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I answered an ad in our local paper about becoming a dish network installer. This is a little summary of my experience and why I decided not to do this business after a week of training. The company is doing superdish
installs and upgrades almost exclusively. First, I was told how much money I could make. (lots) This was interesting because of course, everyone wants to make lots of money. The General Manager told me I would be
paid $50 a day for training, up to 7 days. I was told to report the next day for a week of training. The next day, I was assigned to work with a two man crew who were splitting the money they made. On the first job, I found
out that these guys were not grounding their dishes. I asked the General Manager about proper grounding and he said ground the Superdish with the messenger wire on the RG6, connect it to the "34" switch, then to the ground
block. Then run a wire from the ground block to a proper grounding location. I know the messenger wire isn't a sufficient ground for a dish. But the boys who were "training" me were just cutting about 6" of the messenger
wire off to get it out of their way so they could hook up to the LNB's. No ground on the dish. They could only get 119 on that install, the leader of the two went back twice and still hadn't resolved it. We worked together a
couple of days, and I noticed that a lot of Superdish upgrades were being hooked up to the existing rg59 cable instead of replacing the cable with rg6. This was because replacing the cable would be time consuming and the guy
training me would not make any extra money for it. The pay sheet says $70.00 for a Superdish upgrade, $100.for a Superdish install, and states "ALL CUSTOM WORK IS PART OF THE INSTALL". You know how difficult
it can be to fish cable. Anyway, every night I did my homework on the Internet about this business and found out a lot. One day we went on a trouble call (pays $25.to the subcontractor/installer if it's not his own mistake) and the customer stated he didn't have his even numbered channels coming off his Superdish. My trainer diagnosed the problem by checking the wire, finding it was rg59, and said "I don't want to replace that ____ing wire". My trainer then hooked up a receiver he had with him, which did the exact same thing of not picking up the even channels. Then he called Dish, told them the customer needed a new Receiver, and we left for the next job. I was beginning to see clearly how money could be made at this business, and it was starting to stink. Most of the time when I asked him a technical question, my trainer would say I don't ____ing know. They really liked him at the shop, because he got a lot done and filled out his paperwork neatly and correctly. The last day was the clincher for me. We went out to install a Superdish, and it was a $500,000. house, with rg59 installed throughout it's
beautifully finished interior. No sign of a way to run new rg6 cable. So my Installer/Trainer hooked the Superdish to the rg59, as usual. One of the wires that was running from the Receiver poked me and shocked me. I figured it must be pretty hot so I stuck my meter on it and measured 48 volts. I informed my trainer of how much voltage there was and he snapped "how am I supposed to know how much voltage there is?" I said "well, you'ld
better know" These wires carry enough voltage to spark plenty. After the Install, the owner was asking the "trainer" how he had gotten it to work, since three other people had told him his wiring was incompatible with
superdish. "Trainer" just shruggs it off. So after work I call the General Manager and ask him if we connect Superdish equipment to rg 59 will it fail Q.C. ? he says "Yes". Then he says "If they catch it" (he does Q.C.) He
said that rg59 would last a while, then go bad. Then he said "well, you could get them to sign a waiver that your'e hooking up to the wrong kind of wire, if they want it done" I said "Where on the paperwork is there a place for a waiver?" he said "There isn't one" I said "Could this be a fire
hazard?" Then he said, "I guess you'ld better not be messing with getting them to sign a waiver, there's too much liability" "You need to discuss these things with your Manager, I've turned it over to him now" I went home that
night and discussed it with my Wife. I came to the conclusion that if I were to start this business, I couldn't make much money doing it the right way, since most of the work in this area is done in homes with existing rg59
that was installed for cable tv, and I would only consider doing it the right way with all new rg6 wire. I just don't want to burn anyone's house down, or even cause them to lose their tv signal due to shoddy work. and since "ALL
CUSTOM WORK IS PART OF THE INSTALL", I would say Dish Network is either going to wise up or replace a lot of receivers, and have a lot of trouble calls.
Too bad, it could have been a fun business.
installs and upgrades almost exclusively. First, I was told how much money I could make. (lots) This was interesting because of course, everyone wants to make lots of money. The General Manager told me I would be
paid $50 a day for training, up to 7 days. I was told to report the next day for a week of training. The next day, I was assigned to work with a two man crew who were splitting the money they made. On the first job, I found
out that these guys were not grounding their dishes. I asked the General Manager about proper grounding and he said ground the Superdish with the messenger wire on the RG6, connect it to the "34" switch, then to the ground
block. Then run a wire from the ground block to a proper grounding location. I know the messenger wire isn't a sufficient ground for a dish. But the boys who were "training" me were just cutting about 6" of the messenger
wire off to get it out of their way so they could hook up to the LNB's. No ground on the dish. They could only get 119 on that install, the leader of the two went back twice and still hadn't resolved it. We worked together a
couple of days, and I noticed that a lot of Superdish upgrades were being hooked up to the existing rg59 cable instead of replacing the cable with rg6. This was because replacing the cable would be time consuming and the guy
training me would not make any extra money for it. The pay sheet says $70.00 for a Superdish upgrade, $100.for a Superdish install, and states "ALL CUSTOM WORK IS PART OF THE INSTALL". You know how difficult
it can be to fish cable. Anyway, every night I did my homework on the Internet about this business and found out a lot. One day we went on a trouble call (pays $25.to the subcontractor/installer if it's not his own mistake) and the customer stated he didn't have his even numbered channels coming off his Superdish. My trainer diagnosed the problem by checking the wire, finding it was rg59, and said "I don't want to replace that ____ing wire". My trainer then hooked up a receiver he had with him, which did the exact same thing of not picking up the even channels. Then he called Dish, told them the customer needed a new Receiver, and we left for the next job. I was beginning to see clearly how money could be made at this business, and it was starting to stink. Most of the time when I asked him a technical question, my trainer would say I don't ____ing know. They really liked him at the shop, because he got a lot done and filled out his paperwork neatly and correctly. The last day was the clincher for me. We went out to install a Superdish, and it was a $500,000. house, with rg59 installed throughout it's
beautifully finished interior. No sign of a way to run new rg6 cable. So my Installer/Trainer hooked the Superdish to the rg59, as usual. One of the wires that was running from the Receiver poked me and shocked me. I figured it must be pretty hot so I stuck my meter on it and measured 48 volts. I informed my trainer of how much voltage there was and he snapped "how am I supposed to know how much voltage there is?" I said "well, you'ld
better know" These wires carry enough voltage to spark plenty. After the Install, the owner was asking the "trainer" how he had gotten it to work, since three other people had told him his wiring was incompatible with
superdish. "Trainer" just shruggs it off. So after work I call the General Manager and ask him if we connect Superdish equipment to rg 59 will it fail Q.C. ? he says "Yes". Then he says "If they catch it" (he does Q.C.) He
said that rg59 would last a while, then go bad. Then he said "well, you could get them to sign a waiver that your'e hooking up to the wrong kind of wire, if they want it done" I said "Where on the paperwork is there a place for a waiver?" he said "There isn't one" I said "Could this be a fire
hazard?" Then he said, "I guess you'ld better not be messing with getting them to sign a waiver, there's too much liability" "You need to discuss these things with your Manager, I've turned it over to him now" I went home that
night and discussed it with my Wife. I came to the conclusion that if I were to start this business, I couldn't make much money doing it the right way, since most of the work in this area is done in homes with existing rg59
that was installed for cable tv, and I would only consider doing it the right way with all new rg6 wire. I just don't want to burn anyone's house down, or even cause them to lose their tv signal due to shoddy work. and since "ALL
CUSTOM WORK IS PART OF THE INSTALL", I would say Dish Network is either going to wise up or replace a lot of receivers, and have a lot of trouble calls.
Too bad, it could have been a fun business.
12 Replies
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3554 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2QtsO2mlXM
Direct YouTube Link - This Web Vulnerability Shook the Tech World
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2QtsO2mlXM
Direct YouTube Link - This Web Vulnerability Shook the Tech World
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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12 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68606 Replies
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2678009 views
Lifetime Supporter
I know HipKat said that they were working on conversions but we got the official news yesterday right from Dish that starting next month all DMA's will be on the western arc, and all customers will be assigned to that. That's gonna mean a lot of customers around here aren't gonna get Dish unless there are exceptions. Too many mountains and trees.
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4365 views
Unfortunately, I don't think my social proximity to Charle Ergen provides any special perks. Maybe if Foxbat, Jr. were to marry his daughter…have charlie buy you a new house
S
.
that would be one hell of a convoUnfortunately, I don't think my social proximity to Charle Ergen provides any special perks. Maybe if Foxbat, Jr. were to marry his daughter…
.
The title was to catch everyone's eye lol! But it is a thought I've been having as I dev a Roku app for a client. You see many MAAANY years ago I got really interested in cable TV channels and even chatted with a regional carrier, Insight about what it took to get a channel number. It was surprisingly easy although prohibitively expensive.
You could petition, reserve a high channel number, they monitored performance and if they liked you, you'd get lower channel number overtime and cut into ad overlays.
Roku has a similar setup. Make an app, if it has a strong, original linear component you could get channel assignment on The Roku Channel.
As mixed as my feelings are on the current media landscape, I can't help but feel a little excited interest when I scope out the apps in the Roku store.
You could petition, reserve a high channel number, they monitored performance and if they liked you, you'd get lower channel number overtime and cut into ad overlays.
Roku has a similar setup. Make an app, if it has a strong, original linear component you could get channel assignment on The Roku Channel.
As mixed as my feelings are on the current media landscape, I can't help but feel a little excited interest when I scope out the apps in the Roku store.
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60 views
Season 2 order already in hand:
'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' Renewed for Season 2, Tatiana Maslany to Guest Star in Season 1
I've not been optimistic about this show based on what I've read so far. Seems to be aimed at a younger audience. Interesting though that Tatiana Maslany will have some sort of role.
'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' Renewed for Season 2, Tatiana Maslany to Guest Star in Season 1
I've not been optimistic about this show based on what I've read so far. Seems to be aimed at a younger audience. Interesting though that Tatiana Maslany will have some sort of role.
94 Replies
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3739 views
Why are ViP922s So rare? like its crazy how ebay has none, i checked everywhere, also, i got a ViP222k now, which is actually activated!
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1120 views
I remember this in the news too...
www.nbcnews.com
$14,000 spent on rented rotary phone
A widow rented a rotary dial telephone for 42 years, paying what her family calculates as more than $14,000 for a now- outdated phone.
www.nbcnews.com
That is a misnomer. In the old days you subscribed to telephone service. That included the telephone line and one telephone. An extension cost $1 a month extra. So that $14,000 over 42 years was for the service not the leased telephone. There is no way they paid $28 a month for 42 years for a leased telephone.I remember this in the news too...
$14,000 spent on rented rotary phone
A widow rented a rotary dial telephone for 42 years, paying what her family calculates as more than $14,000 for a now- outdated phone.
S
me either. sometimes it seems like things disappear when they start changing sh*t around
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
So...DirecTV advertises the Choice package with 95+ bonus channels for Satellite customers. You don't want 90+ of the 95...
Excluding PPV, premium networks, infomercial, shopping, religion, and non-English programming, there are 7 channels on satellite that are not on streaming:
NFL Network, MavTV, FE TV, Free Speech, NASA, INSP, and Pursuit. I'm pretty sure a couple of those are public interest that they have to carry to meet an FCC quota on satellite.
I hope they get called out for this advertising because that is ridiculous. One big network, NFL, will probably get added to streaming when their next agreement comes up, and the rest are likely very low viewership.
What about streaming, what do you get extra with the Choice package that isn't on Satellite:
Two stations - one of which is an internet TV - Fox Weather, and Heros & Icons (a diginet). Nothing special here to look at either.
If they cleaned up a couple of their agreements, added a few public interest stations to streaming, they could probably have their lineups match. It's close now, if you take out all the garbage on satellite that they earn money on. If they can sell infomercials on satellite, why can't they on streaming, seems like a miss. A bigger miss, including those stations in the "bonus channels just for satellite customers." Pretty sad marketing right there.
Attached is a comparison sheet of satellite vs streaming for the three main packages if anyone is interested.
MOD EDIT: See Post #3 for an up to date list of what channels are available on sat but not on streaming/internet, see Post #21 for an up to date list of what's available in the app for streaming customers, but not for sat customers.
Excluding PPV, premium networks, infomercial, shopping, religion, and non-English programming, there are 7 channels on satellite that are not on streaming:
NFL Network, MavTV, FE TV, Free Speech, NASA, INSP, and Pursuit. I'm pretty sure a couple of those are public interest that they have to carry to meet an FCC quota on satellite.
I hope they get called out for this advertising because that is ridiculous. One big network, NFL, will probably get added to streaming when their next agreement comes up, and the rest are likely very low viewership.
What about streaming, what do you get extra with the Choice package that isn't on Satellite:
Two stations - one of which is an internet TV - Fox Weather, and Heros & Icons (a diginet). Nothing special here to look at either.
If they cleaned up a couple of their agreements, added a few public interest stations to streaming, they could probably have their lineups match. It's close now, if you take out all the garbage on satellite that they earn money on. If they can sell infomercials on satellite, why can't they on streaming, seems like a miss. A bigger miss, including those stations in the "bonus channels just for satellite customers." Pretty sad marketing right there.
Attached is a comparison sheet of satellite vs streaming for the three main packages if anyone is interested.
MOD EDIT: See Post #3 for an up to date list of what channels are available on sat but not on streaming/internet, see Post #21 for an up to date list of what's available in the app for streaming customers, but not for sat customers.
243 Replies
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31900 views
Supporting Founder
Pub Member / Supporter
Apple Fall Hardware Event takes place today, September 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. It marks the debut of new CEO John Ternus and the expected reveal of Apple's first foldable phone.
132 Replies
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1480 views
. can we say over priced garbage!!!
Lifetime Supporter
Schedule drops tomorrow. Mandatory mini camps in June. Hall of Fame game August 6th.
127 Replies
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2324 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHoCBzfrdmQ
Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Tech 1107
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHoCBzfrdmQ
Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Tech 1107
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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12 views