My 103b Problems

[linger]

have been following threads about the D10 coming online, and in an effort to make sure I am ready, I have been going to the test channels and reading about everything that everyone has had to say and I believe I have a problem...but I'm not sure what. I have not see anyone else with problems such as mine.

Here is what is going on. I have zeros (0) for all transponders on 103b. Channel 498 says searching for signal, 480 says searching for signal and 481 says its working. Sometimes when I go to 480 or 498, my box locks up and I have to red-button restart. I was out of town this weekend and was unable to try 9300 and 9301.

Here is what I have and what I have done.
Receiver: HR20-700
Software: 0x19E (same exact behavior with 0x18a)
Connection: Component Video, Native off - 1080i only
Dish: 5 LNB Multi-Sat
Multiswitch: Zinwell WB68
101 sat: all transponders in the upper 90's
110 sat: all transponders in the mid90's
119 sat: all transponders in the mid 90's
99 sat: all transponders in the upper 80's
103 sat: all transponders 0.

Both tuners always get the same (or damn close) signal strengths. I have swapped my B-Band converters (from tuner 1 and tuner 2) have the same results.

I started to think I just have an alignment issue, but isn't it geometrically impossible to be hitting 4 of the 5 sats and not the 5th one?

Please advise!

[LDLemu4U]

Yes....You have an alignment problem. Or a busted LNB.

[LameLefty]

Yes....You have an alignment problem. Or a busted LNB.

I vote for a bad LNB. I wonder how many others out there have issues with LNBs for either 99 or 103 and just don't know it yet because they're not getting locals off the opposite one? For instance, I would have no idea about 103 until this month, since my locals from 99(b).

[dbmaven]

2 possibilities that come to mind:
1 - a bad LNB on the dish
2 - a bad WB68 multiswitch

You can do some diagnostics yourself, if you feel inclined.
Get some barrell connectors (to allow you to connect two male RG6's together).
Remove from the WB68 the 4 feeds coming from the dish.
Remove the pair of RG6s feeding the HR20 from the WB68
Connect 2 of the dish feeds to the HR20 feeds with the barrell connectors.

If you now get signal on 103b, the WB68 is almost certainly the culprit.

If not, either a bad LNB or the built-in multiswitch on the dish is bad, although there may be other issues...

[Tom Robertson]

Adding to the excellent advice above:

Verify there are no diplexers inline.
Verify that the BBCs are plugged correctly with the BBC pigtail plugged into the receiver and not the wall. (A reversed BBC just doesn't work for some reason... :))

What are your signal strengths on 103°(a)?

Cheers,
Tom

[linger]

I have no diplexers.
My BBC's are installed correctly (I tried reversing them just to see what happened, and I had horrible pixelation on other channels which confirmed I had them installed correctly to begin with.

0's on 103a too.

[m_jraj]

If one of my tuners can see 103b and one cannot, does that eliminate the multiswitch or lnb as an issue?

[LameLefty]

If one of my tuners can see 103b and one cannot, does that eliminate the multiswitch or lnb as an issue?

It doesn't eliminate the multiswitch, that's for sure. Have you swapped cables to see if it's a tuner issue?

[Tom Robertson]

I'm suspicious about the zeros on both 103 frequency ranges. I would think there are enough spotbeams on the east coast to see something on 103°(a).

Guess the next step is bypass the switch to see if switch or dish. Both have been known to fail.

Cheers,
Tom

[m_jraj]

It doesn't eliminate the multiswitch, that's for sure. Have you swapped cables to see if it's a tuner issue?

Interesting. I swapped cables (with bbc) and the other tuner worked. I then swapped only bbcs and again, the opposite tuner worked (making me think its a bbc issue) So, I ordered a new BBC and received it saturday, but no improvement. So now I ordered 2 more bbcs, but I wonder if its not a BBC issue at all?

[Tom Robertson]

It doesn't eliminate the multiswitch, that's for sure. Have you swapped cables to see if it's a tuner issue?

Yes, individual ports on switches do go bad. It pretty much does eliminate the dish and the coax from dish to the switch.

Cheers,
Tom

[JLF]

I'm suspicious about the zeros on both 103 frequency ranges. I would think there are enough spotbeams on the east coast to see something on 103°(a).

Guess the next step is bypass the switch to see if switch or dish. Both have been known to fail.

Cheers,
Tom

On my H20 all the TPs on 103a are N/A. Though above it will come on and say the signal is ok. If I go into signal meters then 103a it as TP 0 (Can not change) and the strength is 100.

So in this case I would have been able to tell if it was bad even though I am not receiving locals from it.

[Radio Enginerd]

I vote for a bad LNB. I wonder how many others out there have issues with LNBs for either 99 or 103 and just don't know it yet because they're not getting locals off the opposite one? For instance, I would have no idea about 103 until this month, since my locals from 99(b).

I concur with this vote. Based on your 101 values, you should have something on 103b. Sounds like a bad LNB.

[Tom Robertson]

On my H20 all the TPs on 103a are N/A. Though above it will come on and say the signal is ok. If I go into signal meters then 103a it as TP 0 (Can not change) and the strength is 100.

So in this case I would have been able to tell if it was bad even though I am not receiving locals from it.

Various flavors of the H20 software could not correctly test the 99 and 103(a) TPs even tho they could receive them. In that case, the big question is do you get 480, 481, and 498 correctly.

Cheers,
Tom

[linger]

I just got home from work, I see that 9300 and 9301 are back up. I am getting both of them. However, every now and then, when I switch to them from another channel, it says searching for satellite. Still no 480 or 498. I get 35% on TP 6 on 103a, everything else is 0 on 103a and b.

[linger]

I disconnected my multiswitch, and coupled 2 incoming cables with the 2 going to my HR20, and ALL FIVE CHANNELS WORKED and mid 80's to 90's on all TP's!!!!! Once I hooked my multiswitch back up, I now have 480, 498, 9300 and 9301. So the only thing not working is 481. To me, this says there is a problem with my multiswitch, but before I get a new one, I have one question. Does it matter where the cables hook into the input on the multiswitch? There are 2 13V and 2 18V. Does it matter how those correspond with the output of the dish?

[slaz55]

I had my H20 and HR20 hooked up without a multi switch and I haven't had any problems. I was told that it was only needed for more than 4 tuners.

[saryon]

I don't believe the 4 wires from the dish matter on the switch as long as you haven't hooked them up into any of the flex ports.

[techrep]

I disconnected my multiswitch, and coupled 2 incoming cables with the 2 going to my HR20, and ALL FIVE CHANNELS WORKED and mid 80's to 90's on all TP's!!!!! Once I hooked my multiswitch back up, I now have 480, 498, 9300 and 9301. So the only thing not working is 481. To me, this says there is a problem with my multiswitch, but before I get a new one, I have one question. Does it matter where the cables hook into the input on the multiswitch? There are 2 13V and 2 18V. Does it matter how those correspond with the output of the dish?


Any of the 4 cables from the dish can connect to any of the 4 ports of the multiswitch from left to right. Do not use the 2 ports on the right of the multiswitch.

[linger]

I have only been using the left 4 inputs, 18V, 13V, 18V and 13V. It MUST make a difference how you have them hooked up because i have been playing with them, and I have gone from having no new test channels to gaining the test channels and loosing my regular HD channels (in the 70's) and finnaly now I have everything!!! The new test channels and my old stuff too.

[techrep]

I have only been using the left 4 inputs, 18V, 13V, 18V and 13V. It MUST make a difference how you have them hooked up because i have been playing with them, and I have gone from having no new test channels to gaining the test channels and loosing my regular HD channels (in the 70's) and finnaly now I have everything!!! The new test channels and my old stuff too.

On another thread Earl posted that the test channels including 9300 and 9301 are in a state of flux. I have noticed some of these coming and going over the last few hours.

[linger]

Test channels aside...all of my 103 TP's were at 0. I switched the cables around and now my TP's are upper 70's to upper 90's.

[m_jraj]

If one of my tuners can see 103b and one cannot, does that eliminate the multiswitch or lnb as an issue?

Turns out it was the diplexed OTA feed. Removed it and I am good.