Anyone else ever get denied DirecTV/Dish Network service because the signal allegedly could not be received?

[Mursilis]

A couple of months ago we opted to ditch basic cable for a much better package from DirecTV/Verizon (they have bundling packages which would've offered us better selection for about the same price as basic cable). However, when the installer came out, he just looked at the trees surrounding our property, said we could not receive the signal, and left. He didn't go up to our roof and test signal strength or anything. Now we do have some 20+ year old trees around the house, but not all over, and we're not in a valley or anything. Some of the neighbors have satellite service, so I'm just wondering if the installer was just being lazy that day. Anyone else been denied satellite service? I'm just curious how common this might be.

Edit: My significant other just reminded me it was pouring rain when the installer showed up, why might explain why he wasn't looking to get up on our roof, assuming we could actually get a signal.

 

[broon]

I have worked with a dish that 50% of the line of sight was blocked by a roof and it had fine reception. Install it yourself.

 

[xchangx]

We had one put in during the winter on a telephone pole on the side of our property. When spring came (leaves) we lost most of our signal.

They came back out and located it right smack in the middle of our back yard.

He said that, that was the only good place.

You have to have a clear view of the south eastern sky.

 

[Zach]

Mine is half blocked by an oak tree in summers, I still get 85% signal.

Edit: 85% signal looks perfect. Not sure how far down it can go before there's issues.

 

[dainthomas]

My parents have tall trees in their back yard, so the installer just put a six foot mast on their roof.

 

[lokiju]

My DirecTV dish is pointing directly at a tree and gets 90something percent

 

[weezergirl]

that happened to me a few weeks ago. we got dish network installed and the guy set up the whole satellite and everything and when he tried to start it it wouldn't work! he was so pissed cuz he tested to make sure the signal worked before he actually installed the satellite onto our balcony so he had to take everything apart. but he told us that directv would work for us (i think cuz their satellite is located in a diff direction? we had a bunch of trees blocking the dish one) so we got directv instead and that works fine.

 

[woowoo]

Sounds like you met...
The lazy installer.

 

[syee]

I had the same thing too. I didn't want to put up with the ass-raping our apartment complex's cable provider was giving me, so I ordered DirecTV and put a tripod/mast with the dish on my balcony. The guy came over, looked in his little tool he had (looked like a compass or something that he looked through), and said no can do, since the other side of the building was blocking my signal. (I'm on the 7th floor of a 9 storey building that's an L shape. I'm about 100 ft away from the valley of the L facing SW)

They spent a whopping 5 mins there and left.

 

[Biggerhammer]

I worked for DirecTV. We took some returns back by people who could not get signals... the best were people who lived in a city, on the north side of a skyscraper, had no view at all of the southern sky and wanted the installer to bounce the signal off another building (which IS possible but the installer has better things to do that make service calls every time that bouncing building needs its windows washed!)

 

[conehead433]

I will be getting Dish sometime in the futures because I miss having HDTV ( I downgraded cable casue they went up and a bunch of analog channels) and Dish has a bunch of HD channels. I may have a probelm with trees, but if I do I'll cut them down with the exception of any large pine trees or oaks.

 

[Sphexi]

It happens from time to time. Remember that these guys only get paid if they actually do an install, so being lazy means he just made nothing and had to come out anyways. Also, they tend to do a LOT of installs, so over time they get pretty good at predicting whether or not you'll get a signal, without having to actually go up and test.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: Sphexi
It happens from time to time. Remember that these guys only get paid if they actually do an install, so being lazy means he just made nothing and had to come out anyways. Also, they tend to do a LOT of installs, so over time they get pretty good at predicting whether or not you'll get a signal, without having to actually go up and test.

Thanks for all who responded. I'm not sure how this guy was paid; he may have been paid based solely on doing a successful install. But my next door neighbor has a dish (not sure which service), and he's not any higher on the street than I am. I may call them again.

Edit: My significant other just reminded me it was pouring rain when the installer showed up, why might explain why he wasn't looking to get up on our roof, assuming we could actually get a signal.

 

[iamwiz82]

At my first apt. I got reception through a tree. It cut out a lot in the rain, but it worked.

 

[ScottMac]

An easy way to check is to use your latitude and add ~3 degrees.

Chicago is at ~42 degrees latitude ... something like that. Add 3 to get a total of 45.

You'd need visability to a 45 degree angle above the horizon in the direction to the three locations where the satellites are "parked" to receive DirecTV in this case. The three locations are 101, 110, and 119 degrees West longitude (from Chicago, 101 W is at ~200 degrees true).

The 3 degrees comes from the offset of the dish. By using an offset , the dish can be more vertical and tends to accumulate less snow.

So, break out your protractor, climb up on your roof, and strike an angle. Site along that line; if you see leaves or other solid obstruction, you will not get good reception (at least in the later spring, summer, and early fall in the case of trees).

Regarding signal strength:

This is digital; you get it and it works or you don't. Once you have enough signal, you get a perfect picture. Here's the catch: The apparent position of the satellites change through the season ... if you have a truely marginal signal, when you adjusted your dish at the peak possible for your location, the signal can drop as things go through the seasonal shift.

The other point is that anything above the "get it / do't get it" threshold becomes fade margin. People with stronger signal strengths will keep their reception in heavier rain / snow i.e., more signal, more fade margin. My dish is in the mid-high 90s on all three sats, all year long. It takes a real ass-crunching rainstorm (or snow) for me to lose signal.

Good Luck

Scott