Rural Satellite TV not available everywhere?

[ultrarunner]

Lots of good advice!

The way it was described almost sounded like installers are paid a flat rate for installs... making it easy to walk if too much work is involved.

The previous owner had one of the large umbrella sized dishes to get signals from all over.

I call Dish and was promised a return call... I also emailed and so far... 24 hours... have not had a response.

Just for fun... I went online to comcast and signed up for service. The website said service available to the address, took all the info for the basic package and said I would be contacted...

Comcast contacted me this morning and said service is not available in that area... I did ask why the website said it was... I was told it almost always says that and then a tech will check the exact area and sometimes it isn't.

I think it is a blessing as one never having cable or satellite service... get more done and one less thing to complain about. Over the years, my Oakand neighbors have had plenty of complaints... especially back in the Oakland Cable days... I still have rabbit ears and a converter box ;-)

 

[brin]

It is a blessing ...we have dish network and all the channels but they show the same movies over and over...the news is all bad..Trust me you are missing nothing..

 

[jlrsn]

I have Wildblue for the Internet and Dish for TV. I can't complain except for slow Internet upload on Wildblue. Even though I was told not to I installed both antennas on my power pole 4 years ago and wired my own house. For DSL if you are too many miles from the Hub so If your telephone line to the Hub is longer than around 15,000 feet they usually won't accept an order.

 

[ultrarunner]

Just talked with my friend... he is having someone from Comcast come out evaluate.

Apparently, if enough people in the area agree to sign-on for service... the cost can be shared.

No idea what requirements are and if how they would handle the 3000' of private drive.

 

[cfabe]

If they have had satellite TV at the house before, chances are a good installer can make it work. If there is any sort of a clearing around the house or in the trees near the house, a properly located dish can usually get a signal. We happened to get an excellent installer when we signed up with Dish and it took him nearly 4 hours of work, I'm not sure he made much money on the job but we got our TV. Ended up installing one dish on one corner of the house and the other dish on a telephone pole at the other end of the house. If you can only get a marginal signal, another option is to buy a larger dish which will improve the signal.

 

[tommu56]

I think i would find a local dish distributor and tell him that you will supplement the install price if he does it your way and works with you.
My uncle had an issue at his cabin he found a guy to come out and aim his extra dish from home to see through the trees it might take a couple Grants or a Franklin to persuade them but what is you trees worth and a paid install
or a free install you get what you pay for!:laughing:

tom

 

[Pirate]

Get something like Align-A-Site. You can point through small openings.

Align-A-Site Satellite Finder - Item - Camping World

 

[schmism]

Get something like Align-A-Site. You can point through small openings.

Align-A-Site Satellite Finder - Item - Camping World

seriously!

$170 for what a $10 sighting compass can do?!?!? FAIL

Baladeo Sighting Compass - Save 54%

you can also consider your own high gain sat dish which may have significantly better performance than the chitty dish they give you

Ku Band Dishes - Winegard - products new home - Winegard 76 cm Satellite dish & DSS LNBF

 

[Pirate]

seriously!

$170 for what a $10 sighting compass can do?!?!? FAIL

Baladeo Sighting Compass - Save 54%

you can also consider your own high gain sat dish which may have significantly better performance than the chitty dish they give you

Ku Band Dishes - Winegard - products new home - Winegard 76 cm Satellite dish & DSS LNBF

Yes, seriously. They are two different gizmos. Your ten buck cracker jack compass will not find an opening in the trees to point your dish. Fail on you for not looking closer.

 

[ultrarunner]

Comcast is a no go... a couple of hours were spent on the phone this morning and ended up having to leave a call back number...

Comcast on line sign up did not turn out to be accurate in this case.

Had a call from an e-mail I sent 48 hours ago to Dish Network... the lady seemed very knowledgeable and determined to get a solution. She offered to send out her best in house installer and said they have never failed to get service to a property already served by Blue Sky Internet.

She seemed to know her stuff, is local... about 7 miles from the property and the big boss is aware of the problems...

Might just work out after all...

The big problem previous was having to take out or severely top 5 heritage trees "to see" if a signal could be found.