[gtheel]

Has anyone had any luck requesting a Slimline 3 for a D* install, especially in the Atlanta area?

I'm returning after a year of cable. The D* HSP tech wouldn't do an HD upgrade last year because I don't have line of sight to the 110 and 119 satellites. Now that the core HD programming comes from 99 and 103, that's not a problem. (I believe Atlanta's locals are not on 110 or 119.)

However, I'm worried that I'll get another tech who doesn't want to risk (read, lazy) doing a standard 5-LNB Slimline install without full line of sight because of chargebacks, even though I no longer need to see 110/119. I'm also worried that even though I may request a Slimline 3 on my order (which I did), it may not show up on my order correctly because the SL3 is so new.

Any other advice (besides being nice and persistent, of course) for dealing with techs who unnecessarily refuse to do an install like this?

 

[Mertzen]

I think this is pretty much the same as the SWMLine. You'll get it if the order is eligible. Plus the rollout markets for it are still limited. Wouldn't count on it.

 

[RobertE]

Has anyone had any luck requesting a Slimline 3 for a D* install, especially in the Atlanta area?

I'm returning after a year of cable. The D* HSP tech wouldn't do an HD upgrade last year because I don't have line of sight to the 110 and 119 satellites. Now that the core HD programming comes from 99 and 103, that's not a problem. (I believe Atlanta's locals are not on 110 or 119.)

However, I'm worried that I'll get another tech who doesn't want to risk (read, lazy) doing a standard 5-LNB Slimline install without full line of sight because of chargebacks, even though I no longer need to see 110/119. I'm also worried that even though I may request a Slimline 3 on my order (which I did), it may not show up on my order correctly because the SL3 is so new.

Any other advice (besides being nice and persistent, of course) for dealing with techs who unnecessarily refuse to do an install like this?

There's nothing "lazy" about not wanting to do a job where you stand a higher than average chance of doing it for no pay, or worse, loosing money on the job. Thanks, but no thanks.

Second, a CSR can not request specific support equipment. Sure they can put it in the notes. Notes are great and all, but in the ever tightening inventory control, notes don't mean squat. If it's not a line item, it's not going in. The ordering system will determine what LNB assembly your install requires, not some CSR in a cube somewhere.

 

[webby_s]

You could also look into doing your own install. There's always ebay. But I bet you won't find too many of the new 3 LNB's around. Good luck.

 

[barkster99]

I upgraded to HR20/HD last week. Very poor signal on 110, no signal on 119, but they completed install anyway - with Slimline 5. He said they had Slimline 3 dishes in the warehouse but "they hadn't been released yet".

Having some weird problems (keep losing tuner 1, fixed by reboot). Tech's returning next Monday. Not sure what plan is or if problem is anyway related to 110/119 issue. Kind of hoping it forces them into a Slimline 3.

 

[dkouz]

barkster- run the sat setup using the Slimline 3LNB and see if your problem persists.

RobertE- Stop being the wet blanket. I think that you need to come up with something better to do with your time than being rude to almost every poster that asks installation questions.

gtheel- Good luck. I / we have done many installs without 110/119. The key is to use the Slimline 3 LNB in the guided setup. There are no such things as chargebacks here, so I do whatever needs done.

 

[RobertE]

barkster- run the sat setup using the Slimline 3LNB and see if your problem persists.

RobertE- Stop being the wet blanket. I think that you need to come up with something better to do with your time than being rude to almost every poster that asks installation questions.

gtheel- Good luck. I / we have done many installs without 110/119. The key is to use the Slimline 3 LNB in the guided setup. There are no such things as chargebacks here, so I do whatever needs done.

Sorry you don't care for "facts". Just trying to inform people of what to really expect. Everyone promising the world will just lead them to be disappointed. If you don't like my posts, feel free to put me on ignore.

 

[dmurphy]

RobertE- Stop being the wet blanket. I think that you need to come up with something better to do with your time than being rude to almost every poster that asks installation questions.

I didn't find his comments rude at all .... and to be honest, I always value RobertE's posts. He's well-informed and knows how the system works.

RobertE has been a great source of information for a lot of us. What he said is absolutely accurate -- if "the system" decides you don't need the SWMline dish, it won't populate on the work order. That's absolutely 100% true. As he said, notes on the work order don't mean squat.

 

[wmj5]

I've been reading about the 110 and 119 satellite you guys are talking about, if we don't need those two satellites what would D* do with them?

 

[evan_s]

gtheel- Good luck. I / we have done many installs without 110/119. The key is to use the Slimline 3 LNB in the guided setup. There are no such things as chargebacks here, so I do whatever needs done.

Selecting the 3lnb in the setup doesn't make a 5lnb system with out line of site on 119 problem free. The receiver still isn't getting any guide updates when tuned to a channel on 103. This will lead to guide data problems if the receivers are left on a 103 channel for an extended period of time. It's not that it won't work at all. It's that it can and will have intermittent issues that won't be easily identified or fixed. A SL3 overcomes this issue by placing 101 in the place of 110/119 in the stack plan. A SL5 can't doesn't do that even if you select SL3 in the setup for the receiver. The only other option would be to use a SWM or SWMlnb which only needs to use the guide data from 101.

RobertE's comments are also exactly correct. A note in the work order doesn't mean squat. The system generates the items for the work order automatically. Twice CSRs promised they where putting a note in the case and that I'd get an HR20. Twice I got a HR21 instead. He also right that not installing a SL5 with no LOS on 119 is not being lazy. It's about not doing an install that is known to have issues and could cause them not to be paid for the install.

 

[evan_s]

I've been reading about the 110 and 119 satellite you guys are talking about, if we don't need those two satellites what would D* do with them?

DirecTV will keep them and used them for some more specialized uses. 119 still does a fair number of SD locals and we expect the international content to migrate off the 92.5 to 110/119 so that the international dish isn't needed anymore.

 

[tkrandall]

There's nothing "lazy" about not wanting to do a job where you stand a higher than average chance of doing it for no pay, or worse, loosing money on the job. Thanks, but no thanks.

Second, a CSR can not request specific support equipment. Sure they can put it in the notes. Notes are great and all, but in the ever tightening inventory control, notes don't mean squat. If it's not a line item, it's not going in. The ordering system will determine what LNB assembly your install requires, not some CSR in a cube somewhere.

That is a problem that DirecTV needs to fix. There should be a means to handle speical needs like this, not just some boilerplate standard answer to every job.

 

[RobertE]

That is a problem that DirecTV needs to fix. There should be a means to handle speical needs like this, not just some boilerplate standard answer to every job.

To an extent I agree. However, if the customer doesn't need X for his install, there is no reason for DirecTv to provide X to the customer at no charge. If the customer wants to pay for it, then different story.

If some of these restrictions wern't in place, we'd have people that would want multiple lines run to each and every room in their house "just in case".

It can and should be better, I just don't know how to get from here to there. Until it changes though, it is what it is, even if we don't like it.

 

[thespaceghost]

Selecting the 3lnb in the setup doesn't make a 5lnb system with out line of site on 119 problem free. The receiver still isn't getting any guide updates when tuned to a channel on 103. This will lead to guide data problems if the receivers are left on a 103 channel for an extended period of time. It's not that it won't work at all. It's that it can and will have intermittent issues that won't be easily identified or fixed. A SL3 overcomes this issue by placing 101 in the place of 110/119 in the stack plan. A SL5 can't doesn't do that even if you select SL3 in the setup for the receiver. The only other option would be to use a SWM or SWMlnb which only needs to use the guide data from 101.

Thanks for this answer! I couldn't get a straight answer out of anyone on why we couldn't use the SL3 setup on a SL5 LNB. Apparently more and more techs are shooting the 119 into trees thinking its not important anymore.

I had a SC where the 119 was pointed into a tree. No LOS from the house and it would be a 100'+ polemount to clear 119. Needless to say, we put it on SL3 in hopes to fix our problem. The receiver was freezing up everyday, due to no LOS on the 119.

If the customer is advised to leave the receiver on a SD channel overnight, should the guide data populate ok on a SL5 forced into SL3?

 

[texasbrit]

If the customer is advised to leave the receiver on a SD channel overnight, should the guide data populate ok on a SL5 forced into SL3?

Yes, tuning into a channel on 101 will solve the problem. If it's a receiver, just set an autotune to a 101 SD channel for say 3am every day. If it's a DVR, set TWO manual recordings to 101 channels for 3am. You need to set two recordings because the guide data is processed only by tuner 1 and you need to make sure tuner 1 is on a 101 channel.

 

[mattmill]

Yes, tuning into a channel on 101 will solve the problem. If it's a receiver, just set an autotune to a 101 SD channel for say 3am every day. If it's a DVR, set TWO manual recordings to 101 channels for 3am. You need to set two recordings because the guide data is processed only by tuner 1 and you need to make sure tuner 1 is on a 101 channel.

Is there any chance the HD guide will go from 119 to 99/101/103 for the SL5 any time soon so we won't have to do the autotune at night?

Hoping for an install tomorrow 8/15 (SL5 no LOS to 119)

matt

 

[tkrandall]

They could add it to 103 I guess, but would have to still keep it in 119 for phase iii dish installations and receivers that can't pick up 103 mpeg-4 feeds.

 

[evan_s]

Is there any chance the HD guide will go from 119 to 99/101/103 for the SL5 any time soon so we won't have to do the autotune at night?

Hoping for an install tomorrow 8/15 (SL5 no LOS to 119)

matt

Haven't seen any indications of that and actually it wouldn't work right anyway. The way that 103c and 103s are sent you can only receive one of them at a time because the BBC swaps the 103c up to the 103s location in the stack plan when it's activated. You'd have to put the guide data on 103c and every spot on 103s. I can't see them replicating the data that many times. Thats why they just put 101 in place of 110/119 on the SL3. Simple and easy way to make sure the guide info is always available.

The guide data is already on 101 and putting anywhere on 99 wouldn't help because they are on the stack plan with 101 on a SL5 and it pulls the guide data from 101 normally anyway.

 

[tkrandall]

I had not thought about the conflicting issue between the 103s and 103c stacks and that only one of the two feeds gets fed into the receiver at any given time..

But how does it work with guide data on 101 and 119? Let's take 119. The receiver can only ask for one configuration at a time, 13v or 18v (either with the 22 khz tone of course being present). That means the stack only has either the odd or even transponders being sent at any one time. Is the guide data available on both an odd and an even tranponder on each of 101 and 119?