Any tech one can recommend in Wisconsin? The free install guy already stood me up twice and lied to me on the phone...and I should trust him with a HD install? He did not even know the difference between a 3LNB dish and a Terk HD TV-55 antenna.... I might have some LOS problem so I need someone who is gonna spend the time and I don't mind paying for a quality install instead of one bad one and many repair jobs.
Starting a Satellite Installing Business
- Thread starter bsilvertab
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 31
- Views 14K
How long it would take to get all of these certifications (I have limited knowledge of computers), and what are the wages and benefits for cable installers in the left coast?Wayd Wolf said:I strongly recommend checking with BOTH Dish Network and Halsted Communications to see if they have operations in your area. In CT, both do.
Dish pays hourly, has benefits, and supplies all needed supplies.
Halsted pays piece-work, has benefits, and supplies all needed supplies.
Once you've done a while at either, I STRONGLY recommend quitting for a job as a cable installer for a while on top of it to round out your broadband knowledge. Being a "Cable Sucks, Satellite is Great" partisan is a BAD BAD career move. The vast majority of horribly low-quality techs are of that stripe and can't for the life of them explain the first technical difference between the two things and their relative strengths and weaknesses.
Try to get an in-house cable job or employee of a contract installation house with benefits.
ONLY THEN should you consider your own business and here's what you need to do then, at least for my recommendations.
First, get your SBCA Level I & II as soon as possible if neither Halsted nor Dish got you certified. Get Level III certified for MDUs as well.
Second, start on the track towards NCTI Master Installer with NCTI's courses and certifications.
Third, learn about running a business, especially with regard to taxation and accounting practices, both federal and state law on these.
Fourth, get your state licenses for CATV/SMATV/DBS/etc. and telephone on top of it. Many states have totally separate licenses for these two things and you need to be able to run phone lines with your coax, and do it legally.
Fifth, go and nail down your SCTE, BICSI, and ETA-SDA certifications to completely prove yourself.
With all appropriate licenses and certifications, the world is your oyster in broadband. Now you just need to find all the work to keep you busy, hire men and women who can do good work, and train them to one day replace you.
yes now you need to know how to do it all, the only way i can make it is to be able to go where the money is at, in one month's time i may be doing super-dish for co. A in virginia cable modem's for B in north carolina and c work for the mom and pop's in my home town the 0ne to four rec. dish nets. and the word of mouth phone soundsurround new home pre-wires.
Stargazer said:
It goes well beyond even this. Unfortunately the greed factor now knows no boundaries in this day and age. On any given night, you can usually find no shortage of threads in the various satellite forums from current subscribers threatening to jump ship if they aren't wined and dined with the red carpet new customer extravaganza experience all over again. Everyone wants to be treated like a king and queen regardless of what they spend per year and how long they've been with said provider and everyone wants more channels, more HD, more everything without considering their rates will be raised in the near future for all the added values requested and ultimately delivered. Some customers are never satisfied no matter what a company does and their loyalty is often as disposable as yesterdays newspaper. "Give me the new customer promotion on receiver upgrades or I'm outta here."
So many times have I seen customers switch their service from Dish to Direct or vice versa if the costs of keeping their service is too high or at any cost when it comes to a service call or upgrade. Even over as little as $25 they will switch, sometimes just to have a good excuse to find out what the other service is like because they are so curious.
I think many customers expect to get good service when they pay their bill each month especially if it is $50, $60, $70 or more each month. Others just play hardball when it comes to paying or threaten to switch but when it comes down to it, some dont anyways if they dont get their way, they just figure it is worth a try.
I think many customers expect to get good service when they pay their bill each month especially if it is $50, $60, $70 or more each month. Others just play hardball when it comes to paying or threaten to switch but when it comes down to it, some dont anyways if they dont get their way, they just figure it is worth a try.
hmmm
well, I don't expect to be wined and dined as a new customer and I know I have LOS problem and will need more than a basic installation, but some of these so call tech are just flat out un-professional... the company headquarter has no control over this....I am just frustrated over the S**tty structure with all the so call free install promotion. Perhaps some people have good luck with this but not here.
well, I don't expect to be wined and dined as a new customer and I know I have LOS problem and will need more than a basic installation, but some of these so call tech are just flat out un-professional... the company headquarter has no control over this....I am just frustrated over the S**tty structure with all the so call free install promotion. Perhaps some people have good luck with this but not here.
I currently only doing installation for those installation company occasionly, while my sales is slow, I don't work with others they offer sales and install, I think they also under paid, when I see someone offered this sale and install for a single is only $120, what a joke is it. He is taking more then half of this out from a deal that just sit their butt in the chair, I understand there overhead expensive, so the installer as well. I think the installer supply all the installation materials and move the truck is cost more then the office expensive. Yet it get less. If a sales and installation is less then $150, should not considering.
If peoples don't know what a basic installation is, just ask them what is a basic home and upgrade or advanced home.
If peoples don't know what a basic installation is, just ask them what is a basic home and upgrade or advanced home.
Customers are demanding even when they are wrong Back when I was a dealer a perspective sub called. I checked out their big home. They INSISTED on using their 20 year old R59 with a SW64. I refused, told them they must have all new cable. They got another dealer to do it... A month later they called looking for help. No way fpr me to get paid sorry cant help- Heard the installi g dealer got chargebacked, he deserved it based on stupidity.
You might do a class a job but some other idiot will come along and undercut you....
It was fun being a dealer, but quitting was a big imptrovement
Back when I was a dealer a perspective sub called. I checked out their big home. They INSISTED on using their 20 year old R59 with a SW64. I refused, told them they must have all new cable. They got another dealer to do it... A month later they called looking for help. No way fpr me to get paid sorry cant help- Heard the installi g dealer got chargebacked, he deserved it based on stupidity.You might do a class a job but some other idiot will come along and undercut you....
It was fun being a dealer, but quitting was a big imptrovement
SBCA I&II are a single day affair. If you've done about ten installs of either Dish or Direct and read these boards with attention to detail, you can pass the training and test pretty quickly. Eat, drink, and sleep this stuff and you'll be among the first five out of the room finished with their test.Soccernut said:
SBCA III is a two day bang usually with about the same difficulty if you've ever done any cable and paid attention to system distribution concepts such as taps, amps, etc.
ETA Certified Satellite Installer(CSI) is only slightly harder to pass but it is on your own and not in a class. There are endorsements that tack on and if you find that few in DBS even know what SBCA NSTP means, you'll find only a tenth of a percent of them know what this one is.
NCTI certs are much more involved and cover basic electronics, radio and microwave basics, etc., etc., ad nauseam. In cable it is the signal transmission and NOT the variety of BS box that matters. So people who have memorized every Dish receiver are going to be a little taken aback by how techie this is. With approval to take it and a good proctor giving the tests and overseeing your studying, and good studying discipline, you can go through the whole thing in a year or so.
SCTE certs are even more prestigious in a bucking for notice from senior management sort of way and look nice after your name at the bottom of an article you've gotten published in a trade mag. Did I forget that cable has a huge pile of trade mags and DBS doesn't? The kind that executives in ancillary industries read? SCTE isn't that long if you're NCTI Master Installer.
Of course there's the very nice and very applicable BICSI and CEDIA certs as well. If you aspire to impress well-read and very wealthy people looking for qualified custom installation wizards, those look good on your showroom wall near the front door.
State licenses are going to be requiring classroom and/or OJT so you can assume to be working while studying and getting certifications.
If you're one of the few, the proud, no... not the Marines, you might get through with it all. Otherwise, count on wanting desperately to switch careers to anything that doesn't involve coaxial cable. Like naked karaoke or stunt hang-glider pilot. Why? When you take the rules and law seriously and take pride in your work, you will be stressed out daily by the crud you have to put up with from 99% of your coworkers who could care less about doing their jobs right and a management that actually desires the rank and file to be and remain as stupid as possible.
I did find home pages for all the certifications and will be researching it, I now work in the manufacturing business sector and it's very shaky I might need this training in the future, thank you very much for the info. I can see you get great satisfaction from doing a good job and helping your fellow man, don't waste time with the slackers and help the ones that deserve it, it's very good therapy. Again thank you.Wayd Wolf said:
Pay reate
Well it seems that Im a bit lucky compared to alot of other Techs. Im a independent contractor and get 95 per install, 10 per a room, 40 service call, 40 upgrade.
Well it seems that Im a bit lucky compared to alot of other Techs. Im a independent contractor and get 95 per install, 10 per a room, 40 service call, 40 upgrade.
Well it seems that Im a bit lucky compared to alot of other Techs. Im a independent contractor and get 95 per install, 10 per a room, 40 service call, 40 upgrade.
Looks like you're getting suckered dealtsoul31. I get $100/install, $20 add room, $50 service call and upgrades start at $70 for a 2 room. When I make the next pay grade, I'll make more! Plus, the company I contract for will fill up your gas tank once a week and give you a roll of cable and other small parts once a month. They take care of me and I look out for them!
