[Patent geek]

Just had a 722 installed over the weekend (Dish 1000 plus wing for 61.5). At the time of the install on a partly cloudy Saturday afternoon, signal strength exceeded the installer's expectations by a pretty wide margin.

Sunday night, however, I got three or four "002" lost signal messages for several different satellites - 119 and 61.5 for sure, and maybe 110. It also seemed as though my signal strength on each satellite had dropped ten or fifteen points (I wish I'd written down the original numbers at install for a baseline, but the guy was going too fast for me to absorb it all).

Sky conditions Sunday night were as good as or better than at the install (except, of course, it being dark), and I can't imagine any reason the dishes could've gotten misaligned in that short period (no freakish wind gusts, marauding chimps, etc.).

The installer did warn me that with a new account and new equipment, things could be a little flaky for a couple days while updates occurred.

Being new to satellite, I've no idea what constitutes normal fluctuation in signal strength, what's considered a realistic borderline threshold for reliable operation, and whether transient problems such as my lost signal messages are typical "settling in" issues. Anecdotal advice or pointers to FAQs/threads/RTFM appreciated.

 

[Jim5506]

61.5, 110 and 119 are very stable satellites, there should be very little fluctuation of signal levels except when there is a very heavy rainstorm between your dish and the satellite and when the storm goes away the signal levels should come back up.

Sounds like the installer failed to tighten the bolts, maybe?

Call him back, you have a 90 day warranty on the install.

 

[BattleZone]

Another common problem is that installers install the dishes on fascia boards with no support behind them. The angled mast serves as a big lever, and the fascia board will sag, changing the elevation on the dish.

My techs have several solutions for this, but the easiest is a 2x4. Measure, cut a block the right length, and stick it behind the fascia board. After that, the dish will never move.