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We've had our plasma for about 6 months but put off upgrading to HD due to the equipment cost. However, thanks to the awesome advice on these forums we got a smokin' deal from DirecTV's customer retention department. I mentioned the deals Dish has going (free upgrade to HD DVR). They wouldn't give us the HD DVR for free but did give it to us for $49.99 plus gave us 6 mo. free HBO and Cinemax, 12 months free HD Programming and a $10 credit for 12 months.
Then comes the bad news....
We had the installation appointment this morning to install the new 5 LNB Dish and HD DVR. When the installer showed up he said he was here to install the HD DVR but then said - it doesn't look good though, you have a lot of trees around here. He said he would go survey and then be back. He went out and looked around for a minute (maybe two) and then comes back to the door and says sorry, can't do it (he didn't even go in our back yard). He said we don't have a clear line of site for the HD dish. Apparently he said a neighbor's tree 2 houses up would interfere with at least 1 of the feeds. He said you basically have 5 lines of site with the HD dish instead of just one. I asked about alternate installation options (such as mounting to a pole somewhere else) and he said the 5LNB was too heavy and he didn't recommend installing it on a pole as it would move around and cause us to lose signal. So, he said he would call his office and let them know he couldn't do it and he left. He was here for a grand total of maybe 5 minutes from the time he pulled in the driveway. Now what I don't understand is he only walked down by the end of our house - didn't go up on the roof where the current dish is located to check line of site. We had that same problem years ago when we had our original dish installed - the installer said then he couldn't install for us because of line of sight issues and trees. My husband made him get up on the roof and check there and low and behold he got great signal.
So, after the installer left today I call DirecTV immediately and tell them what happened and explained that the guy that came today didn't even climb up on the roof to check there. They said we can schedule a 2nd opinion where they send a supervisor out to do a survey of our property. So, we do a 3 way conference call with Ironwood Communications (the installers) to try and set that up. They say it will take 24-48 hours for them to even call me and schedule that. However, in the meantime they had a cancellation on Friday morning and could send someone out again at that time to try again. They said they would send a more experienced installer or a supervisor/trainer.
Has anyone else run into this type of problem when upgrading to HD (the 5 LNB dish)? I almost had the feeling like the installer just didn't want to deal with it or spend the time scoping out alternative places since that would take too much time and lessen how many installs he could do today. I feel like I got blown off completely.
I would think that maybe we would clear the trees since you're talking about 2 stories higher than the ground where he tested. Then again I'm certainly no expert or have any kind of tech knowledge.
Can anyone offer any advice or suggestions for my Friday appointment? My husband will be at work and it will just be me here again and I'm not exactly sure about what I can have the installer try.
If this doesn't work I guess we have to go back to Comcast to get at least a few HD channels
Thanks in advance for any help!
Then comes the bad news....
We had the installation appointment this morning to install the new 5 LNB Dish and HD DVR. When the installer showed up he said he was here to install the HD DVR but then said - it doesn't look good though, you have a lot of trees around here. He said he would go survey and then be back. He went out and looked around for a minute (maybe two) and then comes back to the door and says sorry, can't do it (he didn't even go in our back yard). He said we don't have a clear line of site for the HD dish. Apparently he said a neighbor's tree 2 houses up would interfere with at least 1 of the feeds. He said you basically have 5 lines of site with the HD dish instead of just one. I asked about alternate installation options (such as mounting to a pole somewhere else) and he said the 5LNB was too heavy and he didn't recommend installing it on a pole as it would move around and cause us to lose signal. So, he said he would call his office and let them know he couldn't do it and he left. He was here for a grand total of maybe 5 minutes from the time he pulled in the driveway. Now what I don't understand is he only walked down by the end of our house - didn't go up on the roof where the current dish is located to check line of site. We had that same problem years ago when we had our original dish installed - the installer said then he couldn't install for us because of line of sight issues and trees. My husband made him get up on the roof and check there and low and behold he got great signal.
So, after the installer left today I call DirecTV immediately and tell them what happened and explained that the guy that came today didn't even climb up on the roof to check there. They said we can schedule a 2nd opinion where they send a supervisor out to do a survey of our property. So, we do a 3 way conference call with Ironwood Communications (the installers) to try and set that up. They say it will take 24-48 hours for them to even call me and schedule that. However, in the meantime they had a cancellation on Friday morning and could send someone out again at that time to try again. They said they would send a more experienced installer or a supervisor/trainer.
Has anyone else run into this type of problem when upgrading to HD (the 5 LNB dish)? I almost had the feeling like the installer just didn't want to deal with it or spend the time scoping out alternative places since that would take too much time and lessen how many installs he could do today. I feel like I got blown off completely.
I would think that maybe we would clear the trees since you're talking about 2 stories higher than the ground where he tested. Then again I'm certainly no expert or have any kind of tech knowledge.
Can anyone offer any advice or suggestions for my Friday appointment? My husband will be at work and it will just be me here again and I'm not exactly sure about what I can have the installer try.
If this doesn't work I guess we have to go back to Comcast to get at least a few HD channels
Thanks in advance for any help!
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3702 views
B
Thanks for the responses
Well, at least I don't feel alone in this. Thank you so much for your responses. I posted on one of the forums on DirecTV's website as well and a lot of people have had the same problem. One guy even had to resort to just buying the equipment and installing it himself.
We actually don't have a 3 LNB dish - it's an old single. However, we do get 96-97% tuning on it and it seems to be pointed in the same direction of the tree he thought would be the biggest problem.
I guess we'll keep our fingers crossed that the next guy will do a complete survey and will be willing to spend a little more time on this. I know when I called DirecTV they seemed annoyed that the installer was only here for a grand total of maybe 5 minutes (in other words - they knew he didn't even try).
Wish us luck
Well, at least I don't feel alone in this. Thank you so much for your responses. I posted on one of the forums on DirecTV's website as well and a lot of people have had the same problem. One guy even had to resort to just buying the equipment and installing it himself.
We actually don't have a 3 LNB dish - it's an old single. However, we do get 96-97% tuning on it and it seems to be pointed in the same direction of the tree he thought would be the biggest problem.
I guess we'll keep our fingers crossed that the next guy will do a complete survey and will be willing to spend a little more time on this. I know when I called DirecTV they seemed annoyed that the installer was only here for a grand total of maybe 5 minutes (in other words - they knew he didn't even try).
Wish us luck
We actually don't have a 3 LNB dish - it's an old single. However, we do get 96-97% tuning on it and it seems to be pointed in the same direction of the tree he thought would be the biggest problem.
I guess we'll keep our fingers crossed that the next guy will do a complete survey and will be willing to spend a little more time on this. I know when I called DirecTV they seemed annoyed that the installer was only here for a grand total of maybe 5 minutes (in other words - they knew he didn't even try).
Wish us luck
And this could be the problem. If you have the single LNB dish, it is pointing at the 101 sat. While this won't be a problem for the 99/103 sats, it does not ensure that you are going to be able to see the 110 and 119 sats. If the installer can not get a LOS to all 5 sats, then he won't install it.
While the single LNB dish points to the same area as the 5 LNB, the 5 LNB needs a bigger arc in the sky to see all sats. It will require a 30 degree window from east to west, and a 10 degree elevation window to get all sats without problems.
I would also like to point out that most iexperienced installers can tell when they pull up to a house if there is going to be a LOS issue or not. It may have been that you got a hack installer, or it may have been that you actually got somebody that knew what they were doing. Either way, getting a second opinion is the correct way to go.
Sorry to burst your bubble
but the installer is wrong. I know, it's hard to believe! From North Carolina, the 99 sat appears the highest in the sky, and the 119 the lowest.
P
perhaps it was the 119 that he mentioned. either way, there was one that sat low enough to bring some tall pines about 100 yards away into the picture. i was shocked when he told me that. i back up to a golf course of all places with a nice open area for some S.W. viewing. i have to imagine that a lot of people will be having bad luck hitting the 119.
Sorry to burst your bubble
perhaps it was the 119 that he mentioned. either way, there was one that sat low enough to bring some tall pines about 100 yards away into the picture. i was shocked when he told me that. i back up to a golf course of all places with a nice open area for some S.W. viewing. i have to imagine that a lot of people will be having bad luck hitting the 119.
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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....
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I've always been super interested in things space related so this is a pretty cool event coming up. Nov 18, 2026 early in the morning, Voyager 1 will reach the distance of one full light day from Earth. Took almost 50 yrs. I was 13 when it launched.
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gjHK3clOwIw?feature=share
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gjHK3clOwIw?feature=share
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Supporting Founder
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This thread is a place to discuss the 4K events that appear on channel 540. We are getting, at this point, one college football game a week. Let's hope there is more coming.
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299615 views
Even though it didn't work out for the Hoosiers, this event recorded and I was able to watch it in full 4K HDR.
Timer is set to Record the Series. Thanks, Bobby!
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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.
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31727 views
My OTA is not working anymore. This started after the latest update. I have the OTA dongle with a OTA antenna that I've been using for years. My hopper does not recognize the dongle anymore and when I go to the OTA setting, it has a screen that says to plug a dongle into the USB. I tried unplugging and plugging back, in the same usb port and other ports. The Hopper does not recognize it. Anyone have same issue?
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5391 views
Hi all. If you were using a single tuner USB OTA adapter that is no longer working, please PM me. Thanks.
I have the dual tuner OTA adapter currently connected, but I have 2 of the single tuner OTA adapters that I can quickly connect - neither is seen by my H3.Hi all. If you were using a single tuner USB OTA adapter that is no longer working, please PM me. Thanks.
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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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I'm surprised Walmart hasn't banned this guy from all of their stores. He has been on their CASE the past few months.
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f3zr37ekgKM?feature=share
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Unless the specific product or its packaging is known at the time of weighing, estimating the tare weight for a PoS system is a tall order.
I'm pretty sure that produce bags can't get any thinner.
You certainly don't want to put unbagged produce on a belt, scale, or in a clerk's hands (gloved or not).
I would think that all the packaging would already be accounted for ... they weigh the container, subtract that from the scale, then add the product , so its weighing the Product onlyUnless the specific product or its packaging is known at the time of weighing, estimating the tare weight for a PoS system is a tall order.
I'm pretty sure that produce bags can't get any thinner.
You certainly don't want to put unbagged produce on a belt, scale, or in a clerk's hands (gloved or not).
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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942 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.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kBKUeLHP3zY
Direct YouTube Link - Foursquare's Hidden Location Data Became a Game #shorts
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TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kBKUeLHP3zY
Direct YouTube Link - Foursquare's Hidden Location Data Became a Game #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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Hi guys, is anyone getting any quality on transponder 4135 L 30000 I'm not getting any quality few weeks now.
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27 views