The Solid Signal Blog

Our RV customers love satellite TV, and I can see why. But one of the questions I often get asked is, should I pick DISH or DIRECTV? In the end it comes down to personal preference, but there are some things to know. I’ll discuss the positives of DIRECTV in a different article, but in this one I’m focused on DISH. Signal Group is a DIRECTV National Accounts Dealer and a DISH Premier Local Retailer, so I can’t really say anything bad about either. It would be like picking one of your children over the other. It’s your choice, I just want to give you the tools to decide which is a better fit for you. DISH for your RV Choosing DISH for your RV means flexibility. You can choose to add a receiver to an existing system if you want, or you...

Here’s something that’s pretty amazing: marine satellite television. I mean think about it. You’re on a boat that’s moving constantly in 3 dimensions. There’s a system that’s able to point an antenna at a spot in space 22,000 miles away, and receive a signal that’s weaker than a night light. This signal gives you hundreds of channels of live TV. If you’re like me, you’re probably amazed that it works at all. But work it does, at least 99% of the time. When it doesn’t, there are some simple steps you can take to get things back up and running. Most of them take no technical expertise at all, so let’s take a look. 1. Look out the window That’s right, look out the window. Most satellite TV outages are caused by extreme weather. You...

Here’s a term you’ll occasionally hear when talking about satellite television. It really dates back to the 1990s, when satellite TV was still in its infancy. Back then, the most common installation was a 5-meter (roughly 200″) wide dish. You can still occasionally find these rusting out in backyards, but back then they were really the cutting edge of technology. Since then, they’ve gained the nickname “Big Ugly Dish.” Back in the days of the Big Ugly Dish… Using one of those 5-meter dishes, it was pretty hard to put together a system to provide TV service for an apartment complex, hotel, or RV park. Those big black,dishes had to be pointed to different satellites all the time, and it was a real pain. Sometimes you needed two dishes...

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Just got into the trucking profession? Here are some things you need to think about if you’re going to succeed. 1. Communicate The trucking business is all about relationships. Get to know your colleagues, including your dispatcher and fellow truck drivers. By keeping good lines of communication, you’ll build strong relationships, which could help you get better freight lanes and help you advance your trucking career. Also, be a friend on the road and communicate with your fellow truckers if you go through a construction zone, a slowdown, or see an accident, so the OTR drivers behind you can be prepared. 2. Stay Compliant Your Driver Fitness Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) score is based on your...

Defense, aviation, maritime, homes and communities, and a broad range of mobility customers rely on Viasat’s secure connectivity solutions across air, land, sea and space. As the first ViaSat-3 satellite soars toward its orbital slot and into its critical role in enabling global connectivity, we’d like to give you a closer look at the multi-layered company behind it, and a bit of the history that led us to this moment. We’re far from just a satellite internet company. Our culture and ability to consistently push the edge of what is possible in satellite communications is built upon decades of experience and the enduring drive to push the boundaries of what’s expected. Viasat was founded in 1986 on a spirit of innovation that has...

Well, if news reports are to be believed, Discovery is launching its HBO Max replacement, called “Max,” in just a couple of days. I’m sad to say I’m a bit cynical about it. The last time we went through this, when HBO GO became HBO Max, it wasn’t completely smooth. More importantly, perhaps, when Discovery+ launched, it was about three weeks of near-chaos. The folks who brought us this chaos are supposedly the ones tasked with bringing Max to life. I’m sure they’re great people and they’re working hard. I just wanted to take one last opportunity to give my hopes for a smooth launch, and that the points I list below all go off without a hitch. Hope #1: That it doesn’t stink. Obviously this is not something you could actually measure...

When I look out on the vast entertainment landscape… wait that sounds a little too stodgy for this article. What I’m trying to say, dear readers, is that I spend a lot of time trudging around the internet looking for trends. And, I think I’ve found one. I think people are giving traditional pay-TV a second chance. Yes, the news loves to talk about how pay TV has lost more subscribers than ever, but they’re not talking about the large number of people who are actually getting into it. Pay TV, I mean cable and satellite, is a really good value if you do it right. Yes, you can pay almost $300 a month if you try. But, if you look, you can also find plans for about $50 a month that include the channels you want, the stuff you can’t get from...

Hey, there marine fans. I know you love your boat. You love taking it on the water. You love spending time on it. You even love thinking about new ways to make it better. But, you also have to realize that love comes with a price. Boating isn’t a hobby for stingy people. It takes a lot of investment, whether it’s drydocking for the winter or keeping up with engine maintenance or any of the dozens of things that can drive up the cost of your favorite hobby. Seems to me that there should be a smart way to get what you want and still save a little cash. Luckily, there is. I’m going to give you two ideas that will save you from making a huge outlay. But first, I’m going to tell you what that huge outlay is. Advice for the smart boater...

One of the most influential films of this century is now old enough to drink. Minority Report, released in 2002, wasn’t just a decent adventure film. It was an honest look at what life could be like in 2052. While a lot of the film seems dated today, it stood for a decade or so as a look into the future that we either wanted or didn’t want. It was the first time that many of us had a look at multitouch interfaces, transparent displays, targeted advertising, in-ear phone headsets, and a lot of other little things that have become a big part of our lives now. We’re about halfway to the film’s start date, and I thought it might be fun to look back at what this film brought to the future. Mini movie review This isn’t really an article...

It’s RV season, and that means hundreds of thousands of families like yours heading out on the open road. Why not? It’s the perfect opportunity for you to see the country without paying for hotels or bingeing on fast food. An RV gives you all the comforts of home, too. If your RV was made in the 2000s or 2010s it probably came with an RV satellite dish. They were incredibly popular then, and they’re still a popular upgrade now. If you’re a DISH customer, you can generally add another receiver to your account and avoid paying a completely separate fee for service to the RV. Or, you can take advantage of DISH’s Flex Pay plan which lets you turn your service on and off at will. DISH’s most common new installation includes its Hopper DVR...

When your ship is out to sea, knowing where you’re headed is so important. To help you navigate your way across the seas, Solid Signal carries a selection of marine GPS equipment. A marine GPS system is a must have for any luxury craft and working vessel. These helpful devices keep your boat going in the right direction when your cell phone’s GPS cannot. That said, there are many marine GPS units from which to choose. Do you know which one is best for your working vessel or luxury craft? What features do you need? If you’re having trouble deciding which marine GPS system is best for you, we can help you. Solid Signal is your source for the best marine GPS, marine navigation gear, and more. Why Marine GPS? Because your cellphone GPS...

Imagine your business without internet. Your phones stop ringing. You can’t process credit cards. No one can contact you at all. Depending on how you’re set up, you could lose access to email, contacts, all your files… it sounds like a doomsday scenario. Now imagine that your main internet line goes down and you’re still in business. It’s a little slow, and you probably don’t want to spend a lot of time downloading video, but you can still access everything you need. Your business is saved. What’s the difference? gotW3. The difference is that you have a little device that will supply internet to your business using cell signals. Depending on how complicated your business network, it may jump in automatically when something happens...

This is the weBoost Home Studio, one of the least expensive cellular boosters from weBoost. It’s designed to cover a small home and provide boost for voice only. What if it were possible to add a few more parts, tweak it a little bit, and get a massive improvement in range and also get 4G/LTE boost? Sorry for the bait-and-switch, but it isn’t There are some things that you can do, but overclocking, turbocharging, whatever you call it… that’s not one of them. Why?. Let’s take it one step at a time. Power This cellular booster has 65dB of boost power. That’s pretty good, but it’s not as good as you can get. Remember for each 3dB you add, you’re doubling the amount of power the booster has. So even a small gain could mean a lot. Is it...

Back in 2007, HD was a curiosity. DIRECTV had about six national HD channels and a decent sized (37″) HDTV would run you about $1,500. The world was about to change, though, and The Solid Signal Blog was there. Our Signal Pro Moose gives us a brief article about those days (some links are now dead but are included for your amusement.) Of course today HD is the norm, not the exception, and the same quality TV in the same size will run you about $400. DIRECTV has well over 150 HD channels and there just aren’t that many more to add. On the other hand, Game Lounge turned out to be a bust. But back then, the future was so bright, we had to wear shades. Just take a look. Originally, this article appeared at The Solid Signal Blog’s first...