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What are your options for a dying DVR?

You hear the hard drive in your DVR make funny noises. You might have gotten a message on the screen. What to do? Maybe you’ve replaced hard drives on computers before. You just know that it would be easy to replace this hard drive. I hear you, and I’ve been there. Or, you think the hard drive is good but the rest of the DVR seems a bit dodgy. Maybe the HDMI connection keeps dropping out. Maybe it won’t connect to the internet. It could be that it’s just old and slow. Either way, you’re looking at some changes. But, what are your options for keeping the programming you have? A few things you should know First of all, you’re not allowed to open the case. Your customer agreement prohibits tampering with any leased equipment. So if you...
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Is wireless charging safe?

Wireless charging has been around since 2010, but it seems like all of a sudden it’s everywhere. While premium Androids have had wireless charging for several years, it’s only with the advent of the iPhone 8 and iPhone X that everyone seems to be talking about it. But no one is asking an important question that we’re all thinking… How can wireless charging be safe? Wireless charging is basically taking a bunch of electricity and beaming it out into the open air so your phone can receive it and charge. That happens to also be the definition of lightning, if you think about it. Clearly no one wants their phone to be struck by lightning. Yes, most of us agree that wireless charging is safe. So how can that be? Obviously, it’s a matter...
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FUN(?) FRIDAY: Capacitor deaths of the 20th century

Admit it. When you’re cruising YouTube you sometimes get into some very weird things. Now, I’m not going to judge anyone and I’m not going to talk about some of the outright disturbing things you can find on the most popular video sharing site in the world. I’m just going to tell you about a particular rabbit hole I found myself going down, how it made me feel, and what I learned about the technological history we all share. Start here. YouTuber “TronixFix” has a whole channel where they buy old tech for super cheap and try to figure out if it can be restored to its previous life. You can find a lot of this sort of video if you look. Generally someone picks up some popular piece of tech from the late 20th century, takes it apart and...
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Will we see you at the 2024 Palm Beach International Boat Show?

It’s boat show season! If you’re looking for an amazing experience and you’re already in South Florida, you’re definitely going to want to head over to the Palm Beach International Boat Show. This year’s show, the 41st, starts March 21 along Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach, directly across the Intracoastal from Palm Beach itself. It continues on through March 26. The world’s most luxurious yachts You can see the world’s best yachts at the Superyacht show this year. It’s located at Safe Harbor Rybovich. Whether you’re in the market for something amazing or just want to see how the other half lives, you’ll want to see this display. There’s just nowhere else that you can experience this level of luxury on the water. It’s worth the time...
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THERE’S STILL TIME: Get live TV for your business and watch productivity soar

Sometimes, things in life don’t make sense. Sometimes you get the exact opposite result that you think you’re going to get. But hey, in 2024 who thinks that everything’s going to make sense? When you’re faced with something that just doesn’t seem like it should add up, you should be skeptical. But, when the data is there, you have to go where it takes you. Here’s one of those times. Live TV in business actually increases productivity. If you own a business, you’ve probably been paranoid ever since 2020 about productivity. Sending all your employees home and trusting them to do their jobs was pretty stressful for business owners. Watching your people come back didn’t get rid of stress. All it did was make you worry that bad habits...
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Dream Kitchens Unveiled: Real-Life Remodel Success Stories

We all dream of stunning kitchens that meet all our cooking and entertainment needs while making our daily tasks easier. However, making kitchen renovation decisions can be an uphill task for homeowners especially with all the options available today. This article showcases real kitchens that were beautifully transformed from dated, barely functional, limited storage and lack of personality among other limitations that dampened the look and feel of the spaces to stunning and highly functional rooms. Regardless of your kitchen’s limitation and challenges, these real-life remodel success stories will get you inspired with ideas to transform your space into a cooking and entertainment haven that you have always dreamed of: Dampened to a...
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Who can you call when you need support for KVH products?

Let me start by saying this: I am always incredibly amazed by marine satellite technology. Whether it’s for television or internet, it simply boggles my mind. I mean, think about it for a second. Satellite dishes are designed to be put in place and not move more than 1/32″ in any direction. On a boat, you have these devices that are constantly moving in three dimensions and they can stay locked onto a satellite 22,000 miles away. They make these tiny changes so quickly that there’s no way a human could even perceive them. Here’s another thing that really impresses me: marine satellite technology has been around for about 20 years. When you think of all the innovations that have happened over that time, it’s amazing to think that all...
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NICE AND EASY: Can you combine cellular antennas for better reception?

You can do it for TV antennas. Is there any benefit to doing it for cellular antennas? Can you get double the reception if you create an array of antennas? If you’re looking to get better cell service indoors, you might think this is a really valid option. Why antenna combining works An antenna really is a very simple thing. Let’s not talk about how antennas actually receive signals, because that’s a little more complex. When it comes to the real-world way antennas are used, an antenna is sort of like a net. If you hold up a net, you’re going to catch something in it. If the thing is smaller than the holes in the net, you won’t catch it. By putting up two nets, you’re likely to catch twice as many things. There isn’t much more to than...
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THROWBACK THURSDAY: A warning from the distant past

Let me tell you a little bit about computers in 1966. They weren’t anything like they are today. They were giant behemoths owned only by the largest companies, and they were run by qualified operators in large, air-conditioned rooms. This was a typical one: Everything you see in that image is part of one computer, and I’d be willing to bet the computer went on far beyond that. In 1966 there was no internet, no cell phones, no digital anything really. There weren’t even calculators. Wikipedia says the first pocketable calculators weren’t even made until 1970. Think about that for a minute. A warning from back then That’s why this text is so chilling: That text appeared in the Sandusky Register, an Ohio newspaper, back in 1966...
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One multiswitch for DISH and DIRECTV?

One of our customer service reps asked me a question the other day. “Is there one multiswitch that would let a customer run DISH and DIRECTV on the same line? Unfortunately, the answer is no. This is actually a variation of a question that we get at Solid Signal quite a bit. Some of our most important customers run RV parks and campgrounds. Because of what are referred to as “bulk agreements,” they can offer DIRECTV and DISH satellite service to their customers. These RV parks and campgrounds would love to run one wire and allow their customers to choose DIRECTV or DISH and have that signal go automatically to the right place. This would be a benefit to the visitor, because they wouldn’t have to aim their own dish. It would also be...
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Ken Reid and Katya Apekina

February 1-7, 1997 This week Ken welcomes author of the excellent new novel Mother Doll (signed copies can be purchased here: https://www.skylightbooks.com/pre-order-signed-copies-mother-doll-katya-apekina), Katya Apekina. Ken and Katya discuss living in LA, raining in LA, snow in New England, the nature of our stories, how technology can make us more isolated, displacement, Russia, speaking your native tongue, raising your kids bi-lingual, translating literature, having a strong Moscow accent, only knowing 70s slang, Cheburashka, accordion playing crocodiles, not being allowed to watch TV, Party of Five, reading War and Peace as a kid, WBCN, cool music, being cool by middle school, only watching one show a week, dating shows...
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Will DIRECTV ask for my receiver back?

All DIRECTV receivers for home use are leased. Don’t believe those people who crow on the internet about owning their stuff. There might be a few people who got their equipment through testing, but it’s not many, that’s for sure. Regular folks are always going to have leased equipment. Since you don’t own it, DIRECTV has a right to ask for it back. Why are all receivers leased? DIRECTV and DISH both moved to a lease model in the mid-2000s. This helped everyone actually. Leased equipment can be depreciated which makes the company’s bottom line look better. Customers can easily turn in leased equipment and get an upgrade, too. The only people who really suffer in a lease model are hobbyists who would want to customize the box. The...
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NICE AND EASY: Are DIRECTV remotes waterproof?

This could potentially be a very short article. No, they are not waterproof. They’re somewhat spillproof, meaning that they won’t fry themselves if a bit of water or soda drops on them. But try to use one in a swimming pool, and you’ll be buying a new remote. That’s not the end of the story. (Good thing, too — I have column-inches to fill.) The good news is that it’s fairly easy to waterproof a DIRECTV remote, thanks to the technology inside it. All it takes is a zipper-close bag or one of those dive bags people use for their phones, if you’re really serious. Your average DIRECTV remote will work as well in a bag like that as it works outside it, and it may even work just fine totally submerged. In bathtub tests, mine did. Why worry...
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Podcast #569: Satellite TV for business… in 2024?

Your business is focused on the future, so why am I talking about satellite TV? Because it’s the right choice for 2024 and beyond! Listen, and you’ll be convinced. Shop at https://www.solidsignal.com for everything you need to live you best digital life, and call 888-233-7563 for a level of customer service you didn’t realize was possible. Listen to the podcast your way! Just choose one of the following: Option 1: Click on the image above to stream the podcast in your browser. If you use the YouTube player above, be sure to subscribe to get future videos delivered to you! Option 2: The Solid Signal Podcast is available on several podcast aggregators. Search for us, or tap on the links below on your mobile device. If you want us to add...
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Should you really trust the previous homeowner’s wiring?

Congratulations! You just moved into your new home. Well, it’s new to you. Rather than a new build, you chose for a home that someone else lived in. When you get there, you find a surprise: A lot of wiring’s already been done. There are a pair of wires running to the roof, plus a bunch of Ethernet cables run throughout the house. You’re thinking you scored bigtime… but did you? Old coaxial cable isn’t always a good value. If you’re planning to use satellite TV, you never want to reuse coaxial cable. At the very least it’s getting old and you don’t know the condition of the splices in the wall. When you see two lines — and only two — run up to the roof the best guess is that there was a satellite dish there but it was an older one...
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