Help with 771 problem

[pappy]

I've been using the HR20-700 for about a month (with only one satellite connection) without problems. Yesterday I started getting Searching for Signal (771) messages. I was getting zero signal on tuner 1. I did a RBR, but that did not help. I thought perhaps I lost a tuner, so I moved the cable to tuner 2 and started receiving a signal (although the receiver would not complete a RBR using tuner 2). Next, I swapped the BBCs and reconnected to tuner 1. The signal was restored and I was able to RBR.

Now, after a few minutes, I start getting pixelation. Then, after anywhere from a couple of minutes to half an hour, the 771 condition returns. However, when I use the Menu to View Signal Strength, which was in the 90s, the picture is restored for a time. This sounds like a software problem to me. I don't understand how looking at signal strength would correct a hardware problem.

Anyone know of a fix for this?

[tombet]

I'd remove the BBC temporarily, and do a menu restart (not RBR). Obviously by removing the BBC, you will lose some channels. But see if the remaining channels then stay stable and good for several hours. If so, I'd replace the BBCs. I've had to replace mine TWICE in the past year. (BEfore they were even useful, I had them connected so as to not misplace them. But I got 771 issues, and narrowed it down to the BBCs. And then just recently, I had to replace one of them for a second time. They dont seem very robust.)

You can just go to the DirecTV site and fill out a quick form and BBC's will be sent to you.

[pappy]

Thanks for the reply. I'll try this and see what happens.

I'm convinced one of the BBCs is bad. Perhaps they both are. Although why they would both fail within such a short period seems odd.

[Eric The Red]

I'm not going to say it's definitely not your BBC, but I've switched mine out 3 times and it hasn't fixed a very similar to problem to what you describe.

Read this thread for more info:

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=107169

I've found that simply disconnecting the coax and reconnecting does often fix it for awhile, so by default removing the BBCs "fixes" the issue for awhile.

[pappy]

Case closed. It turns out I had a legitimate 771, loss of signal.

I swapped the HR20 with another unit and it couldn't get a signal either. So I ran a new cable from the dish to the house. Signal is back and everything works fine.

When I pulled up the cable installed when they put in the 5LNB dish, I found a splice. I can't imagine anyone burying a splice in an RG6 cable. Anyway, problem solved.