First Thoughts Since D* Install......WOW!!!!

[Bodo Fenrirsson]

Now that I have D* installed,I can only say wow. The installer put up an (I hope I'm saying this right without having to look it up first) SL3 Dish & gave me an HD22NC-100 HD DVR(i had to cheat & look at the box it came in). Speaking as someone who has never seen a D* receiver of any kind,I like looking at that blue circle on the box. I was so excited about getting D* that I couldn't sleep during the night,so I was up for almost 24hrs when the installer showed up. When he showed up,I explained how I wanted the cables to run into the front window of my living room(I even had the flat cables in the window waiting for him). He wasn't sure about that. He wanted to drill a hole in my wall,but we had no access from my enclosed driveway because of a lot of boxes piled up. We went into my back yard & I guess he was checking the elevation of the trees,because he kept looking through this little box thing in the direction the dish would go. Then he started talking about putting a pole up in my back yard for the dish,& I asked,"couldn't you put it up on the roof?" His eyes totally lit up when I said that(he assumed that I might want the dish in the back yard out of sight,it must have been that kind of day with him before me). He said with a smile,"hell yeah." He said he could put it up in the front on the roof,use my flat cables in my window,& the whole install most likely took no longer than an hour. He hooked me up without any problem,& was impressed with my knowledge of what he was doing(example: I recognized B Band Converters on the cables he hooked up to the receiver). I'm not patting myself on the back,I just had a lot of free time to research & study what to expect during an install to minimize surprises. He said that me cutting down those three trees in my back yard was the best investment I could ever have made. He said people just don't understand that they can't get signal if a big tree is there blocking it. He said that by looking at the tree trunk close to my house(I was too lazy & didn't want to pay extra to have it ground up),he could tell it was a big tree that was standing there. Anyway,the install went great,& both my mother & I are very impressed with D*. She couldn't sleep either because she was so excited about getting it. She loves Great American Country & Charter doesn't carry that.

 

[jtwex]

I guess you can give the flat cables a try; I'm all for experimentation. Everything I've read here suggests the flat cables are a no go with DTV but maybe improvements have been made. The thing I don't like about them, besides the sudden spontaneous combustion of the old ones Is you now have a splice outside the house which I simply will not do.

Other than that, you're a happy DTV camper so welcome to the club. Just keep in mind that those flat wires are the first thing you should check if you start to experience trouble with your boxes/signal.

 

[Joe Diamond]

An alternative to the flat cables= cut a piece of lumber to fit the horizontal size of your window. Drill that piece to allow the cables to run through the lumber. You will need to replace the flat coax with barrel connectors. This will eliminate the flat coax. But you will no longer be able to lock that window and it will leak in winter unless caulked or taped.

The flat coax works ok if they are not dinged. Duct tape may be all you need to protect them. Tape the fittings also.

Joe

 

[SupaFresh208]

Congrats on your nice installment..mines was probably the worst ever. But this is about your thread so I'm glad your happy with D*

 

[jcrandall]

I setup a fried using flat cable and it's been fine for a year now.

he ordered two and keeps a spare around so it is easy to fix if it fails. I recomend doing the same, also make sure you tape the outdoor connection real good.

Enjoy the service and stick around the site, there is lots to learn and enjoy

 

[lern4483]

Enjoy your new service!

Now that I have D* installed,I can only say wow. The installer put up an (I hope I'm saying this right without having to look it up first) SL3 Dish & gave me an HD22NC-100 HD DVR(i had to cheat & look at the box it came in). Speaking as someone who has never seen a D* receiver of any kind,I like looking at that blue circle on the box. I was so excited about getting D* that I couldn't sleep during the night,so I was up for almost 24hrs when the installer showed up. When he showed up,I explained how I wanted the cables to run into the front window of my living room(I even had the flat cables in the window waiting for him). He wasn't sure about that. He wanted to drill a hole in my wall,but we had no access from my enclosed driveway because of a lot of boxes piled up. We went into my back yard & I guess he was checking the elevation of the trees,because he kept looking through this little box thing in the direction the dish would go. Then he started talking about putting a pole up in my back yard for the dish,& I asked,"couldn't you put it up on the roof?" His eyes totally lit up when I said that(he assumed that I might want the dish in the back yard out of sight,it must have been that kind of day with him before me). He said with a smile,"hell yeah." He said he could put it up in the front on the roof,use my flat cables in my window,& the whole install most likely took no longer than an hour. He hooked me up without any problem,& was impressed with my knowledge of what he was doing(example: I recognized B Band Converters on the cables he hooked up to the receiver). I'm not patting myself on the back,I just had a lot of free time to research & study what to expect during an install to minimize surprises. He said that me cutting down those three trees in my back yard was the best investment I could ever have made. He said people just don't understand that they can't get signal if a big tree is there blocking it. He said that by looking at the tree trunk close to my house(I was too lazy & didn't want to pay extra to have it ground up),he could tell it was a big tree that was standing there. Anyway,the install went great,& both my mother & I are very impressed with D*. She couldn't sleep either because she was so excited about getting it. She loves Great American Country & Charter doesn't carry that.

Glad your excited! This is all fun stuff.

Enjoy it.

Keep us posted...

 

[homerofwar]

Now that I have D* installed,I can only say wow. The installer put up an (I hope I'm saying this right without having to look it up first) SL3 Dish & gave me an HD22NC-100 HD DVR(i had to cheat & look at the box it came in). Speaking as someone who has never seen a D* receiver of any kind,I like looking at that blue circle on the box. I was so excited about getting D* that I couldn't sleep during the night,so I was up for almost 24hrs when the installer showed up. When he showed up,I explained how I wanted the cables to run into the front window of my living room(I even had the flat cables in the window waiting for him). He wasn't sure about that. He wanted to drill a hole in my wall,but we had no access from my enclosed driveway because of a lot of boxes piled up. We went into my back yard & I guess he was checking the elevation of the trees,because he kept looking through this little box thing in the direction the dish would go. Then he started talking about putting a pole up in my back yard for the dish,& I asked,"couldn't you put it up on the roof?" His eyes totally lit up when I said that(he assumed that I might want the dish in the back yard out of sight,it must have been that kind of day with him before me). He said with a smile,"hell yeah." He said he could put it up in the front on the roof,use my flat cables in my window,& the whole install most likely took no longer than an hour. He hooked me up without any problem,& was impressed with my knowledge of what he was doing(example: I recognized B Band Converters on the cables he hooked up to the receiver). I'm not patting myself on the back,I just had a lot of free time to research & study what to expect during an install to minimize surprises. He said that me cutting down those three trees in my back yard was the best investment I could ever have made. He said people just don't understand that they can't get signal if a big tree is there blocking it. He said that by looking at the tree trunk close to my house(I was too lazy & didn't want to pay extra to have it ground up),he could tell it was a big tree that was standing there. Anyway,the install went great,& both my mother & I are very impressed with D*. She couldn't sleep either because she was so excited about getting it. She loves Great American Country & Charter doesn't carry that.

I had a similar experience when I first got Directv, I stayed up 24hours to because i was afraid I was gonna miss the installer or something crazy, I was also really excited to get the service i was so sick of time warners lack of HD channels. Congrats though, Directv has amazing customer service to, there very polite and nice and always try to help you out.

 

[bmetelsky]

Congrats! I also felt very excited about my installation back in February. I am still very much enjoying the service.

 

[Jimbo]

Glad your excited! This is all fun stuff.

Enjoy it.

Keep us posted...

I like your avatar

Resistance is Futile !!!!!

 

[Bodo Fenrirsson]

Well,I believe I've just had a "well duh" moment. I have just ordered the Spanish package,& I've now come to the conclusion that I won't get it with a SL3 LNB attached to my dish. I have ordered a SL5 LNB to replace it. My question is this,my LOS is great for the 101.0°W satellite,but I'm not sure about the 119.0°W satellite which I believe is where the Spanish channels are. How can I get someone to come out to check if I need to cut down some more trees,& if I do cut them down,if my neighbors' trees will still give me problems? I'm going to need a professional to come & change out my LNBs anyway.

 

[jcrandall]

Well,I believe I've just had a "well duh" moment. I have just ordered the Spanish package,& I've now come to the conclusion that I won't get it with a SL3 LNB attached to my dish. I have ordered a SL5 LNB to replace it. My question is this,my LOS is great for the 101.0°W satellite,but I'm not sure about the 119.0°W satellite which I believe is where the Spanish channels are. How can I get someone to come out to check if I need to cut down some more trees,& if I do cut them down,if my neighbors' trees will still give me problems? I'm going to need a professional to come & change out my LNBs anyway.

The tech will check for line of sight and if there isn't it will postpone or cancel the install so you can deal with the trees.

 

[jtwex]

I can't remember where the foreign packages are being sent anymore, but I believe your regular D installer would be able to tell you on the regular service call how your LOS is & if you need more pruning. Someone should jump in & tell you which bird the Spanish stuff is on, & then you can at least clean out the area some based on that line of sight.

 

[Bodo Fenrirsson]

I went ahead & removed the Spanish International Package until I sort out the LOS issue. Then, I'll get the SL5 LNB installed & reorder the Spanish package. I think I put the cart before the horse on this by adding the Spanish package in the first place without first checking out which satellite carries it & if I could pick it up. I'll have to wait until October to check it out so I can plan then which direction to go.