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Hello everyone,

We are new to satellite and new to the boards. While we've been going through our agony of the last week and a half, I've done some google searches that pointed me to this board. Great site!

So a week and a half ago, our Dish Network installer came out. We told him where we wanted the dish, kind of behind our chimney, but facing south. He went up there with his sensor, waved it around pretty haphazardly, and said "I think it might work here, but I can't be sure until I mount it." He mounted it, and said there wasn't enough signal. So then we tried a place he recommended, same thing. Finally, we let him put it on the roof, because he convinced us that the HD satellite is low on the horizon, and it was really going to work up there. So on the third set of holes in the house, he said we were good, except we weren't getting HD channels. He left after 5 hours, with 2 dishes on our house - the 500 on the roof, and the 1000 on the side of the house (in the second set of holes). He had us set up with basic channels overnight, but had to come back the next day to finish the install. The next day, after a grand total of 7 hours, he had us working with 1 dish - a 1000 on the roof. He caulked the extra holes, and went off with us happy as clams, loving our new satellite TV. (We've always had cable before)

The following weekend, 8 days later, our service went out. Throughout the week, a few times, we had "flickery" service - once in a while the screen would go to the "Searching for signal" message, but it would come back pretty quickly. Well on this Sunday, there were a few clouds in the sky, but no rain for miles and our service was totally out. So I called tech support, we ran the diagnostic tests over the phone and they said someone would have to come out. I complained that the other guy had been so slow and put so many holes in our house, so they agreed to send a regional manager on a Wednesday. Three days after the call. During the 3 days, I kept rebooting and running the diag. tests and sometimes would get signal. We started to notice that it worked better at night after the weather had cooled down. At this point, we didn't know anything about LMPs.

The serviceman came, said everything looked fine, rebooted and got it working. He was about to leave, when luckily the signal went out. So he shimmied up the ladder and looked some more. He said the first man had used 3 screws in the upper mounts, but 2 in the lower mounts, so that could explain the signal flickering. So he added a screw on each of the lower mounts and repositioned the dish. Seemed to be working fine, so he left.

This time our fix lasted 2 days. Saturday, our signal goes out again. We do more trouble shooting online, and learn about the LMP problem. So we call the 800 number, wait on hold 45 minutes, and go through the diag. tests again with the phone rep with no luck. She says it sounds like we have an LMP problem (duh!) and says a service man will be out Tuesday (again 3 days wait). Once again, during the 3 days, I can sometimes get the signal to work and sometimes not and it usually works better in the evenings. Finally, Monday night, it totally craps out and won't work for anything. So at least it will be good and broken when the techs come out.

So yesterday, these 2 guys in 2 vans show up. Immediately they start doing tests on my house wiring. I told them I think we have an LMP problem. They say "oh, oh, this could be anything - we've got to do complete diagnostics." Well they were the first guys to have diagnostic equipment and actually do any testing other than visual examinations, so I let them do their thing. They decide that the wiring in our house is substandard and insist that they have to run cable around the outside of our house and punch through the wall. I ask again about the LMP, and they say that wouldn't matter - if they replace it, I'll still have signal trouble. I asked them if this would fix the problem, and they say "oh yes, yes!" So fine, except that while I'm debating this, the guy gets his drill out. They had run a cable through the house from the satellite to the receiver directly and the diag tests were looking good, but we had only gotten as far as the program guide downloading. So I ask if we can wait to see some TV before they drill. They say that will take too long and start drilling into my wall. At this point, I'm furious that they aren't respecting my wanting to wait 3 minutes, but I bite my tongue, and think "Well, they ran the tests so it will work." Several minutes later, we see the second guy go out and put the ladder up and replace the LMP. I run outside, quite irritated now. They had no good reason for it, just that they had decided to replace the LMP also. (I'm guessing because the phone rep thought that was the problem, they knew they could get paid for it. I just wanted them to try it before they punched holes in my house - not after.)

So finally, they leave, I have a drink and walk the dog, and feel a whole lot better because now I have TV, we've covered all the bases, and surely we've gotten it working now. Water under the bridge.

Guess what? Today, just for kicks, I turn the TV on around noon. Less than 24 hours later and NO SIGNAL! I reboot, run diag. tests, nothing is working. The sky is blue, these surly guys yesterday covered all the options, and my dish doesn't work.

I live in Georgia where we've had record heat. So I guess I could have another defective LMP. But is this a typical installation experience of HD service?? My husband and I are talking tonight about whether to tell them to come pick up the dish or to give them one more chance to fix it. We love the channel line up, love the picture quality, but I will not have another arrogant installer drilling on my house without explaining to me, in technical terms, why he thinks it's necessary. And I also do not want to have to call for service every week. I am hearing around town that Dish is much less reliable than DirecTV. Is this true? Does Dish have terrible luck in the south, where it's hot, or nationally are they inferior? Or am I just having a run of bad, bad luck and should avoid Vegas for a while? Oh, and we're in an extreme drought, so should we expect no service when it rains?

ShadTanr
Sorry for the long post - but you have to feel our pain before you tell me to just have faith.