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Hi all,

I'm an E* convert. With no new HD and the BSG premiere, I decided to pull the switcheroo. Their current promos topped with the AAA offer made it a no brainer!

Anyway, I was so impressed with my installation I wanted to share some pictures. Also, I was so *unimpressed* with my prior Dish Network install, I figured I'd compare them.

First, my Dish install from several months ago:






You'll notice that the dish is installed on my roof, with the RG6 run straight down the roof. I told the installer I was strongly against a roof install. He offered me no other option. I asked for a pole install but he wouldn't do it. He said he'd hide all the cabling and would make sure it didn't leak. It hasn't leaked, but I wouldn't say that is hidden cabling. You can't tell in the pics, but black cable on a red roof is not pretty. I've been a little bitter about the install all along, but I blame myself for not turning the guy away when he woudn't listen to me.

He also cut my cable company coax, attempting to diplex one of the satellite feeds. I explicitly told him not to touch the existing cable runs at all, but he didn't listen to that either. After I asked him a second time NOT to touch the existing cabling, he re-spliced my cable company coax back together. I'm hoping no water gets in there...

Also note the cable routing. He didn't take any time to clean things up at all. Some of it was a mess already, but he could have at least cleaned up the cabling that he ran, which is about 1/2 of what is pictured.

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Now, on to my DirecTV install from Friday of last week:










You'll note that the dish is pole mounted at the very rear of my property. The DirecTV installer had no problem listening to what I wanted and offering me several options. I did have to pay $75 extra for the pole mount install, but it was worth every penny. It's zoomed in above, but it's barely noticeable in the grand scheme of things. It looks MUCH better to me than the dish and black cabling on my red roof...

Also notice that he took the time to coil up and secure the wiring that he ran. The "exposed" exterior wiring you see is the ONLY visible cabling outside, and it's in a corner behind my A/C compressor.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with my installation. Everything has been working flawlessly so far right off the bat, while my Dish Network install required a second visit to correct a few problems.

And finally, a word on the DirecTV HR21 versus the Dish Network 722. Maybe I'm in the minority, but so far I *prefer* the HR21. It's much more similar to my TiVo, and it makes a bit more sense. The channel numbering really irritates me on DirecTV - it did seem a bit more sane with Dish. This is all based on my initial obvervations of course. My opinions might change as I use the HR21 more, but so far I'm not wanting to throw it out the window like so many were quick to suggest I'd be ready to do.

Thanks everyone here on the D* side of the forums for the pre-dive assistance!