HD Locals in San Antonio

I just received an email from ceo.@echostar.com. He asked me for my account # and some info which I did but told him I had already done that 2 weeks ago to one of DISH's Tech guys. I told him how frustrating this whole thing is. He said he needed the info to verify the problem. I say you guys email ceo@echostar.com just like me. I seem to keep getting the same questions and answers from DISH which is starting to really tick me off.
 
I sent an email today to ceo@echostar and got a reply asking for receiver id, bootstrap id, etc...

After I sent all of the same informaiton I give to DISH everytime I have made this complaint, the reponse was "We will forward this information to engineering"

Engineering has now recived the identical information 6 times and I still have no resolution and have no idea if engineering even takes this complaint seriously.
 
I got a call tonight from KABB's engineering Dept. They told me they called DISH and that DISH gets the KABB signal from OTA and then sends to a receiver at DISH that then transmits it to us. He said they have a separate one for each HD local here in SA. He said the one they are using for KABB must have something wrong with it. I emailed back to the guy at ceo@echostar.com tonight and let him know what KABB told me. Hopefully, if we keep at DISH now about this we will get something done. I don't want to use OTA. That is what I am paying DISH for and will not rest until they fix it. I suggest you guys keep it up to because the more that we complain to DISH the quicker we will get it fixed.
 
Last edited:
I called DISH again and it is the same old stuff. They took my name and account info to forward to engineering. I asked when engineering would follow up with me b/c this is my 7th complaint this week. The CSR said that engineering does not call customers. If they do not call customers, then how do they know if the problem has been fixed? Therefore, based on the fact there is no follow up, we are forced to keep calling so they know the issue has not been resolved. Secondly, we have no idea if they are even addressing the issue or just placing the complaint in the circular file!

It is ironic that the engineering department of KABB is willing to call DISH customers, but the company that I pay $120-150 per month can not give me a courtesy call.
 
the nfl pregame looks terrible this morning. awful.

I sent a message to ceo@echostar this morning. I am curious as to the response. BTW - when dish responded to my email they asked for my version of software etc. I emailed it back and with in an hour or so my box was updating.

That didn't fix anything and there was no follow up - which is the frustrating part. Evidentlt they thought they fixed it with the update and that was good enough fir them.
 
Fox NFL Sunday and the Philly game look awful. It actually looks better on the Standard Definition Channel. I called again today, and the CSR has no way to talk to engineering to see if they are even working on the problem.

I think I now know the best job in america. An engineer at DISH.
1. There is no accountability
2. No body can call and ask you if you are working
3. Nobody can verify if you are working
4. You do not have to follow up on completed tasks
 
The Philly and NY game does look bad. Just compare the pregame shows of FOX to CBS and you really can tell the difference. I emailed ceo@echostar.com again. I imagine I will not here anything until tomorrow. I am going to keep at it until it is fixed. I also emailed engineering at WOAI to ask why we dont have WOAI DT/HD on DISH yet.
 
I just went and bought a terk ampified indoor antenna (hdtva model). It looks soooooooooooo much better, but I can't seem to get enough signal strength to keep it from blocking.

I am picking it up at about 72-74, but for whatever reason I won't stop blocking (which makes it less desireable than the crap coming over the Dish - IMO). But, as some non-solicited advice - I would recommend you guys getting this antenna and giving it a shot. It was really easy to install and you won't have to suffer through the down ressing (or whatever it is that dish does to the locals).

Also - does anyone have any suggestions for getting this blocking to stop?

Thanks
 
The reason I switched to DISH from TWC was because DISH had HD locals especially FOX which we did not get with TWC. We are paying for the HD locals so DISH should fix the problem. I have 2 HDTV's and only one has a HD tuner. Can you hook an antenna up to the 622 or 211 and get OTA even w/out a HD tuner on your TV. I thought if you did not have an HD tuner you had to have a cable or sat receiver to get HD. That is beside the point anyway because DISH has got to fix the problem or I will eventually dump them and find something better.
 
playmaker7206 said:
What was the exact model number of the Terk antenna you bought? How much was it?

I was hesitant to buy one this weekend b/c most of the guys on the avs forum getting good OTA reception are using an amplified outdoor antenna. One guy was using a 93" outdoor.
 
I understand what you are saying. I switched from TW just like you did. All I am saying - after all this mess I got tired of waiting on Dish (who never appears to be really ready to jump up and help someone) so I went out and did something that would fix my problem.

My TV has its own HD Tuner and it has a quam tuner, but I am not using either. All you have to do is spend 20 dollars on an OTA and put a coax into it and your box (mine is a 622). works beautifully, and the PQ is better all the way around. Not a solution for the poor dish quality and customer service but a quick fix nevertheless that gives you better PQ and NBC HD.
 
Last edited:
I have a coax cable fed from the receiver through the wall into the attic. The antenna itself comes with about 3 feet of coax connected to it. I barrelled that to another 15 feet and then I placed their amplifier on the end of that then directly into the box.

Working backwards - box, amp, coax extension, antenna. I just walked it as far over to the edge of my house on the south side (where it needed to be according to antennaweb) and place it on a sheet of plywood. I sat up in the attic and talked to my wife on the phone. She relayed to me what the various signal strengths were. When I got it where I wanted it - I stopped.

I am about 35 miles away from the OTA from the networks. I am currently getting about 84-86 signal strength on KENS and KABB. WOAI gets about 76 and KSAT is about 72. I am very happy with the quality of the picture.

If you have any questions pm me or post here. I will answer as best I can.
 
Just to let playmaker and dendox know I got an emaill from ceo@echostar.com again. He said they had reviewed the situation and the engineers could not duplicate the problem. He then had me answer about 15 questions to help the engineers try to isolate and fix the problem. It seems like this guy is really trying to help me. The one question that gets me is why he asked if anyone else that I know of has this problem when I have told him over and over that this has been reported by others to DISH and KABB. I also know you guys emailed this guy too. I hope it is fixed soon or I might try the TERK antenna. Can you guys email this guy back at DISH and keep at him because if I am the only one we may never get it fixed.
 
What is the guys name that responded when you emailed CEO@echostar.com?

David Laslo was the guy that responded to my email. I do not think they will ever fix this problem!! I have called them over 8 times, and sent 5 emails in the past 10 days.

I finally went and got an OTA antenna and it works great!!! Excellent reception on FOX, and this is proof that it is not KABB's problem. The picture with the OTA antenna looks ten times better than the HD DISH feed. Once my house is finished being built and I move, I am going to drop dish and transfer to DTV. DISH may have the most HD channels, but 90% of them are crap. And they only offer 2 HD locals in HD. CBS and ABC. FOX is not an HD channel on DISH based on the picture quality. Watch any sports game if you have any doubts.
 
David Laslo is the guy I talked to. DTV HD looks worse than DISH HD. My parents have DTV and mine looks better except for FOX. I would not be so quick to dump them. When was the last time you emailed Laslo and when did he last respond.