Sorry for Switch to Direct TV

[Goots]

I am sorry I switched to Direct TV. I had Dishnetwork for 19 months and lost signal once. I have had Direct TV since 4/18/09 and we have lost signal 12 times. They sent Techs out twice. replaced Dish, LNB,. checked cabling. Tweaked Dish. replaced swtich Signals on clear day 96 on 101 94 on 103cand 92 on 99c. When cloudiness and or light to moderate rain. we totally lose signal and it receivers return 771 searching for sat signal. When I called about it yesterday the escalated the ticket and al ady called me back and told me that clouds or rain or snow will make the signal go out. I explained that the H-D channels are the only ones that go out she told me to watch the SD channels. She was very firm in her declaration that the contract mentions that weather will cause loss of signal. Why don't they advertise this? Here in the Northeast the 99c and 103c sats just can not hold signal in ANY type of rain clouds/rain. They go down in the 50s and the SD sat is still in the lo 90 range. Dish Network only went out once in 19 months. I asked D TV to let me out of the contract if they can not provide reliable service. She refused.and will not send another service call. She claims that is how the service is. So I am now stuck witth giving them $497 dollars for equipment use just two months ago and paying for this frequently interrupted service for two years. My only alternative is to keep the lowest SD package for the two years and go back to Dish Network and buy the H-D only package. At least i will be able to watch the H-D. Who watches TV when it is nice, sunny and clear? We watch TV when the weather is bad. We have three kids who can not watch cartoons on a rainy day once again. This service should be advertised as such and there should be at least a 30 opt out in the contract. We had the service for two days the first time it happened and I called about it. The rain was only mild. we could not watch TV. Do yourself a favor. Unless you want to watch on a clear day only... Stay AWAY FROM DIRECT TV. Also, me neighbor has the same issues , he was installed in NOV of 2008

 

[boba]

Now that you have vented pay your dues and go back to DISH. You learned an expensive lesson that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence. Why only 19 mo. with DISH if you had HD you should have had a 24 mo. contract with them?

 

[rad]

Goots, what's your signal readings on the 99(c) and 103(c) satellites, they should be at least in the upper 80's or lower 90's on a sunny day to have any chance of not getting rain fade.

As an FYI, the HD channels use the Ka band, vs. the Ku band for SD. Ka is more sensitive to rain fade and it's expected that they would go out first. But they should be fine still in a 'normal' rain shower, but in a downpour they will probably go out.

 

[Goots]

Now that you have vented pay your dues and go back to DISH. You learned an expensive lesson that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence. Why only 19 mo. with DISH if you had HD you should have had a 24 mo. contract with them?

18 month agreement.

 

[Goots]

Goots, what's your signal readings on the 99(c) and 103(c) satellites, they should be at least in the upper 80's or lower 90's on a sunny day to have any chance of not getting rain fade.

As an FYI, the HD channels use the Ka band, vs. the Ku band for SD. Ka is more sensitive to rain fade and it's expected that they would go out first. But they should be fine still in a 'normal' rain shower, but in a downpour they will probably go out.

99c signal 103 c signal 94 on clear day. The channels go out even in clouds or clouds with light rain. Direct TV said clouds can make them go out.

 

[Big Dawg 23]

I am sorry I switched to Direct TV. I had Dishnetwork for 19 months and lost signal once. I have had Direct TV since 4/18/09 and we have lost signal 12 times. They sent Techs out twice. replaced Dish, LNB,. checked cabling. Tweaked Dish. replaced swtich Signals on clear day 96 on 101 94 on 103cand 92 on 99c. When cloudiness and or light to moderate rain. we totally lose signal and it receivers return 771 searching for sat signal. When I called about it yesterday the escalated the ticket and al ady called me back and told me that clouds or rain or snow will make the signal go out. I explained that the H-D channels are the only ones that go out she told me to watch the SD channels. She was very firm in her declaration that the contract mentions that weather will cause loss of signal. Why don't they advertise this? Here in the Northeast the 99c and 103c sats just can not hold signal in ANY type of rain clouds/rain. They go down in the 50s and the SD sat is still in the lo 90 range. Dish Network only went out once in 19 months. I asked D TV to let me out of the contract if they can not provide reliable service. She refused.and will not send another service call. She claims that is how the service is. So I am now stuck witth giving them $497 dollars for equipment use just two months ago and paying for this frequently interrupted service for two years. My only alternative is to keep the lowest SD package for the two years and go back to Dish Network and buy the H-D only package. At least i will be able to watch the H-D. Who watches TV when it is nice, sunny and clear? We watch TV when the weather is bad. We have three kids who can not watch cartoons on a rainy day once again. This service should be advertised as such and there should be at least a 30 opt out in the contract. We had the service for two days the first time it happened and I called about it. The rain was only mild. we could not watch TV. Do yourself a favor. Unless you want to watch on a clear day only... Stay AWAY FROM DIRECT TV. Also, me neighbor has the same issues , he was installed in NOV of 2008

Sorry to hear of your issues. My suggestion is that you find the email to the CEO and explain the issues. This email will end up with a Manager of Customer Service. They should be able to help.

I can say I had the opposite effect that you did. I had Dish Network and after the first 6 months my signal went to hell. Same as you when it, got very cloudy or a light rain my signal dropped out. Each person has there own experience. I went to my local cable company after the issues. My wife refused to try satellite again because of our issues with Dish Network. But our cable jacked the rates so high she opted to try Directv. Been installed since Nov. 1 and have had one 10 minute outage from an ice storm and another interminent outage on HD changes two weeks ago in a complete down pour.

In the end each people have there own exprience in my case I would tell be not to go to Dish Netwok after the issues you had.

 

[Goots]

Sorry to hear of your issues. My suggestion is that you find the email to the CEO and explain the issues. This email will end up with a Manager of Customer Service. They should be able to help.

I can say I had the opposite effect that you did. I had Dish Network and after the first 6 months my signal went to hell. Same as you when it, got very cloudy or a light rain my signal dropped out. Each person has there own experience. I went to my local cable company after the issues. My wife refused to try satellite again because of our issues with Dish Network. But our cable jacked the rates so high she opted to try Directv. Been installed since Nov. 1 and have had one 10 minute outage from an ice storm and another interminent outage on HD changes two weeks ago in a complete down pour.

In the end each people have there own exprience in my case I would tell be not to go to Dish Netwok after the issues you had.

May be the case by region. There is nothing the techs can do everything is correct. it must be an issue witht eh northeast but. none the less, they should make good on it.

 

[Goots]

Sorry to hear of your issues. My suggestion is that you find the email to the CEO and explain the issues. This email will end up with a Manager of Customer Service. They should be able to help.

I can say I had the opposite effect that you did. I had Dish Network and after the first 6 months my signal went to hell. Same as you when it, got very cloudy or a light rain my signal dropped out. Each person has there own experience. I went to my local cable company after the issues. My wife refused to try satellite again because of our issues with Dish Network. But our cable jacked the rates so high she opted to try Directv. Been installed since Nov. 1 and have had one 10 minute outage from an ice storm and another interminent outage on HD changes two weeks ago in a complete down pour.

In the end each people have there own exprience in my case I would tell be not to go to Dish Netwok after the issues you had.

May be the case by region. There is nothing the techs can do everything is correct. it must be an issue witht eh northeast but. none the less, they should make good on it.

 

[joed32]

I'm sure that they have many subs in the northeast that don't have your problem. The techs are missing something and if they can't fix it they should let you out of your contract.

 

[Goots]

I'm sure that they have many subs in the northeast that don't have your problem. The techs are missing something and if they can't fix it they should let you out of your contract.

agreed but they will not. only offer some refund of lost services. I dont; want that I want reliable TV. OThers at work complain of the same issue. my neighbor has it also.
Direct TV CSRs claim that it is normal to losse signal even in cloudy weather. she said "It is just like plcing a black peice of construction paper on top of the dish"... That was her reply to it going out in cloudy conditions.

 

[JAG72]

I have to agree with the rest of the people that something is just not right. There are many people on this forum from the area or even further Northeast that don't have any of these problems.

 

[Ronnie-]

Did they replace the receiver? If they did, I missed it in the post.

Assuming everything else has been replaced and tweaked, that really does not leave much else.
Usually, in cases like this it is something simple and easily overlooked.

IMO, the CSRs are just giving you a canned response. There is no reason to lose signal, with the strength that you are reporting, in anything less than a downpour. That said, Rad is correct, the new HD channels tend to go out first, but they should not under the conditions that you report here.

 

[Jimbo]

OP,
Was the D* dish placed in the same place as the Dish Net dish ?

Could it be that your signal is being blocked by a tree branch that gets blown around in bad weather causing the problem to only show up in bad weather ?

How clear is the area being used for the signal.

The sat signal come in much higher than the dish itself points, so if you happen to be pointing under potential tree branches, that could explain it.

Jimbo

 

[qidon]

I would suggest that you have the cables replaced. Even a minor imperfection or overbend can disrupt the hd sat's signal. "Checking" the cable is useless unless an obvious flaw is found (like a metal staple in the line). The tech's are least likely to change the coax over all other possibilities because it is time consuming. A "hot drop" from the dish to your rec. is the best way to check to see if your cable needs replaced. Beyond that I would change the rec. (Loose fittings are also a common culprit). Good luck.

 

[dcowboy7]

Thats because your got something called Direct TV ? you shouldve gotten DirecTV.

 

[hankb11]

I'm in the northeast and it takes a really bad storm to lose signal.

 

[markfp-1]

I live in upstate New York and have had DirecTV for ten years and rarely lose the signal because of weather. We just had three days of constant heavy rain and never an outage. You'd also think that we'd get problems in the winter when we measure snow fall by the foot instead of inches, but not so.

I'm not making light of the OP's problem, just pointing out that "everyone" in the northeast doesn't have major weather problems.

 

[vurbano]

Goots, what's your signal readings on the 99(c) and 103(c) satellites, they should be at least in the upper 80's or lower 90's on a sunny day to have any chance of not getting rain fade.

Mine are in the upper 90's and I still get rain fade. ANYONE that says they never get it is either lying or lives in a desert.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Mine are in the upper 90's and I still get rain fade. ANYONE that says they never get it is either lying or lives in a desert.

HA HA HA . Funny!
I had a 6 acre field in front of my Slimline Dish , And I still got Rain fade. My signals were in the low to mid 90's.
Rad is correct though, Normal rain or clouds should not have any effect on your signal. Heavy rain ,, sure the KA satellites are going to go out first.
Between E* and D*, I can't say there is much of a difference as far as rain fade. Eastern Arc is good if you live in the East. But still gets rain fade.

 

[scottie_h]

Mine are in the upper 90's and I still get rain fade. ANYONE that says they never get it is either lying or lives in a desert.

While it is extremely rare, we do lose signal on occasion. But it takes a very heavy rain to do so. We have never lost signal on a cloudy day, in light rain or even in any snow storm. So I'd say we lose signal maybe 4-5 times per summer, and that is typically for only a few minutes since the extremely heavy downpours don't last that long.

How our frequencies compare to other areas, I can't say since I don't know how often other areas of the country get heavy downpours.

As others have already said, and unfortunately despite what customer service says, what you are experiencing is definitely not "normal".