Directv Satellite Dish
By k0b3x onI've been with directv for just over a year now and we subsribe to their HD service as well as an international package. This means that we have two huge satellite dishes that are installed in the back of the house. For the most part, I can say that the dishes have been reliable: there was one occasion where the internation Dish blew out a LNB and we needed to call someone out, but it didn't cost us any money. The other dish has been fine thus far.
Signal wise, the international dish has never lost a signal and is always available to watch no matter what the weather (I do live in socal so weather is not much of an issue). However, for some of the high def channels, it does give me an error such as "searching for signal" and I have to glitch my way on to watch it. I believe this is an error with the dish or the receiver and directv has no idea why it happens to me. Besides this minor inconvenience, the satellite dishes are okay and work relatively well. The size may be a problem to some because if you don't hide it, it may look ugly on a smaller house.

These sounds like good satellite dishes
it sounds like your 5LNB dish is slightly out of alignment. Have the CSRs sent a technician out to check it?
Truthfully? after being hooked up to fiberoptics for all our communications, I simply could never go back to Direct TV or any cable company. If Verizon is in your area, and are offering FIOS, run, don't walk to get hooked in.
I remember that "searching for signal" message now...it's all coming back to me, LOL. Sorry it does not work better for you :0)
Informative and well written. thanks for sharing.
Wow what kind of channels do you get with the international package? Luckily you have decent weather in so cal, my parents have direct tv and live in Michigan and their TV is always "searching for signal" I learned to hate that message whenever I went home from college to visit them. LOL
oh I remember the 'searching for a signal' message. Where I live you always have to worry about the weather. What kind of channels are on the international package? I think that might be interesting to watch!
We have direct tv and we have had a few problems with it. We lose signal a lot and I hate the way their menu works. When we move we are going to switch back to dish network. Direct tv is overrated lol. =-)
I hate those big ugly dishes! I think that might make me say no to a dish!