Trouible with DirecTV installed Dish

Status
Please reply by conversation.

TheForce

SatelliteGuys Master
Original poster
Supporting Founder
Pub Member / Supporter
Oct 13, 2003
38,642
14,781
Jacksonville, FL, Earth
My daughter wanted to get DirecTV because of the introductory offer at $29.95. She called in and the installer came out and everything seemed fine. After 3 weeks she began to lose signal so she called the DirecTV and they sent out a different tech who said the problem was the first installer put in the wrong LNB set and changed it out and left. She still had the problem so she called me to come over and look at it. I told her I'd have a look for the obvious but I'm not that familiar with the latest DirecTV dish hardware.

What I found was at first two things obvious-

The dish was pointed directly into a tree about 10 FT in front of the the line of sight angle to the sky. When my son-in-law came home he told me that when he spoke to the second installer he told him he'd have to get his neighbor to cut the tree down. ( That obviously is not going to happen )

The second obvious issue I saw is the first installer mounted the in ground pole for the dish directly in front of the electrical meter. The dish is 4 inches in front of the meter. I believe this is in violation of the Code. It actually makes it difficult for the meter reader to see the readings. But I suppose he would have to complain before DirecTV would do anything about that. Secondly, the installer pulled the meter ground wire off the meter and used it to ground the feed through strap for the coax. Now their meter is not grounded! This may be a safety issue.

Another minor issue was that they got HDTV and the installer connected the sat receiver to the HD monitor with coax. I told them they need to get the receiver connected to the TV with an HDMI cable. The TV has 4 HDMI inputs. We are already using one for the Blue Ray Player.

Finally, it looks like they got used equipment (see photo) especially the dish looks to be several years old but I guess DirecTV sends out used equipment for new installs under that special price. The coax looks new.

While the signal looked pretty good, when the wind isn't blowing, they get 92 average meter readings and good picture. When the wind blows the tree the signal varies all the way down to zero and they get the searching for satellite popup every couple seconds. The signal meters swing like a vu meter on audio it is so bad.


If this was my house, I would simply move the satellite mounting mast 10 ft down the wall and and add some extension coax. Put the ground wire back on the meter box and add a 10 ft ground rod for the strap. add a second ground rod for the dish mast. Shouldn't take more than an hour plus time for the concrete to set up.
 

Attachments

  • IMAG0132.jpg
    IMAG0132.jpg
    388 KB · Views: 346
  • IMAG0135.jpg
    IMAG0135.jpg
    400 KB · Views: 330
Hi Don .. that dish is used 100% used..

Second note its not HD. So that is why the box is hooked up via coax.

Third Giving the tree locaion and angle of the dish loss of signal is a given . Why did they do a pole mount?
 
Hi Don .. that dish is used 100% used..

Second note its not HD. So that is why the box is hooked up via coax.

Third Giving the tree locaion and angle of the dish loss of signal is a given . Why did they do a pole mount?

I'm guessing that since the walls are stucco, the roof may have tiles, which you can't mount a dish to.
 
Was HD specifically ordered? That dish will not receive HD. Sounds like you got screwed by a subcontractor. I'd send those pictures to someone at DirecTV.
 
You know, I didn't even look to see if the box was HD. I should have. Just saw the coax and connected to the TV's F connector. She said she had HD but I believe she's mistaken as she hasn't paid extra for it.

The roof is shingles but the overhang is sealed, so they couldn't get anything except lag screws into the roof plywood. Personally, I wouldn't roof mount there but just move the mast about 10 ft from the meter box. It would clear the tree to the side that way.

I may give them an S video cable and some red / white audio cables next time I'm down there. The PQ does look a bit fuzzy but the real problem is the signal going in and out.

My daughter called and said the second installer gave them his cell number in case they had trouble, to call him directly and not D*. I feel he doesn't want a complaint on his record. Told her to try him again first to see if he is to keep his word.


JosephB- Both installers were not using DirecTV vans according to my son-in-law but had a DirecTV magnetic sign on the door panel.
 
Last edited:
Hi Don, The problem your daughter has is that she has a phase 3 dish, it is used and is for mainly for sd programing. A slimline 5 dish is used for hd programing. A hd reciecver DOES NOT have rf output. They only have hdmi, component, composite and s video. Sd recievers DO NOT have hdmi or component outputs, they do have rf, s video and composite outputs. Look on the inside access card door and it has the reciever model. What model is it? As far as the dish location, by your photos it's mounted to low and will need to be raised higher or relocated to a place where line of sight will not be an issue. If left in its current place, the growth of the tree will cause total signal loss and the dish will have to be raised, relocated or the tree will have to be trimmed or cut down. The ground wire is a problem because it sounds like the dish pole is the ground for the house instead of having the house ground grounding the dish pole. The electric co. may have a problem with the ground wire and location as it appears to cover the meter and a meter reader may not be able to get a reading.
 
I bet you those installers got paid for using new equipment and instead gave her an old junk dish that they had laying around.
 
Although the LOS may be blocked, it needs to be said that the signal actually comes in from a higher angle than what it looks. ~22 degrees if I remember. She definitely needs the AU9 dish and if mounted on a longer pole may work just fine.
 
Indeed, the angle is higher than you would expect. Mine is pole mounted about 6 feet away from my house, pointed at the house, and I have a pretty steep/tall roof. Either way, though, she needs a different dish (that one doesn't pick up 99/103), and it looks like they could have come down (towards the camera) and avoided the tree (of course we can't see what's to the left of the camera).

I would not even call the yokels that installed that and call DirecTV directly. It's important, though, that she had actually ordered HD. If she had only ordered SD, then technically that dish and receiver would be OK.
 
Do not and I repeat do not give installers 2nd chances. force dtv to get some one out there to fix that sh*t plan and simple.

I would would be stern and demand to speak with ace and tell them to get someone out there and do the install right if not tell them to get you a case manager as your not going to leave them alone till they do a proper install with the correct equpment that in code.
 
I can't believe the installer used that dish. He probably took it off another house when the person was getting a slimline dish installed and reused it at her place. If she ordered SD she should have gotten an 18" dish. If she ordered HD she should have gotten a slimline3 or maybe slimline5. I didn't even know they used those phase 3 dishes anymore. A slimline5 would get the 99,101,103,110,119 if for some reason she needed the 110,119.
 
I can't believe the installer used that dish. He probably took it off another house when the person was getting a slimline dish installed and reused it at her place. If she ordered SD she should have gotten an 18" dish. If she ordered HD she should have gotten a slimline3 or maybe slimline5. I didn't even know they used those phase 3 dishes anymore. A slimline5 would get the 99,101,103,110,119 if for some reason she needed the 110,119.

The dish may be used.. But the dish style is not a problem for SD. That is the standard Tri-Oval Dish used in locations that require 119-110-101.
 
I can't believe the installer used that dish. He probably took it off another house when the person was getting a slimline dish installed and reused it at her place. If she ordered SD she should have gotten an 18" dish. If she ordered HD she should have gotten a slimline3 or maybe slimline5. I didn't even know they used those phase 3 dishes anymore. A slimline5 would get the 99,101,103,110,119 if for some reason she needed the 110,119.

The Phase 3 dish is still used for sd installations where the local channels are on 119.
 
The HD part was a communications error. She said she wanted HD since the new TV was HD but she didn't want to pay any more than the intro minimum so, no HD from DirecTV. HD Case closed!

The mounting could have easily been located further along the wall and would have cleared everything. The LOS angle for DirecTV places the LOS near the top of the tree. I agree that as the tree grows it will lose all signal. I don't know if these installers, are just stupid, lack training, or are just lazy and will see what they can get away with. But I have seen equally poor installations from DishNetwork, DirecTV, and Comcast here.

There seems to be some debate here about the model dish being used. From what I saw, they are getting all the channels and they have no complaints about that. It's just the signal stability that needs corrected. Bottom line- If the customer is happy and they have no code violations, then we all should be good, even if they did use used equipment, right?
 
The HD part was a communications error. She said she wanted HD since the new TV was HD but she didn't want to pay any more than the intro minimum so, no HD from DirecTV. HD Case closed!

The mounting could have easily been located further along the wall and would have cleared everything. The LOS angle for DirecTV places the LOS near the top of the tree. I agree that as the tree grows it will lose all signal. I don't know if these installers, are just stupid, lack training, or are just lazy and will see what they can get away with. But I have seen equally poor installations from DishNetwork, DirecTV, and Comcast here.

There seems to be some debate here about the model dish being used. From what I saw, they are getting all the channels and they have no complaints about that. It's just the signal stability that needs corrected. Bottom line- If the customer is happy and they have no code violations, then we all should be good, even if they did use used equipment, right?

AFAIK, there is no guaranty that you will receive new equipment with any installation unless you get it yourself.
 
There not supposed to use USED equipment, only things recertified from DTV.

We do not recertified LNBs or Dishes do to weather and just ageing from being in the sun.

I would call and point out in front of a sampling an as that tree grows your going to loose singla and have them come out and put a new dish and lnb out there.
 
Status
Please reply by conversation.
***

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 1, Members: 0, Guests: 1)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)

Latest posts