The dish on Dish
Written: Feb 27 '01
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Pros: Easy to set up and install; easy to use
Cons: Generates a lot of heat
The Bottom Line: A good value for the money. Easy to install and use; clear reception.
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| jm1710's Full Review: JVC TU-3700DU Dedicated Satellite TV Receiver |
After watching our local cable company squander an opportunity to sign us up as customers, my wife and I turned to DishTV. We saw this as a chance to get the programming we wanted without having to reward the cable company for their pre-historic approach to customer service. My wife went to our local sears and shelled out about $200 for the system hardware. In the Dish 500 satellite system you get: a satellite dish with two LNBFs; a receiver with a smartcard; coax cable to run from the receiver to the television; and the hardware for mounting the satellite dish. You do NOT get coax cable to run from the dish into your house. Most often, you can get free installation as part of the package by calling customer service after you purchase the system.
Please understand that you pay for the system and the programming separately. The $200 buys you the hardware; there is a monthly fee for the programming which will vary from $40 to $90 depending on your selections. Also understand that Dish was running a promotion where you received $200 back after ordering six months worth of programming worth more than $30 per month. In other words, with the specials the network runs, you will most likely get the hardware for free or obtain a substantial rebate.
As I am the impatient type, I decided to install the satellite system myself. I was more fortunate than most in that my house had already been previously wired for cable. All I had to do was mount the dish, aim it, and connect it which is easier said than done. The installation instructions tell you to get a compass; I couldn’t image attempting the install without it. You have to aim this tiny little dish at the great big sky and get it right or else you don’t see anything.
I live in a condominium so I was a bit worried about covenants not allowing the installation of the satellite dish. I went online to www.DishTV.com and found a FAQ that covered the issue. Apparently, under FCC rules, it is illegal for homeowner associations to prohibit the installation of satellite dishes on anything but common areas. The site gives a reference for the section of law and then gives another link to go to if you are being harassed by your condo association. That was a nice touch.
The installation instructions give you a table listing the azimuth, elevation, and skew to set the satellite dish. Azimuth is the direction you generally point the dish to; elevation is the up and down setting of the dish; and skew is the rotation of the dish. All of the settings were very easily made and were accomplished with an adjustable wrench and some patience.
Next I had to decide where to mount the dish. Because you are relying on a satellite signal for reception, it is important that you have line-of-sight to the satellite in the sky. This means that you can’t mount the dish behind a wall, in a clump of trees, etc. You can mount the thing to your roof or anywhere else you have line-of-sight. Be careful that the dish is on your property though.
Next, you have to make sure that your mounting spot is either completely flat (if you are mounting it horizontally) or completely straight (if you are mounting it vertically). I learned this lesson the hard way. My mounting point wasn’t completely vertical; it leaned forward a bit. This is important because it threw off my elevation settings by four degrees which was just enough to not get a signal.
After realizing what was going on, I adjusted my elevation angle and bingo! I caught the satellite signal. Acquiring the satellite signal is relatively simple, you mount the dish, connect the dish to the receiver and TV and then turn on the receiver. When you first turn on the receiver, you get a signal strength display, this allows you to fine tune the position of the dish. Once you’ve got a strong signal, you tighten up all of the adjustment screws to keep the dish pointed properly.
Since my house has already been wired for cable, I was able to use the existing coaxial cable. However, if you are planning to do this, you should be aware that some “splitters” that cable companies install will actually filter out your dish signal. To fix the situation you can replace them with simple pass-thru splitters which are widely available at your local Radio Shack. With the dish properly installed and the internal house wiring completed, you are ready to finish up.
The next step is to call the Dish Network, give them your smartcard number and select your programming options. After completing your call to the Dish Network, you will be told that you will receive your programming in two hours, for us, it was a matter of minutes. We have had the system installed for over two months now and have not had any trouble with it. The quality of the reception is excellent and there are a wide variety of programming options to choose from. The customer service is excellent and the prices are competitive with similar offerings from our local cable company.
One of the best benefits, for us at least, was the ability to break free from the county-sponsored monopoly on cable television in our area. We have exactly one cable provider and, as you can imagine, the service leaves much to be desired. The Dish Network provides a convenient, competitive alternative. We ordered “The Works” which includes just about every channel dish carries; it is expensive at about $80.00 per month, but with that we get all of the movie channels (so we can watch “Son-in-law” starring Pauly Shore in both English AND Spanish); tons of cartoon channels; and tons of sports.
Would we recommend Dish to a friend? We would and we have. We highly recommend this product!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200
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Epinions.com ID:
jm1710
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Member: John
Reviews written: 31
Trusted by: 5 members
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