Installation Questions

[NateCohen]

Well, I just ordered DirecTV. And I have a few questions for everyone.

First, when they install the dish. I'm going to see if they'll be able to install it on a tree. If they do this, are they going to need to dig up the ground to put the cable wire? Also, if they put it on the roof, what do they do with the dish and cables? Do they drill holes in the roof?

Also people were telling me about the phone lines. Does every single receiver need to have a phone line plugged in to it? If you do, what if there's no phone line near where the TV is? What can you do?

 

[kpartin]

Forget the tree idea. Dish alignment is critical, especially with the 5LNB dish, and a swaying tree is not going to maintain a good signal for you. Even if the tree doesn't sway, it will expand, contract, and grow, all of which will put you out of alignment.

I'm not real familiar with roof installs, but I think the dish will be mounted with bolts through the roof, and the cables will be run down the roof and the side of the house.

All receivers require a phone line. RCA makes a device that lets you use your power lines to put a phone connection wherever there is an outlet. Some people just use the phone line for setup, then ignore the warning messages that eventually appear. Not sure if you can get PPV without a connected phone line, though.

 

[johnml]

Forget the tree idea. Dish alignment is critical, especially with the 5LNB dish, and a swaying tree is not going to maintain a good signal for you. Even if the tree doesn't sway, it will expand, contract, and grow, all of which will put you out of alignment.

I'm not real familiar with roof installs, but I think the dish will be mounted with bolts through the roof, and the cables will be run down the roof and the side of the house.

All receivers require a phone line. RCA makes a device that lets you use your power lines to put a phone connection wherever there is an outlet. Some people just use the phone line for setup, then ignore the warning messages that eventually appear. Not sure if you can get PPV without a connected phone line, though.

You can order PPV without a phone line hooked up. If you do, you wont be charged until a phone line is hooked up - In other words - your card has a set amount on it and you can order up to that amount without hooking up a phone line. When you do hook up you will be charged for the PPV's you charged. If you dont want to hook up then once you reach the limit on the caed then you wont be able to order PPV's. :

 

[IndyTech]

Dish's Cannot be mounted on Trees, Trees lovers all over the world unite against this, and after about 2 years the tree will eat the foot of the mast. as far as the roof. your tech should use 5/16 or 3/8 lag bolts, and a strip of Bishop tape to seal where the lags go in, a good tech will mount to the roof near a downspout so he/she can jump over the gutter and zip-tie to the down spout. LOL don't get me started on Phonelines, we get tore up every week for not connecting the recs to phonelines.

 

[charper1]

Trees, that's as bad as mounting on a wood fence post. Wood warps, twists, rots. Not to mention why in the world you would do that to a tree just for a stupid dish.

 

[NateCohen]

Well our house is a pretty expensive house, and we're selling it in a couple months. So I don't really care if it's on the tree, because when we move we get a new dish anyway. Also when we're selling our house, I think a dish would make the visitors not like the house. So on the tree would make the value of the house stay good.

 

[Doctor Bob]

RONTGLMAO...

 

[NateCohen]

One more question. When you order PPV's, are you able to play them when you want to, and be able to rewind them? Or do they just keep playing non-stop like the old cable PPV's used to? Also, is there such thing as OnDemand on satellite?

 

[johnml]

when you order a PPV, and record it on your TIVO, you can watch it whenever you want. You can pause, rewind whenever you want. There isn't On demand for satellite yet, hopfully there will be soon.

 

[PoitNarf]

Well our house is a pretty expensive house, and we're selling it in a couple months. So I don't really care if it's on the tree, because when we move we get a new dish anyway. Also when we're selling our house, I think a dish would make the visitors not like the house. So on the tree would make the value of the house stay good.

As long as the dish is not visable from the street it shouldn't matter. Anyone buying a house isn't going to be concerned with a small D* dish that can always be removed if they don't use D*. If it were me, I'd question the build quality of the house and any remodeling/additions if the owners were neglegant enough to install a dish on a tree

 

[charper1]

As long as the dish is not visable from the street it shouldn't matter. Anyone buying a house isn't going to be concerned with a small D* dish that can always be removed if they don't use D*. If it were me, I'd question the build quality of the house and any remodeling/additions if the owners were neglegant enough to install a dish on a tree

Isnt that the truth!

 

[NateCohen]

Well my mom doesn't really want it on the roof. The roof is fine, we just got a new one last year. Anyway, so when you order a PPV, it will just keep playing for 24 hours, do do you only get to watch it once?

 

[PoitNarf]

Well my mom doesn't really want it on the roof. The roof is fine, we just got a new one last year. Anyway, so when you order a PPV, it will just keep playing for 24 hours, do do you only get to watch it once?

Roof isn't necessary, the dish can be mounted on the side of the house as long as it's not blocked by any trees.

I think some PPV channels are "All-Day-Ticket" channels where you order the PPV and can watch it on that same channel all day. If it's not, then you can only watch the specific time slot that you purchased.

 

[NateCohen]

Well since we're moving soon, I don't care if the dish is on a TV, since overgrowth won't happen until I'm moved out anyway. So if I were to put the dish on a tree, how are they going to get the wiring to my house? They're not going to lay cable wires on my lawn will they? I guess the best thing to do is to put it on the roof, if they can't do anything with the wiring.

 

[Doctor Bob]

As long as the dish is not visable from the street it shouldn't matter. Anyone buying a house isn't going to be concerned with a small D* dish that can always be removed if they don't use D*. If it were me, I'd question the build quality of the house and any remodeling/additions if the owners were neglegant enough to install a dish on a tree

Boy, did you hit that nail on the Head!!! LOL

 

[IndyTech]

Let's Put a different spin on this, i guarantee, if an installer came to my house and prposed or even let me talk him into putting the DISH ON A TREE, i would really,really,REALLY doubt the sanity maybe even the intelligence of the installer. probably wouldn't trust him to do the install.

Besides. INSTALLERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO MOUNT DISHES ON TREES.

 

[NateCohen]

I'm so pissed, the DirecTV guy came and said there's too many trees in the way and they won't be able to install the dish. He said the only way to install it, is he would have to put a pole in my grass and dig the line to the house. I'm not letting anyone dig in our front lawn to get a dish installed. Oh well, maybe I will take some pictures of the trees to show you.

 

[NateCohen]

I also guess they're liars, right from their site, they compare cable to satellite. And it says cable is only availble in 98% of homes. And it says 100% for DirecTV. This is what it says

Cable is available in only 98% of US homes. DIRECTV is available in 100%.

I guess that's a lie, because it's no available where I live.

 

[PoitNarf]

I also guess they're liars, right from their site, they compare cable to satellite. And it says cable is only availble in 98% of homes. And it says 100% for DirecTV. This is what it says

Cable is available in only 98% of US homes. DIRECTV is available in 100%.

I guess that's a lie, because it's no available where I live.

He said the only way to install it, is he would have to put a pole in my grass and dig the line to the house. I'm not letting anyone dig in our front lawn to get a dish installed.

Well obviously it is available where you live, but you just don't like the solution the installer came up with. This happens, trees suck, believe me I know. In some situations the only install solution is an ugly one. You could always cut down the trees (if they're yours) that are blocking the sats from one of your preferred mounting positions.

 

[NateCohen]

Well, if they were to put this pole in my front yard to install it, are they going to HAVE to dig up the ground to bury the wire? Is the wire water proof? I just don't have it worth it to dig up my front yard to get a signal.