Interesting problem and question

[jaxfan]

I have an interesting problem with Dtv. I would like to know if the tech was actually telling me the truth.

- I was upgrading from a 3 LNB with Direct-tivo to HD
- About a week ago the guy shows up to install the new 5 lnb dish and HD DVR.
- After a few seconds looking at my setup he proceeds to install them.
- Puts the dish on the garage roof. He said it can't be mounted to a vertical wall.
- While replacing the receiver, he notices that I have a Diplexer. Says they will not work any more and proceeds to remove it.
- He was on the phone for about an hour and half getting the receiver activated.
- We checked a handful of HD channels and they were working.
- Later that night I noticed I wasn't getting TLCHD, ESPN2HD and a few other HD channels
- After looking through posts here, I read something about the Diplexers and thought 'I wonder if he removed the one outside.'
- Nope, the outside Diplexer was still installed.
- Once I removed it, I was able to get all the other HD channels except ESPN2HD.

After a few days of checking things and resetting the receiver, I was still unable to get ESPN2HD. This is the only channel I can not receive (HD or SD), I do not have any of the movie packages. I called Dtv and of course after going through all the things I already tried, they scheduled to have a tech come out and look.

- A different guy from the first time shows up
- After explaining the problem he thinks the dish is out of aligned, but wanted to check out my set up first.
- He did the signal strength test on the receiver and wondered how I was getting my locals (Dayton, OH) and not ESPN2HD
- Then he actually walked around and inspected all the lines, connecters, everything (something the other guy did not do). He replace several F connecters and barrel connecters.
- After seeing the location of the dish he was a bit sceptical of it's location.
- He replaced the LNB, thinking the Diplexer may have screwed it up
- He connected his meter to the dish and noticed the signal from sat 119 was not that great. Which he stated was where ESPN2HD was coming from.
- He continues to explain the location of the 5 sats and how far the 119 is over.
- He said it was because the dish was mounted to close to the second story and the house was partially blocking the 119 signal

This is where I have my question. He gave me 2 options:

1- move the dish farther down the roof line so the house was not in the way. Meaning another 10 holes in my roof.
2 - wait a few months because Dtv was moving all their channels from 119 to the other sats in the middle. He said they lease space on 119 from Echostar and the quicker they can move channels off of it the sooner the can stop paying the lease.

Is he correct on option 2? Is Dtv getting away with the 119 location?

[veryoldschool]

Welcome to the forum.

First: the dish can be mounted to a vertical surface [mine is].

While DirecTV will be moving away from the 119 SAT, it won't be "a few months".

[MIAMI1683]

I would think you should move your dish. That's just me though. As far as 119. What VOS said. I am pretty sure D* will relocate your dish. I believe the work is waranteed for 30 days.

[Brian Hanasky]

My dish is mounted on a vertical wall too.

[say-what]

Never realized that ESPN2HD and HDNET were the only 2 national HD's on 119

(YESHD is there, but not everyone get's that)

Otherwise it's local channels, some PPV and international stuff.
http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/directvusa119.html

Do you get HDNET ch 79?

Anyway, if the obstruction is the problem, I'd move the dish and get them to properly patch the roof.

[TBoneit]

And they don't lease from Echostar. Echostar offered to buy the DirecTV transponder licenses as I rmember years ago. They were rebuffed AFAIK.

[bakers12]

I would think you should move your dish. That's just me though. As far as 119. What VOS said. I am pretty sure D* will relocate your dish. I believe the work is waranteed for 30 days.
I agree with a lot of this. I couldn't get 119 with the dish on my roof, so I made them move it to the garage roof. I had a 90-warranty (starting Feb. 2007) and there was no charge to move it. There was a lot of grumbling about how he wasn't getting paid to relocate the dish. I touched up a lot of his work because he was clearly in a big hurry to finish.

[liverpool]

http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/2640/dishcx5.th.jpg

As you see mounted to a wall no problem

[shearerluck]

there is no way i would let a dish be mounted next to any door or on the front of my house. That hoa must be having a fit

[TigersFanJJ]

Being able to mount one on a wall and being allowed to mount one on a wall are two different things. Some HSPs do not allow their techs to do wall mounts.

[MartyS]

Mine is mounted on a pole next to the side of the house and it works like a charm... and no holes in my roof to leak.

Took less time than installing on the roof, and the installer was great....!

[Ken S]

That may be the back of his house. There are developments around here where the garage door faces the back of the home.

[Rockaway1836]

I got rid of my pole mount. I took a trip to Home Dept and bought a large flower pot. I filled it with four 60 lb bags of concrete and set the original J mast in it. I still have room in the pot to put top soil and let the wife plant flowers in it. It was easy and it looks better than I thought it would. It's also a heck of a lot more sturdy than my pole mount was. It comes in at about 4ft high and weighs almost 300 lbs.