How much about satellites to I need to know

rpolunsky

New Member
Original poster
Jul 11, 2009
3
0
Houston
I'm seeing a scary amount of discussion on this board about 101 degrees and Eastern Arc and LNBs. All I want is to be able to replace Comcast with a content provider that doesn't pixelate and drop out at random but fairly frequent intervals. How much of my time am I going to need to spend looking at satellite strength meters and readjusting the tuning? It's beginning to look like neither Dish nor DirecTV is going to be a comfortable option and we may have to stay with Comcast which really really stinks. The Dish web site is no help.
 
Haha I felt the same way here at first. I've only been here a couple of weeks.

From what I can tell, most of this is enthusiast talk. If you get a professional installation, you'll be fine. Satellite is geared towards the widest consumer base possible.

If you hang out here, you'll start to pick up on what some of the lingo means and they'll even put it in layman's terms sometimes. But most of the random numbers and acronyms here you probably won't have to deal with if you don't want to.
 
I've been with Dish for over 8 years, and I have never had to look at a meter or ajust my dish. Will lose signal if it is a really strong thunderstorm or heavy snowstorm, but even then it hasn't been out for more than about 5-10 minutes depending on the storm and that has only happened about 4 or 5 times over my stay with Dish.
 
I've been with Dish for over 8 years, and I have never had to look at a meter or ajust my dish. Will lose signal if it is a really strong thunderstorm or heavy snowstorm, but even then it hasn't been out for more than about 5-10 minutes depending on the storm and that has only happened about 4 or 5 times over my stay with Dish.

Same here. There are a lot of people, who for some reason or another think a self-install is the way to go, and they are the ones who report most of the trouble because they don't and the tools and experience to get the job done right the first time. That is not to say that every Dish installer is perfect. They are all not. But for the most part, the installation should be sound and trouble free.

I knew ZIP about satellite when I got Dish about 7 years ago. Most of what I know, I absorbed here.

Worry Not.
 
if you have a real installer put it in you wont ever need to look at your signal meter or adjust your dish. We get it fine tuned to the absolute peek signal you can get and that is that. unless your house moves your signal should stay very close to teh same for a LONG time
 
All I want is to be able to replace Comcast with a content provider that doesn't pixelate and drop out at random but fairly frequent intervals. How much of my time am I going to need to spend looking at satellite strength meters and readjusting the tuning? It's beginning to look like neither Dish nor DirecTV is going to be a comfortable option and we may have to stay with Comcast which really really stinks. The Dish web site is no help.

I left Comcast for the same reason you described. I have had Dish since Oct '08. It has 'gone out' twice -both were ice storms that soon knocked out my power too. Heavy rain does not knock it out here nor do snow storms. Maybe I've been lucky living in central New Hampshire but we do get real winter storms. I have NEVER needed to adjust anything. The woman that got me set up was great, the installer was great, the service is great.
 
if you have a real installer put it in you wont ever need to look at your signal meter or adjust your dish. We get it fine tuned to the absolute peek signal you can get and that is that. unless your house moves your signal should stay very close to teh same for a LONG time

umm...oh never mind...
 

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