Had Sky+ installed just before Christmas - pretty much a perfect signal. Now
some enormous immovable trees are in full leaf, we have no signal of any
kind. A Sky-nominated engineer had a look this afternoon and after
wandering around the property with a dish and a meter found a spot in the
garden that had a good solid signal, and coincided with a break in the
tree-line.

Not fixable under Sky's coverage, but I'm told with a patio mount and a few
hundred quid, I can get it sorted.

Any recommendations on a patio mount and slab? I realise it won't be pretty,
but I'm sure I can fluff something up around it.

> Had Sky+ installed just before Christmas - pretty much a perfect signal. 
> Now
> some enormous immovable trees are in full leaf, we have no signal of any
> kind. A Sky-nominated engineer had a look this afternoon and after
> wandering around the property with a dish and a meter found a spot in the
> garden that had a good solid signal, and coincided with a break in the
> tree-line.

Presume you got a $ky installer to put it up ? If so get them back and 'tell 
them' to fix at their cost, threaten to cancel your contract with $ky until 
resolved. Surely the sale of goods act is covering this.

Dave Healey wrote:

>> Had Sky+ installed just before Christmas - pretty much a perfect signal.
>> Now
>> some enormous immovable trees are in full leaf, we have no signal of any
>> kind. A Sky-nominated engineer had a look this afternoon and after
>> wandering around the property with a dish and a meter found a spot in the
>> garden that had a good solid signal, and coincided with a break in the
>> tree-line.
> 
> Presume you got a $ky installer to put it up ? If so get them back and
> 'tell them' to fix at their cost, threaten to cancel your contract with
> $ky until resolved. Surely the sale of goods act is covering this.

Yes, Sky installer initially, so I'm of the same opinion that it's a problem
in the initial inspection - these trees are enormous and well-established,
so it isn't as if it was impossible to foresee for someone with the
relevant experience.

But I'm regarding Sky's involvement as a separate matter for the time being
and assuming that I'll need to cancel and make my own arrangements.

"Sean Inglis" <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
news:69dditF32ic12U1@mid.individual.net...
> Dave Healey wrote:
>
>>> Had Sky+ installed just before Christmas - pretty much a perfect signal.
>>> Now
>>> some enormous immovable trees are in full leaf, we have no signal of any
>>> kind. A Sky-nominated engineer had a look this afternoon and after
>>> wandering around the property with a dish and a meter found a spot in 
>>> the
>>> garden that had a good solid signal, and coincided with a break in the
>>> tree-line.
>>
>> Presume you got a $ky installer to put it up ? If so get them back and
>> 'tell them' to fix at their cost, threaten to cancel your contract with
>> $ky until resolved. Surely the sale of goods act is covering this.
>
> Yes, Sky installer initially, so I'm of the same opinion that it's a 
> problem
> in the initial inspection - these trees are enormous and well-established,
> so it isn't as if it was impossible to foresee for someone with the
> relevant experience.
>
> But I'm regarding Sky's involvement as a separate matter for the time 
> being
> and assuming that I'll need to cancel and make my own arrangements.
I had the same problem a  large beech tree  in front of my house
it was October when the sky installer fixed the dish to the front of my 
house and march when the tree started to have leaves on in .
I contacted sky and had the dish moved to the back of my house  (a non 
standard fix should have cost more for free) and 6 months free sky I moaned 
about the unsightly holes on the front of my house and the very poor service 
that the installer had provided
so phone sky and email sky and complain to them.

"Sean Inglis" <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
news:69d69cF32i3f6U1@mid.individual.net...
> Had Sky+ installed just before Christmas - pretty much a perfect signal. 
> Now
> some enormous immovable trees are in full leaf, we have no signal of any
> kind.

They should have used their eyes. They should not have installed a dish 
behind bare branches in winter. They are at fault.

Bill

"Sean Inglis" <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
news:69d69cF32i3f6U1@mid.individual.net...
> Had Sky+ installed just before Christmas - pretty much a perfect signal. 
> Now
> some enormous immovable trees are in full leaf, we have no signal of any
> kind. A Sky-nominated engineer had a look this afternoon and after
> wandering around the property with a dish and a meter found a spot in the
> garden that had a good solid signal, and coincided with a break in the
> tree-line.
>
> Not fixable under Sky's coverage, but I'm told with a patio mount and a 
> few
> hundred quid, I can get it sorted.
>
> Any recommendations on a patio mount and slab? I realise it won't be 
> pretty,
> but I'm sure I can fluff something up around it.

Usual thing. Sky dishes are small and light, so any old groundstand or patio 
mount will do. Personally I'd simply concrete a short length of 2" tube into 
the ground. A bag of readymix and few old bricks or whatever will do it. 
Either that or use a couple of kerbstones one on top of the other and put a 
standard wall bracket on the side of the lower one. Put a wicker screen 
round it. Put the four cables in tube (30mm blue alcathene water pipe is 
ideal, as long as no-one sees you do it). Use direct burial cable if 
possible. Make sure the pipe has a low point from which it will drain its 
full length.

Bill

"Sean Inglis" <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
news:69d69cF32i3f6U1@mid.individual.net...
> Had Sky+ installed just before Christmas - pretty much a perfect signal. 
> Now
> some enormous immovable trees are in full leaf, we have no signal of any
> kind. A Sky-nominated engineer had a look this afternoon and after
> wandering around the property with a dish and a meter found a spot in the
> garden that had a good solid signal, and coincided with a break in the
> tree-line.
>
> Not fixable under Sky's coverage, but I'm told with a patio mount and a 
> few
> hundred quid, I can get it sorted.
>
> Any recommendations on a patio mount and slab? I realise it won't be 
> pretty,
> but I'm sure I can fluff something up around it.


This smacks of a Sky fitter knowing it wouldn't be him who got the call-back 
in spring!

A mate of mine had Sky fitted in the winter, come summer he's suffering 
occasional severe break up.
After some thought, and while standing in his garden he realises that the 
(frosted) bathroom window opens right in front of the LOS for the dish!

Another fitter attends, moves the dish and leaves him with an insulating 
tape joint (not self amalgam) on the outside wall of his house.

I've never seen a Sky fitter do a job I would be proud to call mine, but I 
have a bit longer than 30 minutes to do my installs!

On 19 May, 12:23, Sean Inglis <inva...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> Had Sky+ installed just before Christmas - pretty much a perfect signal. Now
> some enormous immovable trees are in full leaf, we have no signal of any
> kind. A Sky-nominated engineer had a look this afternoon and after
> wandering around the property with a dish and a meter found a spot in the
> garden that had a good solid signal, and coincided with a break in the
> tree-line.
>
> Not fixable under Sky's coverage, but I'm told with a patio mount and a few
> hundred quid, I can get it sorted.
>
> Any recommendations on a patio mount and slab? I realise it won't be pretty,
> but I'm sure I can fluff something up around it.


Thanks for everyone's excellent advice. A Sky engineer insists on
coming out again on Weds as the last one didn't record the fact that
no reception was available. After 45mins, frankly I didn't have the
strength to argue, the whole shower are useless (although certainly
*trying* to help in some cases).

I think I'm heading down the Tv over broadband route, at least I can
get rid of all the shit dangling off / draped over my roof. I may
revisit when the freesat receiever market stabilises a  bit and
consider making the effort to dig the trenches I need.