Do I receive the award for worst DTV install in the nation?

[Xstation]

This must be the most hazardous install ever done by an installer, right?

I'm thinking of fixing this soon before the rainy season arrives, but if I were to leave it like this, what are chances of equipment/multi-switch damage from rain? This was done about 7 months ago. Previously I had an old 3 LNB dish with no multiswitch.

[tcusta00]

7 months and that thing still works!? :eek2:

Yeah, email those pictures to someone that matters at DirecTV and you should get a free service call... but then again it has been 7 months so maybe not.

[Grentz]

Obviously not the worst if it has lasted 7 months just fine ;)

Not very good though, the risk would be water running down the lines and into the multiswitch thus potentially causing damage. Also looks like you could use some monopoles on the dish to keep it steady and keep it from drifting.

I would get it fixed so you dont have problems down the road.

[davring]

I would be more concerned with roof damage when the first good gust of wind rips the mounting foot from your roof. With out the extra braces, mono-poles, it can't be very secure. I would surely get the multi-switch off of the roof and out of the weather.

[PicaKing]

My install looks almost exactly like that--multiswitch lying on the roof, been rained on, buried under ice and snow; and no monopoles. It's been fine for over a year.

[2dogz]

This must be the most hazardous install ever done by an installer, right?

I'm thinking of fixing this soon before the rainy season arrives, but if I were to leave it like this, what are chances of equipment/multi-switch damage from rain? This was done about 7 months ago. Previously I had an old 3 LNB dish with no multiswitch.

Just to pile on:
1. I don't see any grounding wire to dish.
2. That white cable may or may not be UV protected. Look for the letters UV printed on it. Usually only black cable is rated for UV (outdoor) use.
3. You're right, it sucks.

[Greg Alsobrook]

Wow! Now that is custom! :lol:

[firefighter4evr]

OMG...... i have seen self installs that look a heck of alot better than that:nono:

[BattleZone]

Problems:

- Mounted over the living space (BIG NO-NO!)
- No support poles (instant QC fail and an invitation to many problems)
- Cables run across roof (another No-No as debris can build up and hold water on the roof, among other things).
- Switch totally exposed to the elements
- Not grounded, not even an attempt.
- Crimp-on and even twist-on fittings used, OUTSIDE!
- Switch not mounted
- No drip/service loops
- Switch connectors pointed up (will collect water)
- AT9 dish should NOT have been installed 7 months ago; should have been Slimline

I would definitely be talking to DirecTV.

However, I've seen worse. Much worse.

[dave29]

holy $h*t, all i say is wow. how can anyone leave a job like that and sleep at night

[ImBack234]

Did you install it yourself?:eek2:
At least he/she sealed the screws.:rolleyes:
Also who the hell would use white cables on a dark roof.

[Bill C]

This must be the most hazardous install ever done by an installer, right?

I'm thinking of fixing this soon before the rainy season arrives, but if I were to leave it like this, what are chances of equipment/multi-switch damage from rain? This was done about 7 months ago. Previously I had an old 3 LNB dish with no multiswitch.

Not only do you haveto be concerned about the multi switch being damaged by
moisture ingress, but you might want to be concerned about the fact that the dish
is mounted over a living space on the roof, and probably not secured to a rafter,
and with no mono poles, a sudden high wind gust could tear that dish out of the
roof.

[ncpsd60]

They could hav!e at least given you the Slimline

[todbnla]

Wow, I thought my E* install was horrid, yours beats mine.

[Xstation]

No I didn't do the install myself. Unfortunately, I wasn't at home when the tech arrived to do his "work". I'm going to email directv the pics and see if they send a tech out free of charge as tcusta00 suggested, and if they are unwilling to, I guess I will have to do it myself.

7 months and that thing still works!? :eek2:

Yeah, email those pictures to someone that matters at DirecTV and you should get a free service call... but then again it has been 7 months so maybe not.

Yes it still works after 7 months :eek2:

[thespaceghost]

Whats wrong with it? It works, right?

You weren't home when the installation took place??

[wheel]

I just had an install done and they used white cable outside - it is DirecTV RG-6 75 OHM High Performance 3.0 GHZ Digital Cable 18AWG CATV/CL2 E232510 (UL) CM Perfect Vision 80SC - is this OK for an outside installtion. If it matters, I am in Northern CA. The runs go from the dish right to each HR22 DVR unit. Thanks

[waterdragon]

The cable that we are supplied with at the warehouse is white. We only get black cable if it is requested, usually because the house is dark natural wood. We also only get the white zip ties which are also do not hold up under the sun for more than a season.

Before we all knock that install tech we have to look on the good side of the install. At least he put some roofing compound on it.

I would not add monopoles to it if I came out to fix it. They would just add more holes in the roof. I would relocate the dish (then add the monopoles). I have had to do that more than once. One thing I do is to let the customer know the proplem and tell them that I am not going to remove the foot from the roof because I am not going to be the one to cause any leaks and I am not a roofer.

[2dogz]

I just had an install done and they used white cable outside - it is DirecTV RG-6 75 OHM High Performance 3.0 GHZ Digital Cable 18AWG CATV/CL2 E232510 (UL) CM Perfect Vision 80SC - is this OK for an outside installtion. If it matters, I am in Northern CA. The runs go from the dish right to each HR22 DVR unit. Thanks

Perfect Vision is an importer/distributor that generally has a very good product line. The E number tells you that the cable is imported, probably from China. You can google the E number and it might bring you to the manufacturer, but I've found very little information about the cable on their sites. Probably better to ask Perfect Vision directly about UV rating.

[gen2rx7]

I just had an install done and they used white cable outside - it is DirecTV RG-6 75 OHM High Performance 3.0 GHZ Digital Cable 18AWG CATV/CL2 E232510 (UL) CM Perfect Vision 80SC - is this OK for an outside installtion. If it matters, I am in Northern CA. The runs go from the dish right to each HR22 DVR unit. Thanks

We only have black cable here, we are in Nor Cal, in the 2 yrs I have worked here we only have gotten white cable once, and that was an ordering mistake.

[Lee L]

Yes it still works after 7 months :eek2:

Past performance does not necessarily represent future results. ;)

[Nick]

Crap, pure crap! Unacceptable.

[Grentz]

White does not always equal not good for outdoors, most of the cable companies around here use outdoor rated white cable.

White actually is better many times as it does not absorb as much heat/uv radiation as black does. The problem is that the composition of the cable to make it white many times makes it not UV stable, and thus you have to be careful when ordering and such to make sure it is UV rated.

[jdspencer]

At least he didn't put the switch in the vent.

Hmm, that might not have been a bad idea.:)

[Supervolcano]

And no one so far asked the 64 million dollar question.

Why did it take you 7 months to first mention this?
:D

[joe diamond]

I look at this and see the mess like everyone else. I have stopped judging these things. Where had the tech been before this job? Was the sun still up? Snowing? Raining? What else was he expected to do that day?

I still see the ads for "traveling road crews" that are invited into an area to run up the numbers for an HSP. "If they are watching DTV when you leave you will be paid."

Who is dedicated to quality to the extent that they will go to this job and fix it for FREE? Do you think the "tech" who did this is still working?

Joe

[RACJ2]

After seeing the mess that the OP received, I had to show you what a quality install I received. The Mastec installer was very neat and mounted the dish on the back roof of my house with access to the Southwest over the peak of my roof. He also ran the cable under the lip of the overhang, so you can hardly see the cable. From the street, you would never know there is a dish on the roof. Of course having the SWM LNB, makes for a neater installation as well.

[Click on thumbnail to enlarge image]
1565115650

[charlesml3]

This is exactly why I do all of my own installs. I can't help myself when I drive around neighborhoods. I always look at installs to see how they did it. I'm firmly convinced that DirecTV and DishNetwork installers are told to put the dish in a VERY prominant location where it can be easily seen from the street.

There's one about a block away from me with the dish right on the front garage roof peak with the cables just stretched across the roof. That dish could EASILY have been mounted on the side of the house beside the A/C and still had clear LOS. And been a lot easier to service if necessary.

I hardly ever mount a dish on the roof. A pole mount out in the corner of the lot or a tripod mount on the side of the house down low is much preferred.

Clean, tidy installs are all I do....

-Charles

[BattleZone]

I'm firmly convinced that DirecTV and DishNetwork installers are told to put the dish in a VERY prominant location where it can be easily seen from the street.

No, they are taught to install the dish near the house's ground source, which is where the service entrance for the utilities, including cable, is located. This allows the dish to be properly grounded and provides the shortest cable path, meaning less visible cable on the outside of the house and the best possible signal.

Mounting the dish elsewhere may also require custom mounts that customers don't want to pay for.

[charlesml3]

No, they are taught to install the dish near the house's ground source

I'm sure you're right but I just don't see it. I see installs all over my neighborhood that look like they were done by an 7th grader.

[ironwood]

Its not the worst install. The worst is when your dish is pointing between the trees and every time you get wind you lose signal. In other words something that prevents you from watching TV in your living room. If you been watching TV for 7 months without a problem then you are much better off than many others. If you lose signal basically all you will need is realignment and addition of 2 monopoles. Put tar or silicone around lag bolts.
Job was done bad but once again as long as your TV watching experience is trouble free you are in good shape.

[ironwood]

This is exactly why I do all of my own installs. I can't help myself when I drive around neighborhoods. I always look at installs to see how they did it. I'm firmly convinced that DirecTV and DishNetwork installers are told to put the dish in a VERY prominant location where it can be easily seen from the street.

There's one about a block away from me with the dish right on the front garage roof peak with the cables just stretched across the roof. That dish could EASILY have been mounted on the side of the house beside the A/C and still had clear LOS. And been a lot easier to service if necessary.

I hardly ever mount a dish on the roof. A pole mount out in the corner of the lot or a tripod mount on the side of the house down low is much preferred.

Clean, tidy installs are all I do....

-Charles

Dish on front of the house is a failed QC. We required to install on the back of side of the house. If your service panel is on the side where it can be seen from the street then thats where the dish is going. Ask your builder to put service panel on the back of the home next time.

[spartanstew]

Problems:

- Mounted over the living space (BIG NO-NO!)


What does this mean? Every part of my roof is over living space.

[ironwood]

What does this mean? Every part of my roof is over living space.

Overhangs are safe. We want to prevent water leaking in your room or attic. If it leaks at least it should leak outside.

You need pole mount or under eave mount.

[ironwood]

I look at this and see the mess like everyone else. I have stopped judging these things. Where had the tech been before this job? Was the sun still up? Snowing? Raining? What else was he expected to do that day?

I still see the ads for "traveling road crews" that are invited into an area to run up the numbers for an HSP. "If they are watching DTV when you leave you will be paid."

Who is dedicated to quality to the extent that they will go to this job and fix it for FREE? Do you think the "tech" who did this is still working?

Joe

Same here. In this particular case the old dish probably was installed on the same spot (look where the old cable goes) so tech took it off the roof and mounted the new one using same existing holes. Maybe thats why no monopoles.

If I see an existing hole in the wall thats 2 inches in diameter? What do I do? Drill a new one? No. I use that hole that already there then cover it with a plate or find some solution. Somebody can look and say that technician did it, he was a moron and caused major damage.

[BLWedge09]

Problems:
- AT9 dish should NOT have been installed 7 months ago; should have been Slimline


They could hav!e at least given you the Slimline

I agree with all of the responses calling this a poor install except for these. I realize that the Slimline is the standard dish now, but what if all they had left at the time were the sidecar dishes? Most customers would rather have their service installed now than to have to wait for them to get a Slimline. There are enough delayed installs as it is. Obviously I don't know if this was the case or not, but it is a possibility. My tech had to call around and find a dish to do my install...and I was the first of the day. He didn't think he was going to find one.

Why all the hate for the sidecar dish anyway? I know there were some back in the day with bad LNBs, but my experience with the sidecar dish on my old house was better than with my current Slimline. I just seem to have more rain fade issues with the Slimline (and yes the alignment is good on the Slimline). I must be the only person around here that preferred the sidecar dish. I almost took that sidecar dish down and brought it with me when I moved...

[BattleZone]

The sidecar AT-9 dish, with it's exposed jumpers, is a recipe for signal disaster. Those cables aren't very UV stable and get brittle and crack, and aren't well moisture-sealed. It was just a bad design all around. Not to mention, there are no spare parts, so WHEN it breaks, it must be replaced with a Slimline.

[BattleZone]

What does this mean? Every part of my roof is over living space.

If you don't have any overhang area, it means the dish does not go on the roof. No penetrations, including lag bolts, are allowed over the living space of the house. On an overhang, if the roof leaks despite measures taken against it, the leak is already outside, and won't damage anything. If the dish is mounted over the living space, who knows what could get damaged due to a leak?

There are several custom mounting options available to prevent such a bad choice from having to be made.

[joe diamond]

If you don't have any overhang area, it means the dish does not go on the roof. No penetrations, including lag bolts, are allowed over the living space of the house. On an overhang, if the roof leaks despite measures taken against it, the leak is already outside, and won't damage anything. If the dish is mounted over the living space, who knows what could get damaged due to a leak?

There are several custom mounting options available to prevent such a bad choice from having to be made.

Even if the dish is mounted on the overhang you get service calls as in:

"Ever since that satellite thing went on my roof I get water in my basement when it rains. My son called them and wants insurance money to fix it right!"

So I met with the son and we went into the basement to look at the water. While in the basement the dishwasher went on and the water flowed. There was an unglued PVC joint and it leaked rain or shine on the opposite of the building from the DTV dish.

So it cost me an hour to explain that there would be no insurance money to fix anything. If I had been with an HSP this would have also cost me $100.00.

Ya do what ya can.

Joe