[Dave Alex]

I just had DirecTV installed. Ordered the oval dish with two LNB's. Local installers asked if I wanted Para Todos. Told them I wasn't really interested in the Spanish speaking channels but wanted to receive the HDTV channels off 119. I saw their expression, '?What?DUH?'. These two installers didn't know anything about HDTV or the DTC-100. They never saw one before. I made it simple for them. I said 'Make sure you get good signal strength from both 101 and 119.' As I watched, they were only concerned about 101. Never did they check 119 till I told them to. They never could get 119 and suspect a bad muti-switch. They said they would come back to complete the job. Still waiting.


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STOP DFAST NOW!!!

 

[Robert Dyer]

Installing the oval dish is many times more complicated than the single LNB round one. The dish is not pointed directly at either satellite. Each satellite signal bounces from off center axis to the opposite LNB. This makes it difficult to determine if any trees may be in the way. In addition. one satellite is higher up (elevation) in the sky than the other. So, the tilt of the oval dish must be exact to get a strong signal from both satellites.


Make sure that the installer has a good quality level. The angle post upon which the dish is mounted must be exactly vertical (bubble centered all the way around). Else, all the measurements above will be off and the dish will never get good signal strengths from both satellites.


If you have an audio satellite pointing signal from your TV, I found wireless headphones to be quite useful for rooftop fine tuning. (don't fall from excitement when you finally hear that first signal)

 

[David Richardson]

Dave


You could be in for a long venture. Do a search and print out some threads for them. Also make sure the multiswitch is made to accommodate both sats. Go into the receiver setup menu and make sure the receiver set to oval, Unplug for 3 minutes and then check the x-ponder levels on A and B. Looks like you will be educating them.


Good Luck


Dave



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Watch HDTV!!! Nothing else comes close!

 

[kelliot]

Tell them to set up for Para Todos and 101. At least you'll get the Dish pointed right. Also if you have a DTC100 make sure you wait a day. Mine needed the upgrade before it could find everything. I had a similar experience. It only took one installer and he at least got it right although he didn't know it at the time.


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Ken Elliott


[This message has been edited by kelliot (edited 08-11-2001).]

 

[hockeynut]

What the F$%&!!! Directv installers who haven't heard of HDTV???!!! That just makes me sick. Directv needs to get their crap together and better educate ALL their employees on this "new" technology. We shouldn't have to be the ones telling them how to do there freaking job!


Stories like this make me want to puke!


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Mike the hockeynut


You had me at 'HDTV'

 

[Dave Alex]

Two replies mention that they had to wait for the firmware upgrade on 101 before they were able to receive anything on 119. It's been two days and I'm still on 3.72. Has the upgrade times been changed? I've read that it happens at 4:30PM and 05:00AM EST.


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STOP DFAST NOW!!!

 

[TomF]

Quote:

Originally posted by hockeynut: What the F$%&!!! Directv installers who haven't heard of HDTV???!!! That just makes me sick. Directv needs to get their crap together and better educate ALL their employees on this "new" technology. We shouldn't have to be the ones telling them how to do there freaking job!

It is unlikely that any installer works directly for DirecTV. Installations are subcontracted locally. These installers aren't like the cable installer that actually works for the cable company. And the percentage of installations where there's actually going to be an HDTV-ready TV and HD receiver are very small, so most of them have never even seen HDTV.


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Tom


Sony SAT-T60 DirecTc>ic>Vc>oc> w/2.0.1

Sony SAN-24MD 24" elliptical dish

 

[Jaholibop]

At least the installer I talked to had the foresight to tell me he had no idea what HDTV was and he wasn't the guy for me.

Matt


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Stop Dfast DVI, and all that ****

 

[Nathan_R]

When I moved into my house, the same thing happened to me! The installers asked if I wanted Para Todos. I, too, told them I wasn't interested in that, but I DID want the HD material on the 119 bird. The two installers tried their BEST to convince me that the HD material was on the 101, even to the point of dismissing me completely. As they aimed the dish I told them I needed a pretty good signal strength on 101 and 119, which they ignored. So after they finished I checked the signal strength of the 119, which was about 35. They started to pull out of the driveway, and I ran behind their van and told them to march back up on the roof and fix their error.

They did. After the signal was up and running I showed them the HD demo on ch. 199. They apologized for ignoring me.


Whew, that could have been nasty.


~~Nathan