Moving from Dish to Direct this weekend. Have never been satisfied with Dish's pq and have techs visited and said I'm getting signal strength in the low 80's and that's fine by Dish standards, or so they claim. My question is, what kind of signal strength should I expect from Direct? Direct's CSR tells me it should be 99% but I'd rather hear from techs in the field or the experts here. What should be the threshold?
New Install Coming Up, Signal Strength Question
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The quick summary =
Directv uses several satellites to bring your picture. These satellites are in different launch positions in orbit They are referred to by their position West Longitude. The main ones are at 99, 101, & 103. Your on screen signal meter will show transponder signal strength from these locations. Without more detail......know that it is normal for the signals to be different for each transponder due to atmospheric conditions. On a clear day most installers will find signals in the high 90s. There is some loss in the 23,000 miles from the satellite to your dish. It is normal for the numbers to change all the time.
As weather conditions change those numbers will go down. You lose picture at around 40-50 for the SD (Standard Definition) service and a little sooner 50-60 for HD (High Definition). You will see a little pixilation (goofy squares & broken sound)...then a message that says searching for signal.
Part of the tuning during the installation adjusts slightly away from a very highest reading on the satellites in the 101 (SD) position to allow an acceptable level (90s) from the satellites in the (weaker) 99 & 103 positions. You will probably not see many or all 99% signals but that is normal......highest / 90s on that day will be it. There are different numbers of transponders in each of the positions..... it is normal for some blanks for unused spaces.
Selecting a dish location that is clear of obstacles and not too far from the receivers (100ft start to be too far) is a most important consideration for the installation plan. Do ask how to turn on the signal meter and do watch how the signals change as bad weather comes into your area. This is rain fade.....it comes and goes. Low initial tuning makes the picture go away sooner........look for high 90s.....99%, probably not on all transponders. The tech will "peak" the tuning and get the best possible in your area. If all numbers are low...the mast is not plumb or some other adjustment is not correct. Missing transponders is usually a defective component. OR there could be atmospheric conditions blocking your signal.
Even though you are in FL you will see that the DirecTV service goes out less that the local cable company even though both use satellites for their service. High winds could take your dish out of alignment...the tech will tighten everything.... hope & expect.
Report how it goes........describe your equipment & system,
Joe
Directv uses several satellites to bring your picture. These satellites are in different launch positions in orbit They are referred to by their position West Longitude. The main ones are at 99, 101, & 103. Your on screen signal meter will show transponder signal strength from these locations. Without more detail......know that it is normal for the signals to be different for each transponder due to atmospheric conditions. On a clear day most installers will find signals in the high 90s. There is some loss in the 23,000 miles from the satellite to your dish. It is normal for the numbers to change all the time.
As weather conditions change those numbers will go down. You lose picture at around 40-50 for the SD (Standard Definition) service and a little sooner 50-60 for HD (High Definition). You will see a little pixilation (goofy squares & broken sound)...then a message that says searching for signal.
Part of the tuning during the installation adjusts slightly away from a very highest reading on the satellites in the 101 (SD) position to allow an acceptable level (90s) from the satellites in the (weaker) 99 & 103 positions. You will probably not see many or all 99% signals but that is normal......highest / 90s on that day will be it. There are different numbers of transponders in each of the positions..... it is normal for some blanks for unused spaces.
Selecting a dish location that is clear of obstacles and not too far from the receivers (100ft start to be too far) is a most important consideration for the installation plan. Do ask how to turn on the signal meter and do watch how the signals change as bad weather comes into your area. This is rain fade.....it comes and goes. Low initial tuning makes the picture go away sooner........look for high 90s.....99%, probably not on all transponders. The tech will "peak" the tuning and get the best possible in your area. If all numbers are low...the mast is not plumb or some other adjustment is not correct. Missing transponders is usually a defective component. OR there could be atmospheric conditions blocking your signal.
Even though you are in FL you will see that the DirecTV service goes out less that the local cable company even though both use satellites for their service. High winds could take your dish out of alignment...the tech will tighten everything.... hope & expect.
Report how it goes........describe your equipment & system,
Joe
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Thanks Joe, your answer is precisely what I was looking for. The antenna will be mounted exactly where the Dish one is now, on the roof of a 3 storey apartment building here in Ft. Lauderdale and my apartment is just below it on the third floor, just about 20 to 30 feet of a cable run away. Currently on a clear hot Florida night I'm getting in the 70's and the picture is relatively clear but with the usual haze and compression artifacts when there's a lot of motion in the program being watched. I saw another ex Dish sub expressed in another thread the unexpected improvement in pq when he got Direct this week but I'm not sure if he's coming from the Hopper system like me. I am looking forward to Direct's Genie system although I'll miss my Hopper, Dish's biggest asset, but improved HD pq will make me forget those kangaroos real quick (I never watch SD).
It should be good,
All the DISH cable can be used. The DirecTV mast will be 2" OD and if the existing DISH mast is that size it too can be used....the tech will hand you the DISH dish if it is still there. A thought is to add an OTA (Over the Air) system sometime. See if your weather outages (FL has them) are too frequent and interrupt local news etc.
A fine point = in theory the cable from the dish should run to a ground block near the main bond for the building. From three stories up this would be a huge waste of cable...don't insist on it. Go with what ya got.
Report how it goes,
Joe
All the DISH cable can be used. The DirecTV mast will be 2" OD and if the existing DISH mast is that size it too can be used....the tech will hand you the DISH dish if it is still there. A thought is to add an OTA (Over the Air) system sometime. See if your weather outages (FL has them) are too frequent and interrupt local news etc.
A fine point = in theory the cable from the dish should run to a ground block near the main bond for the building. From three stories up this would be a huge waste of cable...don't insist on it. Go with what ya got.
Report how it goes,
Joe
With you being in FL the signals well be pretty high. High 90's with some 100's. As you get more north in the county to signals go down, in my area mid 90's on the 101 low to mid 90's on the 99 and 103.
Directv has IV it tests the signals from the satellite before the receiver activates. The installer has no choice but to peak the dish or the receivers will not activate. So basically you don't have to worry about signal strength at the time of install.
Directv has IV it tests the signals from the satellite before the receiver activates. The installer has no choice but to peak the dish or the receivers will not activate. So basically you don't have to worry about signal strength at the time of install.
Ah,
Should have added that. My experience is in Maryland. We never see 100 signals unless some others are low. New England and Canada are lower. Only did a few Interactive Voice (IV) and it is not an issue. Knowing that 70 was the installation minimum for year and that most techs were finding high 90s............. I do wonder if there are techs taking the day off because of weather, knowing their work cannot be activated until the sky clears. How do they get anything done?
Joe
Should have added that. My experience is in Maryland. We never see 100 signals unless some others are low. New England and Canada are lower. Only did a few Interactive Voice (IV) and it is not an issue. Knowing that 70 was the installation minimum for year and that most techs were finding high 90s............. I do wonder if there are techs taking the day off because of weather, knowing their work cannot be activated until the sky clears. How do they get anything done?
Joe
If weather is bad that day you either have to call i to ISS and get a waiver, after they look at weather radar. Or they will shut it down for the day if they know it's going to be an all day problem.
There may be an obvious answer to this question but have to ask. Will a stronger signal mean a better picture? Seeing that some of you in the north are getting much lower signal strength does that mean your pq is not as good as subscribers in the south? I've been to friends home in South Florida here and their Direct TV picture is so much better than my Dish's and I have a newer and better tv. Yet I've been told that both provider's pq are very similar but with my Dish signal strength dropping to the low 70's, I'm wondering if this is the source of my pq issues. I really hope I get that pq bump with the installation this Saturday but although very important to me it won't be a deal killer.
You either get a picture or you don't. Signal strength means nothing to the picture untill there is not enough for the receiver to process. Also as a side not the signal strength on Dishes meter means nothing aside from that is the strength. It is not base on a 100% so 70 to 80 is a good signal. When I had dish on satellite 119, 75 was very good. On 129 the HD satellite 55 was a smoking signal.
Actually, in my opinion, that whole thing is crap. One of the few things installers have to offer is integrity. When they say the job is in but the weather influenced tuning that should be it. You call in to list a NLOS and some wonk wants a description of the building. But when you ask a recruiter for identification and a bank reference they have gas. Misrepresenting completed work should be an exit visa and DirecTv should verify that tech are paid.
Justsayin!
Joe
You will see what some say is drastic PQ improvement on Directv. You can always tell when someone has Dish because of the haze (good word, describes it perfectly) on the picture. No need to look at the remote, equipment, or UI.
Speaking of UI, the Directv system is PAINFULLY slow compared to Dish. It seems OK and tolerable at first, but it gets slower... .and slower.... and slower as time goes by. Hardcore Directv users on here will say this is not true or that the "Genie is the fastest thing Directv has ever made." It might be that, but it's still significantly slower than Dish's. And it's not very user-friendly. But thankfully, the channels on Directv can't be put backwards like so many do on Dish.
But PQ and content are more important!
Speaking of UI, the Directv system is PAINFULLY slow compared to Dish. It seems OK and tolerable at first, but it gets slower... .and slower.... and slower as time goes by. Hardcore Directv users on here will say this is not true or that the "Genie is the fastest thing Directv has ever made." It might be that, but it's still significantly slower than Dish's. And it's not very user-friendly. But thankfully, the channels on Directv can't be put backwards like so many do on Dish.
But PQ and content are more important!
I have to call them probably 5 or six times a year due to rain taking 99 & 103 below threshold. Does not take a total knock out of signal.
Should be pretty quick.....maybe as little as one hour. The dish location & cable will probably work but the tech may have to change out your mast. The other thing that can take a little time is making the connections at your TVs. Clear those areas so he can work.
Can't say more without knowing the number and type equipment you plan. For sure, converting a system from DISH to DirecTv is pretty simple.
RE the cable company lines....search for splitters! They will have to be bypassed or replaced,,,,,,,no biggie but just finding them can be a chore. Do not diplex Directv feed with CATV internet.
Report how it goes,
Joe
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