Installer says GloryStar system won't work!!!
- Thread starter Cemguy
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The installer company that GloryStar arranged to handle my installation apparently doesn't have any installers that have successfully installed several GloryStar systems.
They put the original installer (my GloryStar system was the first GloryStar system he had installed) in touch with me again. I didn't think it was worthwhile for him to come out again since all the tweaking he did before resulted in "marginal" signal qualities and my own tweaking seems to have reached a better (though not up to the installation manual recommendations) compromise between signal qualities on Galaxy 25 vs AMC 4.
Are there any installers that are really proficient at setting up the GloryStar system?
They put the original installer (my GloryStar system was the first GloryStar system he had installed) in touch with me again. I didn't think it was worthwhile for him to come out again since all the tweaking he did before resulted in "marginal" signal qualities and my own tweaking seems to have reached a better (though not up to the installation manual recommendations) compromise between signal qualities on Galaxy 25 vs AMC 4.
Are there any installers that are really proficient at setting up the GloryStar system?
CemGuy,
Installs of the Glorystar system occur one of three methods.
1. Self install
2. Customer contracted installer using local contacts or our free installer referral website: Satellite System Installer Referral Program - Satellite AV
3. Booking through a nationwide network of installers.
Glorystar has a very high level of installation success with all three methods. Hundreds of Glorystar systems are booked through our professional network and successfully installed each month.
Occasionally the company that we use to provide professional installation booking cannot provide that service. In those cases we can either refund the customer for the booked install and explore other install options or work with the local installer and provide technical support to make them successful and the customer satisfied.
In your case I would suggest that you accept the schedule of the return of an installer, who may not have previous knowledge of this specific system, but is showing a willingness to learn and get this system installed correctly. While the technician is at location, our support staff will trouble shoot and correct the situation via the telephone.
The Glorystar system does not require special tools or skills that are not needed for any other satellite install. The best tool to aid the installer is a signal identification meter and the 2nd is patience. I have discussed installation procedures and techniques with installers and they agree that the multi-LNB DirecTV, Dish Network and Satellite internet systems are more difficult to install and aim.
If the installation company suggests that they can complete the install, please allow them and our support staff to correct the reception issues.
Installs of the Glorystar system occur one of three methods.
1. Self install
2. Customer contracted installer using local contacts or our free installer referral website: Satellite System Installer Referral Program - Satellite AV
3. Booking through a nationwide network of installers.
Glorystar has a very high level of installation success with all three methods. Hundreds of Glorystar systems are booked through our professional network and successfully installed each month.
Occasionally the company that we use to provide professional installation booking cannot provide that service. In those cases we can either refund the customer for the booked install and explore other install options or work with the local installer and provide technical support to make them successful and the customer satisfied.
In your case I would suggest that you accept the schedule of the return of an installer, who may not have previous knowledge of this specific system, but is showing a willingness to learn and get this system installed correctly. While the technician is at location, our support staff will trouble shoot and correct the situation via the telephone.
The Glorystar system does not require special tools or skills that are not needed for any other satellite install. The best tool to aid the installer is a signal identification meter and the 2nd is patience. I have discussed installation procedures and techniques with installers and they agree that the multi-LNB DirecTV, Dish Network and Satellite internet systems are more difficult to install and aim.
If the installation company suggests that they can complete the install, please allow them and our support staff to correct the reception issues.
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I think the original blow-off came as a result of the amount of money paid to the tech. I understand that Buccaneer does a lot of fulfillment and their prices to the techs are usually $70 per single dish/receiver. So the tech probably gets the same for a 90cm dish as he would for an 18" DirecTV dish. It was probably his estimate that he could make more money to blow you off and slam in a few other 18" directv systems in the same allotted time. I see from the GloryStar site that the MSRP of a professional install is about $175, yet the Buccaneer tech on site is probably only getting around $70 of that.
Personally, I charge $200 or more but it gets done right. Grounded, peaked, all of that. Would I want to touch a GloryStar system for $70. No way, Jose! I realize that GloryStar is trying to help those customers who don't want to go out and find their own techs, even through the referral site, but fulfillment is always plagued with too many companies having too many hands in the pie and companies with high turnover and inexperienced techs.
Personally, I charge $200 or more but it gets done right. Grounded, peaked, all of that. Would I want to touch a GloryStar system for $70. No way, Jose! I realize that GloryStar is trying to help those customers who don't want to go out and find their own techs, even through the referral site, but fulfillment is always plagued with too many companies having too many hands in the pie and companies with high turnover and inexperienced techs.
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That's not at all what happened with the tech that came to do the installation. The tech did his best with what he knew.
My experience in trying to adjust the dish has given me an appreciation for how sensitive the system is.
About 1/32'' to 1/64'' in either azimuth, elevation, or skew adjustment made the reception either "pretty bad" or "not too bad", and that's the best I could do.
If the tech, or another tech, returns and trys to use the rather coarse adjustments that work for Dish Network or DirectTV dishes, my fear is that I will wind up with worse reception.
For now, I'm content to call the installation "finished". If I find I lose signal during less than extreme weather conditions, I'll try adjusting the distances of the faces of the LNBFs from the bracket and/or (unless this is not recommended) the rotation of the LNBFs.
Right now I can't see how a tech could do anything else unless there are techs with specific knowledge of other ways to improve the reception or diagnose potential equipment problems (less than optimal LNBFs / receiver as supplied).
My experience in trying to adjust the dish has given me an appreciation for how sensitive the system is.
About 1/32'' to 1/64'' in either azimuth, elevation, or skew adjustment made the reception either "pretty bad" or "not too bad", and that's the best I could do.
If the tech, or another tech, returns and trys to use the rather coarse adjustments that work for Dish Network or DirectTV dishes, my fear is that I will wind up with worse reception.
For now, I'm content to call the installation "finished". If I find I lose signal during less than extreme weather conditions, I'll try adjusting the distances of the faces of the LNBFs from the bracket and/or (unless this is not recommended) the rotation of the LNBFs.
Right now I can't see how a tech could do anything else unless there are techs with specific knowledge of other ways to improve the reception or diagnose potential equipment problems (less than optimal LNBFs / receiver as supplied).
Is 30+ enough quality to be able to watch SafeTV and Cornerstone? I have found the more a person handles the system the better they get at it. If the tech comes back, with the help of GloryStar support, he is likely to get it better for you, not worse.
I know where you are coming from but if he'll come out and it won't cost you and you get him on the phone with Glorystar support they should be able to tweak it out for you. My numbers are similar to yours and it's "good enough" for me although I know I could get it better. My wife only watches from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday so it's not a big deal for us. But if you're watching full time then I'd say get it as tweaked as you can get it.
GloryStar is sending me another reflector. I got an automated call from Bucaneer about calling them when the equipment arrives. I suppose they're going to send a tech to install it in place of the original. Hope that improves the reception.
Meanwhile I have a couple of questions:
1. Are the 2 LNBFs identical, or is there one marked as LNBF 1 and the other as LNBF 2?
2. On all channels, the signal quality readings fluctuate over a range of about 10% on a period of about 1 second. Is that normal?
Meanwhile I have a couple of questions:
1. Are the 2 LNBFs identical, or is there one marked as LNBF 1 and the other as LNBF 2?
2. On all channels, the signal quality readings fluctuate over a range of about 10% on a period of about 1 second. Is that normal?
no they are identical. The monoblock (the little black piece that goes on the end of the dish and the LNB's slide into) do have labeling LNB 1 & LNB2 but that is only for setting up on the receiver so you know which LNB is where.
that is about normal. Depends on the receiver too. My Pansat 1500 will show the signal fluxuating all the time. If I watch the meter, it may go from 60 to 44 to 62 to 55 to 63 you get the picture.
The better aimed everything is the less you'll see of that.
That is what I kind of thought since the dish reflects the microwaves. I just wasn't sure because I hadn't heard it called a reflector before.
Got my first experience with significant rain on 4/20.
It started as a "torrential downpour". I lost reception, as I assumed I would have (I would have lost reception on Sky Angel during that kind of rain too).
As soon as the rain diminished from "torrential downpour" to "heavy and steady", I got the programming back.
Lost programming on some channels again whenever the rain intensity increased again.
All in all not too bad.
It started as a "torrential downpour". I lost reception, as I assumed I would have (I would have lost reception on Sky Angel during that kind of rain too).
As soon as the rain diminished from "torrential downpour" to "heavy and steady", I got the programming back.
Lost programming on some channels again whenever the rain intensity increased again.
All in all not too bad.
I used to lose Sky Angel in heavy downpours, other times when the rain wasn't directly overhead. In another life I was in charge of the earth station that supported the ATS-6 Satellite which had a Ka and Ku Band rain fade propagation experiment. The scientist in charge of the experiment said the beam is in the rain path for approx two miles, so we had rain gauges located on azimuth for almost two miles from our antenna to correlate rainfall with rain fade.
I've decided to accept what I have in the way of signal qualities rather than "trial and error" to see if something like RFI is a problem.
Thanks to everyone, especially GloryStar1, who's helped.
Actually, in looking at the Galaxy 25 coverage map, I see that most of the US is in the 48 dbW area whereas I'm located in the 46dbW area (Central PA).
By my calculations, that means:
48dbW = 10^(48/10) = 63095 W
46dbW = 10^(46/10) = 39810 W
39810 W/63095 W = 0.63
.63 * 70 signal quality = 44.1 signal quality
That would seem to indicate that my signal qualities are normal for my area.
Am I misinterpreting the concept?
Thanks to everyone, especially GloryStar1, who's helped.
Actually, in looking at the Galaxy 25 coverage map, I see that most of the US is in the 48 dbW area whereas I'm located in the 46dbW area (Central PA).
By my calculations, that means:
48dbW = 10^(48/10) = 63095 W
46dbW = 10^(46/10) = 39810 W
39810 W/63095 W = 0.63
.63 * 70 signal quality = 44.1 signal quality
That would seem to indicate that my signal qualities are normal for my area.
Am I misinterpreting the concept?
a slightly qualified YES. It depends on the quality and stability of the dish and mount. I went from the 39" GEOSAtPro to the 1M primestar and went from SQ of 35 on TBN on G25 to 48. Dish is only slightly bigger and I moved the LNB to the new dish. The tin dish wobbles in the wind, the Primestar does not.
There are lots strange things happen when involved with FTA system installation.
Here are some common things will effect your dish signal quality or you get one channel up but not the other channel.
Shape of dish. Any bent ?
Size of Dish, a little too small?
LNBF support arm seem too short ? This will happen when you get one TP lock up but not the other TP.
Skew for the LNBF, depending where you at and what satellite you want,
Dish is not plumb, you will not get maximum signal quality on this.
Picture come and gone, this could be bad or cold soldering LNBF, or dish need readustment.
If an installer only deal with DTV or Dish network, very possible they has no idea how the FTA system work, even worst, they even don't know how to do the OTA antenna installation right.
Here are some common things will effect your dish signal quality or you get one channel up but not the other channel.
Shape of dish. Any bent ?
Size of Dish, a little too small?
LNBF support arm seem too short ? This will happen when you get one TP lock up but not the other TP.
Skew for the LNBF, depending where you at and what satellite you want,
Dish is not plumb, you will not get maximum signal quality on this.
Picture come and gone, this could be bad or cold soldering LNBF, or dish need readustment.
If an installer only deal with DTV or Dish network, very possible they has no idea how the FTA system work, even worst, they even don't know how to do the OTA antenna installation right.
