My So Cal VOOM is STILL Out!

[Boondockbill]

No signal as of early Sunday AM. Hard recycle - 4x's and STILL no signal as of Monday AM. VOOM can't figure it out. There's been no wind and all connections are bubbled in silicone.

Tech Monday PM.

Will keep ya all posted.

 

[Sean Mota]

How about your dish? did it move? do you have a diplexor connected to your box?

 

[tdillon]

I lost satellite signal Saturday night when the first rain hit. Sunday I got half the satellite channels back for a while with satellite signal strength jumping around between 72 and 83. Sunday night when second mild drizzle wafted through the area I lost all signal again. Multiple reboots (soft and hard) didn't fix anything, and instead of tuning channel 100 after the reboots, the box settled on 101 but never tuned anything. Finally in desperation I tried this: After rebooting the box, as soon as it attempted to tune 100 I manually changed to OTA channel 7-1. To my surprise the OTA channel actually locked and tuned. The previous boots where the box couldn't get to the satellite the OTAs weren't working at all either.

This morning talked to Voom CSR. Signal is coming in now at 88 to 93, but still missing half the satellite channels (steady satellite signal of 97 is "normal" for me). They had me reboot (like I didn't try that already). They said that they will "Zap" the box to have it tune the satellite better (ya.. right ). The service call is set for Thursday afternoon.

I have 6.20, a channel master 4248 hooked up using the diplexor (so power is being sent to a non-amplified OTA antenna) and according to today's CSR I have an 18" dish, although it looks larger to me than my neighbor who has a E* 18" pointed in the same direction. My dish and OTA aren't grounded, and Installs keeps sending the same tech, who tells me that everything is installed correctly, and it doesn't need to be grounded because he put a ground wire on my STB. To my thinking, that means a lightning hit to the dish or OTA would follow the cable down through my house to be eventually sent through my STB and TV before finding a "happy place" going into my house wiring to follow that ground.

 

[warkovision]

So far rain or clouds haven't effected my OTA digitital channels. This makes some sort of sense to me because those signals (for me) are always stronger, don't have to come through so much atmosphere, and are not part of the satellite portion of the service. I really don't know what I'm talking about here, just surmising. Anyhow this fade issue seems to make watching VOOM here in L.A. for some, even in the slightest inclement weather, dicey at best. I'll call them today and see if I can get a service visit.

After rebooting the box, as soon as it attempted to tune 100 I manually changed to OTA channel 7-1. To my surprise the OTA channel actually locked and tuned. The previous boots where the box couldn't get to the satellite the OTAs weren't working at all either.

 

[Boondockbill]

No signal as of early Sunday AM. Hard recycle - 4x's and STILL no signal as of Monday AM. VOOM can't figure it out. There's been no wind and all connections are bubbled in silicone.

Tech Monday PM.

Will keep ya all posted.

Voom tech failed to show up (again). This the 3rd time this has happened. I've had VOOM for 7-months and there's STILL pic dropouts, program menu disappearance, Voom tech no-shows, to sum it up: it's a mess.

Don't you think they would've worked out the majority of the bugs by now? I seriously thinking about cancelling. But then I have to go back to DISH (which has very low HD programming) or Directv (which is about the same). But at least I'll get troublefree pics!

 

[Bilodeaumj]

Boondockbill,

I understand your frustration as I was out for 6 days, where I read some good books and contemplated the need for TV...Are you in the San Diego region. If so, I will provide you with my good Installs guy (he ownes his own company). You can request the installer from Installs Inc. I would call Installs personally the day before and ensure that there is someone coming out. They will even provid you with the guys number. I don't have any contacts for LA but maybe put out a request to see if anyone can recommend anybody. Good luck! MJB

P.S. I am up and running at full strength now and haven't pick up a book since...

 

[Boondockbill]

Boondockbill,

I understand your frustration as I was out for 6 days, where I read some good books and contemplated the need for TV...Are you in the San Diego region. If so, I will provide you with my good Installs guy (he ownes his own company). You can request the installer from Installs Inc. I would call Installs personally the day before and ensure that there is someone coming out. They will even provid you with the guys number. I don't have any contacts for LA but maybe put out a request to see if anyone can recommend anybody. Good luck! MJB

P.S. I am up and running at full strength now and haven't pick up a book since...

Thanks for the offer but supposedly the tech will be out tommorrow. I STILL have my trusty C-Band going - it hasn't broken down since I installed it - 10 years ago. AND, of course, the C-Band pic is vastly superior to any SD pic.

 

[Sean Mota]

No signal as of early Sunday AM. Hard recycle - 4x's and STILL no signal as of Monday AM. VOOM can't figure it out. There's been no wind and all connections are bubbled in silicone.

Tech Monday PM.

Will keep ya all posted.

I will strongly suggest you to have him check the LNB and diplexor or multiswitch (if any). The diplexor or Multiswitch and LNB are where most of these problem happen.

 

[tdillon]

Today the rain is gone. My signal is back to 97 and I am getting all channels again. Should I cancel the service? The three times that Voom has been to my house it has been the same guy. I really don't think he will change anything. He keeps telling me to switch to Directv. Then he told me how great Oprah looks on his HD set, that ABC is doing a great job with their HD content and Oprah must have bought the best HD cameras, because her show is crystal clear. (Oprah is not an HD show, so I don't trust this tech one bit.)

 

[Sean Mota]

tdillon,

you need a 24" dish. That should minimize the rain fade. Make a case with VOOM. Keep calling them until they set you up with a 24" dish.

 

[Vreesar]

I'd force the guy to replace your LNB if nothing else.

 

[Bilodeaumj]

Don't let him leave until he replaces the diplexor. That's what did it for me. It doesn't cost him anything sa VOOM is paying him anyway. Good luck..

 

[tdillon]

I just re-read my previous post. What I meant was should I cancel the service call, not the Voom service. There is no other game in town yet that can match the HD selection and quality that Voom has right now. It should only get better once they add the other birds to their service.

I am going to call Voom again and request a larger dish. I kept hoping that the new elliptical dishes would be available, so I have been putting off this call. This is actually the first rain fade that I have experienced since the original installation.

 

[Boondockbill]

Today the rain is gone. My signal is back to 97 and I am getting all channels again. Should I cancel the service? The three times that Voom has been to my house it has been the same guy. I really don't think he will change anything. He keeps telling me to switch to Directv. Then he told me how great Oprah looks on his HD set, that ABC is doing a great job with their HD content and Oprah must have bought the best HD cameras, because her show is crystal clear. (Oprah is not an HD show, so I don't trust this tech one bit.)

I've had BUD (still do) for 10-years = great
Had DISHHD for 18-months - cancelled, lack of programming
Have VOOM (7 months) - 4 service calls, 3 no shows, billing overbilled 3x's
if they can't get it right in 7 months, adios!
That leaves Directv - guess I'll try that
I live rural so no HD cable or HD OTA

 

[Ilya]

The three times that Voom has been to my house it has been the same guy. I really don't think he will change anything. He keeps telling me to switch to Directv...

I would call VOOM/Installs and request a different installer...

 

[Boondockbill]

I would call VOOM/Installs and request a different installer...

I'd love to, but there's only one in our area

 

[Ilya]

I'd love to, but there's only one in our area

That's ok. If this one is incompetent, VOOM will send you an installer from another area, perhaps even from another state. I know, they did it before... Just tell them your installation story (and in case of tdillon the part about advertising DirectTV). I am sure they will be willing to find a different Installer.

I would also send a detailed email to Wilt Hildenbrand (wilth@optonline.net). He has helped a lot of people in the past.

 

[djjsin]

I'm in So Cal (Hermosa Beach to be exact, a suburb of Los Angeles), and I am having no problems. Signal is great yesterday and today.

 

[Who Me?]

Rain fade

Well day two of rain (off & on) and day 2 of sig. drop outs here in N. Calif.
I put a 24" dish in last week, out of my own pocket.
(Only cost me $45 so I'm not out much $$.)
As I did not want to deal with Install's Inc.
Peaked it for max sig. went from 84~86 to 90~93
Its lightly raining now and sig is at ~75.
So much for that!

Sence I dont expect Voom will pay for a 30"+ dish
And I can't take time off work to be here for a service call.
Guess next step is to buy a 30" dish but might as well go on up to 36" or 1 meter.
Any one know a good place to buy a 1 M. dish from?

Not Voomin in CA.

 

[tdillon]

I'm in So Cal (Hermosa Beach to be exact, a suburb of Los Angeles), and I am having no problems. Signal is great yesterday and today.

My STB still has not upgraded to software version 7.0B. I turn it off every night before I go to bed (which is usually around midnite PST). I've never had a problem in the past with the box being updated. I was out of town over this lastweekend, and the STB was turned off the whole time. I am currently on v6.20. Any idea's on what to do? I'm in los angeles

Maybe because you were out of town during the rain you didn't experience the rain fade that a lot of us in Los Angeles experienced.