RCA®- DIRECTV® "Do-It-Yourself" Installation Kit $14.99 at Radio Shack

[hpfanatic]

This is a nice kit considering all you get in it, for $14.99, in store only.

RCA®- DIRECTV® "Do-It-Yourself" Installation Kit

 

[Sesopedalian]

Really hot at that price. Great stuff to have on hand!

 

[DarkManX]

while working at radio shack me and a co-worker realized that breaking up the kit and selling everything seperately would be way over 50$ the price of gold 100ft RG6 is 39.99 i believe. lol

 

[Mksasquach]

Yeah....these items would be cool as spares.....it wouldnt make much sense if you used it for its intended purpose though, as DirectTV is and has been doing free installs right?......

 

[Krutoy]

Originally posted by: DarkManX
while working at radio shack me and a co-worker realized that breaking up the kit and selling everything seperately would be way over 50$ the price of gold 100ft RG6 is 39.99 i believe. lol

One thing to note is that the 39.99 cable is RG6 QS, quad shielded which is a better cable than the one included in the package. The kit is still a great deal even tho we had the same price on it for at least the last year=).

 

[sat4fun]

Originally posted by: Mksasquach
Yeah....these items would be cool as spares.....it wouldnt make much sense if you used it for its intended purpose though, as DirectTV is and has been doing free installs right?......

Yes they do free installs, but most of the installs are pathetic. They place the dish in the most convienent spot for them, this is not always the best spot for curb appeal of the house. They ran a white coax over a black roof and down a downspout of my neighbors house. It looks really lame. You get what you pay for. If you are the slightest bit handy, I suggest that you take the free install and have the guy leave the supplys for you to intstall. It's not hard.

 

[MagicBoy]

Yes they do free installs, but most of the installs are pathetic. They place the dish in the most convienent spot for them, this is not always the best spot for curb appeal of the house. They ran a white coax over a black roof and down a downspout of my neighbors house. It looks really lame. You get what you pay for. If you are the slightest bit handy, I suggest that you take the free install and have the guy leave the supplys for you to intstall. It's not hard.

Actually I have found that people that get crummy installations are people that let the installers perform a crummy installation. I have also found in my experience that contractors, in general, do the minimum amount of work to guarantee that they get paid. Do you tip a waitress for bad service? Do you pay restaraunts for cold food? Do you pay contractors and service people for work that is incomplete or not completed correctly? If you do... then stop. You are the reason the service industry has gone to crap.

Easy rules to follow during your free installation:
1. Tell the installer what you want not the other way around. It's your house not theirs.
2. If the installer won't do what you want because he doesn't feel like it or he doesn't want to get on your roof or because it's a day that ends in "y." Then tell him to go away and find you an installer that is willing to do what you want. (Please note that there are some cases where the dish can only be placed in certain locations on your property due to line of sight to the satellite.) Follow this up with a phone call to his manager and the people you bought the equipment from if you feel the installer is just lazy. This will generally get you some freebies.
3. If you have a black roof and the installer shows up with only white cable, Tell him he is an idiot and while you may see the occaisonal need for white cable he should carry both to satisfy the vast majority of installations.
4. If you are an audio-video junkie like me and want a special type of cable used for the install (ie. Black RG6 Quad shielded, etc) go buy the cable yourself and give it to the installer. Some installers are carrying RG6 Quad shielded cable but many are still carrying RG6 Dual Shielded cable. Difference is minimal for most installations. Home Depot carries RG6 and it can be bought by the foot. If you have a really big house and you require very long runs then go to your local electricians supply house. You can usually pick up a 1000' box of high quality RG6QS for between $50-$75.
5. Do not let the installer leave until you are happy with his work.

Now the people that you are talking about above either weren't home during the install, they don't have a spine or... they don't care about the curb appeal of their house (in which case I'm sorry that you live near them). I'm also willing to bet they could have their install redone for FREE with a simple phone call.

 

[sat4fun]

Originally posted by: MagicBoy

Yes they do free installs, but most of the installs are pathetic. They place the dish in the most convienent spot for them, this is not always the best spot for curb appeal of the house. They ran a white coax over a black roof and down a downspout of my neighbors house. It looks really lame. You get what you pay for. If you are the slightest bit handy, I suggest that you take the free install and have the guy leave the supplys for you to intstall. It's not hard.

Actually I have found that people that get crummy installations are people that let the installers perform a crummy installation. I have also found in my experience that contractors, in general, do the minimum amount of work to guarantee that they get paid. Do you tip a waitress for bad service? Do you pay restaraunts for cold food? Do you pay contractors and service people for work that is incomplete or not completed correctly? If you do... then stop. You are the reason the service industry has gone to crap. Easy rules to follow during your free installation: 1. Tell the installer what you want not the other way around. It's your house not theirs. 2. If the installer won't do what you want because he doesn't feel like it or he doesn't want to get on your roof or because it's a day that ends in "y." Then tell him to go away and find you an installer that is willing to do what you want. (Please note that there are some cases where the dish can only be placed in certain locations on your property due to line of sight to the satellite.) Follow this up with a phone call to his manager and the people you bought the equipment from if you feel the installer is just lazy. This will generally get you some freebies. 3. If you have a black roof and the installer shows up with only white cable, Tell him he is an idiot and while you may see the occaisonal need for white cable he should carry both to satisfy the vast majority of installations. 4. If you are an audio-video junkie like me and want a special type of cable used for the install (ie. Black RG6 Quad shielded, etc) go buy the cable yourself and give it to the installer. Some installers are carrying RG6 Quad shielded cable but many are still carrying RG6 Dual Shielded cable. Difference is minimal for most installations. Home Depot carries RG6 and it can be bought by the foot. If you have a really big house and you require very long runs then go to your local electricians supply house. You can usually pick up a 1000' box of high quality RG6QS for between $50-$75. 5. Do not let the installer leave until you are happy with his work. Now the people that you are talking about above either weren't home during the install, they don't have a spine or... they don't care about the curb appeal of their house (in which case I'm sorry that you live near them). I'm also willing to bet they could have their install redone for FREE with a simple phone call.

What you say is true. I have come to the conclusion that everyone gives the bare minimum. If you want it done right, do it yourself.

Regarding Quad shield, this is only needed if you have something to shield from. This is only needed if you have interference issues. The difference in price is considerable. and is a waste in most installs. The incereased stiffness and thickness of the quad also makes it harder to work with. It's harder to get around the corners and down the smaller holes in the studs in an existing wall. I have both dual and quad running in my house, and there is NO difference in signal quality.

 

[bradolson]

nice deal. picked up a kit this morning. thanks.

Brad