Weekend Update (10/25-10/27)

I don’t know where the time goes! It certainly goes somewhere, though… I never did post an update from last weekend. Have talked with several customers, and I genuinely appreciate your continued patience…

In Marquette, I had sincerely hoped to fix Lifetime. My old satellite receiver seems to have most likely gone out during a thunderstorm… it’s got a little computer inside, so naturally, that’s going to be the first thing to roll over and quit. When you plug it in, the front panel just blips on, off, on, off. I took another digital receiver to replace it, but it turns out they use the “S” standard rather than the “M” standard for their satellite transmission… and the receiver I had with me was only for “M” signals. Trinity, naturally, uses neither “S” nor “M” for their transmission… so those two are still on hold.

I fixed channels 7 (Fox-24, Wichita) and 10 (KAKE-10, Wichita) — much better. Channel 12 is also improved, but has more work to be done. This will be completed in a few days.

I did make a lot of progress on Internet speeds, including installation of a new software platform that performs continuous monitoring on cable modems and can report back to me on signal quality and reliability at each house.

Here is a very important point: If you have Internet trouble, please call me. It seems many customers have gotten so accustomed to problems, that they sit back and wait, figuring it’s another one of those things. That’s not my way of doing business. If you have to leave a message, please be assured that I will receive it and will acknowledge it as soon as possible. If there is a widespread Internet outage, I will update TV Channel 2 if possible.

MAC Address	xxxx.xxxx.xxxx
IP Address	xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Prim Sid	11
Interface	C5/0/U0
sysDescr	General Instrument SB3100 Cable Modem	Hardware version	2; OS	VxWorks 5.3.1; Software version	3.2.17p
Upstream Power	58.00 dBmV (SNR = 26.48 dBmV)
Downstream Power	-10.05 dBmV (SNR = 35.04 dBmV)
Timing Offset	3054
Initial Timing Offset	3054
Received Power	!-3.00
MAC Version	DOC1.0
QoS Provisioned Mode	DOC1.0
Enable DOCSIS2.0 Mode	Y
Phy Operating Mode	tdma
Capabilities	{Frag=N, Concat=N, PHS=N, Priv=BPI}
Sid/Said Limit	{Max Us Sids=0, Max Ds Saids=0}
Optional Filtering Support	{802.1P=N, 802.1Q=N}
Transmit Equalizer Support	{Taps/Symbol= 0, Num of Taps= 0}
Number of CPE IPs	0(Max CPE IPs = 5)
CFG Max-CPE	5
Flaps	11229(Oct 30 13	42	10)
Errors	0 CRCs, 0 HCSes
Stn Mtn Failures	239 aborts, 0 exhausted
Total US Flows	1(1 active)
Total DS Flows	1(1 active)
Total US Data	31564 packets, 3491163 bytes
Total US Throughput	33768 bits/sec, 16 packets/sec
Total DS Data	31612 packets, 2851211 bytes
Total DS Throughput	21382 bits/sec, 12 packets/sec
Active Classifiers	0 (Max = NO LIMIT)
DSA/DSX messages	permit all
Total Time Online	1h18m

Slick, huh?

I’ll be installing the same thing in Bentley soon.

In Bentley, still no Fox News. I’m looking at $1,500 for their downlink equipment. Will keep you posted. HGTV— another interesting development: They use “M” satellite gear, so I called up their control center to ask them to authorize my new receiver to get HGTV so I could fix that channel. “We don’t show any records that you have HGTV in Bentley.” D’oh! So despite the fact that we all know it was there, I’m having to sort that out in the contract. I’m paying for it (I have to pay a monthly charge to the programming providers for just about all of the channels), yet… well, go figure. HBO is still to be determined.

Bills are coming out soon for November. For now, I will keep the due date at the 25th of the month, but appreciate your prompt payment.

Marquette Today - Ambitious Plans

I've been at it for a couple of hours now in Marquette, planning to repair Lifetime TV, convert 7, 10, and 12 to digital clarity... no change required to your TV. Lifetime is actually still up in the air, because although I do have a new digital satellite receiver with me to replace the one that apparently took a power or lighting hit, it's not exactly identical to the original one... so all I can do is "try it and see."

I have a MAJOR Internet upgrade planned for the day... this WILL cause a disruption, though I hope it will only take a few minutes. It will be worth it for the new quality and cabilities that will come from it.

If you read this before the upgrade, I need to hear from you right away to check your cable modem's serial number and match it up in the new system. If you have friends with Internet service from Blue Sky, please call them and ask them to call me too... 546-2800.

My biggest concern with this upgrade is that since it will be disruptive, I'm hoping that there will not be people who say "I can't believe it, they're out of service again!" You might wonder why I would do this during the day... the answer is not half bad :) ... the middle of the night would theoretically be "better," but if I do that, then there's the real possibility of everbody waking up and nobody having Internet. Don't want that... would rather catch people during the day as they happen to get online and work with them individually if they have trouble from the upgrade.

I'll be in Bentley late today or early Sunday.

Weekend Preps

It seems my repair work of last weekend has held its own pretty well.

I’ll be meeting with a consultant tonight to review some of my contract arrangements with the television programming providers and learn more about the future disposition of WGN, HGTV, and Fox News in Bentley. At the moment it seems like Fox News is a receiver replacement, HGTV is a receiver reprogramming and WGN is an “I’m not sure.” Tonight’s meeting should clear that all up with a reasonable degree of certainty so that I can continue repairs.

In Marquette, I’ll be replacing the satellite receiver for Lifetime and possibly Trinity if I have one. Bigger news for Marquette is that I hope to convert some or all of the local channels to digital reception. This doesn’t impact the individual viewer’s television or home equipment – only the quality of the picture.

I’ll be in both towns this weekend.

There will be a brief Internet outage in Marquette as I replace some hardware and perform some upgrades — and it all goes according to plans, it will only take a few minutes. If you experience an outage of more than about 15 minutes, please call me at 546-2800.

Adventures in Marquette

Just arrived back in Oklahoma a few minutes ago… very productive weekend.

Things are looking up for my customers in Marquette after my visit today, with TBS (4), CNN (14), Headline News (28), and TNT (38) all restored to service.

I was able to make a significant improvement to the picture quality on Channel 12 although I have to confess I’m not sure if I did “enough” – one of those things that “I hope” continues to work well… so even though it’s better, it’s not to my standards, so I will be doing more on Channel 12.

Channels 7 and 10 also have a lot of room for improvement, so next weekend my plan is to return to Marquette to install new digital receivers on these channels along with 12. That really should get us in good shape and take care of these things once and for all.

That leaves me here: the satellite receivers for Lifetime (29) and Trinity (36) are dead… I don’t know if it was lightning, a power surge, or just what might have torched these receivers (or precisely when), but neither receiver is working, despite the fact that the signals are there… these things cost $1,000+/each… ouch… but I will order new ones and bring them up. I don’t know just when this might be, but if things to really well, I may be able to have them with me this coming weekend.

Once I get the channels in good order, I’ll be starting with the outside facilities, making sure I’m delivering these channels in good quality all the way to your house.

Bentley Progress Report – Good News

As of today in Bentley, CNN (channel 31), TBS (channel 19), and TNT (channel 29) are back in service! I also found and fixed the problem with the audio on ABC Family (channel 21) and turned up the volume on The Weather Channel (23) – it seemed to be unusually low.

Bentley still has some system-wide things that need to be improved – but overall this was good progress.

I had hoped to make it to Marquette today as well, but the best-laid plans didn’t materialize, so I spent most of the day in Bentley.

I’m posting tonight from the Swedish Country Inn in Lindsborg, where I’ll be staying, planning on a full day in Marquette on Sunday. I’m optimistic that I will be able to restore most of the missing channels in Marquette as well, and, I’m going to focus on improving the quality on Channel 12 there.

Here’s a little background information on some of the vacant channels in Bentley:

Cable Channels 3, 10, and 12 are vacant by design, because of the closeness of the Wichita broadcast transmitters and the interference problems that could result. Channel 6 says “WGN” on some of the channel guides I’ve seen, but I’m not finding a feed from WGN. Could be old information – will have to investigate this one. Right now, I have connected a closed circuit camera with a bird’s eye view inside my building. The picture needs tweaking – it’s too bright. Channel 14 looks like maybe it’s supposed to be CNN Headline News. I’m looking to see if there’s anything to back this up in my records. Channel 24 has what I would call a “herringbone” interference pattern. I’m receiving a clean signal from KSAS-TV (Fox) but there appears to be something in my building interfering there… so more research needed. If this isn’t readily fixable, I’ll move KSAS to a clean channel. A&E (channel 41) still has some kind of snowy interference, and channels 43 and 44 have nothing on them. I have some information that suggests 43 might have been “Starz” and 44 may have been “HGTV.” Again, back to the records to see if these are channels I have available. Fox News is the bad news, because I will need to purchase a new satellite receiver to get Fox News going again in Bentley. Will keep you posted on that one.

If you have any insights into what “should be” on a particular channel, please let me know.

Overall, the channels in Bentley look pretty good leaving my building… so if they don’t look good at your house, let me know and we’ll get out and inspect it.

Starting the Cleanup

It’s Saturday morning and this weekend is a big one.

I’m getting ready to leave Oklahoma. In a little while, I’ll be headed to Bentley to take the first steps toward cleaning up the systems. I plan to spend several hours there if not the entire day, and then head north to Marquette to do the same thing, this afternoon or tomorrow.

You may laugh… some of these things are funny, in a not-really-funny kind of way. Seriously.

But here’s what lies ahead for me:

First, I’ll go through the channels and figure out what channel is supposed to be where. I told you it was funny. I don’t have a channel lineup sheet, and those of you who do have probably found them to be inaccurate. So first, I need to know what goes where.

Then, I need to document my facility. My hope is to find a couple of volunteers willing to drive out to the “head end” to flip an occasional switch or restart/reboot an occasional piece of hardware. These shouldn’t happen often, but equipment and technology are never 100% bullet-proof. Proper documentation will make this process relatively easy even for a person without a lot of technical expertise, and local volunteers will make it much easier for me to restore or investigate outages more quickly.

Next, I’ll be evaluating the quality of the picture and sound on the channels that are working. Anything that’s not easy to watch will need to be fixed, whether this means checking connections, the aim of my antennas or satellite dishes, or something else. If these are relatively simple fixes, I’ll fix them today. If not, I’ll formulate a plan and tell you about it here.

If I have channels that are completely dead, there are a few things that immediately come to mind as possibilities…

• Possibly, the equipment simply needs to be reset, with nothing less obvious than a power-off/power-on sequence.
  
• Maybe, I need to call the network and have them re-enable my receiver (sometimes, they do spontaneously lose their authorization, and the satellite company has to re-authorize them).
  
• Alternately, I could have a defective satellite receiver (takes satellite signals, turns them into raw, viewable video) or a defective modulator (takes that same raw video and inserts it into the cable system on the appropriate channel).
  
• It is also possible, as appears to be the case with Fox News, that the channel may have moved to a different satellite and/or that the channel may have changed the technology they use to send the signal to me – making my equipment obsolete, and requiring that I purchase new equipment.

Whatever I find, I will repair what I can, today. Whatever else may be required, I’ll post updates on here to let you know of my progress.

Start Here

Thank you for your interest in the happenings at Blue Sky Cable.

As you have likely heard by now, Julie Hodges, the former owner, passed away unexpectedly in early October. She had been sick for a long time, but her death from an aneurism was unexpected, and only indirectly-related to her illness.

I purchased the company from Julie a very short time before her passing, but did not take active control in the operations until several days afterward. Taking on these cable systems was a big risk... but the alternative was to see two communities lose their cable television and Internet service altogether, and I did not want to see that happen.

I know that the level of customer service and technical quality that has been provided by Blue Sky Cable can perhaps only be described as “pitiful.” Calls not returned, troubles not repaired, payments not applied, bills not mailed, disconnect requests not honored... an almost surreal experience for you, as a customer, I’m sure.

I believe Blue Sky can be an asset to the Marquette and Bentley communities, but it will take me some time to return the systems to a proper operating condition and to regain your trust.

I will post updates here to give you an insider’s view of my experiences in this new venture.

If you have remained a customer, I sincerely thank you.

If you are no longer a customer, I have no hard feelings toward you; I only hope that over time I can build the systems back up, improve the quality and reliability, and regain your trust as a provider of Internet and Cable Television service.