Another comment on Dish Installers

[mikethedishguy]

In my tenure as a contractor installing E* I have seen everything from perfect install by the customer to very bad installs done by other contractors. The reality is that this industry is very uncontroled. One dosent need a licence or any knowlage of NEC code they dont need to know the FCC rules about APT. and other tenency requirments, they dont need to know how a home is built or how the meterials will effect how a dish is put on the home. All that is neded is a ladder, Van and a drill (which could be a leathel wepon to a house). Speaking english is not a requirment.

I have yet to find a true training manual for dish installs which would encompus the true nature of the needs of an intall. The most dangerous part of an install invloves the use of a drill and where holes are put in a house. Second is where and how to install the dish, third is how to ground the dish and REC. Yet I would venture to guesss that only a small % of installers know any of this information.

Who is to blame Every one in the industry The Sat CO. for not providing trainning manuals for the people actualy doing the jobs, the installers for not finding the information on there own, the customers for not asking the questions which would help the installer meet their needs.

the answer is education for the installer, and the customer, though this takes time and thus money it will pay long term dividends in shorter Install times and happier customers.

 

[mikethedishguy]

In my tenure as a contractor installing E* I have seen everything from perfect install by the customer to very bad installs done by other contractors. The reality is that this industry is very uncontrolled. One dos'nt need a licence or any knowledge of NEC code they don't need to know the FCC rules about APT. and other tenency requirements, they don't need to know how a home is built or how the materials will effect how a dish is put on the home. All that is needed is a ladder, Van and a drill (which could be a lethal weapon to a house). Speaking english is not a requirement.

I have yet to find a true training manual for dish installs which would encompass the true nature of the needs of an intall. The most dangerous part of an install involves the use of a drill and where holes are put in a house. Second is where and how to install the dish, third is how to ground the dish and REC. Yet I would venture to guess that only a small % of installers know any of this information.

Who is to blame Every one in the industry The Sat CO. for not providing training manuals for the people actually doing the jobs, the installers for not finding the information on there own, the customers for not asking the questions which would help the installer meet their needs.

the answer is education for the installer, and the customer, though this takes time and thus money it will pay long term dividends in shorter Install times and happier customers.

 

[OoTLink]

Mike: Yeah, that could be nice, if anything include a manual that the installer could give to the customer before starting the install saying what the installer will be doing and any info the installer could use that they can give.

RIRWIN: XD It's better when people ask why they can get satellite radio anywhere but video requires a dish, and I think the answer for that is due to bandwidth you need a much stronger signal that requires a dish to catch [I'm sure I got that wrong somehow]..

 

[Dish Dude]

First of all anyone can put a dish up if they know the technology, basic building structures, the NEC code, etc. Now why do they frown on letting home owners do their own installs
1: the ability to upgrade, i can't count how many 300's I switched out where the cable ran directly to recievers, no centralized point no grounding, etc. just a nice star pattern on the top of their roofs, yes most novice customers think the higher on their roof the better the signal, because 12 foot makes a huge difference when the sat is 23,000 miles in earth's orbit
2: NEC code, our installers are taught to bring everything up to code, so for you self installers who do 1, thanks, you just made this job a lot longer and tougher
3: the average consumer knows nothing of switches, cable requirements, splitters, etc.

For these simple reasons, not to mention some customers can't ever remember the channel the RX comes in on alone, please leave it primarily up to professionals

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I wouldn't have done my own install if it had been on the roof. I don't like messing around up there. But doing it via a post mount in my backyard was very simple.

 

[Van]

Dishnework trains all of its technicians and has weekly updates to old training and new information. Training information is available to any company that is doing work for dishnetwork, it is up to the companies to provide the training for theyr installers and its up to all technicians to pay atention for the training when provided and to ask about training. .

 

[wobbie]

Maybe Dish network does, but I know of one major RSP in the Midwest that does'nt. their hiring method is... you got a truck, drill and a ladder?? Good, ride with this guy for a week and then we'll turn you loose on your own. Same with a few dealers in the area, they pay a whopping $40/20 for installs, imagine the kind of installs they do.

 

[Texanmutt]

The local DNSC office here goes thru techs as fast as the local RSP (2 or 3 poeple a week). Both have quite a few techs that do very sh!tty installs. Not many people in this buisness know or care about what they are doing.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Yeah - my experience has been that there's at least 2-3 bad installers for every decent one, and at least 5-10 decent ones for every really good one.

I just fixed a friend's grandmother's "professional install". Gawd it was bad. Among other things, the jerk didn't even tighten the LNB screws - they were just hanging there.

 

[dturturro]

I just checked my local office. apparently Dish is hiring new installers nationwide for all of the pros in here.

 

[Van]

Our dns office here in the detroit area has about 7 techs that have been with the company 5 - 6 years wich is unheard of in most other offices.

Dish always has a hiring push in the third and fourth quarter and then a freeze in the first and second quarter.

 

[mikethedishguy]

The hiring push is due to the fact that most installs happen during the winter when people are at home out of the cold. The need is greater.

 

[Texanmutt]

The hiring push is due to the fact that most installs happen during the winter when people are at home out of the cold. The need is greater.

I wish that was the case. It's going slow right now. I cant belive some people are more concerned about the holiday season than tv.

 

[webbydude]

Sad to say, if you think it's "slow" now...wait until after the beginning of the year. Christmas bills start coming in. People don't like to move in the middle of winter. And speaking of winter, heating bills become an issue. From my experience, both satellite and cable installs fizzle out until the beginning of March. Oddly enough, about the same time most people start getting their income tax returns.

 

[dishcomm]

I had a Dish Installer drop by today. First time ever in my 7 years with Dish. I installed my D300 in 1998, upgraded it to a D500 in 2001 and then re-installed my D300 to point at 61.5 earlier this year.

I have also installed my own 4000, 4900, 7100, 510, and 811 receivers. This time I was upgrading to a 942 and Dish insisted that an installer had to come. Well, I went ahead and installed my 942 a couple days before the appointment and had it up, activated, and running. I tried to cancel the "installation" but Dish wouldn't allow it.

So the guy shows up in a Dish van. Said he had been an installer for a couple of years. He didn't have anything to do once he got here, except they told him to pick up my 811 and take it. They could have shipped me a box to do the same thing, but I didn't care one way or the other.

While he was here, he had to fill out some paperwork, like writing down the receiver and smartcard numbers, which I had already phoned in. And he had to take signal strength readings, which I had also phoned in. He took them from transponder 11 from 61.5, 110, and 119.

What I thought was humorous was that when he took the reading from 61.5, which was a 97, he whistled and said, "I didn't know it could peak that high from this location." Which means that he has never tweaked any of his installations as much as I did mine.

He also asked me why I had one pointing at 61.5, "To get international channels?" No, I said, to get VOOM. "VOOM?" he asked. He didn't know what VOOM was. I guess installers don't have to know the channel lineups, but I had expected some glimmer of recognition.

Perhaps he was an okay installer, but I would expect any installer working on my setup to optimize for signal strength, or at least get within a handful of points. Any less is sloppy work in my book. I'm sure glad I put in my own dishes.

that really pisses me off...I know of installers that will do 4 installs in a day..they take so many shortcuts..they don't attach the cable neatly to the structure, they don't ground the system properly and they won't take the time to peak the dish...,,,,we had a guy that worked 12 -14 hrs a day putting in 4 installs..well my employer got some feed back from techs running sc's on his work....he was really doing some crappy stuff....Not to say there aren't guys out there who can do 3-5 in a day and do them right..some of you guys are animals..God bless ya....I can't work at that pace..I'd go bananas....

 

[dishcomm]

I also had an installer drop by today for a Superdish Upgrade. He walks in and is ready to hand me the adapter "I asked for." Now correct me if I'm wrong, but there is no need for any adapter in a Superdish install, simply the new dish and a DP34. When I told him I wanted the upgrade he started fooling around with a compass and told me he had the dish. He goes out to his van and comes back telling me he didn't have the mounting kit or LNBs for the dish so I'd have to reschedule. Now I'm curious as to why someone would bother bringing a dish without the install kit??

I bet he just didn't want to do the job..Some guys are like that.If it looks like t will take a little effort they will make an excuse and walk.....makes us good ones look bad.....some of these lazy bastards need to be run out of the business

 

[Van]

I wish that was the case. It's going slow right now. I cant belive some people are more concerned about the holiday season than tv.

It must be your area then, slow is a word we dont see here at all and havent seen since 02 for maybe 2 months. Here its busy as always, roll out with 4 - 7 jobs per tech with 78 - 100 points a day.