Shaddy Installers.

[Joe Shmoe]

How to fix installer problems

The best thing to do is buy yourself a good meter and shoot the dish yourself. Another good thing to do is buy a Comdeck for your roof. Find a good spot on your roof for the dish. Comdeck is a satilite housing that goes under your shingles it provides a great anchor for your dish. Your dish won't move. And your roof is usally the best place to aim your dish from and if your roof is not to steep it's a great place to re aim the dish if you have to. The only problem is all your cables go through your addick. Run your cables, your grounding and your good to go. Or you can use the old but good method OFFER THE INSATLLER AN EXTRA $100.00 to do the job right and take his dam time doing it.

 

[Slick Vic]

I think I have a tree in the way. The thing I don't understand is why 99 and 101 seem uneffected by that strange branch to the left. However after learning here that 119 is lower it makes since.


119 would be to the right of the dish.

 

[Todd Humphrey]

The best thing to do is buy yourself a good meter and shoot the dish yourself. Another good thing to do is buy a Comdeck for your roof. Find a good spot on your roof for the dish. Comdeck is a satilite housing that goes under your shingles it provides a great anchor for your dish. Your dish won't move. And your roof is usally the best place to aim your dish from and if your roof is not to steep it's a great place to re aim the dish if you have to. The only problem is all your cables go through your addick. Run your cables, your grounding and your good to go. Or you can use the old but good method OFFER THE INSATLLER AN EXTRA $100.00 to do the job right and take his dam time doing it.

The problem with those Comdeck platforms it they are not strong enough for a solid KaKu install. Where do you install the struts? Once you put the post on that platform, the struts are too short on a 4/12 pitch, and if you can make them reach you have holes in your roof, which you were trying to avoid. The other issue, is what if you need two dishes? You need to install two. They work VERY well on a D500 and standard 18" dish, but I have had to pass installing on them recently.

A good tarred roof mount on the over hang is my favorite spot. That is if you have asphalt tabbed roof.

 

[Gene T.]

Comdeck may need struts use them with the slide under connectors so no lag bolts will have to be used. If the roof has a high pitch use the struts with adjusters on them.

 

[DetFan]

This may or may not be on topic, but I just visited Alabama, and was house hunting, because we are considering a move.

This house we looked at had DTV, but it was facing the complete opposite way mine in Michigan is facing now.I am assuming that has something to do with the central time zone. Anyway, the dish was facing completely into trees, and I mean I could not even see how or what they could possibly be facing to get a signal but the guy in the home says he has always gotten a good signal.

I found that interesting, because I once had someone tell me they could not do it, because of the trees. Is this just choice of the installer, or is it just wierd this guy is getting a good signal? I noticed alot of houses with a dish and facing trees down there, and to me at least it looked like there was no way they should be getting anything.

 

[ShadowEKU]

it depends on how high the trees are and how far away.. the sats are not directly on the angle the dish is pointing.. in reality they come in considerably higher. my dish is aimed strait at my house but the signal comes in from a higher angle.

 

[Todd Humphrey]

I missed those picturs the last time though this thread.

With trees like that I am pretty sure you will be in trouble BEFORE your contract term is complete. A good installer not only has to worry about LOS at the time of installation, but for entire term of the contract. Compasses are also not always accurate. You need at least a 5 degree comfort factor when sighting in a location. With the need to cover from 99 to 119, that means you really need to cover a 30 degree wide view and clear trees by at least 1-2 years growth, depending the contract term. A REALLY good installer will pull out a tripod and dish to verify satellite location if they really need to thread the needle so-to-speak.

That pole will not provide a stable platform for the that dish when they fire up those Ka band satellites.
The mast does not need to be vertical for the dish to receive correctly. It makes it easier, but with the ability to adjust elevation, azimuth and skew, a good installer can compensate for a non-vertical pole. Don't get me wrong, the mast should be veridical, but a tilted pole can be overcome if needed.

I am not excusing those that did not show up, but unless those trees are under your control, and you are willing to cut as needed, any decent installer would have called this a NLOS location, or at least given you the option to buy the equipment and take your chances. Maybe you plan to move before the term is up, or something like that.

Putting a pole up that high solves nothing, trees grow. If a 4 foot pole was not high enough, then a 10 foot pole only buys you 6 feet of tree growth. Around here, that is easily less than a year.

 

[Todd Humphrey]

This may or may not be on topic, but I just visited Alabama, and was house hunting, because we are considering a move.

This house we looked at had DTV, but it was facing the complete opposite way mine in Michigan is facing now.I am assuming that has something to do with the central time zone. Anyway, the dish was facing completely into trees, and I mean I could not even see how or what they could possibly be facing to get a signal but the guy in the home says he has always gotten a good signal.

I found that interesting, because I once had someone tell me they could not do it, because of the trees. Is this just choice of the installer, or is it just wierd this guy is getting a good signal? I noticed alot of houses with a dish and facing trees down there, and to me at least it looked like there was no way they should be getting anything.

The further south you go, the higher the elevation. As said before, there is no way to look at a dish and see where it actually receives signals from. The feed boom arm points about 10 degrees LOWER then the satellites location. I am not sure about the off-set on a 5-lnb dish, but when we set up a 61.5 dish for DISH network, we level the feed arm to receive 61.5, which is at 9 degrees elevation for our location.

 

[raoul5788]

The further south you go, the higher the elevation. As said before, there is no way to look at a dish and see where it actually receives signals from. The feed boom arm points about 10 degrees LOWER then the satellites location. I am not sure about the off-set on a 5-lnb dish, but when we set up a 61.5 dish for DISH network, we level the feed arm to receive 61.5, which is at 9 degrees elevation for our location.

You must be very far west.

 

[Todd Humphrey]

1 hour north of Seattle. Bad for 61.5 but 119 is 3 degrees east of due south at 34 EL.

 

[raoul5788]

1 hour north of Seattle. Bad for 61.5 but 119 is 3 degrees east of due south at 34 EL.

You must have MANY fewer los issues there than here in CT!

 

[Todd Humphrey]

You forget the HUGE evergreens we have.

 

[raoul5788]

You forget the HUGE evergreens we have.

Tain't never been there, I wouldn't know!

 

[dishcomm]

I installed a slimline dish although the Bruister & Ass army that came by last Summer said it was impossible. I'm getting all five sats although 119 is giving me trouble. I believe from this board it is because my pole is not plumb. I called several local pros. One told me he would be at my house in five minutes. That was several days ago. One today called me and said he would charge me 45.00 to show up that is it and to actually tune the dish would be 200.00 more. I have it on a ten foot pole and I'm getting 101 95 plus, 110 95 plus, 119 50 - 60 and 99 because I'm getting my locals in HD screaming. Also I see 103. I dug a trench and laid the wires to my house. There needs to be some sort of ownership between D* and the folks that install it. Treat them like they treat Bellsouth and give the tools and incentives to do the job.

You called a private contractor and expect them to come to your home and fix your system for free?...Why?..Just because they work on the eq ,do you think they are being paid by DTV?...Newsflash..They don't ..And if they don't who do you think is going to pay?....just as you demand payment from your employer for work completed, we do the same..And since it is you who employ the contractor to fix your satellite, you must pay the contractor..Or you could fix it yourself for free...

 

[dishcomm]

Charper1,
About the false site surveys, there was a time when the installation companies paid $25.00 for a report of No Line of Sight (NLOS). It can take up to an hour to look for holes in trees and lines that will clear buildings. Then the money stopped.
The installer only has so many hours of daylight and often has more work than he will get to in any given day. So they move on to the next one. And if the job will not fit the basic installation there are days when you just don't have the time to explain
all the extra costs to someone who was promised a free installation.
My personal favorite is the customer who lives in a forest. As you explain that the trees make it impossible to install the system they tell you,"You guys are all alike. Every installer your company has sent has said the same thing." Everyone gets to ride around for free because some sales guy didn't trust the first few NLOS reports.
But I agree with what you said about doing your best in your chosen profession.
I'm planning to do that for somebody besides DTV.

Joe

Thank you....These people who are the unfortunate ones that live amognst the tallest of trees have some breteren who think we enjoy not making money..I get the accusations, though rare, of "you just don't want to do the job"..With that I tell them, they are free to request a second opinion..But I will search every possible area where the thing might have a chance at success...As for the guy who is a teacher and says he works for free 50% of time, God bless him. But as long as I have the choice to get paid for my work 100% of the time, I will choose that option and not lose a nanno second of sleep over that or those who think there is some sort of nobilty in killing yourself to scratch out a living..

 

[dishcomm]

You are correct, their WERE many great installers, not saying their all gone, but most are, you have nobody to thank for that but DTV themselves. Why do by the book quality job when the hacks are running around making twice as much money you are throwing them in?? DTV doesnt care as long as its activated, so why should the techs?

Not true..There those of us who take pride in their work...However one thing is clear..Both satcos are intersted only in new connects..They push quotas and completion rates.Thge satcos also spoiled the business by offering everything for free. So much so that customers expect even custom work to be done free of charge...How quickly they forget that the guy that comes to their home has a family to feed as well..They will tell the techs that ask to put the thing in no matter what..BUT if the tech violates specs on that install you can bet your last dollar if the job gets QC'ed the tech will get charged back for the violations thie own boss probably told them to not worry about...THAT and some other reasons are why many good people, including myself, are leaving this business.

 

[NiFi]

There those of us who take pride in their work...

As did I and all the work i did for both D and E.

their WERE many great installers

are why many good people, including myself, are leaving this business.

Sounds like i am correct.

We just dropped all our DTV sales and sub work, have a little more sub contract work to finish up for E* and were done after 9+ years of sat work.

Good Luck and God Bless to anyone who thinks theres a future in it.

 

[dishcomm]

As did I and all the work i did for both D and E.





Sounds like i am correct.

We just dropped all our DTV sales and sub work, have a little more sub contract work to finish up for E* and were done after 9+ years of sat work.

Good Luck and God Bless to anyone who thinks theres a future in it.

Wow! All done..Whew....Well good luck in your future ventures what ever they may be.

 

[axg9504]

Igator: it's hard to tell from pics, but I have the same sort of situation with a small clearing between trees where all the sat's other than 119 are located. I lost 119 when the leaves came in.

What is the total length of cable run that you have from dish to receiver? Did you use RG6 or something better? Did you use conduit?

I've had a procession of installers too who, all of them so far would not do the needful: site survey and relocate the dish. I was actually told by a D* rep that they got paid only $15 (is that possible?) for an instal, so I can see why the 3 that came out to fix things left without doing so. I'm told that my next visit will be setup as a custom instal and that more time (read payment?) will be allocated to do the job. I asked for a call by the supv. before they come out for them to go over what I think is needed to ensure that they can do it. So far no call, but instal is this Friday and I hear that the job gets allocated on the day of the instal. So I'm wondering if I would be better off to get someone locally and get assurance or wait and find out once again that they won't do it.

I would gladly pay for a custom install, but what astounds me is that D* will happily continue to schedule service calls without meeting the customer's needs and without any communication with their installation company. I still don't understand why a phone call to D*'s install desk cannot create a service call that will provide exactly what you are asking for. It seems to be left entirely to who comes out on that day and what he might decide to do or not do.

 

[igator99]

You called a private contractor and expect them to come to your home and fix your system for free?...Why?..Just because they work on the eq ,do you think they are being paid by DTV?...Newsflash..They don't ..And if they don't who do you think is going to pay?....just as you demand payment from your employer for work completed, we do the same..And since it is you who employ the contractor to fix your satellite, you must pay the contractor..Or you could fix it yourself for free...

I think you missed understood me. No I expect to pay a private contractor. This was the first one that wanted 45.00 up front. I've never heard of that. Perhaps it is a common practice else where.