Reception......Confused

[frank]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

I have a 5 set, 5 receiver system.

My problems all started when I went from a 4 receiver to a 5 receiver set up
and added an HDTV capable box to the mix.

I get sporadic error messages on certain channels on certain sets. On the
HDTV set up, I frequently get a Chinese channel coming in and out over the
local channels (channel 2). Other times, I get specific channels with
inconsistent messages instead of a picture. "Program not available in your
area," "Please call ext 721", "searching for satellite signal"
There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it like weather.
Channels tat are problematic are all of the HBO's. Turner Classic Movies,
A&E, Discovery Channel, Local Channels.
I had to replace the old dish when I upgraded to HDTV. On the HDTV set, The
HDTV channels that should be in the 60's and 70's are frequently absent.
I did swap out the multiswitch to no avail.
The new oval dish has 4 outputs 2 of which go to the multi switch with 4
going out to individual receivers. I think this is right.
I seem to have good signal strength when last I checked the positioning.
I would appreciate any help. It's a matter of pride now or else I would have
called the satellite repair guy a long time ago. It's getting tiresome
having the signal quit in the middle of the Sopranos.

 

[dw]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

Hard to tell what your problem is. The 721 message comes directly from the
bird (DirecTV generated), and means that that programming is not authorized
for you. Perhaps if you could post a diagram of how you have your dish,
multiswitch, and five receivers wired, we could help you out. Also, what
birds are you using? 101, 119, 110 or all? Your problematic channels are
all relevant to transponders,... the HBO's are on 30 and 32, A&E,TCM and
Discovery are on 2, so there's a pattern here. An educated guess would tell
me you have a polarity problem with a side.

Of interest, it appears you have either a 2x4 or 3x4 mutiswitch. What is
feeding your 5th receiver?

 

[frank]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

Please forgive me, I should have been more specific.

I added a 3 LNB Oval dish which has 4 outputs. When the system was
installed, the multiswitch was left outside exposed to the weather. I moved
that indoors.
Two of the 4 outputs from the dish go to the multi switch. Another output
from the dish goes to a receiver. The 4th is unused.
All 4 of the outputs from the multiswitch go to their respective receivers.
I've tried all sorts of different arrangements to no avail.
The set wired directly to the dish outputs acts up sporadically as well.
Maybe I need an exorcist ! I'll look in the yellow pages for one.
"Frank" <francisi@usaor.net> wrote in message
news:10cd2lteem8pb9e@corp.supernews.com...
> I have a 5 set, 5 receiver system.
>
> My problems all started when I went from a 4 receiver to a 5 receiver set
up
> and added an HDTV capable box to the mix.
>
> I get sporadic error messages on certain channels on certain sets. On the
> HDTV set up, I frequently get a Chinese channel coming in and out over the
> local channels (channel 2). Other times, I get specific channels with
> inconsistent messages instead of a picture. "Program not available in your
> area," "Please call ext 721", "searching for satellite signal"
> There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it like weather.
> Channels tat are problematic are all of the HBO's. Turner Classic Movies,
> A&E, Discovery Channel, Local Channels.
> I had to replace the old dish when I upgraded to HDTV. On the HDTV set,
The
> HDTV channels that should be in the 60's and 70's are frequently absent.
> I did swap out the multiswitch to no avail.
> The new oval dish has 4 outputs 2 of which go to the multi switch with 4
> going out to individual receivers. I think this is right.
> I seem to have good signal strength when last I checked the positioning.
> I would appreciate any help. It's a matter of pride now or else I would
have
> called the satellite repair guy a long time ago. It's getting tiresome
> having the signal quit in the middle of the Sopranos.
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

ALL of the outputs from the dish go to the multiswitch.
The receivers connect to the outputs of the multiswitch.

"Frank" <francisi@usaor.net> wrote in message
news:10cd2lteem8pb9e@corp.supernews.com...
> I have a 5 set, 5 receiver system.
>
> My problems all started when I went from a 4 receiver to a 5 receiver set
up
> and added an HDTV capable box to the mix.
>
> I get sporadic error messages on certain channels on certain sets. On the
> HDTV set up, I frequently get a Chinese channel coming in and out over the
> local channels (channel 2). Other times, I get specific channels with
> inconsistent messages instead of a picture. "Program not available in your
> area," "Please call ext 721", "searching for satellite signal"
> There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it like weather.
> Channels tat are problematic are all of the HBO's. Turner Classic Movies,
> A&E, Discovery Channel, Local Channels.
> I had to replace the old dish when I upgraded to HDTV. On the HDTV set,
The
> HDTV channels that should be in the 60's and 70's are frequently absent.
> I did swap out the multiswitch to no avail.
> The new oval dish has 4 outputs 2 of which go to the multi switch with 4
> going out to individual receivers. I think this is right.
> I seem to have good signal strength when last I checked the positioning.
> I would appreciate any help. It's a matter of pride now or else I would
have
> called the satellite repair guy a long time ago. It's getting tiresome
> having the signal quit in the middle of the Sopranos.
>
>

 

[frank]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

"thesatguy" <jdolan1@houston.rr.com> wrote in message
news:2iPxc.934$ar2.122@fe2.texas.rr.com...
> ALL of the outputs from the dish go to the multiswitch.
> The receivers connect to the outputs of the multiswitch.
>
> "Frank" <francisi@usaor.net> wrote in message
> news:10cd2lteem8pb9e@corp.supernews.com...
> > I have a 5 set, 5 receiver system.
> >
> > My problems all started when I went from a 4 receiver to a 5 receiver
set
> up
> > and added an HDTV capable box to the mix.
> >
> > I get sporadic error messages on certain channels on certain sets. On
the
> > HDTV set up, I frequently get a Chinese channel coming in and out over
the
> > local channels (channel 2). Other times, I get specific channels with
> > inconsistent messages instead of a picture. "Program not available in
your
> > area," "Please call ext 721", "searching for satellite signal"
> > There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it like weather.
> > Channels tat are problematic are all of the HBO's. Turner Classic
Movies,
> > A&E, Discovery Channel, Local Channels.
> > I had to replace the old dish when I upgraded to HDTV. On the HDTV set,
> The
> > HDTV channels that should be in the 60's and 70's are frequently absent.
> > I did swap out the multiswitch to no avail.
> > The new oval dish has 4 outputs 2 of which go to the multi switch with 4
> > going out to individual receivers. I think this is right.
> > I seem to have good signal strength when last I checked the positioning.
> > I would appreciate any help. It's a matter of pride now or else I would
> have
> > called the satellite repair guy a long time ago. It's getting tiresome
> > having the signal quit in the middle of the Sopranos.




I'm afraid I don't follow you here. There are 4 outputs on the dish but only
2 inputs on the multiswitch. There are 4 outputs on the multiswitch but I
have 5 receivers. Am I not understanding something ? Wouldn't be the first
time !
> >
> >
>
>

 

[dw]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

Given the fact that you have a problem common to certain transponders we'll
make a mental note of that. Now, you say you have a 3 LNB dish. This would
enable you to receive off of three birds. The 101, the 119, and the 110. So
as not to pry into your privacy, can you say if you live in an area that
requires the 110 LNB. Not everybody can use the 110 bird. Next thing, On
your receiver settings,... do you have them set for 3 LNB oval dish? If you
do and you don't need the 110 bird, then your equipment will keep searching
for the 110 sat, and if it can't find it, it will nullify some transponders.
Likewise, many people have problems tuning the 119 bird in. It carries
certain transponders as well. If it can't find the signal, then it's
transponders will be nullified. First thing I would do is determine whether
you need the 110 bird or not. If not change options to the 2 LNB oval and
check ALL your transponders for both the 101 and the 119. Pay specific
attention to transponders 2, 30, and 32 as those are where your HBO, A&E,
TCM, and Discovery channels are. I know of folks who can get transponder
readings in the 90's for the 101, but can't get much of anything on the 119.
A fact of North American geography.

Follow the steps above and reason your problem out. I, myself, would let
hell freeze over before I let a DirecTV person touch my system. They're all
"contractors" who will shortchange and sell you something you don't need in
order to watch DirecTV. In your case they'd tell you your wiring or the
multiswitch on your dish, or you other multiswitch is bad. Replace a bunch
of stuff, then reset your settings, and hand you a bill. They'll save your
old stuff to sell to the next unsuspecting customer. It's a racket.

Keep posting your results, we'll talk you through it.

 

[frank]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

"Frank" <francisi@usaor.net> wrote in message
news:10cd2lteem8pb9e@corp.supernews.com...
> I have a 5 set, 5 receiver system.
>
> My problems all started when I went from a 4 receiver to a 5 receiver set
up
> and added an HDTV capable box to the mix.
>
> I get sporadic error messages on certain channels on certain sets. On the
> HDTV set up, I frequently get a Chinese channel coming in and out over the
> local channels (channel 2). Other times, I get specific channels with
> inconsistent messages instead of a picture. "Program not available in your
> area," "Please call ext 721", "searching for satellite signal"
> There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it like weather.
> Channels tat are problematic are all of the HBO's. Turner Classic Movies,
> A&E, Discovery Channel, Local Channels.
> I had to replace the old dish when I upgraded to HDTV. On the HDTV set,
The
> HDTV channels that should be in the 60's and 70's are frequently absent.
> I did swap out the multiswitch to no avail.
> The new oval dish has 4 outputs 2 of which go to the multi switch with 4
> going out to individual receivers. I think this is right.
> I seem to have good signal strength when last I checked the positioning.
> I would appreciate any help. It's a matter of pride now or else I would
have
> called the satellite repair guy a long time ago. It's getting tiresome
> having the signal quit in the middle of the Sopranos.

ok, further to all this other stuff, I was talking to a friend who knows
something about DSS installation.

The first thing he asked me was "what kind of multiswitch do you have"?

The answer is ......a 2x4 switch that was installed with the original round
dish.

He told me definitively that this is what is causing the problem. The oval
dish requires a 4x8 multiswitch. He claims that it will absolutely not work
with the old type switch. It will produce the same kind of problems that I'm
having, weird messages and channel disruption with no obvious cause.

Can anyone confirm that this is true before I blow $160 on a new switch.

Gracias

Frank
>
>

 

[dw]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

BULLSHIT! Here you have another one of those DirecTV people telling you you
need to buy something. The only rule of a multiswitch is that "all inputs on
the switch must be connected to the dish". I have used a 2x4 and a 3x4 on my
Terk oval without any problems.

Before you waste $160 on a new multiswitch, give the techs at Terk a call.
(800) 942-8375

Keep in mind one thing: The dish and the LNBs don't do anything unless the
receiver tells it to do something. LNB polarity and satellite selection are
commands of the receiver.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

"ÐW" <ÐW@thehouse.tv> wrote in message
news:4Gkyc.4216$Di3.1176@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> BULLSHIT! Here you have another one of those DirecTV people telling you
you
> need to buy something. The only rule of a multiswitch is that "all inputs
on
> the switch must be connected to the dish". I have used a 2x4 and a 3x4 on
my
> Terk oval without any problems.
>
> Before you waste $160 on a new multiswitch, give the techs at Terk a call.
> (800) 942-8375
>
> Keep in mind one thing: The dish and the LNBs don't do anything unless the
> receiver tells it to do something. LNB polarity and satellite selection
are
> commands of the receiver.
>


NO NO NO, Not always true. Good commercial installs will often use a 14/18v
power inserter to polarity lock the input to the mutiswitch - the reciever
has nothing to do with LNB IF feed - it's ALL in the mutiswitch. Mabye
check your assumption about the footprint of the install next time.

DM

 

[frank]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

"D Mull" <mulldr111@nospamershotmail.com> wrote in message
news:kTtAc.54239$tH1.2465916@twister.southeast.rr.com...
>
> "ÐW" <ÐW@thehouse.tv> wrote in message
> news:4Gkyc.4216$Di3.1176@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> > BULLSHIT! Here you have another one of those DirecTV people telling you
> you
> > need to buy something. The only rule of a multiswitch is that "all
inputs
> on
> > the switch must be connected to the dish". I have used a 2x4 and a 3x4
on
> my
> > Terk oval without any problems.
> >
> > Before you waste $160 on a new multiswitch, give the techs at Terk a
call.
> > (800) 942-8375
> >
> > Keep in mind one thing: The dish and the LNBs don't do anything unless
the
> > receiver tells it to do something. LNB polarity and satellite selection
> are
> > commands of the receiver.
> >
>
>
> NO NO NO, Not always true. Good commercial installs will often use a
14/18v
> power inserter to polarity lock the input to the mutiswitch - the reciever
> has nothing to do with LNB IF feed - it's ALL in the mutiswitch. Mabye
> check your assumption about the footprint of the install next time.
>
> DM



Frank Wrote

new multiswitch solved everything
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.satellite.tv (More info?)

Oh yeah, I wouldn't have a clue what I'm talking about.
Thanks to the original poster for the follow up - so glad to hear your
enjoying it now.
thanks for bringing to light the 'hack post'.
To it right and "feel the joy" - do it wrong and get that old "industrial
disease".
DM



"Frank" <francisi@usaor.net> wrote in message
news:10d9h58aq77kr6f@corp.supernews.com...
>
> "D Mull" <mulldr111@nospamershotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:kTtAc.54239$tH1.2465916@twister.southeast.rr.com...
> >
> > "ÐW" <ÐW@thehouse.tv> wrote in message
> > news:4Gkyc.4216$Di3.1176@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> > > BULLSHIT! Here you have another one of those DirecTV people telling
you
> > you
> > > need to buy something. The only rule of a multiswitch is that "all
> inputs
> > on
> > > the switch must be connected to the dish". I have used a 2x4 and a 3x4
> on
> > my
> > > Terk oval without any problems.
> > >
> > > Before you waste $160 on a new multiswitch, give the techs at Terk a
> call.
> > > (800) 942-8375
> > >
> > > Keep in mind one thing: The dish and the LNBs don't do anything unless
> the
> > > receiver tells it to do something. LNB polarity and satellite
selection
> > are
> > > commands of the receiver.
> > >
> >
> >
> > NO NO NO, Not always true. Good commercial installs will often use a
> 14/18v
> > power inserter to polarity lock the input to the mutiswitch - the
reciever
> > has nothing to do with LNB IF feed - it's ALL in the mutiswitch. Mabye
> > check your assumption about the footprint of the install next time.
> >
> > DM
>
>
>
> Frank Wrote
>
> new multiswitch solved everything
> >
> >
>
>