to really appreciate it I watched part one, as well as the rather odd 1980s version as well. Here’s the “tl;dr” of it all: I didn’t like it. Major spoilers to follow, since I don’t think I could really talk about what I didn’t like without them. So, you’ve been warned. Let’s start with the things I did like We tend to be pretty numb to good special effects these days. There was a time when that wasn’t the case, and I think if you’re able to put yourself back in that place, you’ll realize how absolutely amazing the effects are in this film. Specifically, they’re more than amazing, they’re flawless. Every grain...
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What Satellite Devices Are Ideal for Outdoor Entertainment Spaces

Designing an amazing backyard entertainment area needs more than just good lounge furniture. If you want to throw awesome parties, watch football games, and just relax outdoors, you will want to go technical. For the best results, you will want to integrate landscape design and see how exactly you can achieve harmony between these two elements. Once you get that out of the way, you can focus on the main point: what satellites you need for your cool entertainment zone. How to Landscape an Entertainment Space Whether you want a green garden retreat or an edgy modern patio, landscaping elements of plants, lighting, and water features are a must as they define the entertainment zone. Think of how the design of your outdoor area could...
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What’s the difference between a signal finder and a true satellite meter?

You may have noticed that you can buy a signal finder like this one very inexpensively while other meters like our AIM are priced much much higher. Both are used to help you aim satellites, so the question in your mind is probably “why would I pay ten times as much when I could get the less expensive one?” The difference between a bright spot and a camera And it’s a good question too, and it’s worth explaining the difference between the lower-priced item and the higher priced one. Although we casually describe both as meters, really the better term for the SF-1000 you see at the top of the page is a “signal finder.” It’s really just sort of a radio and nothing else. It picks up the frequencies used by most satellites (known as the...
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Ku band? Ka band? What are these things?

If you’re around DIRECTV people long enough you’ll hear them talk about the Ka band and the Ku band. (For the record, they’re pronounced “kay-ay” and “kay-you” not “kah” and “koo.”) What are these funny sounding things and why should you care? How radio waves are named Since even before the second World War, different parts of the radio spectrum have had letters as names. When you’re planning and designing broadcast towers you need a quick way of describing what you’re doing. You’ve heard terms like “VHF” and “UHF,” these are part of the original designations. They aren’t very helpful for frequencies higher than UHF, though. See, with the technology of the day, anything above the AM radio bands was considered “high frequency (HF.)”...
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FUN FRIDAY: I go meow

If you read this column a lot, you’ll realize that one of the things that interests me in life is how people actually make money on YouTube. I’m sure that most people who try to make money fail, and you just don’t see them. What you see in YouTube’s well-curated feed is the few thousand out of all those millions who really are able to make a go of it. And of course, it’s hard to guess what will capture the public’s attention. Of course the same is generally true of Instagram reels and Tiktoks, I shouldn’t limit this discussion to just YouTubes. But YouTube is where I personally prefer to consume my video, and that’s why I end up featuring them on Fun Friday articles. That and it’s easier to embed them in this particular platform than...
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Still thinking about a standard definition headend?

We call it “standard definition” but until pretty recently we just called it “television.” I’m talking about the square, possibly wood-grained television of your youth. Yeah, this. This is how we watched television for about 60 years, and it’s only been since the mid-2000s that our TVs have gotten sleek and slim and gorgeous. Unless of course you’re in a hotel, in which case you’re probably still watching TV “old-school.” Oh, there might be a flat TV in the room, since tube TVs like the one above are pretty hard to find. But the dim, blurry picture on it may look like it belongs on a tube TV, and that’s because it does. How TV gets to a hotel room Most hotels have a rack of cable or satellite receivers and other equipment that...
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Tech-Savvy Parenting in Remote Areas: Staying Connected with Satellite Solutions

The digital revolution has transformed childhood, with smartphones acting as gateways to education, entertainment, and social interaction. But for parents living in remote locations with unreliable internet access, monitoring their child’s online activity can feel like an impossible task. Thankfully, advancements in satellite technology offer solutions that bridge the connectivity gap, empowering parents to stay connected and informed in these areas. This article explores how satellite internet and signal-boosting devices from companies like SolidSignal.com can empower parents in remote areas to navigate the digital world alongside their children. Bridging the Distance: Satellite Technology for Reliable Monitoring Unlike traditional...
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How to enable closed captioning on DIRECTV systems

DIRECTV receivers, clients, and DVRs support closed captioning. They have to. It’s the law. However, they also connect to your TV with an HDMI cable. Unfortunately, since the basic HDMI spec doesn’t support closed captioning, most pay-TV companies won’t automatically include it. They’re not alone – most other media and streaming boxes are this way too. It’s a shame because back in the ’00s, one of the most useful features of new TVs was their ability to automatically turn on captions if you muted the sound. With HDMI connections, you lose this function. It’s really easy anyway Enabling closed captioning on a DIRECTV receiver, is really easy. Start by watching live TV. Press the INFO button on your remote (on Gemini this is the …...
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THROWBACK THURSDAY: Does your XBOX still overheat?

Sounds like a personal problem. Back in 2009, Solid Signal was still looking for its defining character. We started out with satellite television parts way back in 2002. Our web site from back then is still saved over at archive.org. Yeah, it looks a little silly but hey we all grow and change. In the mid-2000s we flourished thanks to the government’s converter box program. Most households got coupons from the government so they could buy a box that would let their TV keep working after 2009. However, obviously that market dried up somewhat. Our web site was still going strong (thank you again, archive.org) but it was time to branch out. One of the things we thought we’d try was gaming systems and accessories. Those were the early...
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Ken Reid and Adam Cayton Holland

Feb 15-21, 1997 This week Ken welcomes writer, comedian and man behind the new YouTube Comedy Special “Wallpaper”, Adam Cayton-Holland. Ken and Adam discuss climate change, Colorado, David Letterman, Letterman’s “I’m David F*&king Letterman” phase, serialized comedy, how Letterman invented Impractical Jokers, having nostalgia for 1997, the FINAL episode of The Monkees that was made in 1997, Tanya Harding, celebrity boxing, ice skating, Nancy Kerrigan, Hepcat, Sabado Gigante, Columbia House, buying things off TV, mail order, Those Who Can’t, being replaced with Young Sheldon, Fast Times, the misnomer that is The Mandela Effect, Murphy Brown, Chicago Hope, how sometimes something isn’t an “effect” you’re just stupid, Singled Out...
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How much signal do you need for a cell booster to work?

As a general rule, no one puts in a cellular signal booster because they already have great signal. You put in a cell booster because you have dropped calls or slow internet speeds. You put in a cell booster because you need great cell service. So, you might get a little frustrated when I tell you that you must have good cell service in order to get better cell service with a booster. Hold on what now? I didn’t say you needed awesome cell service in order to get better cell service with a booster. What I’m saying is that if your booster can’t even pick up a sketchy signal at all, it’s not going to do you any good. Cellular signal boosters have much bigger antennas than your phone and you can put that antenna high above the trees but...
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NICE AND EASY: What is a “SBB?”

Engineers love to make up acronyms. I’ve known that for many years. However, something occurred to me recently. Engineers also like to make up new acronyms when the old ones don’t make sense. What is this thing? Take the example of the photo above. It’s DIRECTV’s H26K Commercial Receiver. You’d be forgiven for confusing it with the previous-generation H25, because it looks so similar. The H26K is the latest DIRECTV box and the first one designed from the ground up for the needs of commercial customers. It features 4K programming, easy networking, and a built-in RF antenna so it’s easy to use. But what is it? Is it an STB? If this device had been around in the 1980s it might have been called an “STB.” That term stands for “set-top...
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Volts, Amps, and Watts — How should you measure electricity?

Folks, I don’t mind telling you that this has been a hard article to write. So hard in fact that I’ve avoided writing it for years. Why? Because electricity is hard to explain, and most of the time the explanations leave you with more confusion than you started with. Is electricity really like water? Here’s the most common explanation of how electricity works, from HowStuffWorks: This is a great way to start a 9th grade term paper but it doesn’t leave you with any real deep understanding of what you need to know. It’s not technically untrue but it’s not going to help you in the field. I’m going to try to give you some information that’s going to actually let you use these terms with some comfort. Volts Generally, volts have to be...
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Podcast #580: Over-the-air antennas making a comeback in apartment buildings? Here’s how to get in on the trend!

Everyone’s looking to add value, especially when rents are so high. Adding a master antenna system to your apartment building lets residents get dozens of free channels of live TV. Call us at 888-233-7563 to find out more! 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 3...
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