Apologies for a LONG post but I need help and education. I’m a total newbie.
This initial installation was done by a very competent man no longer in my area. He did it while I was busy building 6 years ago and I left it up to him as I knew/know nothing. Initially we installed an old model, 3 LNB dish put out by DirecTV, ran it to three receivers, two Dish and the other DirecTV and all has worked fine. I’m upgrading to HD and making some changes to the distribution of signals, hopefully to have 4 boxes. D* was cancelled and I’m going totally with E*, ordered in early July.
PROBLEM #1. The Dish folks sent two installers who advised they could do everything I wanted but had no replacement dish for the roof mount, stated I didn’t require it, and advised they were not authorized nor instructed on climbing a tile roof. Installation aborted. That the replacement dish wasn’t needed raised my doubts.
The antenna signals in the current system come through the roof mounted dish that feeds 4 lines down two levels to an equipment room through a 1½” conduit and mast. All feed single cables from there to every room in the house, 6 rooms on the ground level (upper level) and three more in the sub-ground level (lower level,) the same level as the equipment room. There are also speakers in the upper level rooms that feed satellite music from the equipment room.
The equipment room currently has a Model 3900 Dish receiver installed with the OUT feed cascaded and amplified to the 6 upper level rooms. Audio is fed to an amplifier in the equipment room which pipes it to speakers in the upper level. The 3900 is controlled by one IR remote utilizing an IR-to-RF extender which controls both the music amplifier and the 3900. The longest coax cable runs from the 3900 box are two, both under 100’. Both are currently amplified before they and the other cable runs are cascaded through splitters to the upper level rooms.
Problem #2. A different technician was sent out 3 weeks later with a replacement dish antenna, I had asked for the Dish 1000.2, presumably with authorization to climb the roof for the replacement. He advised the only way he could install the equipment was to remove both the 3900 box and audio amplifier, he didn’t know how the extender operated nor how to hook up the audio amplifier and he suggested I required a Level 3 installer as he was not capable. Installation aborted again.
The pure antenna signal from the equipment room is sent directly to an entertainment and home theater room on the lower level adjacent to the equipment room. Currently the home theater has a Model DP501 Dish receiver. Everything works well now and there are neither problems nor questions relating to the replacement with a VIP622 receiver replacing the current 501. No problems here as it has a line from the antenna dedicated for it.
Upstairs is to continue much the same as it is now except one of the longer runs is to be a direct antenna feed to the master bedroom which will have a VIP 211 receiver. I also want to continue to feed the SD signals from the equipment room to the other upstairs outlets, except the master bedroom with the direct feed and the music system should continue as is. I’d also like to consider adding a fourth receiver upstairs, if that be possible.
Problem #3. A call from E* to inquire about the failed second installation resulted in many transfers of my call, another installation date, and finally a person equally frustrated as I, advising me the installation would have to be cancelled as they couldn’t do it. Contact with the headquarters resulted in another rescheduling but I have my doubts.
As inept as these folks seem to be I’m trying to understand if I’m too demanding or asking for something which they are incapable of providing or can’t be done. This has been going on for over one month now. Any advice?
I think I may need to educate myself with your help and try to do most of it myself hence the long explanation and many questions.
Can I utilize the later model 501 box as replacement for the 3900 to enable use of the DVR and control it with the current extender?
Can a 4th box be installed with the Dpp44 in the equipment room and the box in another upstairs room with one of the longer runs, about 80’, almost the same as the master bedroom?
I’m in the country about 50 miles west of Sacramento, CA and there are NO knowledgeable installers in the area, all seem to be sent from Sacramento. Any and all help, instruction or criticism gratefully accepted.
Sorry for the long post.
This initial installation was done by a very competent man no longer in my area. He did it while I was busy building 6 years ago and I left it up to him as I knew/know nothing. Initially we installed an old model, 3 LNB dish put out by DirecTV, ran it to three receivers, two Dish and the other DirecTV and all has worked fine. I’m upgrading to HD and making some changes to the distribution of signals, hopefully to have 4 boxes. D* was cancelled and I’m going totally with E*, ordered in early July.
PROBLEM #1. The Dish folks sent two installers who advised they could do everything I wanted but had no replacement dish for the roof mount, stated I didn’t require it, and advised they were not authorized nor instructed on climbing a tile roof. Installation aborted. That the replacement dish wasn’t needed raised my doubts.
The antenna signals in the current system come through the roof mounted dish that feeds 4 lines down two levels to an equipment room through a 1½” conduit and mast. All feed single cables from there to every room in the house, 6 rooms on the ground level (upper level) and three more in the sub-ground level (lower level,) the same level as the equipment room. There are also speakers in the upper level rooms that feed satellite music from the equipment room.
The equipment room currently has a Model 3900 Dish receiver installed with the OUT feed cascaded and amplified to the 6 upper level rooms. Audio is fed to an amplifier in the equipment room which pipes it to speakers in the upper level. The 3900 is controlled by one IR remote utilizing an IR-to-RF extender which controls both the music amplifier and the 3900. The longest coax cable runs from the 3900 box are two, both under 100’. Both are currently amplified before they and the other cable runs are cascaded through splitters to the upper level rooms.
Problem #2. A different technician was sent out 3 weeks later with a replacement dish antenna, I had asked for the Dish 1000.2, presumably with authorization to climb the roof for the replacement. He advised the only way he could install the equipment was to remove both the 3900 box and audio amplifier, he didn’t know how the extender operated nor how to hook up the audio amplifier and he suggested I required a Level 3 installer as he was not capable. Installation aborted again.
The pure antenna signal from the equipment room is sent directly to an entertainment and home theater room on the lower level adjacent to the equipment room. Currently the home theater has a Model DP501 Dish receiver. Everything works well now and there are neither problems nor questions relating to the replacement with a VIP622 receiver replacing the current 501. No problems here as it has a line from the antenna dedicated for it.
Upstairs is to continue much the same as it is now except one of the longer runs is to be a direct antenna feed to the master bedroom which will have a VIP 211 receiver. I also want to continue to feed the SD signals from the equipment room to the other upstairs outlets, except the master bedroom with the direct feed and the music system should continue as is. I’d also like to consider adding a fourth receiver upstairs, if that be possible.
Problem #3. A call from E* to inquire about the failed second installation resulted in many transfers of my call, another installation date, and finally a person equally frustrated as I, advising me the installation would have to be cancelled as they couldn’t do it. Contact with the headquarters resulted in another rescheduling but I have my doubts.
As inept as these folks seem to be I’m trying to understand if I’m too demanding or asking for something which they are incapable of providing or can’t be done. This has been going on for over one month now. Any advice?
I think I may need to educate myself with your help and try to do most of it myself hence the long explanation and many questions.
Can I utilize the later model 501 box as replacement for the 3900 to enable use of the DVR and control it with the current extender?
Can a 4th box be installed with the Dpp44 in the equipment room and the box in another upstairs room with one of the longer runs, about 80’, almost the same as the master bedroom?
I’m in the country about 50 miles west of Sacramento, CA and there are NO knowledgeable installers in the area, all seem to be sent from Sacramento. Any and all help, instruction or criticism gratefully accepted.
Sorry for the long post.
