VOOM Installations

[Sean Mota]

JaydeeD,

You deserve a medal for all of this or deserve getting refunded the installation fee. Anyway, send Wilt an e-mail with the your name, address, zipcode, & telephone number. Your STB is not getting the correct mapping. Enjoy VOOM after all the work; relax and breath and get ready for NFL game of the week.

You'll program guide (PG) is not going to show all the information. It will take about 8 hours for the program guide to get adjusted.

 

[tytxy]

A voomer

I got VOOM! (Ordered it by direct calling on 12/2; scheduled for installation on 12/10; got it a day behind the schedule.)

To be fair, the local installation company did call me on 12/8 (two days before scheduled date.) I was told that the equipment had arrived, but they had no technician available in the morning of 12/10. They offered either afternoon or next day. I picked the next day (today.)

The installer comes from a company called Digital Direct (could not figure out if it affiliates with the Instal Inc.) He said that he had( installed about 50 VOOMs in great Houston area.

Installation took 2.5 hrs, went smoothly except one event. After every piece of hardware in place, he checked satellite signal level in installation setting window. It was only 12. He tried to reposition the dish, result was the same. He said it might be a bad box, the signal level number should be around 30.

He called V* and was given a EMM ID code to let program auto tunning polarization. (He said that was new for him. )

When it was done, the figure of dish in the front of the box became green. He then made report, started downloading and left.

I got signals around 50 for level, qualities and powers.

Local channels showed in PG (All Channels) once then disappeared, though they can be found in other sub-menu (All HD, News, etc.) Is a mapping problem?

 

[ds5178]

Voom installation this Wednesday! Two questions:

I have an appointment this Wednesday for my Voom installation. Here is part of the e-mail I was sent to confirm my installation, which tells what the installer will do:

"Route up to four lines of up to 125 feet (per run) of coaxial cable to HD receiver(s) using customer-provided multi-switch."


I'm still learning, so can any of you tell me what a multi-switch is for? I need to know if I should go get one somewhere. Does it route the signal to other TVs? If so, does picture quality suffer? :?

Second question: How is the Voom supplied Stealth antenna working for everyone? I live in Seattle, so I am not too far from the antenna sources. There are some low hills in between though. Should I pay for an upgraded antenna? If so, which one do all of you recommend? :?

Thank you all for replies! I like to be informed as much as possible prior to the installer's arrival.

 

[Sean Mota]

A multiswitch allows more than two receivers to be connected to the same satellite. I do not think VOOM has a multiswitch yet. If you are installing one or two receivers, you should be fine and don't have to worry about the multiswitch.

About the Stealth Antenna: I never used mine (it's still in the box). I have my own OTA antenna. There has been good and bad reports about the stealth antenna. You may want to try it first to see if you can pick up your OTA channels since you say you ar close to the transmitter.

I assume from your post that you do not have another STB.

 

[Sean Mota]

Re: A voomer

I got signals around 50 for level, qualities and powers.

Local channels showed in PG (All Channels) once then disappeared, though they can be found in other sub-menu (All HD, News, etc.) Is a mapping problem?

Glad to hear that your installation went very smoothly. Two concerns:

(1) Signal strength of 50 is good but I hear that it should be from 50-70. If you start getting drop out on the signal (specially during rain or snow), you may want to have the dish realign. Just monitor the signal for a few days and if you are satisfied then it is fine.

(2) Can you explain? Are the locals now on your PG or not? I could not understand you second statement.

 

[Geno]

I'm scheduled for install this Tuesday in KY. I'm already using a chimney mount antenna for OTA HD which works fine for me. Should I just keep using that one and keep the stealth for back-up? It would sure save the installer a lot of hassle, which might cause them to give me a real good effort on the rest of the setup.

Installs, Inc. is doing it, but apparently they've contracted a local home theatre company with a good reputation to do the install. I feel pretty good about that. I was worried Jethro would drive up from the mountains and do the install with bubble gum and twine.

I'm very nervous about the whole thing. I'll give VOOM 1 year. By then I'll know if its worth it, and if its not, I'll go to DISH and a later than new version of the 921.

This is a great forum. I appreciate all the help it's given.

 

[Sean Mota]

Geno,

Welcome to the forum...

It your current OTA antenna is working, use it. That was the case with me and the installer will welcome that idea since it means less work for him. I assume that you already got in contact with the local installer and both of you have spoken as to what needs to be done. That's the key to a successful installation. Get a hold of the installer and make sure you go over everything you need to be done. Also, ask him to let you know when your equipment arrives. The equipment not arriving on time has been quite a problem. Good luck and let us know how you installation goes. We want to hear the complete story.

 

[JaydeeD]

(1) Signal strength of 50 is good but I hear that it should be from 50-70

Here on the west coast, 61.5 might be a little hard to get for some because the angle is so low to the horizon (14 degrees here in eastern oregon, probably lower for that guy in seattle) My best location for the dish actually has one small branch from a neighbors tree inside the signal path, my signal strength runs 55-65

Anyway my point is that another option is a slightly larger dish, my brother told me if i have any signal problems at all he will come out and switch me to a 24 inch dish, which wil probably fix a lot of things....intermittent pixelization, slow channel load etc...

I will probably take him up on it, more signal is usually better

 

[ds5178]

Voom problems in Seattle?

I was researching Voom articles and found the following excerpt in the October 1st issue of The Mercury News:

"Analysts also have raised the question of how much reach Cablevision's single satellite, Rainbow 1, can have. Although the company said the Rainbow can reach across the contiguous United States, experts contend that the satellite will have difficulty reaching the West Coast, particularly the Northwest, from its orbital position."

Has anyone signed up for Voom from the Pacific Northwest area? Can anyone verify or refute this information?

Thanks!

 

[Sean Mota]

take a look at this map as well.

 

[ds5178]

I like that nice big circle around the Seattle area! Thanks Sean. I'd still like to hear anyone's opinion from the Pacific Northwest of Voom coverage. Maybe I'll be the first?

 

[JaydeeD]

I'll be the first?

You WISH!!!.....I feel sorry for you, your installation is going to be done by Independent Installs.....they came to my house 3 times, never could get it going..had to call my local installer and do most of it myself....they are useless, the office people are nice, but the actual installers are extremely incompetent and rude at times

anyway I live in oregon, and get good signal, but my dish is pointed very very low to the ground, (14 degrees elevation) so its gonna be marginal in congested areas

 

[Acerone]

Same here but I live in California, just south of Sacramento and my dish is also pointed to the ground.

 

[ds5178]

OK, maybe not the first Voomer in the Pacific Northwest, but maybe in Seattle?

On another note, I received an e-mail from Direct Broadcast Satellite Center to do my installation next Wednesday, the 17th. Hopefully they are a better company than Independent. As suggested in the forum, I called them today to confirm the installation. I was on hold for quite a while. Then the CSR told me that the appointment was confirmed, but they did not have the equipment yet. I asked if there was a chance that the equipment would be delayed and that I would not be able to get my install done. She said that she was sending for the equipment and that it would definitely be there, ready for my appointment. I'm crossing my fingers!

 

[JaydeeD]

Well thats a good sign, at least you didn't get stuck with independent

 

[SeattleVoomer1]

Voom installation in Seattle

We had VOOM stalled yesterday. We live in West Seattle on the top of the hill. The installer had never heard of VOOM before and received the VOOM package the day before the installation. Therefore, the day before confirm with your installer that they have the equipment package. It took them all most all day to have it running. The install was professional. Signal strength is in upper 60’s. So far HD pictures quality has been impressive on our SimSeleco projector & 100” screen but non-HD channels were not up to our expectations. The installer also had difficulty with reception with VOOM TV antenna for local channels. So we switch back to our antenna which we purchased from Radio Shack to use with the Samsung STB.

 

[Sean Mota]

Re: Voom installation in Seattle

We had VOOM stalled yesterday. We live in West Seattle on the top of the hill. The installer had never heard of VOOM before and received the VOOM package the day before the installation. Therefore, the day before confirm with your installer that they have the equipment package. It took them all most all day to have it running. The install was professional. Signal strength is in upper 60’s. So far HD pictures quality has been impressive on our SimSeleco projector & 100” screen but non-HD channels were not up to our expectations. The installer also had difficulty with reception with VOOM TV antenna for local channels. So we switch back to our antenna which we purchased from Radio Shack to use with the Samsung STB.

Welcome! glad to hear that everything went smoothly. Were you able to get all your local mapping using the RS antenna? Don't forget to tune into the fight tonight. Here in NY it will be at 8:00pm Eastern time. You need to call VOOM to order it. Don't worry about the fee. It is free...

 

[ds5178]

My Install Story

I had Voom installed yesterday at my home in Seattle. Pete, the installer was knowledgeable and professional. His company is Direct Broadcast Satellite Center, Inc and they install all three satellite competitors as well as home theater. I could tell he knew what he was talking about when it came to home entertainment.

This was his fourth V* system he had installed in Western Washington. I found it interesting that he did not have good things to say about V*. He thought that their guide system was kind of strange and that when you pull it up, it doesn't show the program you had been watching. It starts from 100. He also said that customer service leaves something to be desired and that CSRs don't know much. When he couldn't get a signal, they transferred him to an office in Denver, I believe. There, a more helpful technician assisted with mounting the dish. Also, he said that half of the Motorola units were defective. Hmmm.....

Speaking of mounting the dish, he couldn't get signal strength above 12 at first. After speaking to tech support, he mounted the dish on a pole that raised it above my roof line so that the dish had a better line of sight. As soon as he did that, we received a signal strength of 60. From what I understand from other Voomers, this is a fairly high number.

Next, he hooked up the box and did not receive proper power. He couldn't get it to work. I began to get disappointed. Luckily, Pete said that he had another box in his truck. I said, "Great!" Pete said, "Great for you, but bad for the next customer." He swapped out the box and everything fired up properly. I felt good, but I did feel sorry for the next customer. I was reminded of previous posts here where people said that they were having a lot of difficulty getting their equipment to the installer by the specified date. Somewhere in the Seattle area, I am guessing that someone received a call stating that their install would have to be delayed due to lack of equipment, (or some other excuse.) The program guide loaded properly with local channel mapping intact.

The HD looks great, especially on V*'s own channels. I need to have more time to play around and make some comparisons. One thing I found odd was that Showtime and Showtime HD had the same movie on with different aspect ratios. Show SD filled the screen, but it appeared that it had been stretched. Show HD had the movie in 4x3 format. The picture looked great, but I was left wondering why Show HD would not be broadcasting in widescreen format? Anyone have any ideas? Perhaps I should post this as another topic for more in-depth information.

 

[Sean Mota]

ds5178,

Great installation review. The installer is correct about the channel 100 in the guide. The guide does not default back to the last channel viewed when turn on.

Show-SD: there are settings to unstrech the sd signal in the "Settings Menu". Hit the big "VOOM" button and then the "green" button and go to picture format and play with those settings. I do not remember right now what settings I ended up with but you can play with those.

Show-HD: It is not broadcast 24/7 in HD. I think they have like 2 movies per day or very limited HD movies. So don't expect HD widescreen or OAR all the time.

Post your overall review of the system once you had a chance to play with it. We'll like to resonate these reviews in the ears of VOOM. Thanks.

 

[Geno]

I'm Voomin' Baby !!!



I'm VOOMin' !!! Wooooooo Hoooooo!

Sung to the tune of ZOOM (circa 1970)

Come on Voom Voom Vooma Voom
Come on and Vooma Vooma Vooma Voom
Come on give it a tryyyyyyy
Our resolution is ky hiiigghh
Come on and Voooooooooooom
Come on and Voom Voom

Todays install went great. The installer knew what he was doing. It was his third Voom install. So far (about 3 hours) no lock-ups and no glitches. my OTA locals are working on 2 out of three. I think antenna work will fix that. It's aaaaalllll gooooooood!