LupinLives Posted July 12, 2004 Report Share Posted July 12, 2004 This weekend I had an interesting experience with DirectTv. I had a local distributor send a third party contractor (say that five times fast) to install a dish for my apartment. I had called a month and a half ago and this real a$$ came out and told us we couldn't get it. Since that time some trees came down and the same jacka$$ came again. I argued with him and even presented him with the perfect spot. He tried telling me he had to run wires underground...B.S...B.S...B.S. and he couldn't do it now because he had other installs to do today. I told him to forget it and decided to do it myself. Now a day and a half, plus 50 mosquito bites later, I did it and we now have Direct TV. Yesterday we had a bad T-storm (here in FLA this is the once a day rainy season) and the dish went out....however..I went out in the rain..because I am quite mad you know...and got the signal back..so i think the wind blew the dish off course...here are my questions: 1) I put my dish on a pole. I used zip ties to try and secure it but the thing still moves too freely. The pole is thinner than the mount that comes with the dish, so even when i tighten the dish screws, it doesn't tighten around the pole the way it should. How can I make the Dish tighter so it doesn't turn in the wind? 2) Are you happy with the service? When I called Direct TV yesterday to ask about buyer's remorse...if every day this week my service is knocked out..they reacted like I asked about original sin. I love the price, the channels and FOOTBALL BABY GO NY GIANTS...but none of that will matter if everything sitnks. So for thos who have it, how happy are you? I know answers to this question will be mixed but I am interested to hear about it. Thanks! :tu: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlucci Posted July 12, 2004 Report Share Posted July 12, 2004 I've been a very satisfied DirecTV subscriber for many years. You are going to have to secure that dish. If it is able to move even a little, you will have rain fade, wind fade, etc. If you are living in an apartment and are unable to drill into the structure to secure it, I suggest the ol' bucket-of-concrete approach. You will need: A Plastic paint bucket A bag of concrete mix A pole The dish (hopefully, you will still be able to use the clamps that came with the dish) Buy the pole at a hardware store, making sure that its diameter will work with the mounts that you got with the dish. Secure the pole into the bucket with the cement, clamp the dish on, and if done properly, that sucker ain't gonna move. After securing it, get your signal strength into the high 90's. You can see a picture even when the strength is in the 60's, but that will leave you more likely to experience rain fade. Most installers are happy with a signal strength in the 80's, but on a clear day, you should be able to get the strength to 95 or better. With my signal strength at 96, I only experience rain fade 2-3 times a year, and it rarely lasts longer than 10 minutes. Remember, signal strength has nothing at all to do with picture quality, so even with a 80 signal strength, you may think you are all set if your picture looks good. It's digital, so you are either getting the data, or you are not. Getting that signal strength up into the 90's will help you eliminate the rain fade. Carlos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LupinLives Posted July 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2004 Thanks. My problem is not the pole. I dug a hole in the ground and put some cement in it and the pole has been good. My problem is the clamping the dish to the pole...I tried the zip ties but no luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce B Posted July 12, 2004 Report Share Posted July 12, 2004 2) Are you happy with the service? I have both regular cable and Direct TV. I could not deal with every heavy rain storm losing the picture therefore I could not survive on Direct TV alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelley Posted July 12, 2004 Report Share Posted July 12, 2004 I've been a happy DirecTV customer for about four years now. I've always had my dish secured to a piece of the building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTello Posted July 12, 2004 Report Share Posted July 12, 2004 -Weld it! :green: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LupinLives Posted July 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2004 While I like the idea of flames meeting steel, I want the ability to turn the dish if I have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whooter Posted July 12, 2004 Report Share Posted July 12, 2004 Originally posted by LupinLives@Jul 12 2004, 02:13 PM While I like the idea of flames meeting steel, I want the ability to turn the dish if I have to. I don't think the satellites are likely to move out of their current orbits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamsappel Posted July 12, 2004 Report Share Posted July 12, 2004 Does the pole pre-date the satellite dish? Can you wrap the pole with something at the level of the dish and clamp to that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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