[Indiana627]

I'll be moving into our new house at the end of August. I'll be calling mover's connection to have a Slimline installed. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to see all the D* orbital locations, but a neighbor's tree does cause me a little concern. Would D* send someone out to do a pre install site evaluation and make sure that I can see all the sats?

As it is now, I'll have a month of wondering and if it turns out that I can't get D* service , then I need to start making backup plans (like maybe cutting my soon to be neighbors tree down in the middle of the night). Does D* ever do anything like this? And would there be a charge for a 5+ year customer paying over $70/mo and who will be buying an HR21 and AM21 during this move?

Or is there someway I can test to see if I can get signal from all the sats? The tree in question would be on the left hand side of my viewing window, so the 99° and 101° sats are most in jeoperdy.

 

[Mertzen]

Would D* send someone out to do a pre install site evaluation and make sure that I can see all the sats?

Nope

(like maybe cutting my soon to be neighbors tree down in the middle of the night). Does D* ever do anything like this?

Nope

And would there be a charge for a 5+ year customer paying over $70/mo and who will be buying an HR21 and AM21 during this move?

There is a chance they will upgrade you to a HR21 for free, not sure about the AM21. Call in to find out.

Or is there someway I can test to see if I can get signal from all the sats? The tree in question would be on the left hand side of my viewing window, so the 99° and 101° sats are most in jeoperdy.

Use Dishpointer , there is also a way to use the moon, can't find the link right now.

 

[brant]

Would D* send someone out to do a pre install site evaluation and make sure that I can see all the sats?

Possibly. I did a new resi job awhile back where the house was completely surrounded by trees. The dish was going to have to be mounted away from the house, and they came and found a place to put it so I could run the conduit out there for them. My customer said they initially told him "no", but after some 'persuasion' he got them to come out.

 

[Indiana627]

Nope

I was joking about me cutting down the tree - not D*.

There is a chance they will upgrade you to a HR21 for free, not sure about the AM21. Call in to find out.

I had already called and was offered $100 off the HR21 ($99 instead of $199).

Use Dishpointer , there is also a way to use the moon, can't find the link right now.

Cool site. I had gone to D* dish pointer tool to find out my azimuth of 228°, then I went to the house with a compass and that's how I determined the neighbor's tree is dangerously close to my line of site. I like www.dishpointer.com too though.

 

[Seaking]

not that I would do this but someone told me years ago if you drilled into a tree and put salt in it , it would die. I just don't know.

 

[litzdog911]

Check out the link in my signature below. You can use the moon's position a couple of times each month to help you "see" where the satellites are located.

 

[joe diamond]

not that I would do this but someone told me years ago if you drilled into a tree and put salt in it , it would die. I just don't know.

Back when I was a brave we made the woman and children girdle many trees. They would cut bark all the way around and make the tree die. The next year when we camped near these dead trees we would burn the trees. The third year when we camped at these places was best. As braves we got to watch while the woman and children picked berries from the bushes that had grown where the trees were.

The only trouble was the bears. The bears would eat the women and children unless we chased them off with spears and arrows. Sometime the bear would eat a brave; bummer!

There was another tribe that tried killing the trees by putting salt in cuts in the bark. They didn't get many berries. The deer licked the salt. That tribe tried to hunt bear but that didn't work well.

Now the trees are protected by the HOAs & DNRs who are tougher than the bears.

Joe

 

[beavis]

I was joking about me cutting down the tree - not D*.

I had already called and was offered $100 off the HR21 ($99 instead of $199).

Cool site. I had gone to D* dish pointer tool to find out my azimuth of 228°, then I went to the house with a compass and that's how I determined the neighbor's tree is dangerously close to my line of site. I like www.dishpointer.com too though.

D*'s dish pointer tool is only for the Phase I dish, not the KaKu.

 

[Indiana627]

D*'s dish pointer tool is only for the Phase I dish, not the KaKu.

The Phase I dish looked only at 101° right, so that tool should still be pretty good to also aim for 99° and 103° right?

 

[joe diamond]

The Phase I dish looked only at 101° right, so that tool should still be pretty good to also aim for 99° and 103° right?

Exactly!

99, 101 & 103 are pretty darn close..........there is a reason (law ) why the others are nine degrees apart but yes, you understand what is going on. The trick with the dish pointer thing is seeing anything blocking the elevation. They have a feature for that but haven't used it.

The rise to run for 45 degrees is one ft out per one ft up. Most sats are around forty + /- depending on your latitude. I don't remember a scale for the sat photos anyhow.

Joe

 

[rustynails]

All I wanted was for D to come out and see if there was los and I had to sign up in order to get them out to my house. Luckily I could get the sats with no problem.

 

[joe diamond]

All I wanted was for D to come out and see if there was los and I had to sign up in order to get them out to my house. Luckily I could get the sats with no problem.

Yup,

It is called a site survey.....Primestar used to offer them for FREE and pay the tech / sales guy to do them. They wanted a sketch of locations for the dish, LOS & ground. After DTV bought Primestar techs were paid $25.00 for a NO Line of Sight survey where they introduced themselves and explained why things were no possible. As the money for the site survey disappeared more and more techs started leaving notes or calling or nothing to say NO LINE OF SIGHT..no service. As the HSPs started back charging techs for missing appointments.the chances of someone riding around for FREE to look at jobs has disappeared.

Joe

 

[Mertzen]

.the chances of someone riding around for FREE to look at jobs has disappeared.

Nah, they're just called tech supervisors now :lol:

 

[jefbal99]

D*'s dish pointer tool is only for the Phase I dish, not the KaKu.

Dishpointer.com will do the KAKU...

Just select "Multi LNB Setups" from the dropdown and the DirecTV 5LNB is right there

 

[joe diamond]

Nah, they're just called tech supervisors now :lol:

We live in strange times.

Joe

 

[Meglos]

This might be a good excuse to pick up a Suunto Tandem.

Also handy for locating the ISS and other spacecraft when they pass overhead, too.

 

[feeth]

My HD dish points at the upper portion of a tall tree about 25 yards away. Never have an issue.