New Direct TV Install

[danjfoley]

I have my install set up for monday by Ironwood communications. I'm in pittsburgh, pa.

1. Are there any local installers that can do it sooner. No according to Direct TV when i call them.

2. Is there anything I need to know when the install it going on to make sure it goes well. I see a lot of posts about "lazy installers".. and i want to make sure i can double check everything that I can.

I'm getting a new HD-DVR box, i have called Ironwood directly and requested an HR-22. And getting 2 normal SD boxes.

Cable modem is staying with comcast.

 

[DJ Matt]

I had mine installed a couple weeks ago. My primary concern was how fast the job was going to be done because people have said they are lazy and will try to find fast shortcuts. We watched the guy during the entire install and he did a pretty good job overall. So, to make sure you get things done how you want, I would pay close attention to what he is doing. If you have any concerns, questions, or you want something done a certain way you will need to tell the installer ahead of time to make sure he does it the way you want it done. An example of this is pre-existing RG6 cable in your house. If you want all new wiring, make sure to tell him because I had to tell him to do so otherwise he would have used the RG6 cable that was already in the basement. We told him he could use the pre-existing cables for the 2 standard TV's, but we wanted to make sure he ran 2 new cables from the dish to the HD DVR and he did.

Since you are keeping cable for the internet, tell him he can't use the pre-existing RG6 cable lines already in your house because you have cable internet. What our installer did was take the cable lines off the splitters and connected them to the wires he ran from the dish which we didn't mind for the standard TV's, but if you want new wiring, tell him to do so. That would be the easiest way to tell him if you want all new wiring.

 

[RLJSlick]

Yeah depending on where you install it, make sure they ground the dish and the multi switch. My installer didn't do either, and I contact DirecTV and they was pretty shock, so I will have another installer here to ground the dish, I already grounded the switch.

I have my install set up for monday by Ironwood communications. I'm in pittsburgh, pa.

1. Are there any local installers that can do it sooner. No according to Direct TV when i call them.

2. Is there anything I need to know when the install it going on to make sure it goes well. I see a lot of posts about "lazy installers".. and i want to make sure i can double check everything that I can.

I'm getting a new HD-DVR box, i have called Ironwood directly and requested an HR-22. And getting 2 normal SD boxes.

Cable modem is staying with comcast.

 

[iwc5893]

Yeah depending on where you install it, make sure they ground the dish and the multi switch. My installer didn't do either, and I contact DirecTV and they was pretty shock, so I will have another installer here to ground the dish, I already grounded the switch.

The OP's setup won't require a multiswitch.

 

[mlb]

Quick question on grounding the dish... E* actually put a grounding block on the side of my house and ran all of the connections through it. D* put a note saying it was grounded inside. I totally forgot to review what the installer did, so is he just grounding it through my electric system or is he doing something else?

 

[DJ Matt]

Yeah depending on where you install it, make sure they ground the dish and the multi switch. My installer didn't do either, and I contact DirecTV and they was pretty shock, so I will have another installer here to ground the dish, I already grounded the switch.

How do you know if they did this? How/where do you check. I am not too familiar with this, but I don't think I have a multi switch.

 

[RLJSlick]

You should see a extra wire on your dish that should be grounded, or screwed to a pipe or something that's grounded around the house, or they may stick a re bar in the ground and grounded to that. I didn't do it that way so I have no idea about the re bar thing, I was told that by DirecTV. Since you don't have a multi switch I wouldn't worry about that then.

 

[fanquon]

Quick question on grounding the dish... E* actually put a grounding block on the side of my house and ran all of the connections through it. D* put a note saying it was grounded inside. I totally forgot to review what the installer did, so is he just grounding it through my electric system or is he doing something else?

All grounding should done before the cable into the house, and make sure there a #10 at least wire connected from ground block to the house common ground wire or the electrical box.

 

[mlb]

Thanks fanquon. I will have to redo the wiring here since they didn't do it properly during the install.