Certification FAQs

Lodging and Institution (and MDU) systems, including hotels, hospitals, apartment buildings, and other managed properties in which a single antenna serves an entire building.

MDU, SMATV, D2 Advantage, and DRE (non-managed system version). These are delivered by SatProf on behalf of SBCA.

DRE Plus (managed system version) and COM1000 are currently offered only as classroom training. MDU and SMATV classroom training may also be available through certain distributors.

SBCA Satellite Fundamentals, SBCA Home Theater Fundamentals, SBCA Home Networking, DIRECTV Message Board, DIRECTV Subcontractor Certifications (Contractor Networking 101, Contractor Network Troubleshooting), and DIRECTV Retailer Certifications (Installation Fundamentals, KaKu/SWiM, LSP Connected Home). If you are interested in these, please visit www.sbcatest.com.

Go to www.sbcatest.com, click on the Commercial (L&I) portal, then menu item on the left for the SBCA Certification you are interested in. Scroll down to the 'learning course and certification bundle' you want and click Add To Cart. When you check out and pay your tuition, you will create a new account in our learning system and you will be enrolled in the learning modules as well as the certification exam. You'll need to complete ALL the learning modules and enter the 'prerequisites completed' course before the system will allow you to enter the certification exam course. When you pass the certification course, your certificate will be immediately available!

Online course modules are open for 120 days after you are enrolled. Under certain special circumstances, we may be able to give you a one-time extension your access for a short time so you can finish. Just write to us at sbcasupport@satprof.com. You can also purchase a one-time extension, but the best solution is to subscribe to the annual subscription. That will give you total access to all your courses for a year, as well as any updates and re-certifications you may need. 

You must complete the required online learning modules first (or get a waiver confirming that completed the appropriate training on the old learning system or in a classroom). If you finished your learning modules online in the new system, be sure to also enter the 'Prerequisite online training completed' course under My Courses. That will trigger the system to recognize that you have done all your required online modules. (If you haven't, it will tell you.) 

We will be migrating everyone over the the new learning system (Absorb) soon. If you are in a hurry to add new modules, let us know at sbcasupport@satprof.com and we will get you going. Once you have your student account in the new learning system, you can purchase new modules, certification bundles, exams, or subscriptions by clicking on Add New Course. Important: if you already have an account, don't use the 'Add To Cart' buttons at sbcatest.com to add a course! You will end up creating a duplicate account, which will complicate your certification status. Instead, log in first and then use the Add New Course menu. 

First, if it has not been already, your account will need to be moved from our old online learning system (Coursehost) to our new system (Absorb). When we do that, we'll also enroll and pass you in one or more 'waiver' courses that tell the learning system you have completed training outside the learning system. Then log in to the new system by going to sbca.absorbtraining.com. Click on Add New Course, go into SBCA Training, Certifications, and select the certification exam(s) you want. (The recertification exam is the same as the certification exam.) Note that SMATV and MDU are now separate courses. Or better, select the Annual Subscription. That includes free recert exams for all your SatProf-managed certifications AND access to the relevant learning modules for review and preparation for the exam. Once you have purchased your subscription, let us know when you want to do your recert(s) and we will open them for you. If you have any problems or questions, let us know at sbcasupport@satprof.com. 

Certificates for L&I courses are now available online instantly through the same learning system as your training modules and certification exam. Just log in and go to My Transcripts. 

Two years. The expiration date will appear on your certificate. Before it expires, you will be able to purchase the certification exam again from Add New Course after you log in. Alternatively, you will get access to the cert exam if you hold an Annual Subscription.

No. But if you have an Annual Subscription, you get continued access to all relevant online courses, including updated courses. Reviewing the online courses is the ideal way to prepare for the exams. 

You do need to have completed the relevant training courses before you can take the exam. 

• If you have taken the required SB100 and SB200 online modules on the new system (Absorb), the learning system will allow you to enter the cert (or recert) exam automatically. (But you may need to open the 'Prerequisite online courses complete' course in your My Courses list in order to trigger the system to consider you as having completed them all.) 
• If you have taken MDU/SMATV training in a classroom, contact us at sbcasupport@satprof.com with the details, and we will waive the training prerequisite for your MDU or SMATV cert exam. 
• If you have taken MDU/SMATV training online on the old learning system (Coursehost), the learning system will allow you to enter the MDU and SMATV cert (or recert) exams automatically once we transfer your account to the new system. If you're ready and we haven't moved your account yet, just let us know! 
• If you have taken D2 Advantage (or MFH-2) training online on the old learning system (Coursehost), the learning system will allow you to purchase and enter the cert (or recert) exam automatically once we transfer your account to the new system. Note that the cert exams have one built-in retake, but you will need to purchase it again if you fail the second time. However, we HIGHLY recommend the Annual Subscription so you can study the new materials that have been added since you took the online course. If you have an annual subscription, we do not charge for exam resets. 

They are the same. The certification course in the learning system contains the exam for each topic, and serves for both initial certification and recertification.

If there are important changes in the materials, we will "up-rev" the course module, and the old version will no longer count as a prerequisite for entering the recertification exam. In that case, you would need to purchase and complete the new version of the module(s) before you can access the recert exam. 

Alternatively, purchase an Annual Subscription, and you will automatically get access to any and all new versions of your course modules.

As technology evolves, and as providers including DIRECTV roll out new products and services, training requirements are continually being updated. An annual subscription gives you full ongoing access to all the latest versions of your online courses so you can prepare for recertification testing. Your subscription also includes free recertification exams for all SatProf-powered certifications you currently hold, so it can easily pay for itself. 

To receive D2A (D2 Advantage) certification, you must pass all the SB200-series courses and the D2A cert exam. D2A+ also requires you to pass SB102 and SB103, which cover solid fundamentals that all satellite field technicians should have, including DC theory, RF theory, and general satellite TV system theory. Unless you have already received solid education in these fundamentals, you should choose D2A+ certification. 

We will be automatically moving everyone during the August-Sept 2012 time frame. You will receive an email from the learning system welcoming you to the new system. If you did not receive a welcome email and you want to add courses, purchase an annual subscription, or purchase a recertification, please contact us at sbcasupport@satprof.com. 

SatProf manages the "MDU/SMATV" and "D2 Advantage" courses on our old learning system, Coursehost. We now have an updated, modularized series of courses (SB100 and SB200 series) leading to certification in MDU, SMATV, D2 Advantage, and DRE (non-managed only) on our new learning system, Absorb. 

It depends when you took your online course. 

If you enrolled after May 2010, you may have taken lessons in Connected Home and the newer SWiM devices such as SWiM-16 and SWiM-32, but there are lots of other updates and changes that you should be aware of, such as the AIM meter. We recommend, at a minimum, browsing through SB201 (watch for the new Connected Home lesson), SB 202 (note the new authorized components), SB 203 (contains new materials on lockboxes and other wiring updates), and 205 (new troubleshooting technquies using the new AIM meter and EIV Plus). In addition, you should definitely work through SB204 (AIM meter) before reviewing SB205. 

If you enrolled before 18 May 2010, we recommend working all the way through SB201, 202, 203, 204, and 205. You will find them to be useful review and there is new material throughout all the course. If you only took the Connected Home supplement and not the full MFH-2 or D2A course, you definitely 
need to take all five of the new modules. 

The most economical way to review these courses and recertify is to purchase an Annual Subsciption. If you are a past MFH-2 or D2 Advantage student, you will get access to all five of the new D2 Advantage modules (SB 201-205), and your recertification exam is included.