Can't Get a SWM – the most frustrating and outdated system

[stonecold]

I thought that earlier in this thread you said it depends on what the local supply chain has, not what DIRECTV says you'll get.

It does depend on local supply. But some boxes they have retired, as Directv does not want them around like the HR20/21 mainly due to smaller hds and the ota port on the hr20 confusing people.

Some parts get kept as erp ( replacments) like hr20 we still have but they are esentationally just for people who have them already and and will get a replacment hr20 usually. Because it has built in ota

R15 still very active but start to show up less in new installs and upgrades moving to the r16 which is SWM compatible.

Swm vs No SWM and specific models of recivers we cant specify. like i cant say owhe elite going to get a hr23 I can say that we been not assigning HR20/21 for installs/upgrades as a general rule and mainly issuing hr22/23 as they are the only current hddvr . Just like i cant specify swm vs non swm lnb.

 

[Liquidforce88]

Biggest problem I have found with the old side car dish is that you can not get good enough signals to get the receivers to verify. As such we then get into a fight with Direct for a new dish. Direct wont give the customer the new dish, and I can't get the receivers to verify. Basically I can not complete the job, and Direct wont upgrade the customers dish so I can do it.

I also feel that it is totally stupid on Directs part to not use SWM when it is needed. Just because a customer is an existing customer it means they can't have SWM. I don't know how many times I have had to ruin the look of a customers house because Direct wont let us use SWM. I have also lost alot of customers due to this. Totally opposite from their main comp Dish when they want everything upgraded, but then they were smart enough to make the new dishes work with the older receivers. Kind of funny that they want techs to limit the damage done to homes, but they want us to use a system that forces you to drill holes all over the place most of the time.

 

[yorktown]

It does depend on local supply. But some boxes they have retired, as Directv does not want them around like the HR20/21 mainly due to smaller hds and the ota port on the hr20 confusing people.

Some parts get kept as erp ( replacments) like hr20 we still have but they are esentationally just for people who have them already and and will get a replacment hr20 usually. Because it has built in ota

Hmmm......
In the thread entitled "Stabbing The Beast" the OP is a person getting DIRECTV installed for the first time and the installer installed an HR20.

 

[jtwex]

That's the original side car Ka/Ku dish and it won't work with a SWiM LNB. The closets you can get is to get a SWiM external switch, which besides being able to handle up to 8 SWiM tuners also has 3 legacy outputs to connect to old receivers that aren't SWiM compatible.

This is the way I went when they replaced my AT-9 with the AU-9 & the SWM8 switch works just fine & might give you a few more options if you also have older eqipment alongside your newer stuff. The catch is I don't believe DTV hands these out forcing you to buy them in the open market & the tech that comes propbably doesn't have much experience with these. If you go this route you can use the fact that you paid for this equipment & they will reduce the price of a new Receiver or offer some other nugget (on your next call to DTV you simply mention that you paid for & added this stuff).

 

[stonecold]

Hmmm......
In the thread entitled "Stabbing The Beast" the OP is a person getting DIRECTV installed for the first time and the installer installed an HR20.

I said usually.

it would be odd for a mastec or DTV home serviers to have an old HR20 unless it was order for a SFSS and the customers said it was a bad box and it gets out there and it not a box issue just a peaking issue . then there a hr20 they can isntall but again I said usually and I handl calles 6 days out of the week and do alotso new activation calls when we get busy and I not doing QA work.

HR20 on a new install is rare and odd.

 

[stanj]

DTV is full of it…

First they said they reviewed my account and the receivers in my house would not work with a SWM Dish. I emailed them and said bull..the HR20 I have in the basement as well as the HR23 that was to be installed would work with SWM (this is after I did my research).

I also said I was communicating on a forum and that from what I read and heard, the SWM would solve the problem. All I need is to have the dish swapped out. I told them their system needs an update and if I had a new home with no DTV, I probably would get flagged to get the SWM.

Here is what they now come back with..(I think it is more nonsense – especially about the home needing rewired)

We have thoroughly reviewed your account. We do value your business, and I would like to assist you with your request to have a SWM installation. Please be aware that there is a considerable cost associated with this that DIRECTV is not able to compensate for. A SWM installation can be acquired by looking in the yellow pages of your phone book under "Satellite". This installation is costly and may require that your home be rewired. I apologize again for any miscommunication about this type of system from the technician..

 

[Rey]

if all you have is two HR's then i would just do this myself with a swm lnb and a slimline dish. it'll save you plenty of frustrations with D*. is this doable for you?

 

[stonecold]

DTV is full of it…

First they said they reviewed my account and the receivers in my house would not work with a SWM Dish. I emailed them and said bull..the HR20 I have in the basement as well as the HR23 that was to be installed would work with SWM (this is after I did my research).

I also said I was communicating on a forum and that from what I read and heard, the SWM would solve the problem. All I need is to have the dish swapped out. I told them their system needs an update and if I had a new home with no DTV, I probably would get flagged to get the SWM.

Here is what they now come back with..(I think it is more nonsense – especially about the home needing rewired)

We have thoroughly reviewed your account. We do value your business, and I would like to assist you with your request to have a SWM installation. Please be aware that there is a considerable cost associated with this that DIRECTV is not able to compensate for. A SWM installation can be acquired by looking in the yellow pages of your phone book under "Satellite". This installation is costly and may require that your home be rewired. I apologize again for any miscommunication about this type of system from the technician..

bottom line is this they are telling you is we are not going to do it, as it not necessary, and no the customer is not always right. You can go to a 3rd party installer and have it done but we are not responsable if he charges you 400 dollars to do it. ( note the value i pulled out of my ass but some customers complained about 3rd partsy charging them outrageous fees ) We are not responsable for anything he says does or other wise breaks.

Moral of story go get a swm8 for 50 bucks off ebay and install it your self

 

[webbydude]

I said usually.

it would be odd for a mastec or DTV home serviers to have an old HR20 unless it was order for a SFSS and the customers said it was a bad box and it gets out there and it not a box issue just a peaking issue . then there a hr20 they can isntall but again I said usually and I handl calles 6 days out of the week and do alotso new activation calls when we get busy and I not doing QA work.

HR20 on a new install is rare and odd.

I wished that was the case. The past 4 weeks our HSP has *only* been getting HR20's. What a disaster! Hard drive failure right out of the box. Flaky signal levels on certain transponders. The only redeeming quality is the built-in OTA

 

[stonecold]

Then we might be trying to dump the remainings ones.

We are told by upper managment that new installs now should be getting hr22/23

 

[gadgtfreek]

I hope so. I did not spend an xtra $199 for a HR20.

 

[Rey]

I hope so. I did not spend an xtra $199 for a HR20.

no you shouldn't and i don't think you will. msmith got a replacement HR20 and it seems to be working well.

 

[gadgtfreek]

I would have no prob with a replacement of equal value. If they do show with two hr20s, one will be sent back and I'll spend my $199 at BBuy.

 

[sddtvtech]

i had a service call before where the customer had ONE cable to his HD DVR... when i installed the new one, it wouldnt take it unless the second line was in.


i called to waive it bc he didnt want it and the cables were impossible to route new ones bc it was prewired and no basement and a 16 inch crawl space.. like hell im going under.


the rep talked to the customer and convinced him that i can put then 2nd line in...

i was like what? apparently the rep can see the house and knows i can do it...

so i said okay.. i'll get it done.


i lied..

i installed a SWM and now the DVR has the invisible 2nd line. screw DTV when the customer said he didnt or want the second line.

 

[stonecold]

Only time i get on installers case about anything is when they telling customer about things they dont know like billing. But usally for most stuff I just back up the tech and if the tech says i have to run a line fish well who am I to argue I am not there to see it.

 

[stanj]

It sure sounds like DTV is saying no.

Rewiring the entire house for a SWM dish even sounds ridiculous to me. What do they do when someone calls that just had a home build and the home is wires with single cable?
I would go the route of buying my own dish and installing it, but I am not a certified installer and I don’t deal well with getting up on a two story roof.

Also, something that Liquidforce88 mentioned earlier rung a bell..
When the tech last came to install the HR23 he decided to run a test with the HR20 in the basement as a precaution. He said that the test signal was not good enough to get the receiver to verify. That about a 90% signal is required. He said I was getting about 65% currently.

Know anyone around Westminster, MD that could do this type of work to give me a hand?

 

[stonecold]

No were saying were not going to spend money on you. What were saying is if you want to spend your own money then that is your choice but what you have is considered a normal install and is not necessary to have a swm setup.


I know that people think i blindly defend the company but here what it really is and dtv wont like me saying this.

THEY LIKE TO MAKE MONEY!

Now they do that by not going out and replacing out legacy with swim equipment unless it 100% necessary.

It sure sounds like DTV is saying no.

Rewiring the entire house for a SWM dish even sounds ridiculous to me. What do they do when someone calls that just had a home build and the home is wires with single cable?
I would go the route of buying my own dish and installing it, but I am not a certified installer and I don’t deal well with getting up on a two story roof.

Also, something that Liquidforce88 mentioned earlier rung a bell..
When the tech last came to install the HR23 he decided to run a test with the HR20 in the basement as a precaution. He said that the test signal was not good enough to get the receiver to verify. That about a 90% signal is required. He said I was getting about 65% currently.

Know anyone around Westminster, MD that could do this type of work to give me a hand?

 

[stanj]

yep...money is a driving force..just liked they screwed up and lost Versus because they did not want to pay more $$$,,yet they can fly a blimp around sporting events advertising DTV...



Is it all a big smoke screen saying my house needs rewired for a SWN ?

I thought the current cables up at my dish could be used with a SWM along with the cabling in the house ?

 

[sddtvtech]

apparently all up to code crap and SWM require solid copper conductors. ive installed SWM and LNB3 on copper coated conductors and work the same and yet its not DTV approve even though it says DTV on the cable... if its not Copper solid conductor, its an auto fail if they find a copper coated cable.

 

[stonecold]

yep...money is a driving force..just liked they screwed up and lost Versus because they did not want to pay more $$$,,yet they can fly a blimp around sporting events advertising DTV...



Is it all a big smoke screen saying my house needs rewired for a SWN ?

I thought the current cables up at my dish could be used with a SWM along with the cabling in the house ?

Honestly as long as it all good RG6 you and pretty much drop either a swim lnb or a swm8 switch in place with out any problems.