I had my HD upgrade today. Ordered 3 weeks ago with DTV and since I wanted a saturday install so had to wait until today. Upgrade included a new 5-LNB dish and receiver. My prior dish was a single LNB that went up in 96 (self install) though I had added a DVR 3 years ago.
Got an automated call fro Ironwood on Thurday reminding me of my 8-12 install for today. Around 9am the installer called, and said he would be there within the hour. Arrived in about 35 minutes.
He spent about 5 minutes looking at the outside location and making sure it would draw a good signal. Installation was at ground level. Then we went inside and I showed him out I had run my wire before - it was snaked through the basement along side the heating ducts. He was hesitant at first and mentioned the custom charge ($37.50/half hour) to snake the wire. I asked since he was replaicing the old wire, we could just connect the new 2 wire to the old wire and pull it through the celing. He thought that would work.
He removed the old dish and assembled the new one and installed it. Put the new 2-wire through the house and into the 'duct work' (<i have an access panel there> and taped it to the old wire. All was going fine when he pulled to hard and the new wire/old wire taped splice came lose. He had no equipment to snake though the chase to run the wire. I had done this in 9 and it took a couple of patient hours to make it work. And at thsoe prices, I did not want him to try it. So I had him run the wire down the floor and up to the ceiling, figuring I can snake it later.
Om the first floor, I had a single cable switch plate with phone jack. At first he had brought a switch plate with 2 cables conectiors<No phone>. He went back to the truck and found a double cable with phone switch place. He spent about 20 minutes trying to make the phone jack work and said that sometimes the ones they have are wired wrong. He tried calling another installer but no luck. So he wound up swaping the phone jack with my switch plate and the phone worked fine.
Finally installed the receiver and did the activation. Signal strengths all seemed great <but I do not know how all the transponders work> but the pictures and channels are all there (Local and HD) so I assume that everything is good.
Very windy day here and no issues with signal reception.
3 1/2 hours from arrival to he was ready for me to sign off on the bill. He wanted to chage $75 for the custom wiring install. I said you didn't snake anything and if anything I am worse off on wiring than before. So I said I'd pay for 1/2 hour. But i noticed this was not written up on the directv So I assume he just took the money as a tip
In reading the back of the receipt it says Installation includes "Grounding of dish to meet Local/NEC requirements." Which he did not do.
Now I did not ground the dish in 1996.
Would you all have expected the current "licensed installer" to ground this dish?"
Other than that the installation went sooth though I think 3.5 hours was a long time and had 4 more to today, I feel sorry for the last install.
Got an automated call fro Ironwood on Thurday reminding me of my 8-12 install for today. Around 9am the installer called, and said he would be there within the hour. Arrived in about 35 minutes.
He spent about 5 minutes looking at the outside location and making sure it would draw a good signal. Installation was at ground level. Then we went inside and I showed him out I had run my wire before - it was snaked through the basement along side the heating ducts. He was hesitant at first and mentioned the custom charge ($37.50/half hour) to snake the wire. I asked since he was replaicing the old wire, we could just connect the new 2 wire to the old wire and pull it through the celing. He thought that would work.
He removed the old dish and assembled the new one and installed it. Put the new 2-wire through the house and into the 'duct work' (<i have an access panel there> and taped it to the old wire. All was going fine when he pulled to hard and the new wire/old wire taped splice came lose. He had no equipment to snake though the chase to run the wire. I had done this in 9 and it took a couple of patient hours to make it work. And at thsoe prices, I did not want him to try it. So I had him run the wire down the floor and up to the ceiling, figuring I can snake it later.
Om the first floor, I had a single cable switch plate with phone jack. At first he had brought a switch plate with 2 cables conectiors<No phone>. He went back to the truck and found a double cable with phone switch place. He spent about 20 minutes trying to make the phone jack work and said that sometimes the ones they have are wired wrong. He tried calling another installer but no luck. So he wound up swaping the phone jack with my switch plate and the phone worked fine.
Finally installed the receiver and did the activation. Signal strengths all seemed great <but I do not know how all the transponders work> but the pictures and channels are all there (Local and HD) so I assume that everything is good.
Very windy day here and no issues with signal reception.
3 1/2 hours from arrival to he was ready for me to sign off on the bill. He wanted to chage $75 for the custom wiring install. I said you didn't snake anything and if anything I am worse off on wiring than before. So I said I'd pay for 1/2 hour. But i noticed this was not written up on the directv So I assume he just took the money as a tip
In reading the back of the receipt it says Installation includes "Grounding of dish to meet Local/NEC requirements." Which he did not do.
Now I did not ground the dish in 1996.
Would you all have expected the current "licensed installer" to ground this dish?"
Other than that the installation went sooth though I think 3.5 hours was a long time and had 4 more to today, I feel sorry for the last install.
