How do they do it so Quick ?

[rs_andy]

Hello all ,may i just ask a question, i am what i call myself a novice satellite installer, i under stand how all the installation business works. I have done about 6 familiy houses.

But the thing which gets to me is how quick Sky installers find thier satellites so quick, I had a mate who had a sky bloke come and go within an hour. It takes me quite a while to find the satellites and get the arc right. (Sorry i forgot to say i installed Moving dishes). I understand they look at existing dishes but how do they do it so quick.

When i go to install a dish i normally take a Tv and the reciever next to me on the roof and try to find a signal from this. But my aunt has asked me to upgrade her fixed dish, and make it a moving one, but the problem is there is no way im able to take a tv on the roof because of where the pole is mounted. How can i do this ?

Please any help and advice would be greatly appreciate,

 

[Likvid]

There's no magic, when you are used to install dishes you do it on a routine.

And when you are talking about Sky those dishes are so small you get signal very easy just by holding it in the hand and look for signal.

Also they most often have a instrument like the Horizon meter so it's preset for the satellite and when the dish get signal the instrument beeps and then you can fintune the dish by looking at the levels on the instrument.

When i worked we had big 1.8m dishes with motors, it was big money in those days, i could get easily about 1000 euro for just installing the dish.

Anyway, the shop i used to work with said we had 15 minutes maximal time to spend on the dish when aligning it.

Most often we aligned the dishes perfectly under 10 minutes.

 

[rs_andy]

10 mins OMG Thats quick, Thats why i call myself a novice installer. Just have to try figure a way of doing me aunts one without me tv then.

Should be fun O-Ha O-Ha O-Ha

 

[gameboy]

The S*y boys do fixed dishes - that's a lot easier and forgiving than motorised.

You don't have to worry about the mount being vertical and the arc set.

A motorised system will take longer than 10 minutes.

 

[rs_andy]

Thanks for the replies Likvid and Gameboy, makes me feel a bit better now, not just down to my inexperience, ill say it's due to the difficaultiness of the installation of moving systems ;)


Just have to take my time in doing my aunts one.

Thanks Everyone

 

[gameboy]

Think it would be fair to say that most S*y employed installers wouldn't take on a motorised system.

 

[RedDevil_UK]

the new sky dishes, even have a built in spirit level!!!
heres mine

excuse the quality, i took it with the phone

 

[Likvid]

How much do you get in salary each month being a hired licensed Sky installer?

 

[wod]

looks like a good setup there reddevil is that a 1.1m on the front of the house ?

 

[hellohellopal]

Think it would be fair to say that most S*y employed installers wouldn't take on a motorised system.

Yeah you are right. I have called nearly 6 of the satellite dish installer here in Stoke On Trent. asked them if they can fix Motorised dishes. Guess what all of them responded NO CAN DO!
I have found only one installer and guess again what. He asked for £320+VAT.

Thats why I am try to install it myself.

OUT

 

[wod]

i know i'm also going to attempt it too and will probably end up with just 3 satellites found lol

 

[edd173]

When i was at Sly we used to do 5 installs a day and with a digimeter i had alignment down to under 5 mins easily. And i was one of the decent ones, even if i do say so myself. The sky dishes, for all i slate them, are very rigid when assembled, plus they have 5 skew settings. So there isnt much to get wrong. And finding 28.2 is a bit like throwing a stone at a barn from 5 feet away.

I have done fixed dishes for Hotbird, Hispasat etc and a couple of motorised dishes, but nothing used to scare me more than a dual LNB fit - they take a few goes to get used to. Its the biggest bummer in the world when you align one LNB, to find you have shifted the other:-bash

 

[RedDevil_UK]

Yes WOD its my trusty 1.1m Triax pointing at 30w Disney channel for the kids lol

hellohellopal another reason, why Sky installers cant or wont install multi bird systems, is because the meter they are supplied with is fixed at 28.2e (Astra) only.
i dont know if the Sky installer was telling the truth about the price, but he said his meter was worth £600!! obviously cost him bugger all though. Like his free Sky subscription he gets as part of the deal

 

[edd173]

The level of software my meter had when i left (mid 2001) could do 28.2, 19.2 and 13 degrees east. 600 quid sounds a bit steep, you can get them on ebay for 200. The sky guys all have them because, the first time they complete 5 installs in a day as opposed to 4, then the meter has paid for itself. And they dont get to keep them when they leave (officially)

 

[Lord Minty]

finding 28.2 is a bit like throwing a stone at a barn from 5 feet away.

You can say that again - I can't find anything else BUT 28.2! :mad:

 

[stealthpirate]

Done motorised before, big dishes and jacks, took a while but got there in the end....
But just popped myself up a diseqc motor and I can honestly say it was p*ss easy, didn't even use a meter! (all sats 30 to 30, 85% signal on most).
Fit pole vertical, set angle on diseqc, fit to dish, point roughly at 1 west, move dish up and down 'til best signal on box (and a little L&R!) nip all bolts up, that was it, everything dropped in...... amazing.
Though to be honest if I went again I'd just make do with a fixed 80cm and a monoblock! (13 & 19.2)..... you have to be dedicated to keep searching all the time, I'm not and mainly flick between 13 & 19.2 (techno 1500)

 

[Yeshi]

Yes WOD its my trusty 1.1m Triax pointing at 30w Disney channel for the kids lol

hellohellopal another reason, why Sky installers cant or wont install multi bird systems, is because the meter they are supplied with is fixed at 28.2e (Astra) only.

Cobra aint !

I installed standard sky .. thats dish line up.. cable run.. everything callback etc in 30 mins..

Sky+ took 45 mins.. the only thing i could pin that too was the fact that call backs on sky+ boxes failed allot more..


My meter wasnt a laguna meter... so i could choose what sat i wanted..

Laguna in my opinion is for babies.. dish up aim on same as next doot tweak and the thing bleeped... adjust the signal to high as pos and tighten up.. easy..

 

[jeallen01]

a dual LNB fit - they take a few goes to get used to. Its the biggest bummer in the world when you align one LNB, to find you have shifted the other:-bash

Try 5 LNB's (28E - 5W) on a Raven 90 with an extended LNB arm - that really drives you nuts (I did it in the end, but finally gave up 28E and used a Minidish for that due to the number of dropouts)

John A

 

[don'tknowdon'taskme]

when i set mine up 85cm dish and stab motor went up very easy never done it before .but this 1.25 gib on a polarmount right pain in the william the readings on the mounts seemed to be way off still not sure if its right to this day get 28 east to 30 west nothing after that.

 

[edd173]

Try 5 LNB's (28E - 5W) on a Raven 90 with an extended LNB arm - that really drives you nuts (I did it in the end, but finally gave up 28E and used a Minidish for that due to the number of dropouts)

John A

Unfortunately there isnt a `bow` smiley - but fair play to you anyway.