View Full Version : What is this??
A d* installer came out a while back and I saw that he installed this up by the dish.
http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo206/K1A6123/P1010122.jpg
tfederov
02-22-09, 06:11 PM
Looks like a multiswitch. Zinwell 6x8 maybe?
Looks like a multiswitch. Zinwell 6x8 maybe?
Why would he put in a new one?? before the cables from the dish would go right into a hole and into my attic.
armophob
02-22-09, 06:20 PM
I am gonna take a stab at it and say he was out of grounding blocks. Did he ground the dish or the switch at all?
I am gonna take a stab at it and say he was out of grounding blocks. Did he ground the dish or the switch at all?
I am not sure because I was at my college but my parents were home and they told me that the d* guy was out here.
EDIT:
We've had d* since 2002 but we moved to Fresno from LA in 03 so this isn't a new install
I have the picture blown up on my computer and it is a 6x8.
Another EDIT:
Also why did they add the multiswitch??
SDizzle
02-22-09, 06:32 PM
Did he come out unannounced?!?
Did he come out unannounced?!?
I think he didn't call ahead but announced himself at the door.
TedBarrett
02-22-09, 10:20 PM
are there cables running from the switch to the house next door?
is that where the installer lives? or his girlfriend?
Looks like a multiswitch. Zinwell 6x8 maybe?
That's what it looks like to me.
armophob
02-22-09, 11:58 PM
Let me start from the beginning. While you were away, a Directv installer showed up out of the blue. Without anyone in the house ordering an upgrade or complaining of service trouble. Set-up a ladder and climbed up to your roof to install a multiswitch inline with your perfectly good working service?
And then left no paperwork or explanation of his visit?
veryoldschool
02-23-09, 12:11 AM
I am not sure because I was at my college but my parents were home and they told me that the d* guy was out here.
EDIT:
We've had d* since 2002 but we moved to Fresno from LA in 03 so this isn't a new install
while it may not be a "new install", it sure looks like an upgrade to the MPEG-4 equipment that wasn't out in '03.
"Why" the Zinwell WB68 was use for only four outputs, doesn't have a "good reason" other than making it easier to add more receivers/DVRs later.
TigersFanJJ
02-23-09, 01:47 AM
are there cables running from the switch to the house next door?
is that where the installer lives? or his girlfriend?
Why would an installer go through the hassle and legal troubles of using a neighbors dish when he almost always has twenty or more on his truck or at his home?
Not sure but it sounds like you believe someone can pirate satellite tv by running a cable from the dish to a nearby house. If that is what you believe, you are sadly mistaken. :nono2:
armophob
02-23-09, 02:22 AM
Why would an installer go through the hassle and legal troubles of using a neighbors dish when he almost always has twenty or more on his truck or at his home?
Not sure but it sounds like you believe someone can pirate satellite tv by running a cable from the dish to a nearby house. If that is what you believe, you are sadly mistaken. :nono2:
I think TedBarrett forgot to add the smilie that signifies a joke. I am guilty of this as well at times.;)
firefighter4evr
02-23-09, 02:10 PM
wow i wish an installer would show up at my house and start installing stuff... maybe a few HR23's???:lol::lol::lol:
Hmm the only reason I can think of to use a wb68 when you only need 4 outputs was if you needed to add in an international dish or a 72.5 local dish. It shouldn't be the 72.5 local dish since they are actively moving away from that and aren't in the right area anyway. Do they have a second dish and subscribe to any international programing?
dog6869
02-23-09, 03:27 PM
MMMMM all those connections exposed to the weather I would have wanted them in stalled inside in my attic!!! But that is only me…….
maybe he failed a qc and had to fix it....problem is it still fails
TedBarrett
02-23-09, 06:10 PM
I think TedBarrett forgot to add the smilie that signifies a joke. I am guilty of this as well at times.;)
Have a smiley:)
I guess nuanced English is gone the way of the typewriter.
Mike Bertelson
02-23-09, 07:17 PM
MMMMM all those connections exposed to the weather I would have wanted them in stalled inside in my attic!!! But that is only me…….I didn't know you could put that outside like that.
Can any of you techs shed any light on how this is usually installed?
Mike
jdspencer
02-23-09, 07:41 PM
Maybe the installer went to the wrong house.
Somewhere there is a pissed off customer wondering where his WB68 is. :)
Simmerman
02-23-09, 07:43 PM
6x8 multiswitches can be installed outside. I dont like to for various reasons but they are rated for outdoor use. Sometimes there is no other alternative but I like to put them in attics or smart panels or maybe under an eave. If I do mount them outside, I wrench tighten the fittings and use rubber grommets and I include a ground block since we are not supposed to use the 6x8 as a grounding source.
Sorry about not responding but I was at class and I'm going to have to ask my mother about how everything occurred. To my knowledge he came to the house without calling beforehand. I took a second look and from what I saw there is another multiswitch unpluged sitting behind the new plugged multiswitch. I don't understand why he installed the multiswitch in the first place as the cables would go into the attic and hopefully to a multiswitch indoors instead of outside exposed to the elements
Greg Alsobrook
02-23-09, 08:19 PM
That is one cruddy install... I would be on the phone immediately figuring out who did that and why... and make them come fix it ASAP...
You know I was on the phone with d* earlier for a seperate problem and at the end I brought up about the multiswitch and the unannounced install. The woman on the phone couldn't really grasp what I was talking about. Should I just e-mail d* and show the pictures to them??
HDTVsportsfan
02-23-09, 08:34 PM
Yeah...email might be easier. Send the picture if you can. I'm not sure if their system would block attachments tho.
Yeah...email might be easier. Send the picture if you can. I'm not sure if their system would block attachments tho.
Is there an email address from them where i would get a real response, not a canned response??
BattleZone
02-23-09, 10:51 PM
WB68 switches can be installed outdoors, but totally exposed and unsecured on a roof is NOT allowed. And in this case, it should have been installed in the attic, with no breaks in the lines on the outside. I have no idea why this was done as it was, but it should be fixed.
Call 800-531-5000 and tell them what happened.
jdspencer
02-24-09, 07:50 AM
Here's the email address of the VP of public relations.
ellen.filipiak@directv.com
And, mention this thread in the email.
wildbill129
02-24-09, 10:54 AM
I had an upgrade done on my old house and the install looked just like the OP's. The multiswitch was attached to my eave below the dish with one screw...pathetic. I removed it and put it in the attic. I know they are rated for outdoor use, but totally exposed to the elements is probably not what they had in mind........
paulman182
02-24-09, 11:32 AM
I understand that a lot of people mount them outside, but the WB68 installation manual specifically states that it should be protected from rain, sprinklers, etc.
upmichigan
02-24-09, 11:54 AM
Zinwell does make a 6X8 multiswitch for outdoor purposes. Part # MS6X8WB-Z but photos online may not show the protectors on the coax connectors. It is fairly new and now used up in these parts.
BattleZone
02-24-09, 01:11 PM
All that is is a standard WB68 switch with rubber bushings pre-installed (I buy them separately and use them when mounting a switch outdoors, along with dielectric grease).
Here's the email address of the VP of public relations.
ellen.filipiak@directv.com
And, mention this thread in the email.
Thanks, I will email them as soon as I can.
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