Switching back to Metrocast

Pete

Pete

Repete
So I called and am switching back to cable from Direct TV.

First reason is that I cannot seem to get the dish pointed correctly to get all the HD channels. I can get half, the other half say searching for signal. Adjust the dish and I get the other half and the ones I got before go to searching for signal. Every time it rains more than a drizzle the whole thing goes out.........searching for signal..........

Second reason is I have DSL and it has gotten expensive. I can bundle TV and internet together, get all the channels to come in, in all weather for the price I am paying for direct TV.

Before they set me up for installation is there a reason why this does not make sense? Is there a compelling reason to stick with Direct TV?
 
cheezgrits

cheezgrits

Thought pirate
Metrocast TV is OK, would be better with competition. But internet is good and I have digital phone which is OK. Has been some service issues lately, but mainly just aggravation, things like poor HD, outages etc.
 
IHDU

IHDU

Does it really matter?
Pete said:
So I called and am switching back to cable from Direct TV.

First reason is that I cannot seem to get the dish pointed correctly to get all the HD channels. I can get half, the other half say searching for signal. Adjust the dish and I get the other half and the ones I got before go to searching for signal. Every time it rains more than a drizzle the whole thing goes out.........searching for signal..........

Second reason is I have DSL and it has gotten expensive. I can bundle TV and internet together, get all the channels to come in, in all weather for the price I am paying for direct TV.

Before they set me up for installation is there a reason why this does not make sense? Is there a compelling reason to stick with Direct TV?
Click to expand...

I have Direct TV and metrocast internet. I never had success trying to adjust the dish myself, so I have the tech do that. I have had direct for over six years with only one adjustment required. When I upgraded to HD I found that dish to get much better reception during storms.

At one time I considered switching to metrocast cable, but I found that I would have had to get a more expensive package through metrocast to get all of the channels I was getting from the dish.
 
GWguy

GWguy

*
Unless you're a huge sports fan and get one of the DirectTV sports packages, no.

However, I will say that all of your issues are from poor alignment of the dish. You should probably have a pro align it.

I had DishTV which uses all the same dishes and LNBs. Mine only went out in the most severe of storms that came in from the southwest, and usually only for a few minutes tops.
 
Dupontster

Dupontster

Would THIS face lie?
Different strokes for different folks but I have had Direct TV for years with no problems at all...I had them set the dish when I got HD and it hardly ever goes out..Now it will go out for a while with a hard downpour..I suggest before switching, call DTV and ask them to come out and point the dish and try that for a while..You already have it now...If that doesn't work for ya, you can always switch later..
 
vraiblonde

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Dupontster said:
Now it will go out for a while with a hard downpour..
Click to expand...

My cable doesn't go out in storms. I lost it for a few days during the hurricane last year, but I didn't have any power, either. Occasionally it blips and resets, but it's out for less than a minute.

People complain about Metrocast but I've never had any problems with them.
 
Pete

Pete

Repete
GWguy said:
Unless you're a huge sports fan and get one of the DirectTV sports packages, no.

However, I will say that all of your issues are from poor alignment of the dish. You should probably have a pro align it.

I had DishTV which uses all the same dishes and LNBs. Mine only went out in the most severe of storms that came in from the southwest, and usually only for a few minutes tops.
Click to expand...

Dupontster said:
Different strokes for different folks but I have had Direct TV for years with no problems at all...I had them set the dish when I got HD and it hardly ever goes out..Now it will go out for a while with a hard downpour..I suggest before switching, call DTV and ask them to come out and point the dish and try that for a while..You already have it now...If that doesn't work for ya, you can always switch later..
Click to expand...

The "pro" is typically some guy who helped out another installer 3 or 4 times before they gave him his own magnetic signs for his old van. They do the same thing do; one watches tv while the other one moves the dish and yells "OK!"

My problem is trees and they have been trimmed as much as possible. Also the dish is 60 feet from the house. If metro cast comes out and starts trying to sqeeze more out of me for installation I will send them packing and give the DTV guys another chance to align or reposition the dish.
 
GWguy

GWguy

*
Pete said:
The "pro" is typically some guy who helped out another installer 3 or 4 times before they gave him his own magnetic signs for his old van. They do the same thing do; one watches tv while the other one moves the dish and yells "OK!"

My problem is trees and they have been trimmed as much as possible. Also the dish is 60 feet from the house. If metro cast comes out and starts trying to sqeeze more out of me for installation I will send them packing and give the DTV guys another chance to align or reposition the dish.
Click to expand...

It used to be that you only had to align the dish in 2 planes, direction and azimuth. Now you need to add in a tilt dimension which makes it tougher. If you feel like investing, you can get a signal strength meter just for dish alignment. Also, go to the DirectTV site to get the step by step procedures.

If the dish is 60 feet from the house, you may be getting signal loss due to distance or connectors. Make sure the connectors are clean and secure. You might have to get a line booster amp. Run a clean new cable over ground from the dish to the receiver as short a run as you can, and see if that gives you a stronger signal as measured by the on-screen receiver strength screen.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3264941
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103926&clickid=prod_cs
 
Last edited:
Rommey

Rommey

Well-Known Member
vraiblonde said:
My cable doesn't go out in storms. I lost it for a few days during the hurricane last year, but I didn't have any power, either. Occasionally it blips and resets, but it's out for less than a minute.

People complain about Metrocast but I've never had any problems with them.
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Even if you have a generator to power your house, odds are that the cable equipment coming to the neighborhoods will also not have power, therefore, you have no TV or internet. This happened this past storm as we had power at the house courtesy of my generator, we had TV courtesy of DishNetwork, but we had no internet since the Comcast signal was not there.
 
Dupontster

Dupontster

Would THIS face lie?
vraiblonde said:
My cable doesn't go out in storms. I lost it for a few days during the hurricane last year, but I didn't have any power, either. Occasionally it blips and resets, but it's out for less than a minute.

People complain about Metrocast but I've never had any problems with them.
Click to expand...

There ya go...Different strokes for different folks. Wouldn't do for everyone to like the same thing...
 
vraiblonde

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Dupontster said:
There ya go...Different strokes for different folks. Wouldn't do for everyone to like the same thing...
Click to expand...

Well sure it would. I'm a huge fan of assimilation. If everyone liked what I like, and thought the way I thought, this could be a great country again.
 
Dupontster

Dupontster

Would THIS face lie?
vraiblonde said:
Well sure it would. I'm a huge fan of assimilation. If everyone liked what I like, and thought the way I thought, this could be a great country again.
Click to expand...

I kind of feel the same way. I am a fan of DTV and I think everyone should have it. Give em my account number and I will get me some money. So there.
 
flyingdog

flyingdog

Member
We just switched from Metrocsat to DTV. Our MC bill was $119 - DTV is $51. Next year it will be $80. I am curious about losing the signal - went out for a few minutes tonight - but I don' t think it will ever be too much to make up that price diff. Plus we got the NFL - which really excites me. I should add that my cable internet and phone is through MC but a diff business acct so we were not getting the bundled price.
 
somdfunguy

somdfunguy

not impressed
flyingdog said:
We just switched from Metrocsat to DTV. Our MC bill was $119 - DTV is $51. Next year it will be $80. I am curious about losing the signal - went out for a few minutes tonight - but I don' t think it will ever be too much to make up that price diff. Plus we got the NFL - which really excites me. I should add that my cable internet and phone is through MC but a diff business acct so we were not getting the bundled price.
Click to expand...
Since you already have VoIP try Ooma
 
ginwoman

ginwoman

Well-Known Member
I'm going to check into DishTV. We have direct tv now and its so expensive. Of course that's probably because we have all the channels. My internet is w/Metrocast and like it. I understand DishTV has internet also.
 
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