12/2012 - What's new at Rocky's and Mary Rose Condos?....Lots! (And ALL good)

[JesseJames]

So guys, It is time for another round of updates on the current upgrades and such being performed at Rocky's and the Mary Rose......

1) The new routers have arrived. They are being installed tomorrow in efforts to raise the wifi strength at the Mary Rose. For those of you that are "tekkies" the protocol being used is WDS which is a "mesh network" there will be at least 5 routers (possibly more if needed) that will each boost the signal of each other. Thanks goodness Rick is not afraid to spend the money needed to fix problems....

2) Rocky's is getting a "hopper" from dish network. The big advantage here is that all channels will be in HD. This is a dealer demo box so all channels will be available (except local channels). This mean Rocky's can now have HD sports and movies and such on the projector for the big screen. Football anyone?

3) The directv dish at the Mary Rose has been re-aligned to get better signal once again. There is still nothing we can do during a rain storm, but over all the signal is much better. Though we must say..... Larry Flint must be proud of his signal strength...... his channel (599) comes in perfectly even in the roughest of rain storms..... so there is ALWAYS something educational to watch!!!

4) Metal Shower brackets have been ordered and should be here in another day or two. This was inspired by someone mentioning how easily the shower brackets would break and then there is no place to hang the shower head..... well.... that is being fixed right away....

5) I, JesseJames, am now the nighttime bartender..... so Robert's topless parties are welcome anytime (as long as Milka is OK with it...)! What do ya think about that Robert? (I promise to get your permission before taking photos.... sorry buddy)

To sum up..... JesseJames is in the house..... lets get these minor issues resolved and put some upgrades in place too. Suggestions are all welcome..... let us know how and what needs to be better, and we will always go the extra mile to make your stay as perfect as it can possibly be!

So Fellas.... if you want the best vacation ever, we have built something EXTREMELY special here at the Mary Rose. Until you stay with us here at Mary Rose, you can't imagine the level of customer service we strive to provide because not only do Milka and Rick live here, but now I live here too.... need we say more? Tarzan..... we have a new "Tarzan Suite" just for you.... it is called "Sweet 16"....

This message was approved by DaFishGuy....

[MrHappy]

So guys, It is time for another round of updates on the current upgrades and such being performed at Rocky's and the Mary Rose......


3) The directv dish at the Mary Rose has been re-aligned to get better signal once again. There is still nothing we can do during a rain storm, but over all the signal is much better. Though we must say..... Larry Flint must be proud of his signal strength...... his channel (599) comes in perfectly even in the roughest of rain storms..... so there is ALWAYS something educational to watch!!!


This message was approved by DaFishGuy....

What size dish are you using? I've got a 2 mt. dish, and my signal never goes, even during heavy rain storms.

Is you Dish receiver a legal one that was purchased in the states then hoofed down?

[JesseJames]

What size dish are you using? I've got a 2 mt. dish, and my signal never goes, even during heavy rain storms.

Is you Dish receiver a legal one that was purchased in the states then hoofed down?

it is a 1.2 meter dish. Wish it was bigger, but so far have not found one. Anyway.... never had so many issues with a dish.... next step is to replace the LNB. from they way it is acting..... it must be bad.... Going to do that today...

[MrHappy]

it is a 1.2 meter dish. Wish it was bigger, but so far have not found one. Anyway.... never had so many issues with a dish.... next step is to replace the LNB. from they way it is acting..... it must be bad.... Going to do that today...

That's the first thing the kid that services my system does, he swaps out the LNB any time I have a problem.

You never mentioned, did you activate the box up north then huff it down here?

[psriches]

So guys, It is time for another round of updates on the current upgrades and such being performed at Rocky's and the Mary Rose......

1) The new routers have arrived. They are being installed tomorrow in efforts to raise the wifi strength at the Mary Rose. For those of you that are "tekkies" the protocol being used is WDS which is a "mesh network" there will be at least 5 routers (possibly more if needed) that will each boost the signal of each other. Thanks goodness Rick is not afraid to spend the money needed to fix problems....

2) Rocky's is getting a "hopper" from dish network. The big advantage here is that all channels will be in HD. This is a dealer demo box so all channels will be available (except local channels). This mean Rocky's can now have HD sports and movies and such on the projector for the big screen. Football anyone?

3) The directv dish at the Mary Rose has been re-aligned to get better signal once again. There is still nothing we can do during a rain storm, but over all the signal is much better. Though we must say..... Larry Flint must be proud of his signal strength...... his channel (599) comes in perfectly even in the roughest of rain storms..... so there is ALWAYS something educational to watch!!!

4) Metal Shower brackets have been ordered and should be here in another day or two. This was inspired by someone mentioning how easily the shower brackets would break and then there is no place to hang the shower head..... well.... that is being fixed right away....

5) I, JesseJames, am now the nighttime bartender..... so Robert's topless parties are welcome anytime (as long as Milka is OK with it...)! What do ya think about that Robert? (I promise to get your permission before taking photos.... sorry buddy)

To sum up..... JesseJames is in the house..... lets get these minor issues resolved and put some upgrades in place too. Suggestions are all welcome..... let us know how and what needs to be better, and we will always go the extra mile to make your stay as perfect as it can possibly be!

So Fellas.... if you want the best vacation ever, we have built something EXTREMELY special here at the Mary Rose. Until you stay with us here at Mary Rose, you can't imagine the level of customer service we strive to provide because not only do Milka and Rick live here, but now I live here too.... need we say more? Tarzan..... we have a new "Tarzan Suite" just for you.... it is called "Sweet 16"....

This message was approved by DaFishGuy....

And the cell phone reception?? You said you'd be testing the signal strength or something to that effect.

[JesseJames]

That's the first thing the kid that services my system does, he swaps out the LNB any time I have a problem.

You never mentioned, did you activate the box up north then huff it down here?

I am a dealer for both Dish Network and DirecTV. So I am able to bring boxes with me and activate them here. So yes..... it was a brand new box that I mailed down to myself to be activated here. In this case..... it will be on my demo account (for Dish Network in this case) so that Rocky's gets everything.

[JesseJames]

And the cell phone reception?? You said you'd be testing the signal strength or something to that effect.

That is on the list, but has not yet been completed. I do have my signal analyzer here. This job is quite involved. I am having trouble finding info online (or from the carriers) about what specific frequencies they use. Once that information is had, then I can tune the systems. Though to be honest, I may not be able to complete this till the next person comes along that has trouble with their phone..... so far everyone here is doing good for cellular. Makes it difficult to pinpoint what is going on....

[MrHappy]

I am a dealer for both Dish Network and DirecTV. So I am able to bring boxes with me and activate them here. So yes..... it was a brand new box that I mailed down to myself to be activated here. In this case..... it will be on my demo account (for Dish Network in this case) so that Rocky's gets everything.

I am soo jealous.

[a_tl_player]

It works in American dollars (though I believe Rick calculates it to pesos and give you the pesos to make it easier) and shows up as if it were in Florida.

This sounds very reasonable. But what exchange rate does he use for the pesos? Does he make a spread there as well?

[BadJokes]

So guys, It is time for another round of updates on the current upgrades and such being performed at Rocky's and the Mary Rose......

1) The new routers have arrived. They are being installed tomorrow in efforts to raise the wifi strength at the Mary Rose. For those of you that are "tekkies" the protocol being used is WDS which is a "mesh network" there will be at least 5 routers (possibly more if needed) that will each boost the signal of each other. Thanks goodness Rick is not afraid to spend the money needed to fix problems....

2) Rocky's is getting a "hopper" from dish network. The big advantage here is that all channels will be in HD. This is a dealer demo box so all channels will be available (except local channels). This mean Rocky's can now have HD sports and movies and such on the projector for the big screen. Football anyone?

3) The directv dish at the Mary Rose has been re-aligned to get better signal once again. There is still nothing we can do during a rain storm, but over all the signal is much better. Though we must say..... Larry Flint must be proud of his signal strength...... his channel (599) comes in perfectly even in the roughest of rain storms..... so there is ALWAYS something educational to watch!!!

4) Metal Shower brackets have been ordered and should be here in another day or two. This was inspired by someone mentioning how easily the shower brackets would break and then there is no place to hang the shower head..... well.... that is being fixed right away....

5) I, JesseJames, am now the nighttime bartender..... so Robert's topless parties are welcome anytime (as long as Milka is OK with it...)! What do ya think about that Robert? (I promise to get your permission before taking photos.... sorry buddy)

To sum up..... JesseJames is in the house..... lets get these minor issues resolved and put some upgrades in place too. Suggestions are all welcome..... let us know how and what needs to be better, and we will always go the extra mile to make your stay as perfect as it can possibly be!

So Fellas.... if you want the best vacation ever, we have built something EXTREMELY special here at the Mary Rose. Until you stay with us here at Mary Rose, you can't imagine the level of customer service we strive to provide because not only do Milka and Rick live here, but now I live here too.... need we say more? Tarzan..... we have a new "Tarzan Suite" just for you.... it is called "Sweet 16"....

This message was approved by DaFishGuy....

Just Curious...did the cell reception issues get worked out?

[wingmanpi]

good info. I am considering this place for my first trip in December. Does anyone have current prices or know where
I can find them?

[JesseJames]

good info. I am considering this place for my first trip in December. Does anyone have current prices or know where
I can find them?

http://maryrosedr.com/Rates.html

or

http://rockysbluesbar.com/Mary_Rose.html

[JesseJames]

Just Curious...did the cell reception issues get worked out?

Yes and no....

AT LEAST 98% of the folks who stay here have no issue with cellular at all.... in other words the boosters work great. However...... that pesky 2%..... Honestly, I still trying to figure it out. At first I thought it might be that it was just cheap phones.... but it turns out some of them are iPhones (like I have) or other higher-end devices. It is the steangest thing...... Rick, or I, or even other guests will stand right next to them and get full signal on our devices..... and theirs will just simply not work!

So here are some tips to help. First of all, make sure you have a quad-band phone. Secondly...... Claro service seems to work FAR BETTER than Orange does, pretty much anywhere on the island, but especially at Mary Rose. Thirdly, both the Mary Rose and Rocky's has Vonage phones. These phones are free to use for any guest of either location. The vonage phones provide free calling to and from the US and Canada on an unlimited basis. Any guest that wishes to use it needs only to ask. Additionally, if you do find yourself in the "2%".... Rick has loner phones.... just ask (and even put your chip in it if desired... though it does come with a chip).

Also,
For those of you interested (regardless of where you stay), there is another FREE solution for calling the US and Canada presuming you have a smart phone.
http://voice.google.com
Sign up for FREE and download an app on your phone called "Talkatone" on your phone. Google will assign you a number that you can use anytime you are on WiFi to call back to the states or Canada for free.... unlimited. works great, I use it all the time. Again.... FREE.

Hope all this helps......
Jesse

[Pac-Man]

Not trying to hijack the MR thread but have any wifi improvements been made to Sosua Suites to mirror those made at MR?

[JesseJames]

Not trying to hijack the MR thread but have any wifi improvements been made to Sosua Suites to mirror those made at MR?

If there are problems at Sosua Suites.... I guess I was unaware of them. I personally have not made any improvements there..... though I certainly could and would if needed. Can anyone else weigh in here? Does this need to be investigated?

[Pac-Man]

If there are problems at Sosua Suites.... I guess I was unaware of them. I personally have not made any improvements there..... though I certainly could and would if needed. Can anyone else weigh in here? Does this need to be investigated?

I was in B2 in June and the connection was nonexistent in the bedroom. It was OK in the living room. I'm going deep deep undercover in December and a solid wifi connection is paramount for phone calls. I just hear "mesh networks" and wondered if the Suites got it too.

[distantvoyeur]

If there are problems at Sosua Suites.... I guess I was unaware of them. I personally have not made any improvements there..... though I certainly could and would if needed. Can anyone else weigh in here? Does this need to be investigated?

Was in the owners suite last Feb and it was a deadzone. No big deal for me, just wandered into Rockies and Rick let me use it there. Think he said the router was on the first floor and the signal would not penetrate all that was in between.