The Dish Dude...
For the last 22 years , I've been forced into using a dish based service due to my location. Originally, I used DirecTV. I don't even remember what the issue was that made me switch ages ago. Guessing it was the pricing or wanting an equipment upgrade. But, I called up Dish Network for new service, got the 'advertised deal' then called DirecTV and canx. I'd spoken to them numerous times to get the upgrades to no avail. Now that I said 'no more' I get from them "why didn't you ask for the customer retention dept?" Customer Retention Department? NOW, you tell me? Too Late.
So, I've had Dish Network for well over 15 years. It's either that or back to DirecTV. To me , they are both the 'same.'. They play off each other annually with better equipment, packages, pricing. But after a year, you are back where you started so I've stayed the path this time. I have to admit, overall I've been pretty lucky. I've had a few outages, couple of DVR issues that got resolved, but until recently nothing that was a big deal. Hell, even what I'm writing about today wasn't a 'big deal', but the whole process I endured yesterday is a "SMH" moment.
When you get bad weather you tend to lose signals due to all the rain and interference. It's obvious when it's more than one TV simultaneously. If it's only a single TV, you've got a different issue. Well, a few months ago, we started losing signals intermittently... intermittently among all the TVs. After awhile, you realize it ain't the weather. And if the weather isn't to blame, the equipment is. Common sense says " call them up and bitch!". But, I travel a lot, mama doesn't want to deal with them when I'm gone, and it's intermittent so it goes away long enough for me to 'forget' I've got a problem. Well, until your favorite show doesn't record! Now, I'm pissed and it's got my attention. Well, until the next day when I've moved on and doing something else more important.
We've had the service guys out a couple of times over the years. Up in the attic resides two 4x4 switches that parlay the signal from the dish to the receivers. So we've got 3 inputs from the antenna to the 4x4 switch, and it has 4 outputs. Since there are more than 5 rooms in the house, at least one of the first switch's outputs feeds the other 4x4 switch which provides 4 more outputs, for 8 total (7 usable). Obvious right? Well, not if you work for a satellite TV company. I've seen two guys over the years get the asses handed to them up in that hot attic. After hours and hours of going around in circles, they finally come up with a configuration that 'works.' Both times I've asked them "did you label the cables?"to which I got a reply of "no but it works now." But, what about the next guy that has to T-Shoot it I'm thinking? Now, I guess I could have done it. But it's their job. Not costing me a penny, so we go a few years until ........
This past weekend I get a call from a number I don't recognize. I get the Charity calls. The spam calls. The calls from India where they want my credit card number to reduce my interest rates. But, this is a first. They claim to be from the tech group at Dish Network and my system is reporting a problem. My guard is up and I'm asking a LOT of questions, not believing them. But, turns out to be a real call. A real English speaking body. My system really did report back the signal loss errors. It's 2017 and FINALLY a process works as it should! We sched a tech for two days later (yesterday) and all set.
Yesterday, the Dish Dude rolls up. He's in his upper forties, missing a butt load of teeth, I can barely understand him, but it says Dish Network on his truck, he's got his ladder so we're a go. I give him the quick explanation. Dish rx'd errors from my system. It's all three TVs. Been going on for well over a month. Historically problem is the switches. It can ONLY be the switches, wiring between the two, or the Antenna . It's not the boxes. He looks at me as if I'm clueless and starts the t-shooting process. It's about 0900 hours, I've got my three cups of java in me so hand the babysitting off to mama and I head back to the home office.
Dish Dude goes to each TV and goes through all the tests that you can for each box. They all test good . I walk by and remind him it is intermittent and sucks to trouble shoot intermittent problems, but this is valid. He shrugs me off sort of and keeps going. After testing all three systems, he acts as if he's ready to head home. Ohhhhhhhhhhh no! So, I explain sometimes certain channels flip from HD to SD due to signal loss. I start flipping channels and find a couple ... "See! there's a symptom of the problem". Okay ... he's back in the game again. After he plays with all the boxes for awhile, he goes for the ladder. We watched him use the ladder and return it to the truck 3 times. Huh? Well, after awhile he tells me all the connections up at the dish were corroded and he fixed them. So, we flip through channels; same problem. I give him the look and head back to my office. Well, an hour or two later he summons me from the office. "FIXED!" he says. He's doing all his tests on the box successfully. Flips the channels successfully. He's done and asking me to sign the paperwork. I do and ask what the fix was? No explanation. So I push harder...
"Were the switches replaced?" No I'm told. "So they were all good?" Don't know, I'm told. "What do you mean" , as I push for the answers. Well, there are no more switches. Huh? "How did you do that ? How do you get 3 lines to the 3 rooms?" At this point, he's looking at me like I'm clueless. He's like " 3 lines to the 3 rooms". So, back up and say " how do you get each satellite feed to each room then since there are three separate satellite inputs ? He says again they are direct connects , with no splitters switches. So, I calmly ( honest!) go back over the entire architecture again so I can grasp WTF he actually did when he finally tells me "I replaced the entire dish and LNBs with a new one." he tells me. What he kept failing to tell me is, the old one with I knew had 3 LNBs, each with an output, was replaced by a SINGLE LNB that has a 3 identical, separate outputs and apparently don't need a multiplexer switch anymore. Now, why the f*** was that so hard to explain?
Fixed, but from the minute he got here to the time he left, he kept asking me " How come you don't have one of them new Hoppers?" . Well, I've considered it but with two DVRs that I own, I have no desire to get bent over again with new equipment, new costs, etc. But, he was right. I just wasn't going to let him off the hook. I wanted the existing equipment working since I'm paying for it. And after FOUR HOURS, the Dish Dude swapped an antenna and bypassed the switches. Guessing that part, the actual fix, took him about thirty minutes. When he left he asked me to make sure I did their survey and give him a good review. I have to admit I was willing to possibly do it, since he did fix the problem. However, last night I was outside looking up at my new dish on the tower next to my home, with cables 'everywhere' and noticed the old dish laying on the ground. Huh. Now, I'm wondering what that matrix of cabling and switches up in the attic looks like. But, the signal to the boxes is good and I'm fat, dumb and happy watching the boob tube. He better hope they don't call with a survey. Maybe I'll send the them URL for this post?
Now, off to read up on the 16 channel Hopper 3 and see if they are going to ream me on the cost of 'upgrading'. I'm in no hurry. My system is working ..... for now
So, I've had Dish Network for well over 15 years. It's either that or back to DirecTV. To me , they are both the 'same.'. They play off each other annually with better equipment, packages, pricing. But after a year, you are back where you started so I've stayed the path this time. I have to admit, overall I've been pretty lucky. I've had a few outages, couple of DVR issues that got resolved, but until recently nothing that was a big deal. Hell, even what I'm writing about today wasn't a 'big deal', but the whole process I endured yesterday is a "SMH" moment.
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| Wiring mess |
We've had the service guys out a couple of times over the years. Up in the attic resides two 4x4 switches that parlay the signal from the dish to the receivers. So we've got 3 inputs from the antenna to the 4x4 switch, and it has 4 outputs. Since there are more than 5 rooms in the house, at least one of the first switch's outputs feeds the other 4x4 switch which provides 4 more outputs, for 8 total (7 usable). Obvious right? Well, not if you work for a satellite TV company. I've seen two guys over the years get the asses handed to them up in that hot attic. After hours and hours of going around in circles, they finally come up with a configuration that 'works.' Both times I've asked them "did you label the cables?"to which I got a reply of "no but it works now." But, what about the next guy that has to T-Shoot it I'm thinking? Now, I guess I could have done it. But it's their job. Not costing me a penny, so we go a few years until ........
This past weekend I get a call from a number I don't recognize. I get the Charity calls. The spam calls. The calls from India where they want my credit card number to reduce my interest rates. But, this is a first. They claim to be from the tech group at Dish Network and my system is reporting a problem. My guard is up and I'm asking a LOT of questions, not believing them. But, turns out to be a real call. A real English speaking body. My system really did report back the signal loss errors. It's 2017 and FINALLY a process works as it should! We sched a tech for two days later (yesterday) and all set.
Yesterday, the Dish Dude rolls up. He's in his upper forties, missing a butt load of teeth, I can barely understand him, but it says Dish Network on his truck, he's got his ladder so we're a go. I give him the quick explanation. Dish rx'd errors from my system. It's all three TVs. Been going on for well over a month. Historically problem is the switches. It can ONLY be the switches, wiring between the two, or the Antenna . It's not the boxes. He looks at me as if I'm clueless and starts the t-shooting process. It's about 0900 hours, I've got my three cups of java in me so hand the babysitting off to mama and I head back to the home office.
Dish Dude goes to each TV and goes through all the tests that you can for each box. They all test good . I walk by and remind him it is intermittent and sucks to trouble shoot intermittent problems, but this is valid. He shrugs me off sort of and keeps going. After testing all three systems, he acts as if he's ready to head home. Ohhhhhhhhhhh no! So, I explain sometimes certain channels flip from HD to SD due to signal loss. I start flipping channels and find a couple ... "See! there's a symptom of the problem". Okay ... he's back in the game again. After he plays with all the boxes for awhile, he goes for the ladder. We watched him use the ladder and return it to the truck 3 times. Huh? Well, after awhile he tells me all the connections up at the dish were corroded and he fixed them. So, we flip through channels; same problem. I give him the look and head back to my office. Well, an hour or two later he summons me from the office. "FIXED!" he says. He's doing all his tests on the box successfully. Flips the channels successfully. He's done and asking me to sign the paperwork. I do and ask what the fix was? No explanation. So I push harder...
"Were the switches replaced?" No I'm told. "So they were all good?" Don't know, I'm told. "What do you mean" , as I push for the answers. Well, there are no more switches. Huh? "How did you do that ? How do you get 3 lines to the 3 rooms?" At this point, he's looking at me like I'm clueless. He's like " 3 lines to the 3 rooms". So, back up and say " how do you get each satellite feed to each room then since there are three separate satellite inputs ? He says again they are direct connects , with no splitters switches. So, I calmly ( honest!) go back over the entire architecture again so I can grasp WTF he actually did when he finally tells me "I replaced the entire dish and LNBs with a new one." he tells me. What he kept failing to tell me is, the old one with I knew had 3 LNBs, each with an output, was replaced by a SINGLE LNB that has a 3 identical, separate outputs and apparently don't need a multiplexer switch anymore. Now, why the f*** was that so hard to explain?
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| dumpster? |
Now, off to read up on the 16 channel Hopper 3 and see if they are going to ream me on the cost of 'upgrading'. I'm in no hurry. My system is working ..... for now
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