Nervous about DTV

[phnick]

After years and years of paying for sub-par cable we decided to give DTV a try. I am a little nervous about the whole thing (hate the two year contract), but I guess I am worried that the installer is going to have to drill all sorts of crazy holes and every time the wind blows the tv signal will go out. It's going to be very difficult to access the dish on my roof so I don't know how I am going to be able to make adjustments when necessary.

One thing the sales guys said was that DTV has increased the number of satellites in Space, so the dishes are not as sensitive to weather.

Can anyone put my mind at ease with any of these concerns? I am really excited about the new DVR, it looks pretty cool, and compared to Time Warner's cable box, it couldn't possible be worse.

Thanks for any thoughts,

Nick

 

[medic-dan]

The cable companies have done a good job of providing a lot of misinformation.

I've had DirecTV since about '97. I can count, on one hand, the number of times in the past 2 years that I've lost service. Even then, it's usually for a short time (extremely heavy rains) and I can usually switch back to the SD channel and keep watching.

I don't know about "more satellites" helping with the the loss of signal. It's to increase capacity.

Adjustments? I'm not sure what you're expecting but the only time I've had to adjust a dish after installation was when a contractor "bumped" it. If it's mounted securely you shouldn't have any problems. A few years ago I had to replace an LNB due to damage, no adjustment was necessary afterward. It's easy enough to check your signal strengths at any time.

Work with the installer on the installation. I wired my house for satellite so that wasn't an issue.

 

[phnick]

Thank you for your reply.

 

[detroit_fan]

you have control over the install, don't let him drill where you don't want him too. i asked mine to change the routing and he was happy to oblige. i've had directv since 2001, they are a great company and i think their customer service is very good, maybe the best out of all my utilities. dishes don't need adjustments unless something moves them. living in michigan there is normally 1, maybe 2 days a year i need to brush some heavy wet snow off the dish. if you can;t reach it you will just have to wait for it to melt a little. don't think i've even needed to do it this year though. i lose my signal sometimes only in really heavy downpours, severe thunderstorms basically. not often, maybe a couple times a year for a couple minutes. if this is a concern you can install an antenna and an AM21 and get your local channels via the antenna so they never go out in sever weather( i do this). it's a good company and a good product, i think you will be happy. if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

 

[directv newb]

I am in Columbus, OH., I have not seen a "loss of signal" message since I don't know when. I will tell you this and make it real simple for you, once you leave cable and get Directv THE ONLY THING YOU WILL DO IS KICK YOURSELF FOR NOT DOING IT SOONER!!! It is the GREATEST DVR on the planet, imagine recording 5 shows at once, greatest picture quality, and I love the os. You get to make your own guide, so yo only see the channels you want to see. I came from Time Warner and I was SCARED TO DEATH to switch, little did I know it was the the best thing I ever did. I had the dish put on my roof and it has been perfect. I can save you $100.00 off your first year if you want, just pm me. Oh, and these guys on this forum and answer ANY question that may arise, that is a really nice bonus. GOOD LUCK

 

[raoul5788]

to Satelliteguys phnick!

Your signal will go out on rare occasions, but if the wind does it, it's in the middle of a hurricane, or the dish is improperly installed (not likely!) There are more satellites than there used to be, but that has nothing to do with the consistency of the signal. Go over the installation with the tech before he begins. As others have said, if you have concerns over where the holes are drilled or where the wires are run, let the installer know. He will work with you. Come on back and let us know how it goes and how much you like the new equipment!

 

[satinstallerguy]

The Sales guy is an idiot........ The number of satellites has no bearing on your signal quality....... Proper installation will ensure signal quality . But factors such as rain or snow will affect the signal...... It will work in normal rain and snow but real heavy rain storms or snow storms might knock out the signal temporarily. If you have a prewired house to the locations you want DTV the installer shouldn't really have to drill any extra holes........... The contract is part of the deal.. That's how they are able to give you such a good deal.....

SIG

 

[Ely]

Being nervous happens before falling in love, so don't you worry child! lol nahh seriously, you have nothing to worry about, I have had DirecTV since 2001 and I totally loved it since day one, in all these years I can count with my fingers the times I have lost signal and it has been very briefly during heavy torrential rain in South Florida, only time I was with no signal for a while was during a hurricane we had years ago that knocked out my dish and it was repaired in just a a couple of days, even then I still was able to watch my local channels because I have an AM21 and my OFF-AIR antenna was still up there.

Also I would advice you against making long cable runs just because it might have better looks, the longer the cable the more the singal degrades, so keep that in mind, also I have NEVER had to align the dish in all these years, so you don't have to worry about that either, just make sure it's not installed somewhere where kids can reach it etc. and you will be fine.

 

[Jimbo]

to Satelliteguys phnick!

Your signal will go out on rare occasions, but if the wind does it, it's in the middle of a hurricane, or the dish is improperly installed (not likely!) There are more satellites than there used to be, but that has nothing to do with the consistency of the signal. Go over the installation with the tech before he begins. As others have said, if you have concerns over where the holes are drilled or where the wires are run, let the installer know. He will work with you. Come on back and let us know how it goes and how much you like the new equipment!

Very important ...

This way you know ahead of time whats going where.

Get a pole mounted dish if you want to avoid the roof ...
I recommend the pole mount, this way if you have a lot of wet snow and lose your signal, you can walk out to the dish, brush it off and your good to go, vs trying to get to it on the roof if needed.

 

[ejb1980]

We just had two ice storms. Cable was out for over a week. Once I got power back, my ice covered dish got 75 to 80% signal... perfect HD picture.

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[Jimbo]

We've been thru snow storms the last 3-4 weeks, 10" one time, 8 another, NEVER lost signal.