G3 Smartcards

Below is one of the e-mails routed to Dish Network accredited retailers regarding guidelines of the G3 Smartcard Exchange process which actually started June of 2008. Some customers however were sent the smartcards on the latter part of 2008 to insert it to their receivers to continue receiving their programmed channels. Now, what happens 30 days after they were sent out the smartcards and they don't insert it yet is they'll get an error message such as: "the smartcard has expired", or "the smartcard is invalid for this receiver"' or just a blunt error like "Error 005".

October 8, 2008
Dear DISH Network® Retailer, Beginning in July of this year, DISH Network launched a project to exchange old (Aladin) Smart Cards in customer receivers for new (G3) Smart Cards. As part of this process, we are sending new G3 Smart Cards directly to customers with instructions on how to complete the simple installation process. Additionally, we have started to include the new G3 Smart Cards in receivers currently being sold - so for these receivers, the G3 Smart Card exchange may not be necessary.

Support for Un-Exchanged Smart Cards is Scheduled to End in November 2008

- In November, we plan to start the process of shutting off programming to Aladin Smart Cards. Therefore, it is important that you install customers with older receivers from your inventory first in order to deplete your supply of Aladin Smart Cards. The Aladin Smart Cards in these older receivers may be exchanged for the new G3 Smart Cards after they are activated with customers and before any programming shut-offs.

No Signal / Unusable Signal

Big part of the call volume I got today is related to Video Black, Blue, None, Snow (VBBNS). The customer is either getting a black screen, blank, blue snowy or even no signal. This normally happens if a button on the remote is pressed and the tv is no longer tuned to the modulated channel required for their television to be turned to, to get the picture from the receiver. It can also be that the receiver itself is turned off, in this case the television is not receiveng a signal at all from its input source.

Understanding input source also requires one's understanding of different TV inputs. Normally, if one is using a coax connection from the receiver to the television, the TV itself has to be set to either channel 3 or 4, and in case of a TV number 2, it has to be set on either channel 60 or 73.

Now for HD televisions, the task is somewhat complicated because of several input sources it caters. Below is a simple checklist of available cable connections in the market that one can use to connect to his TV.



Coaxial Cable (Can be RG6, RG11)



RCA Cable also known as Composite Cable



Component Cable, also known as Ypbpr Cable



DVI Cable or Digital Video Interface



HDMI CAble or High Definition Multimedia Interface



HDMI to DVD CAble



S-Video Cable



Toslink Cable

Analog to Digital Signal Transition

The Digital Transition is an FCC mandate for all over the air signals to switch from analog to digital transmission. The change will occur on June 12, 2009. All television viewers who receive their television signals over the air via antenna will need to change to satellite, cable, or purchase a digital converter box to continue watching their favorite channels.

Congress has granted a four-month extension on the deadline for broadcasters to transition to an all-digital signal to allow consumers more time to prepare for the transition. Based on broadcaster announcements, it is anticipated that several stations will begin transitioning to an all-digital signal beginning 2/17/09; the full transition will be complete on or before 6/12/09. However, some stations are already initiating testings on how the transition would affect the reception.

An estimated 14-20 million views will be affected by the 2009 Digital Transition. Every once in a while, I get calls from customers overlooking signal loss brought about by severe weather condition as a result of the transition.

One thing I want televiewers to remember however is that as long as their television is not analog, they are not going to be affected by the transition.

Don't Dish Me...

Working as a Technical Support Representative (TSR) for Dish Network is always a rewarding experience each day as I get to talk to different customers from different walks of life in the US. After several minutes of doing resets and checking equipment configuration, we often end up with either fixing the problem, setting up a replacement equipment, or lastly setting up a truck roll.

With my two (2) years stay as a TSR, I figure out the most common issues facing customers regardless of which equipment they have, be it High Definition (HD) or Standard Definition (SD).

Here's a list of the Top 10 Call Drivers:

1.) Signal Loss
2.) Remote Control Issue
3.) Audio/Video Issue
4.) Equipment Upgrade
5.) Programming Change
6.) Bill Inquiry
7.) Appointment Confirmation
8.) Pay-Per_View Orders
9.) Changes in Account Information
10.) Cancellation of Service

Signal Loss:

Given the nature of satellite broadcasting, signal is oftentimes affected by the ever-changing weather condition. At times, when subscribes move the equipment from one corner of the room to another, cable connection is somehow loosened, thereby giving an attention message like Attention 015, or Error 002, or Error 004.

Some causes of these error messages include:

• loose cable connection
• something's blocking the dish
• the dish might be a bit misaligned
• severe weather condition..

Remote Control Issues:

The good thing with Dish Network's equipment as opposed to any other service provider is the dual tuner receiver which is capable of hooking up to televisions. Each TV is assigned a remote control whidh is either Infra-red (IR) or Ultra-High_Frequency (UHF). Also, it's somehow universal in nature as it can be programmed to operate the television, video cassette recorders (VCR) or even DVD players and amplifiers.

However, a simple glitch on pressing a wrong button inadvertently would cause customer panic especially for not so tech-savvy customers prompting them to call for technical help.