Signal Booster?

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cybrix

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I recently switched to BEV from cable. I've been having problems viewing HD channels since the dish was installed (professionally by Bell). If I check the signal strength on 91 I get between 95%-100% signal but I only get 56-65% strength on 82. I only have issues when it rains or snows even just a little bit. I don't think this is reasonable since I have no problems on standard channels which I believe are served by 91. I think my dish isn't pointing to 82 very well. I called BEV technical support and after reading him a few signal strength on different transponders (10,13,32) he said all I needed is a signal booster. I figured this was a physical piece of equipment but it's simply a command they send to my dish to start boosting the signal ?!? He said it would be activated between 15 minutes and 2 hours. I checked the signal this morning and it's still around 65%. I guess I'll only know the next time it snows. I think they should come and check the alignment on my dish but they don't think that's needed. Shouldn't I try to get somewhere near 80% signal (on a clear day) to avoid problems when it rain/snows? His argument is that my signal is "good" because it locks green at 65% but as soon as it rains, my TV is unwatchable.

I have a 3100 receiver (used) and I rent a 9200HD PVR. I live in the Ottawa area. My dish is on the roof, free and clear of any obstructions.

I'm looking for anyone's input on my situation to know what I should do.

Thanks.
 
When it was installed, did the "Bell installer" say that 65% was ok? Or did this occur over time? Are you cable runs long? How long are they? Bell should get their a$$ over to your place and align the dish properly. I don't think it's possible to get 95% on both sats at the same time.
 
According to the lore here from past customer service reps bell is not supposed to activate a service with less than 75% signal.
 
cybrix, I had the very same situation occur.

The BEV script monkey had me run all kinds of tests and determined my dish was out of alignment and that I would have to pay $75 for a visit to re-align. Since we were renting (they did the installs, we haven't touched a thing and it had been ongoing for some time) I flat out refused and said that I would cancel. After a transfer to the rentention dept. they agreed to send someone out to re-align 82 (never had a problem with 91). Took him about 5 minutes... what a difference that made. I had the same numbers you quote before the re-align and they jumped by a good 20% after. We didn't have any problems after the re-align.

The only downside is it took over 2 months to get the billing situation resolved from the visit. :)
 
I think you need to adjust the skew on your dish and possibly the elevation needs to be raised just the smallest amount.

But Bell should do it, I think it would be unacceptable to have signal strength that low from a "professional" installation.
 
You need to call back and DEMAND a Technician come re-align your Dish.....

There is NOTHING they can do remotely at all.

When you had the installation done, the Technician should have left you a Work Order Sheet, it should record the Signal Levels on BOTH satellites. As haystack says it is against policy to activate with less than 75%.

Do not take NO for an answer, you need the Dish pointing correctly, end of story.

Sounds like you got one of the thousands of CSR's who have no idea what is required. You may well have been dealing with India who will be reading from a script as of course they cannot see Express Vu out there. It cannot be easy for good Customer Relations when they have no access to the products they actually support, or try to anyway.

I always instructed my Technicians to show the customer the signal levels on BOTH satellite prior to leaving the house. Noting it on the Work Order is a requirement as well.

Call back, get them out, before there is too much snow that they cannot get onto the roof at all......
 
You are 100% correct.

Trouble is, as Express Vu lower the cash paid for Installations, the Installation Companies lower the price paid to the Techs, therefore they (Express Vu) get what they pay for, a cheap job.

They actually pay almost 30% LESS than Starchoice for a basic 1 receiver installation.

And the Technicians ONLY get paid if they can do the work, nothing for driving for an hour when there is no-one home....etc.

However, this Technician did not do the job right and HE should be made to go back and fix it. A good Tech would never leave an issue like this.
 
Out of curiousity, did you check the signal before you had issues?
The problem with roof installations, is many times the only thing holding the dish securely, is the plywood under the shingles. The odds of hitting joists/studs are minimal, so after some time, the dish will become loose, as the forces from the wind will pull the screws from the plywood. I would check the dish if you can access it, as you may need to seal the holes to prevent any water damage.
 
Which again is why I did everything in my power to not allow installations on the Roof at all.

Express Vu will ONLY sanction a roof mounted Dish if it is on the overhanging part of the roof.

If there was no option, and the customer agreed to sign a waiver, we would mount it on the main body of the roof, it was imperative that a Joist was found for at least 2 of the bolts, however there are purpose made Tar Strips that I insisted go underneath and also a liberal coating of flexible Tar spray after mounting.
 
I will check my copy of the work order when I get home. I know they were in a pretty big rush to leave once they finished. My program guide wasn't even populated yet. The installation was roughly 2 months ago and I noticed problems that same day. It was pouring rain when they installed it and I had to leave as soon as they were done but when I tried watching tv that night I was having problems (the rain wasn't as bad as during the installation, but it still caused my signal to go out).

The installation was done on the overhang of the roof to my request. I didn't want the dish at the front of the house so the roof in the back was the best solution for me. My cables are fairly long I guess, roughly 100ft from the dish to the TV. The switch (SW44?) is mounted outside on the back of the dish.

So there's no such thing as a "signal booster" that they can remotely beam to my dish? That's what the CSR called it.

Thanks for the responses, I'll let you know what happens.
 
You can get an inline amplifier, but I really don't think that is your problem. I believe your dish is out of alignment, and if your SW44 is mounted outside, I wonder if the installer used the right compression fittings. He doesn't seem to be the most professional installer out there.
 
Again I am 100% with you here willise.

Cybrix, there is NOTHING even reotely like a Signal Booster that can be applied remotely.....lol Although it's a great way to get the Customer off the line....

100ft is not an issue at all, well within limits.

It really does sound like a visit is required to re-align.
 
Installations are warrantied for 60 days. If your initial call was under 60 days, there should be no charge. After that, you may need to twist some arms but your options are limited when under contract.
 
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