Can someone please try to explain (long)

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gabe1

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Original poster
Jan 2, 2006
11
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Well

I will try to explain the best I can, and yes this is really going on right now
for over a month.

Order direct tv over a month ago, My roof is new , one month old($14.000) no dish on the roof allowed.
I ask for line of sight survey on my property.

This is what I got:
Week #1
Sub contractor found a spot in my backyard but want to charge $100 to install
the pole.I said I will install the pole, I reschedule for the following Saturday.

Week #2
Direct tv VAN shows up very nice installer surveyed my yard for a long time
told me (same area as the sub-contractor) cut those bushes go back 3 feet
with a 10 foot pole and you are ok. so he left and I reschedule for the following Saturday.
I dig the hole pour the concrete I made it extra strong used a 12 inch diameter tube
36" high so the 10 foot pole would not move.

That some week a "field manager" past by my house and told my daugher you are all set your line of site is fine.

Week #3
direct tv VAN shows up the guy spen 5 minutes in my yard call me up and said sorry you dont have line of site???

Today another "field manager" show up told my daugher sorry you don't have line of site.

Now I got 3 yes so far and 2 no This is a true story and going on right now as I write this message

Do these guys work for the same company or what? I don't get it.

And of course when you call DTY out in arizona some where they don't have a clue of whats going on because their computer screen just shows my name and account #

Should I reschedule again may be I will get anothe NO and then it will be 3 yes and 3 No!

then I will I reschedule again for a tie breaker 3,4

Jokes aside it's unbeliveble how these companies manage to stay in business.

Frustated in Connecticut :(

Does anyone know any independent sub-contracters in Connecticut?
 
slow down, back up, what kinda pole did you put in? was this for standard or hi def, and a 10' pole is very not normal... we normally dont do anything like that, poles are about 6ft and we bury them 1-2' so im thinking something got messed up somewhere.
 
Well

I will try to explain the best I can, and yes this is really going on right now
for over a month.

Order direct tv over a month ago, My roof is new , one month old($14.000) no dish on the roof allowed.
I ask for line of sight survey on my property.

This is what I got:
Week #1
Sub contractor found a spot in my backyard but want to charge $100 to install
the pole.I said I will install the pole, I reschedule for the following Saturday.

Week #2
Direct tv VAN shows up very nice installer surveyed my yard for a long time
told me (same area as the sub-contractor) cut those bushes go back 3 feet
with a 10 foot pole and you are ok. so he left and I reschedule for the following Saturday.
I dig the hole pour the concrete I made it extra strong used a 12 inch diameter tube
36" high so the 10 foot pole would not move.

That some week a "field manager" past by my house and told my daugher you are all set your line of site is fine.

Week #3
direct tv VAN shows up the guy spen 5 minutes in my yard call me up and said sorry you dont have line of site???

Today another "field manager" show up told my daugher sorry you don't have line of site.

Now I got 3 yes so far and 2 no This is a true story and going on right now as I write this message

Do these guys work for the same company or what? I don't get it.

And of course when you call DTY out in arizona some where they don't have a clue of whats going on because their computer screen just shows my name and account #

Should I reschedule again may be I will get anothe NO and then it will be 3 yes and 3 No!

then I will I reschedule again for a tie breaker 3,4

Jokes aside it's unbeliveble how these companies manage to stay in business.

Frustated in Connecticut :(

Does anyone know any independent sub-contracters in Connecticut?

Where in CT are you?
 
Thanks all for the reply’s

TWIZT3Dkitty
I understand “DVT company rules only allow 5 ‘ above the ground.
This pole is for hi def and its very stiff 3 feet down and 8 feet up this
Pole is fine believe me nothing is messed up.
My post is not about the pole it’s about direct tv installers 3 YES for line of site
And 2 NO so far!


Joed 32
Do you blame me for not wanting 10 ½ lag bolts on my new roof?
The pole mount is fine trust me.
Why can’t they make up their mind 3 said yes and 2 said no.
I will go to OTA before I order cable

Raoul5788
Naugatuck
 
let me rephrase my question, what is the OD of the pole you put in? some techs wont use poles that arnt from d* because the dishes dont fit right. its possible your techs that said no were saying no because the pole wouldnt pass qc.
 
Thanks all for the reply’s

TWIZT3Dkitty
I understand “DVT company rules only allow 5 ‘ above the ground.
This pole is for hi def and its very stiff 3 feet down and 8 feet up this
Pole is fine believe me nothing is messed up.
My post is not about the pole it’s about direct tv installers 3 YES for line of site
And 2 NO so far!


Joed 32
Do you blame me for not wanting 10 ½ lag bolts on my new roof?
The pole mount is fine trust me.
Why can’t they make up their mind 3 said yes and 2 said no.
I will go to OTA before I order cable

Raoul5788
Naugatuck

I am in Cheshire. If you can wait until July 13th when I am back from vacation, I would be happy to come over and check your line of sight. My pole is 9 feet up and three feet in the ground with no issues in over two years.
 
one other reason that you might have gotten so many different answers is that the tool that we use to find line of sight comes in different configurations.... good and bad.... some techs just don't want to spend the extra money to buy quality equipment which results in miss calculations on los or the tech was just lazy and didnt want to do the work :)
 
That high is probably outside normal install. You may need to have a local retailer do it, or possibly do it yourself. I'm not sure any regular installer will put a dish on a pole 8' in the air, it is outside of their normal quality requirements (I think). That pole better be solid if putting a slimline that high, 2" outer diamer, right?
 
one other reason that you might have gotten so many different answers is that the tool that we use to find line of sight comes in different configurations.... good and bad.... some techs just don't want to spend the extra money to buy quality equipment which results in miss calculations on loss or the tech was just lazy and didnt want to do the work :)

SOME TECHS WILL NOT SPEND $400.00 + to assure an installation will work when a cheap meter is all that is worth the effort!

Joe
 
Last edited:
Well

I will try to explain the best I can, and yes this is really going on right now
for over a month.

Order direct tv over a month ago, My roof is new , one month old($14.000) no dish on the roof allowed.
I ask for line of sight survey on my property.

This is what I got:
Week #1
Sub contractor found a spot in my backyard but want to charge $100 to install
the pole.I said I will install the pole, I reschedule for the following Saturday.

Week #2
Direct tv VAN shows up very nice installer surveyed my yard for a long time
told me (same area as the sub-contractor) cut those bushes go back 3 feet
with a 10 foot pole and you are ok. so he left and I reschedule for the following Saturday.
I dig the hole pour the concrete I made it extra strong used a 12 inch diameter tube
36" high so the 10 foot pole would not move.

That some week a "field manager" past by my house and told my daugher you are all set your line of site is fine.

Week #3
direct tv VAN shows up the guy spen 5 minutes in my yard call me up and said sorry you dont have line of site???

Today another "field manager" show up told my daugher sorry you don't have line of site.

Now I got 3 yes so far and 2 no This is a true story and going on right now as I write this message

Do these guys work for the same company or what? I don't get it.

And of course when you call DTY out in arizona some where they don't have a clue of whats going on because their computer screen just shows my name and account #

Should I reschedule again may be I will get anothe NO and then it will be 3 yes and 3 No!

then I will I reschedule again for a tie breaker 3,4

Jokes aside it's unbeliveble how these companies manage to stay in business.

Frustated in Connecticut :(

Does anyone know any independent sub-contracters in Connecticut?

Gebe !



You are screwed!

There is not enough money flowing into your' market area. Report back when you get a response. The DTV system is a magnificent accomplishment, much like American medicine. BUT if you have to ask how much or when..........forget it.

Keep in touch, My words may get trimmed.

Joe
 
Last edited:
Well guys
Very interesting reply’s, some of them are on the money just my 2 cents.

20 years ago I help my father set up set up a 10-foot C band mesh dish
With a moving arm and a uniden receiver. We bought it from some retailer up in Minnesota
A whole bunch of boxes came in via ups and I said “Oh my god” lol.
That dish still working to this day that was my last experience with satellite dishes.

I am very capable of installing a plum pole, when I call DTV the lady told me anywhere
From 1 ¼ to 2 inches diameter is fine, so I install a 1-½ pole. She knew I was ordering HI DEF.
When I call DTV for the first time to order the service I ask the guy can DTV install the dish on a “tree trunk” I explain to him that this was a dead tree 14’in diameter 20 feet tall
With no BRANCHES he replied NO PROBLEM right after I gave him my credit card # LOL.
I found out the hard way that this is a big NO NO in the satellite industry.

Anyways I think I am going to email RAUL5788 he lives close by.

Thanks to everyone who tried to enlighten me on direct TV installers
But my conclusion is:
It seems to me installers do whatever they feel like, when they feel like doing it.
Therefore they act as independent contractors with direct TV logos in their vans

My short experience with Direct TV has been horrible and you get a different answer on everything you call them about.

My rant stops here today
Gabriel
 
One thing to remember is that a concrete pole installation in a cold climate is very different from a warm one.

A frost heave or frost creep on a slope in a cold environment will move a concrete base pole unless you've installed it to a depth that well exceeds soil freeze depth. Further, a big broad concrete base may be worse than a smaller, narrow one in some cases. In some areas in the north and northeastern US, that may mean placing the pole at least 4-5 feet deep or at least 3' deep on level ground with well consolidated soils.

I've known some contractors in the northern US and canada who wont put a pole or post in the ground unless its at least 5 and preferably 6 feet in the ground. In some very northern US counties and many parts of canada, its code when pouring concrete to have as much below the surface as above...so 10' concrete steps would have to extend 10' below the surface, just for frost heave concerns.

It may take up to 5-7 years for the pole to creep enough to knock the dish out of alignment enough to lose signal.

Also FWIW, I wouldnt have hesitated to install a dish on that dead tree but I would have lopped off the excess top and painted the top with asphalt sealer to reduce rot. Probably be more stable than a pole and last for 10-15 years. Problem with attaching to a live tree is that it grows and due to the branches will sway in the wind. Pretty much a no-no for a fixed satellite dish.
 
one other reason that you might have gotten so many different answers is that the tool that we use to find line of sight comes in different configurations.... good and bad.... some techs just don't want to spend the extra money to buy quality equipment which results in miss calculations on los or the tech was just lazy and didnt want to do the work :)

So $30 for a compass and $0 for common sense is to much money eh? Funny how all I ever needed was these two things to get my installs to happen.
 
So $30 for a compass and $0 for common sense is to much money eh? Funny how all I ever needed was these two things to get my installs to happen.

It is $400.00 to $800.00 for the Birdog type meter. Some do not even "see" the Ka band. When the HD system originally went up techs were asked to set the dish for a sat tht had not yet been launched. Then, when it finally went up OR the customer finally bought an HD capable dish, techs were asked to go repoint or accept back charges to go fix these "sidecar" early HD rigs.

Some just walked away to be replaced by clueless new guys who have not been trained.

Joe
 
Well

I will try to explain the best I can, and yes this is really going on right now
for over a month.

Order direct tv over a month ago, My roof is new , one month old($14.000) no dish on the roof allowed.
I ask for line of sight survey on my property.

This is what I got:
Week #1
Sub contractor found a spot in my backyard but want to charge $100 to install
the pole.I said I will install the pole, I reschedule for the following Saturday

first contractor showed up, was willing to give it a try if you paid $100. You passed so he was out of there.


Week #2
Direct tv VAN shows up very nice installer surveyed my yard for a long time
told me (same area as the sub-contractor) cut those bushes go back 3 feet
with a 10 foot pole and you are ok. so he left and I reschedule for the following Saturday.
I dig the hole pour the concrete I made it extra strong used a 12 inch diameter tube
36" high so the 10 foot pole would not move.

That some week a "field manager" past by my house and told my daugher you are all set your line of site is fine.

DirecTv installer shows up and says this is not worth my time to try and install. Gives you a line of bull and bolts. Manager probably did not even know where to look to see if you had LOS.



Week #3
direct tv VAN shows up the guy spen 5 minutes in my yard call me up and said sorry you dont have line of site???

Again Directv installer does not want to spend the extra time to try and make your system work. Also from further in your post he does not have the adaptor to make your 1.5" pole 2" needed for and HD dish.


Today another "field manager" show up told my daugher sorry you don't have line of site.

This guy is tired of having your job show back up in the Q.

Now I got 3 yes so far and 2 no This is a true story and going on right now as I write this message

Do these guys work for the same company or what? I don't get it.

And of course when you call DTY out in arizona some where they don't have a clue of whats going on because their computer screen just shows my name and account #

Should I reschedule again may be I will get anothe NO and then it will be 3 yes and 3 No!

then I will I reschedule again for a tie breaker 3,4

Jokes aside it's unbeliveble how these companies manage to stay in business.

Frustated in Connecticut :(

Does anyone know any independent sub-contracters in Connecticut?

Either your LOS is that limited or your job is gonna be way to much hassel for the free install. Get a good retailer out there that will quote you an honest price to get your system to work, and pay him what he needs to do the job right.
 
first contractor showed up, was willing to give it a try if you paid $100. You passed so he was out of there.




DirecTv installer shows up and says this is not worth my time to try and install. Gives you a line of bull and bolts. Manager probably did not even know where to look to see if you had LOS.





Again Directv installer does not want to spend the extra time to try and make your system work. Also from further in your post he does not have the adaptor to make your 1.5" pole 2" needed for and HD dish.




This guy is tired of having your job show back up in the Q.



Either your LOS is that limited or your job is gonna be way to much hassel for the free install. Get a good retailer out there that will quote you an honest price to get your system to work, and pay him what he needs to do the job right.

Of course i do, but what town are you in? I'm in southbury CT
 
Well

Order direct tv over a month ago, My roof is new , one month old($14.000) no dish on the roof allowed.

Just curious? Who said you can't have an antenna on your roof? Most antennas are mounted on eves. So, there is no danger of roof leaks in that situation.
 
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