Buyers Remorse...

[rmd0311]

I have been a D* customer for about 10 days now and have been lurching around these forums for quite a few weeks in preparation for it. My biggest worry when I signed up for D* was losing signal. I watch a lot of TV and hate losing signal.

This Saturday I lost signal for 4+ hours. If you leave in the NorthEast you know we got some snow. About mid way through I lost reception and it was not until I spoke to my neighbor that I figure something was not normal. He was fine, and I was without TV. The only difference between our setups is the dish. I have the new Slimline 5LNB and he has a 2LNB.

I'm afraid of heights and it was snowing but my neighbor was nice enough to go up there and brush off the snow from the dish, and then hit it with some deicer. This returned the signal for me. But my neighbor NEVER lost signal.

I called D* and they have someone coming out to make sure that the dish is properly alignned.

So here are my questions:
- There's no 30 day money back is there....
- Is there a better way than brushing off the snow? I read here I can use PAM or RAIN-X as a preventative measure or even a super soaker with hot water. What is the best way. The sat is in the corner of my roof.
- my 103 sat has nothing over 55, this is bad? i also have a second 103 that just has dashes. My 99 also only has dashes... Is this normal?

Maybe its just getting used to it... But losing signal was something I was ready for in 2-3 minute increments not for hours on end. Baseball season is about to start and losing signal would be murder in the middle of a game.

Anyway., there are GREAT things. The DVR is leaps better than Cablevisions... the Guide is leaps better than Cablevision.

Any input or positives welcomed.

[tcusta00]

Not saying the snow isn't part of the problem, but 55 on the 103c isn't good. You definitely need to be realigned. The combination of the snow and misalignment probably caused your issue.

Don't give up on it til you get an installer to fix it!

And....:welcome_s

[curt8403]

I have been a D* customer for about 10 days now and have been lurching around these forums for quite a few weeks in preparation for it. My biggest worry when I signed up for D* was losing signal. I watch a lot of TV and hate losing signal.

This Saturday I lost signal for 4+ hours. If you leave in the NorthEast you know we got some snow. About mid way through I lost reception and it was not until I spoke to my neighbor that I figure something was not normal. He was fine, and I was without TV. The only difference between our setups is the dish. I have the new Slimline 5LNB and he has a 2LNB.

I'm afraid of heights and it was snowing but my neighbor was nice enough to go up there and brush off the snow from the dish, and then hit it with some deicer. This returned the signal for me. But my neighbor NEVER lost signal.

I called D* and they have someone coming out to make sure that the dish is properly alignned.

So here are my questions:
- There's no 30 day money back is there....
- Is there a better way than brushing off the snow? I read here I can use PAM or RAIN-X as a preventative measure or even a super soaker with hot water. What is the best way. The sat is in the corner of my roof.
- my 103 sat has nothing over 55, this is bad? i also have a second 103 that just has dashes. My 99 also only has dashes... Is this normal?

Maybe its just getting used to it... But losing signal was something I was ready for in 2-3 minute increments not for hours on end. Baseball season is about to start and losing signal would be murder in the middle of a game.

Anyway., there are GREAT things. The DVR is leaps better than Cablevisions... the Guide is leaps better than Cablevision.

Any input or positives welcomed.

you are too late. the time frame was 3 days, however there are answers, and I am about to give you one

Here is something that I tried and found to work very well

I went to a home repair place (Lowes, Home Depot) and bought an 8 ft heater tape (the type used to keep water pipes from freezing). I also bought about 24 Plastic Clothespins (the type with rubber grips inside the tip work best) and a roll of Electrical tape.

I have a triple dish, and live in an area that gets heavy snow this year

I started on the bottom of the dish with the end of the Heat tape cable that is furthest from the thermistat, and secured it with a clothspin and then went up and around the top securing the Heat tape cable with a clothspin every 8 inches or so. when I reached the base of the dish again (on the other side of the LNB arm) I then went up the LNB arm securing the heat tape with Electrical tape at the base (Near the dish) and then again near the LNB. I wove the cable through the base of the LNBS (over, under, over) and then down the other side of the LNB arm.
When I reached the dish, I went round the back (round the part where the tilt and elevation are adjusted, and then taped the Thermistat to the mast with about 5 wraps of tape.

total cost of project was about 40 dollars, including a 100 ft extension cord.

When the temperature of the dish is 32 degrees or below, the Heat tape kicks on, and warms the dish up to a balmy 38 degrees which is warm enough to keep the snow from sticking, (IT melts right off) When the Temperature outside is above 34 degrees the Thermistat turns the heat off.

the tape around the outside warms in about 7 inches, and the tape in the center warms out about the same so the entire dish is heated.

I have a E* dish next to my 3 lnb and it was covered with snow (1 inch deep) after a bad storm, but my D* dish was completely clean.

It works, It really does, I have had no snow fade or freeze since installing/

IT took me 15 minutes to do the job by the way.

[viperlmw]

Here is a solution to the snow issue I used to use when I had a dish out of reach. Use a pressure tank, with some rv windshield washer. It doesn't freeze easily, and if you use a solid stream, a hand pump pressure tank shoots pretty far. No need to heat it up, and helps keep the snow off for a while.

[ThomasM]

This Saturday I lost signal for 4+ hours. If you leave in the NorthEast you know we got some snow. About mid way through I lost reception and it was not until I spoke to my neighbor that I figure something was not normal. He was fine, and I was without TV. The only difference between our setups is the dish. I have the new Slimline 5LNB and he has a 2LNB.


Maybe its just getting used to it... But losing signal was something I was ready for in 2-3 minute increments not for hours on end. Baseball season is about to start and losing signal would be murder in the middle of a game.

Anyway., there are GREAT things. The DVR is leaps better than Cablevisions... the Guide is leaps better than Cablevision.

Any input or positives welcomed.

I have had DirecTV for over 7 years. The 12" heavy, wet snowfall we recently got here in Wisconsin was the very FIRST in all my years of being a subscriber that SNOW affected my signal!! I have a 3-LNB dish I installed myself. Before that, I had a single LNB dish with two feeds. (also installed by me)

The same is not true for rain. Strong thunderstorms do cause the signal to drop out. But it REALLY has to be raining and thundering! This is not a problem for me, as when such a severe storm is passing over my TV sets and DirecTV receivers are UNPLUGGED and I am watching the storm!

Overall, signal reliability with DirecTV doesn't even come close to cable TV which often went dead for a whole day when the sun was shining!

Hopefully, you'll get a competent installer to properly align your dish and then you'll be glad you subscribed.

[Billsfan69]

Definitely seems like your alignment is the main issue. The only snow I have trouble with is the heavy, wet variety. We had a couple days in Buffalo where we got at least 6 inches of snow, but it wasn't the wet variety and I never lost my signal.

[Yoda-DBSguy]

As others have stated it sounmds like your dish is not properly aligned thus making it more suseptable to outages during times of adverse weather.

Call and get them to realign the dish properly. Also they make a dish defroster that should do the trick in terms of stopping snow or ice buildup on the dish. It applies to the dish in the form of a sticker with gridlines and is powered inline by the lnb cables that run to the receiver in your home (no power supply needed). They work great for those in need of this particular application.

[Grentz]

I have had DirecTV for over 7 years. The 12" heavy, wet snowfall we recently got here in Wisconsin was the very FIRST in all my years of being a subscriber that SNOW affected my signal!! I have a 3-LNB dish I installed myself. Before that, I had a single LNB dish with two feeds. (also installed by me)

The same is not true for rain. Strong thunderstorms do cause the signal to drop out. But it REALLY has to be raining and thundering! This is not a problem for me, as when such a severe storm is passing over my TV sets and DirecTV receivers are UNPLUGGED and I am watching the storm!

Overall, signal reliability with DirecTV doesn't even come close to cable TV which often went dead for a whole day when the sun was shining!

Hopefully, you'll get a competent installer to properly align your dish and then you'll be glad you subscribed.

This echos my experience in 12 yrs of being a subscriber. And for the rainy days, remember it does not have to be RIGHT where you are, if the signal path is obstructed by strong thunder clouds a few miles away you can still lose signal.

It usually has to be coming down pretty good to kill the signal though with a properly aligned dish.

[Indiana627]

Definitely sounds like your dish is not aligned properly. I have the Slimline here in Buffalo and very rarely have lost signal. Some of our wind storms did blow my dish out of alignment in January, but after realignment the signals are now stronger than ever. A high of 55 on sat 103 is a bad sign. Make sure the tech tightens down all the bolts after he peaks it. That was the problem with my original installer, but the guy who realigned it (from a different company) got it peaked even better and tightened it down real tight. Good luck.

[rmd0311]

wao., I did not expect such a candid reception and thank you for your responses, they are greatly appreciated. They are coming on Saturday to re-align the dish.

So what would be good for Sat 103? What would be good for any of the Sats... Is the rule of thumb just as close to 100 as possible? I will keep reading and researching to be sure the tech guy does his job right. Finally, does a cloudy day affect the readings in anyway. It's suppose to be cloudy the day he is coming.


As others have stated it sounmds like your dish is not properly aligned thus making it more suseptable to outages during times of adverse weather.

Call and get them to realign the dish properly. Also they make a dish defroster that should do the trick in terms of stopping snow or ice buildup on the dish. It applies to the dish in the form of a sticker with gridlines and is powered inline by the lnb cables that run to the receiver in your home (no power supply needed). They work great for those in need of this particular application.
Do you have a link? or will a quick search solve this. Curt's idea is good, but I have no close power source.


Thanks Again for all the Great responses...

[ctaranto]

- my 103 sat has nothing over 55, this is bad? i also have a second 103 that just has dashes. My 99 also only has dashes... Is this normal?


No, that's not normal. I had my install about the same time as you (about 10 days ago). On all sats, when nothing is on the dish, I have everything in the 90's/100. During the snowstorm a few days ago (I'm about 30 minutes west of Boston), most sats were still at 90's/100. Only 99c dropped into the 80s. Didn't lose signal once (and I kept checking to see how well it tolerates snow).

When they come to repeak your slimline, you should be a much better experience.

-Craig

[The Merg]

Optimally, you would want all of your transponders to have a signal strength in the 90's, but the high 80's on some is acceptable. Although, transponders that are carrying HD signals should be in the 90's.

- Merg

[K4SMX]

If you have a continuing problem with snow accumulation, even perfect alignment is not always enough. Perhaps you could use a Hot Shot Satellite Dish Antenna Heater (http://www.montanasatellitesupply.com/Hot_Shot_Satellite_Dish_Antenna_Heater_for_DirecTV _p/hsslngrfkit.htm).

[Indiana627]

wao., I did not expect such a candid reception and thank you for your responses, they are greatly appreciated. They are coming on Saturday to re-align the dish.

So what would be good for Sat 103? What would be good for any of the Sats... Is the rule of thumb just as close to 100 as possible? I will keep reading and researching to be sure the tech guy does his job right. Finally, does a cloudy day affect the readings in anyway. It's suppose to be cloudy the day he is coming.
My 103c readings are all in the 90s. On the 103s and 99s, it's a different story since those are spot beams (hence the s in the sat name vs c for CONUS (or CONtinental US)), so those you will see lots of 0s or low numbers, but you should have 1 or 2 high 90s or even 100 readings depending on which sat and which transponder (TP) your local HD channels come from.

Heavy rain clouds can effect the signal, but only if they are directly between your dish and the sats. Just regular every day clouds have no effect.

[whitepelican]

I have had DirecTV for over 7 years. The 12" heavy, wet snowfall we recently got here in Wisconsin was the very FIRST in all my years of being a subscriber that SNOW affected my signal!! I have a 3-LNB dish I installed myself. Before that, I had a single LNB dish with two feeds. (also installed by me)

The same is not true for rain. Strong thunderstorms do cause the signal to drop out. But it REALLY has to be raining and thundering! This is not a problem for me, as when such a severe storm is passing over my TV sets and DirecTV receivers are UNPLUGGED and I am watching the storm!

Overall, signal reliability with DirecTV doesn't even come close to cable TV which often went dead for a whole day when the sun was shining!

Hopefully, you'll get a competent installer to properly align your dish and then you'll be glad you subscribed.

I have to agree. I've had DirecTV for 7 or 8 years myself, and am located in northeast Wisconsin. I have NEVER had a problem where snow has affected my signal. I'm on my third different dish, and have heard that people have more problems with the 5-lnb dish, but I have had it for a few months, and we've had some monsters snowstorms. Heavy rain is a different issue, and I usually find that on average I will lose signal for 5-10 minutes about 1-2 times per year when there is a big thunderstorm happening. As others have said, this is much, much less than issues with cable. I have cable for my internet service and that goes out for a day or two at a time a few times per year.

[venisenvy]

I have had Directv since October and I live in New England. Let me tell you that I have never lost service for that long, I have lost the HD channels for about 30 minutes and thats the worse. I have the new slimline dish, but I get amazing numbers for my signal so that would be my best guess. I have gone outside and seen my dish covered in snow and ice and i still have great quality of video and sound.

[Xram]

I live in Orange county and never lost my signal during the storm. Definitely sounds like an alignment issue. Your signal strengths should be alot higher than those you reported.

[cforrest]

I have been a D* customer for about 10 days now and have been lurching around these forums for quite a few weeks in preparation for it. My biggest worry when I signed up for D* was losing signal. I watch a lot of TV and hate losing signal.

This Saturday I lost signal for 4+ hours. If you leave in the NorthEast you know we got some snow. About mid way through I lost reception and it was not until I spoke to my neighbor that I figure something was not normal. He was fine, and I was without TV. The only difference between our setups is the dish. I have the new Slimline 5LNB and he has a 2LNB.

I'm afraid of heights and it was snowing but my neighbor was nice enough to go up there and brush off the snow from the dish, and then hit it with some deicer. This returned the signal for me. But my neighbor NEVER lost signal.

I called D* and they have someone coming out to make sure that the dish is properly alignned.

So here are my questions:
- There's no 30 day money back is there....
- Is there a better way than brushing off the snow? I read here I can use PAM or RAIN-X as a preventative measure or even a super soaker with hot water. What is the best way. The sat is in the corner of my roof.
- my 103 sat has nothing over 55, this is bad? i also have a second 103 that just has dashes. My 99 also only has dashes... Is this normal?

Maybe its just getting used to it... But losing signal was something I was ready for in 2-3 minute increments not for hours on end. Baseball season is about to start and losing signal would be murder in the middle of a game.

Anyway., there are GREAT things. The DVR is leaps better than Cablevisions... the Guide is leaps better than Cablevision.

Any input or positives welcomed.

Your dish needs realignment. I am on Long Island here, with the 6" of snow and freezing rain/drizzle had no issues during the storm.

[rmd0311]

It's good to know that a re-alignment could be just what the doctor ordered.

Also, I get nothing on the 99 and the other 103... I take it that is not normal. All I get is - - - , but no actual numbers.

[Indiana627]

I takes a while for the numbers to pop in on 99s and 103s. Like a minute for each TP, so be patient and numbers should pop in. Even if you're not getting signal, you should get 0s.

[Mike Bertelson]

It's good to know that a re-alignment could be just what the doctor ordered.

Also, I get nothing on the 99 and the other 103... I take it that is not normal. All I get is - - - , but no actual numbers.

That is NOT normal.

I live in the NE (CT) and have numbers in the 80s & 90s for those sats.

I have the Slimline 5LNB dish (>1 year now) and rarely have fade.

AAMOF, the last time I had a weather related issue it was because the dish was filling with wet sticky snow.

Since I got the Slimline, I have had the best reception in years.

I'm firm believer that it's all in how it's installed.

In 2002, my next door neighbor and I got Directv within a month of each other. Exact same receivers, exact same dishes.

My line of sight was through the top of a thin tree and his was clear. Yet, he had nothing but reception problems and receiver lockups with his.

He had several receiver replacements but never had the dish aligned. Within 6 months he had enough. He canceled and went to...well the other guys.

During the same 6 months I had no reception problems or receiver lockups.

It's all about how it's installed and aligned.

Mike

[Jerrym303]

I recently switched from the 2 LNB directv dish to the 5 LNB Slimline. My signal strength got better. About 25% are 100's

Also, the installer "locked it in" against our high winds by drilling thorough the friction-fit sleeves and putting a screw in.

[rmd0311]

Well., they came over this weekend and one simple touch to the satellite and the issue was clear. The original installer did a terrible job. The Satelitte was completely removed and re-installed in another location. I now have 95+ on the on the 101 with at least half in the 100's. and this is the case for all the other Sats as well. Not one under 90.

Hopefully this proves to be the solution and my Buyers remorse will disappear.

[JLucPicard]

Very nice to hear that this got worked out!!! :)

[scottchez]

I use PAM on my dish. Got Super heavy giant snow flakes today and some ice.

Signal is still very strong on 103 c and s on 101 it only went down 2 points

Is the 103 and 99 sat more likely to be effected by snow and rain?

[Indiana627]

Well., they came over this weekend and one simple touch to the satellite and the issue was clear. The original installer did a terrible job. The Satelitte was completely removed and re-installed in another location. I now have 95+ on the on the 101 with at least half in the 100's. and this is the case for all the other Sats as well. Not one under 90.

Hopefully this proves to be the solution and my Buyers remorse will disappear.
Good to hear. Enjoy all the HD now.

[dtrell]

Well., they came over this weekend and one simple touch to the satellite and the issue was clear. The original installer did a terrible job. The Satelitte was completely removed and re-installed in another location. I now have 95+ on the on the 101 with at least half in the 100's. and this is the case for all the other Sats as well. Not one under 90.

Hopefully this proves to be the solution and my Buyers remorse will disappear.

the 103(c) (or 103(b) depending on your software version) is the important one for the new HD channels. what are your readings there?

[Indiana627]

He states that on all the other sats, he does not have a reading below 90.

[rmd0311]

the 103(c) (or 103(b) depending on your software version) is the important one for the new HD channels. what are your readings there?

Nothing below 90 anywhere... Although the 103 is mainly low 90s... But compared to the low 40's I was getting before they came out and moved my satellite... It's a godsend.

I think I may be happy. But only time will tell I guess.

[dtrell]

He states that on all the other sats, he does not have a reading below 90.

its hard to believe that NONE of the transponders on 103(c) or (b) are below 90 and he is in new york...that guy must have done a hell of a tweaking job. my dish has a fully unobstructed view of the southern sky, and i have some transponders on 103(c) showing 95's but others show 80-82. there usually is a wide range of signal strengths on the 103.

[Indiana627]

its hard to believe that NONE of the transponders on 103(c) or (b) are below 90 and he is in new york.
I'm in NY too (near Buffalo) and all my 103c TP are above 90.

[rmd0311]

its hard to believe that NONE of the transponders on 103(c) or (b) are below 90 and he is in new york...that guy must have done a hell of a tweaking job. my dish has a fully unobstructed view of the southern sky, and i have some transponders on 103(c) showing 95's but others show 80-82. there usually is a wide range of signal strengths on the 103.

I'm in the mid-hudson valley and thats is what I am getting. I too have an un-obstructed view of the southern sky and he did a bit more than tweak. He actually removed and installed again. Something about not wanting to use the base the initial installer used. Who knows... but all 90's on the 103 is the verdict.

[jimb726]

its hard to believe that NONE of the transponders on 103(c) or (b) are below 90 and he is in new york...that guy must have done a hell of a tweaking job. my dish has a fully unobstructed view of the southern sky, and i have some transponders on 103(c) showing 95's but others show 80-82. there usually is a wide range of signal strengths on the 103.

I live in Medina and I just checked everything on 103 is between 90 and 96.

[BattleZone]

Is the 103 and 99 sat more likely to be effected by snow and rain?

Yes. 99 and 103 are Ka-band satellites, and the higher-frequency/smaller-wavelength Ka signals will be affected by rain and snow more than the Ku signals. This is the primary reason the 5-LNB dish is so much larger: more reflector surface gathers more signal, which is intended to offset the higher loss of signal in bad weather.

Of course, having wet snow sitting on the reflector degrades reflector performance greatly. Customers in locations with frequent snow should invest in dish heaters, or get used to brushing the snow off their dish.