Dishes Galore in Tahoe! (And Reno, Too!)
Call it serendipity: as members of the satellite industry prepare to attend the Satellite and Broadcast Expo West in Reno at the end of this week, the Tahoe Daily Tribune observes that there are a heck of a lot of dishes in the area:
More and more, satellite dishes are becoming a fixture in the South Shore scenery, in a sign that satellite providers may be gaining ground in the battle for pay-TV subscribers.
Although cable and satellite providers are shy about revealing raw data concerning subscribers, it seems that satellite TV is becoming the choice of more South Shore residents.
Frank Giardina, owner of Frank’s TV and Electronics on Lake Tahoe Boulevard, estimates that he has installed 1,600 satellites dishes in the area. Frank’s serves as an independent contractor for Dish Network, making them the only "local" satellite provider in the area.
SBE West has a number of great special events at the show. We’re particularly intrigued by the John Hack Technician Challenge:
Imagine digging through a bucket full of change, connectors, bolts and washers just trying to find enough money to buy $5.00 worth of gas to get to your first install of the day! That task and more is what contestants in the John HackTechnician Challenge will be facing at SBE 2007 in Reno. Consider it a fun and exciting, timed obstacle course for satellite technicians. How long would it take you to put 50 pages of work orders in the correct sequence for faxing at the end of the week? We will know at the end of the Technicians challenge.
We think John Hack is a great name for a technician. For those unfamiliar with "him," he started as a column in Transmitter News. You can find his full bio and news about his exciting projects here.
