VOOM Installations

[PSB]

As an independent installer I am very angry about this all too common story, these flakes are taking the bread out of my child's mouth, but if I was a customer and they sent a flake like the above out to my home I would go BALLISTIC! These are the kind of installers that get satellite a bad name, its time something was done, it would not happen in ANY other field of work.........stand your ground and insist on a qualified person to do your installation, it may take a week or two extra to find a LEGAL installer but it will be worth the wait, in all the hundreds and hundreds of installs I have done no one has ever called me back, I am not boasting this is NOT rocket science! When you decide to get satellite and they say you get a professional install for free (ha!) and the above installer shows up, its a clear case of Bate and Switch! Any person showing up with no ladder is a desperado, and you are letting them in your home!

 

[TC_Lauderdale]

Is the in-line amplifer plugged into a working electical socket and is it attached to the coax running to the OTA antenna?

 

[occammd]

It depends upon your location, maybe your transmitters are spread out.

 

[TC_Lauderdale]

Check antennaweb.org and see what is the best direction for your OTA antenna, then compare this to which way the Wineguard is facing as it is a directional antenna.

 

[Schmadic]

i see no inline amplifier and the only thing i have plugged in is the voom box. I thought the antenna was omni directional??? Thats what the installer told me anyhow. I went to Antenna web and to get all my local digital stations it says all i need is a small omni directional. More info on this amplifier would be great as i have no extra parts other than the diplexer, and a splitter of some sort that came with the antenna(the other diplexor???). I may try moving it but for now I'm using my rabbit ears.

 

[TC_Lauderdale]

My local's are mostly to the south-south west and my wineguard is facing due south. I cannot pull in the stations north of me (approx 33 miles away) and I remember some other posts stating that the wineguard is not the best option for pulling in stations if they are located all over the place. The installer should have place a small amplifier in-line between the Voom box and the antenna that plugs into an electrical socket, that's what mine has.

 

[Schmadic]

once you get your remote if you just keep hitting the yellow button the guide will scroll through only your favorites.

 

[TC_Lauderdale]

Actually, let me apologize, I have a stealth antenna, not a wineguard. Perhaps the wineguard doesn't have an amp? I have confirmed that the wineguard is an omni-directional as you where correctly informed by the installer.

 

[poopsie]

Here is what I have noticed with the two. The stealth is really picky, must be aimed. It has to have the amplifier installed inside the antenna by the tech. It doesn't come with it, it is an extra part that they physically install inside the antenna. Then the power supply should be put between the diplexer and antenna, it could be done at the IRD, but I have never done it that way so don't know if the diplexer messes up the power. You have two lines so that isn't a problem. The Winegard comes with a diplexer and is powered from the IRD. The diplexer passes the power to the antenna. Now, the winegard is omni directional from what I have read, but aiming is still key. Yesterday I did an install, and was missing a local, went up, turned the antenna about 15 degrees and got all of them. So, aiming should still be done with it.

 

[Sean Mota]

Sean, thanks for the quick reply. The PG and the AntennaWeb listing match. The installer also carried a list of OTA channels and their compass directions. The installer also stated that the trees around the back of the house were the problem.

This could be right about the trees but in my experience with OTA and trees sometimes the signal can bounce in another direction and a simple re-aiming of the antenna will lock into the signal. If you can, you may try that.

 

[sat4me]

Then he totally bypasses my multiswitch. He connected the Sat feed and the OTA feed to a diplexer and out to my TV. .... Anyway, I had to fix all of his connections to run through the multiswitch, so I could have normal cable on a different input. OTA is a MESS! I don't get any of the network channels.

You should have left it the way the installer set up the cabling.
Your existing multiswitch was bypassed becaues it can't pass the power from the STB to power the OTA in/output, thus why the installers MUST use the diplexer/combiner. There are special rules as to connection when using a multiswitch, unless you had more than 2 receivers installed, then the installer did the correct installation procedure.
You have no OTA or missing OTA partly because your multiswitch is blocking DC power to OTA.

This is one of the reasons VOOM has professional installation and not self-installation. Although it's obvious there are many "unprofessional" installers in the network, but hey, that's what you get when the company is paying "crap" for the install to the installer..

Anyway, connect it back the way it was, try re-aiming the OTA and see if there is any reflective signal aroundd your area..

Good Luck

 

[easysport]

This is definately getting old. If you read the tale about my mis installation I have now been waiting for weeks for ProStar to return and fix it and to upgrade my antenna. They were supposed to be here last fri between 8-12 at 11 I called them and they said they would call the installer. After returning my call they told me he did not have the upgrade antenna that the call was for in the first place. 3 hrs down the drain when they sould have called me. So we were resceduled for today waited till 11 again( I go to work at 2) and they said the would have the installer call me. When he did he was an hour away just got a call at 1 and he is broke down and can not get here till later but no one will be here so another reschedule call was made but I got an answering machine at ProStar. I get no OTA reception at all and am getting a little peeved at the delays, and now my sat signal has dropped from 96 to 71 and I am frozen up. Never had this problem with D**.

And to respond to the above posting if an installer does not want to do the job he can always quit. If he thinks he is under paid then he can find another job.All we ask for is what is promised my understanding is they get $85 for an install, the guy who did mine was outta here in less than an hour thats not bad money.Even if it is $35 it is still good money for an hour.

as far as 40 hd channels on D** it will be the end of voom if they do not get more customer friendly and I for one will go back also

 

[Sherlock]

Just installed in Tucson, AZ

I just got Voom installed yesterday and thought I would let everyone know how it went. The installer got everything on the roof but said that the OTA antenna wouldn't work because the amplifier wasn't shipped. When he tried to peak the dish, the signal kept going from 0 to 80, never stopping on any number. Fortunately the wind had started blowing and I noticed that a tall cyprus tree was blowing back and forth in time with the signal variations. He had pointed the dish directly at the tree. He moved the dish to the other side of the house and got a strong consistant signal of 95. Overall, he did a good job but he had to do twice the work.

I called Voom this morning and got through right away to a CSR. They said that they would sending out the needed equipment and I would be notified of the installation date when the installer got it.

I haven't had a lot of time to check all the channels but the PQ is terrific on both HD and SD channels. Now, if I can only get the locals I can dump the cable company.

 

[ricks]

Sean or anyone:

I need to follow up with Installs, Inc. on a situation. I've reviewed many pages of this thread and the thread about Joe Harkins leaving and I can't find any info on a replacement. Is there someone specifically we should contact with Installs, Inc. or are we just left to fight our way through the CSR?

Thanks.

 

[cpdretired]

Voom was installed today. I had one STB installed. The installers used my existing RS VU90 without a diplexer. The install took about an hour. The STB came with 5.68 firmware. Signal was about 96. The Chicago locals fell right in. No problems, no complaints from a satisfied Voomer.

 

[Sean Mota]

Sean or anyone:

I need to follow up with Installs, Inc. on a situation. I've reviewed many pages of this thread and the thread about Joe Harkins leaving and I can't find any info on a replacement. Is there someone specifically we should contact with Installs, Inc. or are we just left to fight our way through the CSR?

Thanks.

Ricks you can contact "Wilt Hildenbrand" wilth@optonline.net. He is the VP of Engineering at VOOM and will handle any type of complaint or problem you are having.

 

[ricks]

Ricks you can contact "Wilt Hildenbrand" wilth@optonline.net. He is the VP of Engineering at VOOM and will handle any type of complaint or problem you are having.

Sean:

My fault for a poorly worded question. I've already been in touch with Wilt. He's done what he can do from his position and now I need to deal with Installs, Inc. So, nobody has been identified as the replacement contact for Joe Harkins?

 

[Sean Mota]

Sean:

My fault for a poorly worded question. I've already been in touch with Wilt. He's done what he can do from his position and now I need to deal with Installs, Inc. So, nobody has been identified as the replacement contact for Joe Harkins?

Not yet. We haven't established a relation like we used to have with Joe. Sorry.

 

[Walter L.]

For those of you that wondered if only VOOM installations are cursed check out this story about an E* installation:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=20205

Bottom line, a bad installer is the bad not matter what he install

 

[Kaysadeya]

Got VaVa VOOMed this morning. My installer was so-so. He charged me an extra $20 to attach the dish to a vent pipe on my roof and placed the OTA antenna in a questionable location. As a result, my OTA is worse than I predicted; I only get a few OTA channels. My SAT signal is around 86, which I guess isn't too bad because the VOOM channels appear to be pretty good. However, given my clear view of the eastern sky, I expected better, but the PQ on the SAT channels is pretty good.