Newbie DBS questions (1 Viewer)

[Jason Ly]

Hey folks,

I'm moving at the end of the month to a new apartment here in the metro Boston area that has never been wired for cable TV. The cable company (ATT) told me that I would need an electrician to come in a wire the house for cable before I could get thier service. Well, needless to say I am now thinking sat TV is the way to go.

I took asimuth reading's last weekend and the line of sight looks good, so here I go with the questions:

1) Are the receivers that come with the standard 18" RCA dish and two reciever DirecTV box set any good? As this is the easiest (and least expensive) option it would make the cost of entry easier to swallow.

2) if the answer to Q 1. is no. what would you folks recommend? Ideally, I would like to spend no more than $ 200- 250 (US). This would be for two tv hookup (bedroom and living room, digital out here would be a plus) w/ professional install. I would do it myself but I do not have the tools for running wire and drilling throught the exterior walls.

3)this is a question to any of you folks who live in the area. Is rain/snow fade a big problem here and how much dish maintainence do you do need to do in the winter months to keep a good signal.

Well, that's it. Thanks in advance for any help.

Jason

 

[Jason Ly]

Bump

 

[Robert_J]

1. The picture quality of the receivers are all basically the same. You just pay more for bells and whistles (unless you go for HD).
2. Look into getting a DirecTivo as your main receiver. Record and play back Dolby Digital. Most deals now have it for around $25 for new subscribers. Add a plain receiver for around $75 or another DirecTivo for $125. Go to Tivo Community and look in the DirecTV section. There is always a thread going with the best deals.
3. For snow, spray the dish with Pam or another non-stick cooking spray. If that doesn't work, get a dish heater. For rain fade or heavy snow in the air, make sure your dish is fine tuned for the highest signal strength. If that doesn't work, try a 24" dish.
-Robert