Was told I cant get a line of Site for Dish ?

[Van]

If an installer doesn't want to climb that ladder or any other route to that dish he's in the wrong business!!

Evidently you have never tried to set up a 40ft ladder between two houses that are 6ft apart to try and just check for a line of site or have only had the option to put up a ladder on a hill side and have your ladder lean badly.

called Dish back and they said it was a lead tech.. they was out here and said if he couldnt get it, then it cant be got.

Call 1-800-333-3474 wich is the primary number for dish, they wouldnt know if it was a lead tech or not, besides as a former lead tech for dish I can tell you that not all lead techs nor the field service managers have a good eye so pressure them for another opinion or you could always ask me to come out and take a look as I am in Athens.

I just can't figure out why anyone would walk away from an install that already has a dish and wiring in place!

I have walked away from these, not all existing systems have a line of site for 61.5/105/110/119/121/129/148 or in the case of one potential customer there was no way that I was going to climb 100ft up into a tree to swap out a direct dish for a E dish regardless of it being the only line of site.


On the second set of pictures from behind the dish I can see that the pics were taken at an angle and the tree's are taller than what you would initialy think, a second opion is definitely in order and if dish wont send out an E tech then look for a local contractor to come out and take a look.

 

[tsduke]

"Evidently you have never tried to set up a 40ft ladder between two houses that are 6ft apart to try and just check for a line of site or have only had the option to put up a ladder on a hill side and have your ladder lean badly."

Is that the only route to the roof?

 

[LOBO2999]

"Evidently you have never tried to set up a 40ft ladder between two houses that are 6ft apart to try and just check for a line of site or have only had the option to put up a ladder on a hill side and have your ladder lean badly."

Is that the only route to the roof?

No, I get up on it from the deck, its a 6-12 pitch , I ask if we could stick it on the chimney ? Was told still wouldnt get it even though it is 6 feet higher that the dish you see up there. Direct told me I would never get LOS either and thats why I had to do it myself , of course I have had D for almost ten years now and when I got them you could do self installs. I plane on keeping D I wanted E for more HD.

 

[dishcomm]

If you go back to the pic of the ladder against the exterior wall it will show about 28 rungs in extension.

Call it 12" per rung and it appears to be at about 27 feet up the wall or so. Say you are standing 4' below the top of the ladder and that puts you right about 23' off the ground. That's a far cry from 40'.

All I'm saying is that the situation here is nothing out of the ordinary and any installer should be prepared to work at 25' off the ground. Sure some safety concerns are there, but that's why rules and procedures are in place for working off the ground. A cheap ladder may not feel comfortable at those heights and that's why professionals carry a type 1 or 1a with them.

Too many folks go around without the proper equipment running the chance they won't need the equipment for a job. I'm not just talking about dish installers either.

Ok ..didn't see the ladder...But I was making a different point anyway..Trust me my stuff is grade A...I work at heights all the time..My point is if it looks unsafe I won't do it.._Please accept that at face value..I get paid to do a job..I don't get paid if I don't do a job..So I make all efforts to get the job done...
I must point out something based on what you wrote..I find it incredibly presumptuous of anyone outside the bsuiness to say things like " a good installer" or an "installer should have". Or an "Installer should" anything.
If you are not in my line of work how do you then know for sure(you seem quite sure of yourself) that "too many folks" are doing anything of the kind?..
I carry the required tools of the trade plus a few other items in a bag of tricks. I get alot done that other peope wil walk away from. Yes I do some dumb things like carry my 6 foot step ladder on my back so I can get on the roofto an even higher place to get the dish installed. Stuff like that isn't in the job descrption and I can assure you if I fell my health insurer would laugh their ass off if I filed a claim . ..What I don't carry is a desire to attempt suicide so a total stranger can enjoy HGTV...

 

[gpflepsen]

dishcomm, please don't feel the need to defend yourself. You sound like the kind of guy I'd want doing work for me, or with me.

I'll say again, too many people will venture out into the day's activities and not be prepared for what may come up. I've worked for 10 years in a business where the lack of a seemingly mundane piece of equipment could let a whole operation come to a halt and let several thousands of dollars of commodity go to waste. Not an easy feeling when a whole operation is looking at you like you're a *uck-up... and a competing company would like to waltz in to snap up any customers they can.

Installing dishes is really no different in my book. The world loves those that have their sh!t straight and they cuss those that don't. Those that take pride in their job usually are not left caught out unprepared. I wish everyone was like that. Those few that aren't prepared are the "too many folks".

All industries have slackers and the 'just get byers' that can tarnish everyone as a whole. I didn't mean to lump everyone into that category. Just looking at the pics, it seems unreasonable for a tech to just take a cursory look at the situation where a dish is already installed and declare "NLOS". How about an effort? That's all one could ask in this situation.

I bet if this was your install, you'd at least have given it a fair try. I don't think this guy even tried because of lack of desire or equipment.

Perhaps the wages aren't enough for this type of install. If that's the case, this is just an example where the gravy installs get balanced out every now and then.

 

[dishcomm]

dishcomm, please don't feel the need to defend yourself. You sound like the kind of guy I'd want doing work for me, or with me.

I'll say again, too many people will venture out into the day's activities and not be prepared for what may come up. I've worked for 10 years in a business where the lack of a seemingly mundane piece of equipment could let a whole operation come to a halt and let several thousands of dollars of commodity go to waste. Not an easy feeling when a whole operation is looking at you like you're a *uck-up... and a competing company would like to waltz in to snap up any customers they can.

Installing dishes is really no different in my book. The world loves those that have their sh!t straight and they cuss those that don't. Those that take pride in their job usually are not left caught out unprepared. I wish everyone was like that. Those few that aren't prepared are the "too many folks".

All industries have slackers and the 'just get byers' that can tarnish everyone as a whole. I didn't mean to lump everyone into that category. Just looking at the pics, it seems unreasonable for a tech to just take a cursory look at the situation where a dish is already installed and declare "NLOS". How about an effort? That's all one could ask in this situation.

I bet if this was your install, you'd at least have given it a fair try. I don't think this guy even tried because of lack of desire or equipment.

Perhaps the wages aren't enough for this type of install. If that's the case, this is just an example where the gravy installs get balanced out every now and then.

More than a fair try...Again every job gets my best effort. Even if the customer isn't pleasant to deal with. If that's a 6-12 pitch I can get on that no problem..It's the tens that scare the crap out of me..But that's what roof valleys are for.BTW I have taken two very short trips off roofs..Luckily both one story..Once into a pile of sand..The other into soem shrubs..No harm done..Just very embarrassing..As you can see being on a roof that might have other ideas about my presence isn't a great idea..

 

[Van]

"Evidently you have never tried to set up a 40ft ladder between two houses that are 6ft apart to try and just check for a line of site or have only had the option to put up a ladder on a hill side and have your ladder lean badly."

Is that the only route to the roof?

In some area's that I have installed in in my former life as an installer yes, the worst area's tended to be the little mexico neighborhood of Detroit and the east side of Detroit around Jefferson. These houses are generaly two story homes with full stand up attics of 7ft centers and the basements usually rose 4.5ft out of the ground so a fourty ft ladder is required to reach the gutter line of the top roof. Many times the homes are much closer together than 6ft so you would find your shoulders scraping both houses as you walked between them.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Remember that the satelliltes are actually 12 degrees ABOVE the dish not directly across from the LNB.

Sounds like a lazy installer to me.

 

[Van]

There is one more thing I would like to contribute, alot of times people get bent out of shape by a story of an installer who comes out and looks and without even getting out a test dish calls it a no line of site. Granted there are those that are obvious blow off jobs but I have rolled on second opinion jobs and found without even pulling into the drive way that the original installer was dead nutz on the money but I still pull out the test dish and show the customer how to hold it and what to listen and look for and then I help them with the compas and let them see for themselves.

A good tech does a good job and goes the extra mile when able, a great tech can see if theres a line of site without using a test dish and I stand behind this statement %100 but even a great tech should know to whip out that test dish and show the customer solid evidence that there is no line of site.

 

[LOBO2999]

Remember that the satelliltes are actually 12 degrees ABOVE the dish not directly across from the LNB.

Sounds like a lazy installer to me.

This may be , it was Sunday morning and he just walked around the house and look. Like I said I call them back but they said it was a lead tech, but someone said in this thread, dish cant tell if it was or not, I dont know if they can see on their computers if it tells them if it was a lead tech or not. I would of like to of gotten it installed so I could have more HD . So I dont know if I should bother to try to call them agian or not.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Call them again and point them to this url here at SatelliteGuys.

 

[Hall]

Who did you call, Dish Network or a reseller ?? Who did you originally order from ??

 

[LOBO2999]

Who did you call, Dish Network or a reseller ?? Who did you originally order from ??

Dish them selfs.

 

[davinci78]

I went through 2 no LOS before I finally told Dish I wanted to be at the house when they came to do a site survey. The 3rd tech showed up bright and early, used his little tool to look for the Sat's, and viola, "I don't know why they said you couldn't get line of sight, it's perfect." So, try, try again. And be present when they do the survey. The last tech told me he doubted if the first two guys even showed up, they just put it in the system that there was no LOS. Good Luck.

 

[RandallA]

Remember that the satelliltes are actually 12 degrees ABOVE the dish not directly across from the LNB.

Sounds like a lazy installer to me.

To validate your point even more, it's actually 22 degrees. So definitely a lazy installer or someone afraid of heights.

 

[LOBO2999]

I will go onto my roof tomorrow and take a picture in front of the D dish so you all will have a better look at the trees and then if some of you say it looks good I will have them get someone else out to look.

Thanks for all the replys.

 

[Van]

Like I said I call them back but they said it was a lead tech, but someone said in this thread, dish cant tell if it was or not, I dont know if they can see on their computers if it tells them if it was a lead tech or not. I would of like to of gotten it installed so I could have more HD . So I dont know if I should bother to try to call them agian or not.

That was me and short of the local dispatcher putting in the notes with him/her specificaly asking that it include that the job was looked at by a lead tech or his/her field service manager did the same then no the computer system wont have notes to this effect. Call a local guy out to your place or you can send an email to ceo@dishnetwork.com.

 

[LOBO2999]

Here are the best pictures I could get , some of them are right from behind the LNBs .

 

[dishcomm]

There is one more thing I would like to contribute, alot of times people get bent out of shape by a story of an installer who comes out and looks and without even getting out a test dish calls it a no line of site. Granted there are those that are obvious blow off jobs but I have rolled on second opinion jobs and found without even pulling into the drive way that the original installer was dead nutz on the money but I still pull out the test dish and show the customer how to hold it and what to listen and look for and then I help them with the compas and let them see for themselves.

A good tech does a good job and goes the extra mile when able, a great tech can see if theres a line of site without using a test dish and I stand behind this statement %100 but even a great tech should know to whip out that test dish and show the customer solid evidence that there is no line of site.

Now ya got me....Whats' a test dish.How is used..How can you do a test without physically attaching a dish to the home, on a pole, etc?. I ask this because in 9 years in this business I have never seen, worked with or even spoken to a tech who possesed a "test dish"...

 

[gpflepsen]

Wow, so that job is precarious enough for you to do a pass on it? You are not cut out for the biz.