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How does a marine satellite dish work?

If you’ve ever aimed a satellite dish you’ll know it has to be very precise. Even a slight misalignment can cause the dish to be aimed miles off course. It should seem amazing to you that a satellite dish can work on a boat that’s always moving. Truth is, it is amazing. How can a dish stay aimed when the boat’s in motion? The real key to an “in-motion” dish is the ability to move the dish in real time, with very little delay. Marine dishes use fast computers to make sure that they’re able to respond quickly when the boat moves unexpectedly. They use powerful, instant-on motors that can move the dish in tiny, tiny steps when it’s called for. The whole package is within a weatherproof enclosure that lets the dish move on three axes...
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The Role of Electronics in Weather Resilient Homes: Integrating Technology for Enhanced Safety and Infrastructure

There’s little escaping the fact that climate conditions are changing. The result is that many homeowners are experiencing more frequent and more extreme weather events than they may be used to. Unfortunately, this can lead to property damage and safety issues, among other issues. The good news is that you can safeguard your home and your family with technology. Advances in electronic devices in recent years have produced a range of solutions. Some of these are tools you can install throughout your home, while others operate on an infrastructural level. We’re going to guide you through a few of the elements worth knowing about. Sensors and safety Keeping your property secure and everyone in it safe is a priority when looking at how...
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Can you use a DIRECTV Genie with a marine satellite TV system?

Now’s the time to be on the water enjoying the best of what life has to offer. Of course, you went out on the water to enjoy the sun, the privacy, and the peaceful days. But, when the day is over, you probably still want to be connected. Satellite internet is great, but you’ve already figured out that data caps make it a bad choice for streaming. After all, you can run into overage charges in under 4 days! That’s why satellite TV for marine is having what the kids call “a moment.” Folks who were rushing last year to disconnect their older systems are rushing this year to reconnect them. There’s a lot of great content on satellite TV and it all comes in without affecting your bandwidth allotment. DIRECTV Genie seems like the way to go...
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Fix problems with internet or TV with one easy step!

Friends, a lot of times I tell you that the idea for an article came from one of our customers. This time, it came straight from my life. The other day I noticed that one room in my house had really poor internet performance. That room had a wireless access point in it, and obviously it had to be functioning at some level. I mean, I did have some internet. Well, it took me a little bit of time but I actually traced down an Ethernet cable that looked like it was plugged in all the way but wasn’t. And this brought up an important lesson: 90% of the problem with your installation is probably somewhere in the cabling. I wish I could turn that into a snappy slogan. I’d make millions selling T-shirts with it. Well maybe not millions but a...
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What happened to all the good universal remotes? Where can you get one?

A decade or so ago, you could get a universal remote that set up via your PC and could be programmed to do exactly what you wanted. There were a number of them that worked well and weren’t that expensive. Go to find one today and they’re either super-inexpensive or super-expensive. They’re either “a little” programmable or it seems like you need a master’s degree to get them to work right. What happened? Demand dried up for two reasons There were two manufacturers of mid-priced universal remotes that really dominated the conversation. URC, which still makes remotes for DIRECTV and others, had their One-For-All series. Logitech (which occasionally calls itself “logi” and I don’t see the logic in that) had their Harmony series...
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STREAMING SATURDAY: Why is Paramount such a tough sell?

Paramount hasn’t exactly been shy about it: they want someone to come and buy them. And yet we’ve seen several potential suitors come and go, and there’s no sale in sight. The latest suitors seem to be a partnership between Sony and Apollo Global Management. We’ve heard other names mentioned in the past, too. For my money I think that Skydance would have been a good owner, but it seems like their deal fell apart. On the other hand, early talks that would have seen Warner Bros. Discovery absorbing Paramount were scary to a lot of folks and I think most of us are glad those talks fell through. Why is it so hard for Paramount to find the right buyer? It’s a pretty messy story with a lot of different pieces. Here’s the way I understand it...
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UPDATED: How to factory-reset your DIRECTV Genie Client or Gemini

I’m not sure why you would need to… but if you did need to, I’ll tell you how to do it. Remember that these devices are non-transferrable so you can’t sell them or even give them away, and it’s hard to imagine a client needing to get so messed up that you couldn’t find a way around it. But sometimes it happens. A few years ago there was a weird software update that caused some clients to change over to Spanish. It was pretty hard to figure out how to get them back. DON’T Do it through the menus. There is a menu option if you go press MENU then go to Settings, Reset Options you will see several options there including “Reset Everywhere.” Do not do this, If you do this on the client then it will erase everything on the Genie DVR. You...
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Can you take an old dish off the house and use it on a tripod when you travel?

Here’s another question that came from our customers. As I understand it, a customer wanted to travel around and take their satellite TV with them. So far so good – satellite TV is a great add-on for RVers. It’s more reliable than streaming and it’s a great value. Of course it’s an even better value if you don’t have to pay for equipment. Our customer said that they knew someone with a dish on the roof that they were willing to take down. This dish could go to our customer, who would put it on a tripod and use it for satellite TV. They wanted to know if this would work. We’re pleased to say, “Yes, this will work” but there are a few things you should be aware of. First and foremost, the dish might not work Considering their...
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FUN FRIDAY: Mini Car TV

There’s something on YouTube for everyone, no matter what your “thing” is. Case in point: I personally like watching videos where people clean and restore old tech. First of all I usually remember the thing from when it was new, and it makes me sad to see it looking so beat up. Then of course I love the idea that you can take something that old and still give it some use. It’s an extra added bonus that most of these things look brand new when they’re done, which is similar to the way I remember them looking. Case in point This television was made in 1989. Which, to my way of thinking, wasn’t that long ago. And yet it’s far enough in the past that this little 5″ beauty looks like a creature from another age. Which I suppose it is...
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Is “Everybody in a rush to leave DIRECTV and DISH?” Really? Even on enthusiast forums?

Before I ran this blog, I was involved in enthusiast forums. Before reddit, before Facebook groups, before YouTube, this was how people got critical tech support information for their hobbies. Often times you had a group of people who were pushing hardware to the limit and they wanted to know how to solve weird problems. I met lifelong friends in those user communities and I still participate in a few today. That’s why I was a little ticked off, pardon me for saying so, when a user forum for the satellite TV community featured a thread saying everyone was in a rush to leave DIRECTV and DISH. Is it really true? Is it all over for satellite TV? Or is it just more hype? Here’s the fact: satellite TV is still huge DIRECTV and DISH...
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Solutions for Common DIRECTV Problems

If you have DIRECTV service, start here for a list of solutions to common DIRECTV problems! PROBLEM: No picture or sound Check to make sure the receiver is plugged in and functioning. Are front panel lights lit? Can you turn the receiver on with the front panel? If you push a button on the remote, do you see a green light on the top? You may need new batteries. Make sure TV is plugged in and turned on to the correct input. This is a simple step but it’s worth checking. If you have the TV remote, try using the TV INPUT or SOURCE button to change the input to the right one. Make sure all cables are connected between receiver and TV. 90% of problems are caused by bad cable connections. Make sure every cable is tight. If you cannot turn...
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Does DIRECTV let you automatically skip commercials or skip the beginning of a show?

A customer recently called us with this question, and it seemed like a good idea for a blog post. I could make it a pretty short one, but I thought it would also be good to explain why the answer is the way it is. Simple answer: no. DIRECTV does not have a system like DISH’s Auto Hop or Xfinity’s Commercial Skip. You can skip forward 30 seconds at a time instantly, and since your average commercial break is 3 minutes, pushing the skip button 6 times is pretty easy. To enable instant 30-second skip: Press the BLUE button on older remotes or the DASH button on Genie/H26K remotes to enter search. Enter the code 30SKIP and press SELECT. Press EXIT to go back to live TV. It’s that simple. Now, the SKIP button on DIRECTV remotes will...
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How do you know if something’s blocking your satellite or antenna signal?

Unfortunately, we at Solid Signal sometimes get calls from customers who have lost satellite signal. Because we’re the largest mobile and marine satellite dealer, we get a lot of calls from folks who had service when they left in the morning and don’t have service now. What’s the problem here? It’s called “line of sight” The term “line of sight” means the direct line between you and the thing you’re trying to receive signal from. It doesn’t mean you can actually see the thing. Even if you have great eyesight you won’t be able to see a satellite 22,000 miles away. But, you can receive signals from it, miraculously. I think that’s amazing, really. How do you know if you have line-of-sight? This is generally pretty easy, because you...
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Understanding 5G: Measuring Signal Strength with the Wilson Pro 5G Network Scanner

Frustrated with dropped calls and sluggish data? Signal strength might be the culprit! This guide dives into using the Wilson Pro 5G Network Scanner, a powerful tool that goes beyond basic bars. It measures signal strength in detail, including 5G, to help you identify and optimise your cellular reception. Learn how to unlock the secrets of your mobile network and finally experience reliable connections. This blog post will delve into using the Wilson Pro 5G Network Scanner to measure signal strength and uncover valuable insights about your cellular environment. Whether you’re experiencing dropped calls or slow data speeds, this tool can be your secret weapon for optimising your mobile experience. 1: Introduction to 5G Technology The...
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