I've been having a ton of trouble with my dish. The original installation was incredibly sloppy and amateurish (eg the main means of dish support was a bare mast--- no tripod or other hardware--- held to a deck railing with plastic zip ties). I had to have a different installer come back to make it at least acceptable. I did further work on the mount (think: angle irons and large hose clamps) to make it sturdier.
The dish lost alignment a couple weeks ago, after about a year in service. I wasn't terribly surprised, given the jerry-rigged nature of the mount. But I was loathe to call back the Direct TV techs as they'd done so poor a job initially. Besides, it's $80 a pop for service calls. So, I bought a special $100 signal strength meter (same basic type as techs use) that lets you do your own precision alignment. I figured I'd lose a little money on the first use, but would be ahead of the game thereafter. And given the low-quality of the mount, I was certain I'd need to use it again.
I read the instruction and found online how-tos, and went to work. I fine-tuned that sucker as best I could and got almost perfect signals on most satellites. Signal strength is shown as relative on the meter; a 0-100 scale. Because of error-correcting bits in the data stream, you can get an OK picture at strengths of 70 or so and above. Anything above 80 or 85 is considered acceptable by Direct TV.
When I finished aiming the dish, I had mostly high 90s and 100s on all but one satellite, which showed straight zeros. Alas, it wasn't the Disney, Orthodontia and Bowel Health channels I was missing; it was most of the mainstream HDTV lineup. Not OK.
The satellites are grouped close together. Usually, when you max out one, the others will be at least close. You tweak the dish, giving up a little signal on the strongest ones to increase the strength of the weakest, until you have acceptable signal strength across the board.
But it made no sense to have 100s on one satellite and zeros on the one right next door.
I tried and tried and tried. Couldn't get it.
I finally called Uncle and asked DTV to send a tech.
It turned out my receiver was dead on the zeroed channel; it was an electrical problem. My dish aiming had been spot on. Grrr.
But while he was here, I asked him to replace the original crap dish installation. He didn't have all the parts he needed, so he improvised.
The new dish setup blew over that night.
I called DTV back, and he came back out with different parts.
The dish blew out of alignment that night, in mild winds.
As an aside, I'd been looking forward to watching the NBA playoffs. I missed the game last night, "the greatest comeback in the Celtics' storied history." Well, I didn't entirely miss it: I have a thousand-year-old 5" black and white portable TV I normally use while running on my treadmill. I was able to watch part of the game on that, while my 50" plasma HDTV sat inert. Sigh. Technologically, it was 1952 again. I felt like I was watching bison paintings on a cave wall.
I'll be back out on the deck today. I'm gonna scrap the DTV dish setup and do it myself, from scratch.
DTV is great in theory, and I have no doubt it *can* work well, but with the end-user's physical setup playing so key a role, and many of the installers operating at what we might charitably call a marginal level of competence, there are variables in the mix that simply don't affect cable or FIOS TV.
Yes, you can get dish TV bundles that cost less than cable. But the lower cost is for a reason, part of which is a higher likelihood of hardware issues than with hardwired connections. You can end up paying for DTV, but end up watching much-anticipated broadcasts on a tiny black and white TV, or worse, while your main TV is down for the count.
I have a minimum commitment on my DTV contract, so I'll stick with the dish for at least a while. (No real choice.) Maybe if I can get the mount OK I won't have further issues. Maybe.
Not a good week for hardware around here, is it? :-)
I've had Dish Network for 12 years now and my dish has never lost alignment. The only time I've had them back to my house was to upgrade my service to HD (dual satellite)by adding a second LNB and another dish for a third satellite.
ReplyDeleteI've heard many slams against both Dish and DTV, but my experience has been excellent. DTV is harder to align as you have to contend with 3 satellites at once hence more fudging with signal strengths. The only downside I see is bad weather causing my signal to drop off.
I also have satellite for my internet access as that is the only viable method out in the boonies where I live. Even it works well for what it is.
Your setup probably wasn't done by chimps. 8-)
ReplyDeleteI just finished with my new setup. Big L-brackets, multiple worm-gear hose clamps, with a solid 4x4 post for bracing. Satellites are all coming in strong; excellent images.
So, it *can* be done, for sure. It just wasn't in my case--- even after four, count 'em, four--- service calls.
But I'm glad it worked for you!
My 'younger' son worked for Dish for a time here in NW Ohio. He set the mast 4 ft in the ground with a 50 pound bag of concrete as an anchor when possible. As a result, his work never lost alignment (he did not get paid for return trips to correct errors).
ReplyDeleteInstallers get paid by the job (and not all that well) so they try to get the installation finished as fast as possible (more installations per day equals more money). The result is that the customer usually gets an installation good enough to work when the installer departs (the next day is another issue). The service contract is carefully phrased to limit the service providers liability. Truly a sad situation ...
Very interesting! My husband installed ours, when DirecTV first started, on our house in the mountains of N.C. We are not there in the winter. It has been subjected to ice, snow, winds...you name it.
ReplyDeleteIt has never had to be re-aligned. Wonder what kind of hardware they used. We just followed directions.
Very interesting!!!!