Self-install ?

[kstuart]

Does DirecTV currently allow self-install if you sign up for one of their promtions for new subs ?

One of my relatives wants to sign up and I would rather do the install myself (I find that these particular relatives always end up with installers doing bad work that I have to fix later).

 

[NutFlush920]

It is in my past experience that DirecTV will insist on doing the install. You are more then welcome to be there and watch the installer do the work to ensure the job is to yoru satisfaction.

 

[ds1234]

You can go to local retailer and sign directv 2 year service agreement and pick up dish and receivers and do install your self. I don't think they would mind at all.

 

[yorktown]

You can go to local retailer and sign directv 2 year service agreement and pick up dish and receivers and do install your self. I don't think they would mind at all.

I don't know of any local retailers(Best Buy, Walmart, etc..) that have slimline dishes available to pick up.

You can buy a dish from an online retailer, get the receivers or DVRs from a local store and install it all yourself. You just won't get the new customer equipment free or almost free equipment deals.

 

[Jimbo]

You can go to local retailer and sign directv 2 year service agreement and pick up dish and receivers and do install your self. I don't think they would mind at all.

I don't know of any local retailers(Best Buy, Walmart, etc..) that have slimline dishes available to pick up.

You can buy a dish from an online retailer, get the receivers or DVRs from a local store and install it all yourself. You just won't get the new customer equipment free or almost free equipment deals.

Or any of the promo's that D* offers to new subs.

kstuart,
What don't you want done by D* ?
Go ahead and run the coax and fish the walls if nessasary.
The installer would be happy to know that you have most of the work done for him.
He will gladly put compression fittings on all needed cables.
Let the Installers do the dish point.
You can probably do it fine, but they have the Birdog to fine tune it more accurately than you would be able to do without it.

 

[Sadoun]

Does DirecTV currently allow self-install if you sign up for one of their promtions for new subs ?

One of my relatives wants to sign up and I would rather do the install myself (I find that these particular relatives always end up with installers doing bad work that I have to fix later).

You can have the DirecTV installer do the job. You can go after the installation is done and do your quality check and fix any mistakes. Or you can be present during the installation to give your suggestions, if needed.

 

[wildbill129]

You can have the DirecTV installer do the job. You can go after the installation is done and do your quality check and fix any mistakes. Or you can be present during the installation to give your suggestions, if needed.

Or prewire yourself, then as Sadoun said, fix the minor issues after they leave....best of both worlds...

 

[yorktown]

You can have the DirecTV installer do the job. You can go after the installation is done and do your quality check and fix any mistakes. Or you can be present during the installation to give your suggestions, if needed.

No offense intended, what makes you think the installer would take the homeowners suggestions?

Even if the homeowner said - Make sure you mount the dish bracket to a stud, the installer would say - OKAY, then do whatever he felt like doing.

 

[Joe Diamond]

A sketch should be enough.

Show your three best dish locations and a cable run that grounds the system for each. Clear out access to the TVs. Plan a cable route to each TV. Expect to pay for anything but attaching the dish to the building and surface mounted wire runs.

Don't micro manage but do it in an assertive way.

Joe

 

[sddtvtech]

have the professional do it, you, as the owner have the right to tell the professional to have it your way. however, if your cables are gonna be IN the walls, beware of custom charges unless you do it yourself.

dish pointing, fittings, and dish pointing... i do make a big issue on customers trying to do their own dish pointing. without some kind of meter, its no good. for example in my area, if you dont get 99 and 103 on that HAIR, you wont get programming and your reciever will fail installation test.

my advice, you can do the cabling... let the pros do the grounding, phone lines and dish pointing.

btw, installs are free. why do it yourself if you screw up. an example, one customer thought he had the right spot, i get there, there was a Line of sight issue and i had to relocate the dish.. leaving 10 holes he left in his roof that he shouldve waited and let the pros do it.

so now hes got 10 empty holes filled with silicone and 10 more holes in his roof to mount the dish... again.


LET THEM DO IT!!!!

 

[Joe Diamond]

sddtvtech,
Could you explain about the "installation test?" I have been doing this stuff for years but need to decide whether or not to work with this latest feature. When does it decide to turn things off for low signal. Have you lost time or money because you couldn't finish a job in bad weather?

What?

Joe

 

[sddtvtech]

sddtvtech,
Could you explain about the "installation test?" I have been doing this stuff for years but need to decide whether or not to work with this latest feature. When does it decide to turn things off for low signal. Have you lost time or money because you couldn't finish a job in bad weather?

What?

Joe

anytime you install a new reciever no matter what model it is or if you change dish setup.

it will go to a process of verifying configuration and verifying installation. if it doesnt get enuf signal strength of any satellite for ex: 101, 99, 103, 110, 119... it will put an X on the even or odd box and tell you it will not proceed to the next step til the errors are corrected. you could pass EVERY one of those satellite except a 103 odd. it will stop the next step process. every ONE of those signals have to read a good signal to pass the test

when youre trained, youre suppose to get 80% or better and suppose to hit 90s across the board to begin with anyways.. and thats what this verifying will do, make sure you got more than 80% or better to pass the test.

ive had HIGH wind move my dish slightly, yes i had to come back in the morning and peak it before the wind comes up to finish the job. snow rain and those weather will not stop me... but high 40+ mph wind will stop me from getting my dish tuned in.

 

[Joe Diamond]

anytime you install a new reciever no matter what model it is or if you change dish setup.

it will go to a process of verifying configuration and verifying installation. if it doesnt get enuf signal strength of any satellite for ex: 101, 99, 103, 110, 119... it will put an X on the even or odd box and tell you it will not proceed to the next step til the errors are corrected. you could pass EVERY one of those satellite except a 103 odd. it will stop the next step process. every ONE of those signals have to read a good signal to pass the test

when youre trained, youre suppose to get 80% or better and suppose to hit 90s across the board to begin with anyways.. and thats what this verifying will do, make sure you got more than 80% or better to pass the test.

ive had HIGH wind move my dish slightly, yes i had to come back in the morning and peak it before the wind comes up to finish the job. snow rain and those weather will not stop me... but high 40+ mph wind will stop me from getting my dish tuned in.

Thanks.

I'm going to charge for that if it comes up. An extra trip is an extra trip! For years the installation minimum was 70 but everyone hit 90s on the 101.

Another question please. At what point does all this happen? IF a customer started connecting boxes while the dish was being installed AND the receivers got turned on would this trigger the shut down....locked up boxes?

Can they be reset easily or is there actually a call to a CSR to get things going again?

Thanks,

Joe

 

[yorktown]

I have always self installed my own dished on the roof of my 2 story house. It's been great for 14 years now. It only goes out for a few minutes during a really heavy rain.

About 4 months ago my neighbor had the free DIRECTV "pro" install job done. She was switching from COMCAST to DIRECTV service to save some money. The "pro" installer installed the dish on the lower level roof area above their kitchen area pointing at some trees, instead of putting it up on the 2 story part of the roof. I remember a few days later we had a mild rain and my neighbor was telling me - that dish service went out when it rained the other day!! She was pretty disgusted. Yesterday she had evil COMCAST over at her house and today I noticed the DIRECTV dish wires are cut.

If the installer would have installed the dish on the 2nd story roof area she probably would have avoided the trees, had higher signal strengths and would still have DIRECTV now.

If it was me that was having the free install done I would have insisted they put the dish up as high as they could or called back and asked them to relocate the dish a few weeks later. My neighbor is the typical consumer. She wanted to save some money by switching from COMCAST to DIRECTV and had a crappy "pro" install, which she probably thinks is the best they can do, had issues, switched back to COMCAST. She'll probably tell everyone - We tried DIRECTV for a few months and the stupid thing went out every time it rained !!

 

[sddtvtech]

Thanks.

I'm going to charge for that if it comes up. An extra trip is an extra trip! For years the installation minimum was 70 but everyone hit 90s on the 101.

Another question please. At what point does all this happen? IF a customer started connecting boxes while the dish was being installed AND the receivers got turned on would this trigger the shut down....locked up boxes?

Can they be reset easily or is there actually a call to a CSR to get things going again?

Thanks,

Joe

no they dont lock the box.. it just pain in the ass to proceed to the next step if you get continuous of X marked boxes. however, ive gotten a few right off the bat and then re-test, it goes away. it wont do nothing til you do the activation process. most times that a box is already activiated, it wont do this verifying installation but it does, but will pass if you fine tune your dish.

only reason i say this is most people who self install their dish assuming they can be 1/16th off wont harm nothing. in fact, it will bc it has to be dead on that satellite to detect 99 and 103. so basically for you having a birddog or superbuddy, you shouldnt have this problem. just people who do self installs that they THINK they got the 101 perfect, could be wrong.

when it starts for the very first time, it detects 101 and 119... after you select dish set up, it will detect 99 and 103 or your local spotbeam satellite. then the real test come after you activate.


lock your 99, 101, 103 and you'll be fine.

ive gotten where i install a SL 3 and it picks up a SL5 and gives error. then you call DTV and tell them you installed SL3 and its giving you a SL5 on the box, Error 0003 and they will correct it. we've had it for awhile but it seems to be gone now. im assuming software glitch on detecting satellite setup.


most 90% of the time, its dithered 2.00 off and after you get that tuned in perfect, the X boxes will dissappear.

 

[Joe Diamond]

no they dont lock the box.. it just pain in the ass to proceed to the next step if you get continuous of X marked boxes. however, ive gotten a few right off the bat and then re-test, it goes away. it wont do nothing til you do the activation process. most times that a box is already activiated, it wont do this verifying installation but it does, but will pass if you fine tune your dish.

only reason i say this is most people who self install their dish assuming they can be 1/16th off wont harm nothing. in fact, it will bc it has to be dead on that satellite to detect 99 and 103. so basically for you having a birddog or superbuddy, you shouldnt have this problem. just people who do self installs that they THINK they got the 101 perfect, could be wrong.

when it starts for the very first time, it detects 101 and 119... after you select dish set up, it will detect 99 and 103 or your local spotbeam satellite. then the real test come after you activate.


lock your 99, 101, 103 and you'll be fine.

ive gotten where i install a SL 3 and it picks up a SL5 and gives error. then you call DTV and tell them you installed SL3 and its giving you a SL5 on the box, Error 0003 and they will correct it. we've had it for awhile but it seems to be gone now. im assuming software glitch on detecting satellite setup.


most 90% of the time, its dithered 2.00 off and after you get that tuned in perfect, the X boxes will dissappear.

Gotya,

The last Ka/Ku I did.....don't do many anymore........I just tuned as you mentioned...101 + a little poosh west. When I connected the new H23 it just moved through that screen with the boxes.....no problem. After activation I checked all signals and they were fine.

I just have this fear they are out to get ya. You are not paranoid if they are really out to get ya.

Thanks again,

Joe