Minneapolis/St.Paul Voomers
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I like that name (Scottie) I don't know why? : ) No it will not be me (sorry), I don't go that far for I.Inc. work, also after attending the VoOM certification in Minneapolis, they have never asked me to do a VoOM installation!!!! Seems they don't want state licensed installers doing VooM installs, (ask to see your installers license and see his face turn red) But there are one or two fine companies in your neck of the woods that should do a great job! Good luck, fill us in how it all goes!
Steve maybe the dish just needs re pointed slightly, where did it end up, the roof? Sometimes the dish needs re pointed again as roofs seem to give a little when things heat up and cool down, what with the VoOM satellite being so low in the sky and the smaller dish they have been using, what size did you end up with? Ask for a 30" and forget about rain fade (except for storms), I am sure they will do what ever it takes to fix it, good luck.
Another New MN Voomer
You can add another to the MN Voom list. Actually two, my buddy is geting it installed also.
However we are not in the metro area. You probably wont find anyone further away than we are. Northern MN on Lake of the Woods.
My install is on June 21st, his is on the 18th. We are very curious where the installer will come from. Bemidji is 2 hours, Grand Forks is 3, Fargo is 4, Duluth is 4.
After reading all of your posts, I am going to call VOOM and see if they can tell me the name of the installer service/company.
Can't wait to get HD on my Sammy HLP 50".
I will keep you all posted.
Warren in MN
You can add another to the MN Voom list. Actually two, my buddy is geting it installed also.
However we are not in the metro area. You probably wont find anyone further away than we are. Northern MN on Lake of the Woods.
My install is on June 21st, his is on the 18th. We are very curious where the installer will come from. Bemidji is 2 hours, Grand Forks is 3, Fargo is 4, Duluth is 4.
After reading all of your posts, I am going to call VOOM and see if they can tell me the name of the installer service/company.
Can't wait to get HD on my Sammy HLP 50".
I will keep you all posted.
Warren in MN
scottie_h said:
I live in an NRTC area (northern MN) and was told to by my HD receiver on my own and then bring it in to have it activated. After looking at 200-1000 dollar receivers I decided on the VOOM route, at least temporarily. I plan on getting the HD TiVo unit this fall when prices come down, then I will reevaluate the VOOM option. If VOOM adds CBS-HD, FOX-HD (like D*TV) and a PVR then I may just stick with VOOM.
Warren in MN
VOOM install. was sched. 06-05-04 between 8am and noon.
8am: Tech calls and says; VOOM sent him 52 recievers ans NO dishes.
Reschedule for 06-08-04 after 5pm.
06-08-04: Leave work early to allow for a 2 hour commute home from work so I can arrive before VOOM tech.
4pm: Note on front door: "Sorry we missed you, call to rechedule."
Called White Glove Comm. and asked why tech. came early.
They said , the tech. was sched. between noon and 5pm and therefore I "dropped the ball." By now, PISSED OFF, I told White Glove, ; either install VOOM today or cancel.
They cancelled....
Maybe later down the road i'll get VOOM. For now, their subcontracted install companies need to get their sh*t together!
8am: Tech calls and says; VOOM sent him 52 recievers ans NO dishes.
Reschedule for 06-08-04 after 5pm.
06-08-04: Leave work early to allow for a 2 hour commute home from work so I can arrive before VOOM tech.
4pm: Note on front door: "Sorry we missed you, call to rechedule."
Called White Glove Comm. and asked why tech. came early.
They said , the tech. was sched. between noon and 5pm and therefore I "dropped the ball." By now, PISSED OFF, I told White Glove, ; either install VOOM today or cancel.
They cancelled....
Maybe later down the road i'll get VOOM. For now, their subcontracted install companies need to get their sh*t together!
All is well in vOOmLanD
My install by Installs inc. went pretty well. Of course the installer didn't want do do any more work than he had to. He wanted to use my existing Directv RG6 cable. I told him that wasn't gonna fly, in case I wanted to switch back to D*. I also had him install an additional receiver in my bedroom that I hooked up to my 20" Dell 4:3 LCD monitor via DVI.
The STB wont let you adjust the picture on the DVI output. Therefore, I had a distorted 16:9 image on my 4:3 screen instead of being letterboxed. (I wasn't planning on keeping this box anyway, but figured I'd have him run the cable since it was free.)
I already had a Channel Master 4228 installed, so he didn't have to deal with the OTA issues. He did call an hour before he showed up to inform me the VOOM supplied antenna would not work for me given my distance to the Shoreview towers. I've read that, if you complain, VOOM will upgrade your antenna. BTW, he was shocked that I had decent OTA reception due to my location.
As far as OTA, I get everything out of Shoreview except the WB (which is not running at full power) I can even pull in NBC & FOX out of Rochester.
Picture quality is excellent. The SD blows D* out of the water, and the HD is well....HD. :shocked My main HDTV is an ancient RCA 38310 38" CRT tube which, still has and excellent picture. My plan is to upgrade to a Sammy HLP series this fall.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with VOOM. Hopefully, they will pick up FSN-HD for Wild games this fall if there is an NHL season. (fingers crossed)
BTW Bugeater, How did you get a sammy HLP series already???
My install by Installs inc. went pretty well. Of course the installer didn't want do do any more work than he had to. He wanted to use my existing Directv RG6 cable. I told him that wasn't gonna fly, in case I wanted to switch back to D*. I also had him install an additional receiver in my bedroom that I hooked up to my 20" Dell 4:3 LCD monitor via DVI.
The STB wont let you adjust the picture on the DVI output. Therefore, I had a distorted 16:9 image on my 4:3 screen instead of being letterboxed. (I wasn't planning on keeping this box anyway, but figured I'd have him run the cable since it was free.)
I already had a Channel Master 4228 installed, so he didn't have to deal with the OTA issues. He did call an hour before he showed up to inform me the VOOM supplied antenna would not work for me given my distance to the Shoreview towers. I've read that, if you complain, VOOM will upgrade your antenna. BTW, he was shocked that I had decent OTA reception due to my location.
As far as OTA, I get everything out of Shoreview except the WB (which is not running at full power) I can even pull in NBC & FOX out of Rochester.
Picture quality is excellent. The SD blows D* out of the water, and the HD is well....HD. :shocked My main HDTV is an ancient RCA 38310 38" CRT tube which, still has and excellent picture. My plan is to upgrade to a Sammy HLP series this fall.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with VOOM. Hopefully, they will pick up FSN-HD for Wild games this fall if there is an NHL season. (fingers crossed)
BTW Bugeater, How did you get a sammy HLP series already???
wakebrder said:
I have seen this on my 26" Zenith. I noticed right away that the PQ was better via VOOM than D*. This is good news as I have heard that SD on DLP monitors can be less than desirable. If VOOM can help the SD PQ, then I will be happy.
I pick up my new Sammy HLP on Wednesday.
Warren in MN
Voom in Chaska
Just had Voom installed yesterday. Works great on my two TV's with a receiver box for each. They installed a diplexor and ran a single cable from the 18" dish and local antenna. The receiver software updated over night. I'm happy with it so far. Picture quality is great.
Just had Voom installed yesterday. Works great on my two TV's with a receiver box for each. They installed a diplexor and ran a single cable from the 18" dish and local antenna. The receiver software updated over night. I'm happy with it so far. Picture quality is great.
New HLP and New VOOM Install
I have my new HLP set up. The first time I turned it on I quickly changed the input to the DVI and VOOM.
WOW !!. My wife was speachless and her jaw literally dropped. I too was very impressed. An incredible picture right out of the box.
I found myself in no less than a week, watching HD almost exclusively. If nothing was on HD I would either play XBOX (which looks INCEDIBLE by the way) or turn it off. SD looks ok, but until the novelty of the HD wears off, Its hard to watch HD and then go to SD.
I am anxiously awaiting the VOOM PVR !!
Warren in MN
I have my new HLP set up. The first time I turned it on I quickly changed the input to the DVI and VOOM.
WOW !!. My wife was speachless and her jaw literally dropped. I too was very impressed. An incredible picture right out of the box.
I found myself in no less than a week, watching HD almost exclusively. If nothing was on HD I would either play XBOX (which looks INCEDIBLE by the way) or turn it off. SD looks ok, but until the novelty of the HD wears off, Its hard to watch HD and then go to SD.
I am anxiously awaiting the VOOM PVR !!
Warren in MN
Farmington?
Is there anyone with the service on the way south end of town? Specifically my area?
Are there any AV gurus near here?
Thanks!
Lew
Is there anyone with the service on the way south end of town? Specifically my area?
Are there any AV gurus near here?
Thanks!
Lew
Le Sueur (which is french for "The Sewer")
This is my first post. Feel free to critique how I'm using this forum as I have no experience with these things... call me a long-time reader, first time contributor. At any rate, I live in Le Sueur (about 55 miles SW of the Twin Cities) and jumped on the Voom-wagon in July. I switched from Directv and my first impression of Voom's STB was not favorable. Just perspective shock I guess. I've since gotten used to the STB and PG but still miss many of the features that made the D* STB programmable and (mostly) reliable. The omni-directional antenna that came with the system did not work well...2-3 channels at best, and that was if the air was clear and dry. I scrapped the thing and installed a UHF antenna with an amplifier. I now get 13-15 Twin Cities OTA channels depending on weather (but never less than 12 regardless of weather).. all the major networks and a number of independents and Jesus-channels. I'm generally happy with Voom... but I look forward to the day they get their STB software issues hammered out. Thanks for reading.
This is my first post. Feel free to critique how I'm using this forum as I have no experience with these things... call me a long-time reader, first time contributor. At any rate, I live in Le Sueur (about 55 miles SW of the Twin Cities) and jumped on the Voom-wagon in July. I switched from Directv and my first impression of Voom's STB was not favorable. Just perspective shock I guess. I've since gotten used to the STB and PG but still miss many of the features that made the D* STB programmable and (mostly) reliable. The omni-directional antenna that came with the system did not work well...2-3 channels at best, and that was if the air was clear and dry. I scrapped the thing and installed a UHF antenna with an amplifier. I now get 13-15 Twin Cities OTA channels depending on weather (but never less than 12 regardless of weather).. all the major networks and a number of independents and Jesus-channels. I'm generally happy with Voom... but I look forward to the day they get their STB software issues hammered out. Thanks for reading.
Welcome Robert!!
I'm just up the road from you in Shakopee.
15 OTA stations? What antenna do you have? Heck, I have a Radio Shack VU110 and I can get 15 (barely)
2,4,5,9,11,
12 (sometimes),
13 (MTV2 translator),
14 (3 angels)
17,
19 (EWTN),
23,29,41,45,
62 (Daystar),
67 (some shopping channel
13,14,19,62 & 67 are real fuzzy
I'm just up the road from you in Shakopee.
15 OTA stations? What antenna do you have? Heck, I have a Radio Shack VU110 and I can get 15 (barely)
2,4,5,9,11,
12 (sometimes),
13 (MTV2 translator),
14 (3 angels)
17,
19 (EWTN),
23,29,41,45,
62 (Daystar),
67 (some shopping channel
13,14,19,62 & 67 are real fuzzy
so Adrian Lynch WAS right
(on Steel Domain Wresling TV a couple weeks ago, SDW was in Le Sueur fror "Giant Days" and Adrian Lynch kept calling it The Sewer")
Thanks
Thanks for the welcome. It only smells here when the wind blows just right to stir-up the cheese plant, foundry, or sewage lagoons. Actually it's not bad, a very nice small town.
As for OTA reception, the Voom installer and a St. Peter appliance/antenna dealer (perhaps a tainted opinion there) said to steer clear of Radio Shack antennas saying "the wind'll shake 'em apart in a year or so." I installed a ChannelMaster UHF and amp of the same brand (purchased from the sage quoted above). I only have the digital tuner that came with the Voom box and am thus restricted to channels that are broadcasting their PSIP data. The channel search will hang on several RF's (16, 21, 38 that I can think of off-hand) which I have to assume are not sending PSIP. According to the Mankato CBS affiliate KEYC (RF 38, UHF 12) they are FCC-mandated to begin sending PSIP by Jan '05 but have yet to purchase/install the equipment to do it.
Thanks for the welcome. It only smells here when the wind blows just right to stir-up the cheese plant, foundry, or sewage lagoons.
Actually it's not bad, a very nice small town.As for OTA reception, the Voom installer and a St. Peter appliance/antenna dealer (perhaps a tainted opinion there) said to steer clear of Radio Shack antennas saying "the wind'll shake 'em apart in a year or so." I installed a ChannelMaster UHF and amp of the same brand (purchased from the sage quoted above). I only have the digital tuner that came with the Voom box and am thus restricted to channels that are broadcasting their PSIP data. The channel search will hang on several RF's (16, 21, 38 that I can think of off-hand) which I have to assume are not sending PSIP. According to the Mankato CBS affiliate KEYC (RF 38, UHF 12) they are FCC-mandated to begin sending PSIP by Jan '05 but have yet to purchase/install the equipment to do it.
Want better local station signal!
I used to live in Apple Valley on a higher piece of ground and got great reception with a large antenna in my attic. When I moved straight south to Farmington I again put the antenna in my attic but have never gotten great reception. I watch very little broadcast TV (mainly the Vikings) so I didn't care but with Viking season on again I want a good local signal. Just moving my antenna outside on the roof would help but I would rather go digital if I can. I have Dish Network with an older 5000 box and wanted an 811 box in hopes I could get by with my current antenna setup and get a good digital signal.
Since I have an HDTV it would also be nice to get these stations in HD format.
It wasn't until I found this forum had I heard of Voom. I am wondering if there is a way to use Voom as an alternative to Dish Network. I see their receiver offeres OTA digital channel reception but it seems their package cost is higher than what I am paying dish?
Looks like adding Dish's HD Pack to my current bill would bring it to $65/mon and the better Voom package is $90/mon. I realize there isn't a direct comparison in services.
Thoughts on comments on one vs. the other?
Thanks,
Lew
I used to live in Apple Valley on a higher piece of ground and got great reception with a large antenna in my attic. When I moved straight south to Farmington I again put the antenna in my attic but have never gotten great reception. I watch very little broadcast TV (mainly the Vikings) so I didn't care but with Viking season on again I want a good local signal. Just moving my antenna outside on the roof would help but I would rather go digital if I can. I have Dish Network with an older 5000 box and wanted an 811 box in hopes I could get by with my current antenna setup and get a good digital signal.
Since I have an HDTV it would also be nice to get these stations in HD format.
It wasn't until I found this forum had I heard of Voom. I am wondering if there is a way to use Voom as an alternative to Dish Network. I see their receiver offeres OTA digital channel reception but it seems their package cost is higher than what I am paying dish?
Looks like adding Dish's HD Pack to my current bill would bring it to $65/mon and the better Voom package is $90/mon. I realize there isn't a direct comparison in services.
Thoughts on comments on one vs. the other?
Thanks,
Lew
tvrobert said:
Interesting......use to work for Rat Shack and sold many of them...never a problem
Used this one for 3 years outside...no damage (yet)
I think part of the issue with mine is I have mine bolted to my deck (stupid HOA rules) and there might be some interference with a tree or two.
all the main ones (2 4 5 9 11 17 23 29 45) come in great...the LP stations dont come in real well
There's no accounting for outdoor equipment durability when you're dealing with bias and/or Minnesota weather. I was going to buy RadShack but the day I was shopping antennas, the local Radio Shack clerk said she knew nothing about antennas and I went elsewhere, because I didn't know either.
Lew, here's my motivation for switching to Voom (albeit from Directv rather than dish). With Directv, I was paying ~64$ a month. That included the Starz package and locals. At the time (late July, '04) Voom had the free install deal and, for about 52$ a month I jumped on it (I dropped the movie channels hoping Voom's HD movie channels would suffice... the jury's still way out on that one). I also dropped around 200$ for the UHF antenna and assorted accessories. I feel it was well worth it. Even the non-HD locals look better digitally off-air than they ever did via Directv. If you're looking for lots of different HD channels and are willing to compromise your expectations on actual content quality from time to time (except the picture quality, which is always stellar) then I would definitely recommend Voom. Enjoy your freedom of choice!
Lew, here's my motivation for switching to Voom (albeit from Directv rather than dish). With Directv, I was paying ~64$ a month. That included the Starz package and locals. At the time (late July, '04) Voom had the free install deal and, for about 52$ a month I jumped on it (I dropped the movie channels hoping Voom's HD movie channels would suffice... the jury's still way out on that one). I also dropped around 200$ for the UHF antenna and assorted accessories. I feel it was well worth it. Even the non-HD locals look better digitally off-air than they ever did via Directv. If you're looking for lots of different HD channels and are willing to compromise your expectations on actual content quality from time to time (except the picture quality, which is always stellar) then I would definitely recommend Voom. Enjoy your freedom of choice!
