Terrible experience with new DirecTV install....help!

[FEDS-91]

My first question to those experiencing issues with the clients or the Genie install is, did the install technician replace or make sure that the coax running from the dish itself to the 21v power inserter (the phone techs call it the SWiM box) and subsequently to the Genie is good DTV 3gb cable? Good quality coax in the Genie installs is very important. Even if it's listed as 3gb on the coax but it's whats known as copper clad (uses a steel conductor wrapped in copper instead of a solid copper conductor) this system will essentially wear it out. Lot of techs will try and re use the crap DISH cable (almost always copper clad) or older coax on a Genie install. It will generally fail within a year. The cabling to the clients isn't quite as important as they aren't pulling signal from the dish itself, just streaming content from the main box.

The second thing is the barrels in the wall plates. They MUST be the blue or orange barrels (3gb) rated for the DTV system. If I recall correctly the colored plastic in the barrels are coded: clear (500mhz) /white (1gb) /yellow (2gb) and those are not rated for the DTV system. They act as a choke point for the system. They will likely eventually drop the signal entirely (generally within 3mos to a year). But, it can also cause communication and / or glitches (i.e; slow reaction times) in communication between the Genie and the clients.

So to reiterate. Solid copper conductor 3gb coax from the dish all the way down to the Genie. And blue or orange barrels (F connectors) in the wall plates. Generally unless the coax going to the clients is absolute garbage (20+ years old) or RG59 in most cases it will work. The preference is still good DTV throughout the system if possible.

Keep in mind, there are still software glitches that haven't been resolved as of yet. Or have recurred with new iterations of the software. The black / gray screen issue with the software has popped up at least 2-3 times since the HR34 was first rolled out. Field techs can't do much to fix those problems. Have to wait for the engineers to fix some of the stuff.

 

[raoul5788]

to Satelliteguys FEDS-91!

I know the cable from the dish to the power inserter should/must be solid copper, but I haven't heard of it being necessary in the rest of the setup.

 

[FEDS-91]

5 Clients seems like a lot,I thought that the recommended max was 3?

You can have up to 8 clients in a system. Can only run 3 at a time while the Genie is running. Believe you can run a 4th if the Genie is powered down and not recording anything.

Rumor has it there has been a breakthrough and the 3 client at a time limit will no longer matter. Not sure how far off the tech is from being implemented though.

 

[FEDS-91]

I believe the cost is $70 for a tech visit.

$49.99 without the protection plan.

Customers don't even have to buy the equipment.

Incorrect. Everything except the receivers is purchased by the customer when the customer signs up. But by signing the lease agreement they also agree to the care and maintenance of the receivers while they have them in their possession.

I cannot understand why people complain about having to pay such small amounts for service calls.

I think this comes from (at least the local cable provider) not charging for service calls. Which is misleading due to them essentially adding it into the monthly pricing. You end up paying anyway.

to Satelliteguys FEDS-91

I know the cable from the dish to the power inserter should/must be solid copper, but I haven't heard of it being necessary in the rest of the setup.

It's generally not imperative, but it is preferred.

 

[raoul5788]

Everything except the receivers is purchased by the customer when the customer signs up. But by signing the lease agreement they also agree to the care and maintenance of the receivers while they have them in their possession.

Not quite correct. Everything but the receivers is owned by the customer, but not paid for specifically. The cost of the dish, etc may be included in the monthly fees, but you don't pay separately for them.

 

[FEDS-91]

Not quite correct. Everything but the receivers is owned by the customer, but not paid for specifically. The cost of the dish, etc may be included in the monthly fees, but you don't pay separately for them.

Agreed. The end result is the same though.

 

[RLDreams]

My first question to those experiencing issues with the clients or the Genie install is, did the install technician replace or make sure that the coax running from the dish itself to the 21v power inserter (the phone techs call it the SWiM box) and subsequently to the Genie is good DTV 3gb cable? Good quality coax in the Genie installs is very important. Even if it's listed as 3gb on the coax but it's whats known as copper clad (uses a steel conductor wrapped in copper instead of a solid copper conductor) this system will essentially wear it out. Lot of techs will try and re use the crap DISH cable (almost always copper clad) or older coax on a Genie install. It will generally fail within a year.

This actually makes a lot of sense. We had our HR34 for a little over a year before we started having issues with it losing signal. The HR21 and H25s had no problem. When they initially installed the new dish and Genie tech ran new wires from dish to SWiM and from SWiM to splitters, but used the old crap wiring that was already in the house since God knows when to go from the splitters to the receivers.
Once it graduated from a 771 error to 775 and 776 errors, I was able to get a tech out. Ran a new coax directly from the SWiM to the HR34 ,rather than splicing it onto the old house wiring and problem solved. So I can attest to the old wiring lasting about a year. The older receivers have (knock on wood) had no problem with the old cable/dssh wiring.

 

[FEDS-91]

This actually makes a lot of sense. We had our HR34 for a little over a year before we started having issues with it losing signal. The HR21 and H25s had no problem. When they initially installed the new dish and Genie tech ran new wires from dish to SWiM and from SWiM to splitters, but used the old crap wiring that was already in the house since God knows when to go from the splitters to the receivers.
Once it graduated from a 771 error to 775 and 776 errors, I was able to get a tech out. Ran a new coax directly from the SWiM to the HR34 ,rather than splicing it onto the old house wiring and problem solved. So I can attest to the old wiring lasting about a year. The older receivers have (knock on wood) had no problem with the old cable/dssh wiring.

Glad they were able to get it resolved. I think a lot of people don't think about it, but when you went to a Genie you basically went from running 1 (or 2 tuners for a DVR) off that line to running 5. Definitely going to put a bigger strain on the coax. Added to that is if it went from a legacy system to SWiM? Power has been added to the mix. Older or copper clad cable just can't handle it.

 

[texasbrit]

Glad they were able to get it resolved. I think a lot of people don't think about it, but when you went to a Genie you basically went from running 1 (or 2 tuners for a DVR) off that line to running 5. Definitely going to put a bigger strain on the coax. Added to that is if it went from a legacy system to SWiM? Power has been added to the mix. Older or copper clad cable just can't handle it.

Running five tuners does not "put a bigger strain on the coax". And the system does not "wear out the coax", that's just an installer "urban legend". Cable types such as RG6 copper-clad, or RG59, have definable performance characteristics; copper-clad RG6 has exactly the same signal losses as solid copper core, but greater power losses, which is why it's recommended for the run from the power inserter to the SWM LNB at the dish. RG59 has greater signal losses AND greater power losses, which is why it should not be used except for short cable runs. But running the DirecTv system through copper clad or even RG59 will not wear out the cable!!

 

[dalyew]

I've had concerns about my installer using the previously installed Dish cables but he said it didn't matter. Mind you, I've not had any of the listed problems with my HR44 system but that install was done only a couple months ago. Now, based on what's stated here, I may not be out of the woods completely yet. Been pondering the idea of getting the insurance after my 3 month warranty period is up, especially since it includes the benefit of no tech visit fees and the ability to upgrade, at no charge, to new equipment after 24 months (according to the csr that was trying to get me to buy it). Any thoughts on this?

 

[RLDreams]

I have never been a big fan of service plans, but as the equipment gets more advanced there are more things that can go wrong. Everybody has always had a big complaint (myself included) that for existing customers to get new equipment we had to either buy it ourselves or jump through rings of fire to try and get it from DTV. When it takes emails and phone calls to the president's office to upgrade 5 year old ,that is 3-4 generations behind what is currently being given to new subscribers,there is something wrong.

So it looks like DTV finally heard us with the new service plan. For $10/mo you can upgrade your equipment every 2 years. I originally signed up for SP because I knew I had a problem with my SWiM or wiring and did not want to spend $100 on a new SWiM 16 out of pocket. I figured I'd keep it for a few months then cancel it. Then I got the notice about the free equipment upgrade, luckily I signed up just before the price increase too. To be honest that is the only reason I am keeping the SP.

 

[Joe Diamond]

I've had concerns about my installer using the previously installed Dish cables but he said it didn't matter. Mind you, I've not had any of the listed problems with my HR44 system but that install was done only a couple months ago. Now, based on what's stated here, I may not be out of the woods completely yet. Been pondering the idea of getting the insurance after my 3 month warranty period is up, especially since it includes the benefit of no tech visit fees and the ability to upgrade, at no charge, to new equipment after 24 months (according to the csr that was trying to get me to buy it). Any thoughts on this?

Here is a way to look at it,

DISH requires better cable than DirecTV. AND most cable problems are either damage from animals or fittings that fail in freezing conditions.. It is the receivers that will get zapped in a lightning storm or power surge.
The fees you pay for the protection plan are equal to about what one SD receiver costs. IF you are running several HDDVRs the plan could be a prudent move. DO read exactly what the plan covers. Figure a replacement cost for your equipment. See where you are.

Joe

 

[dalyew]

Thanks guys. I probably will be going with the SP, which I never usually go with but the equipment upgrade feature along with the added protection really makes it feel feasible this time. My gut is telling me I've been lucky so far over all these years but my luck maybe running out this time around. If everything turns out to be ok over the next couple years at least I'll have the option to upgrade (which I usually like to do) without the usual haggling.

 

[acostapimps]

If something was to go wrong with any receivers(knock on wood) then I will call the CSR for replacement, but will try to get a tech visit fee waived if I ever need it (I don't mind the $20 replacement fee) Then if that doesn't work than I'll have to play CSR roulette, which I don't like but so be it, But if they don't budge then I'll eventually add the PP, then after the tech visit I'll cancel it, simple as that. As for free upgrade every 2 years, I just call retention that's how I got my free HR44 upgrade.

 

[bobvick]

Thanks guys. I probably will be going with the SP, which I never usually go with but the equipment upgrade feature along with the added protection really makes it feel feasible this time. My gut is telling me I've been lucky so far over all these years but my luck maybe running out this time around. If everything turns out to be ok over the next couple years at least I'll have the option to upgrade (which I usually like to do) without the usual haggling.

I have the Service Plan Premier, the $20 per month one. I used to just have the regular $7 per month plan. Then, in May I had a BIG lighting strike and another in July. The PPP paid for me to get a 40'' Sony, a 47'' LG, a 59'' Samsung, a $700 Onkyo audio receiver, and a $600 Denon receiver that I had just bought, either fixed or replaced. In the case of the Denon, they couldn't fix it, so they just shipped me a brand new one from B&H Photo. The Onkyo was fixed and shipped back and the TV sets were fixed at my home. It does have a $50 deductible for each device, but it is still cheaper than having to pay to get it fixed or have to buy new equipment. Additionally in those strikes, my whole DirecTV system except for one HR24 was shot. So they had to replace a HR44, 3 HR24's, the LNBF, and a SWiM 16 two times. If you live in a lighting prone area, it seems worth it to me.

 

[dalyew]

I have the Service Plan Premier, the $20 per month one. I used to just have the regular $7 per month plan. Then, in May I had a BIG lighting strike and another in July. The PPP paid for me to get a 40'' Sony, a 47'' LG, a 59'' Samsung, a $700 Onkyo audio receiver, and a $600 Denon receiver that I had just bought, either fixed or replaced. In the case of the Denon, they couldn't fix it, so they just shipped me a brand new one from B&H Photo. The Onkyo was fixed and shipped back and the TV sets were fixed at my home. It does have a $50 deductible for each device, but it is still cheaper than having to pay to get it fixed or have to buy new equipment. Additionally in those strikes, my whole DirecTV system except for one HR24 was shot. So they had to replace a HR44, 3 HR24's, the LNBF, and a SWiM 16 two times. If you live in a lighting prone area, it seems worth it to me.

Wow! Now that's a case for insurance . Didn't know about that Premier Plan, will look into it but might not be in the budget, but so is some catastrophic event like what you described.