No signal issues

[rjsnelsonjr]

Per my HR20 I have lost all signal.

To insure that I do not have a house wiring problem the the HR20 is now connected directly to two of the four outputs
of the AU-9 slimline with barrel connectors.
I have a strong signal indication on all four LNB outputs via a cheap SATALIGN2 signal strengh meter, but still can not
get past the set-up screens upon powering up the HR20.
The SATALIGN2 meter also gives a voltage indication which is alternating between 18V and 13V every 7 to 10 seconds
as powered from tuner 1 of the HR 20. Tuner 2 holds at 18V. Is that normal?

Since it is my understanding the the 5 LNB head has a multiswitch built in to combine all 5 sats onto the 4 outputs,
I am uncertain which sat signal the SATALIGN2 meter is reading as strong. Unsure how to confirm proper alignment with
all 5 sats without a more expensive meter that separates the diffenet freq. bands.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[K4SMX]

Is that your only receiver?

[rjsnelsonjr]

Sorry, the whole story...
As of three days ago the system worked fine.

AU9-Slimline (pole mounted)
WB68
HR20-700
R15-100
R15-500
D11-100

RG6-Quad cable (less than 100') from outputs 1-7 of WB68 to each tuner.


First noticed the loss of all channels on the D11. Upon reset it remained on "searching for signal."

Next the R15s started to have signal issues. Upon reset the R15-500 gets in a loop of "checking disk" until it asked to be unplugged.
Upon reset of the R15-100, after if finished "checking disk" it remained on "searching for signal."

The HR20 lost std def channels but continued to record for more than 12 hours on High def channel 335. Upon reset it remained on "searching for signal."

At that point I purchesed the signal meter and placed it between WB68 18V input (sat 99/101) and the LNB output 1. The voltage alternated from 18V to 13V with a moderatly strong signal that dips slightly with the voltage drop.
The 13V input (sat 99/101) to LNB output 2 was steady and strong signal.
The 18V and 13V inputs (sat 103/110/119) were dead.

Taking the WB68 out of the setup, I used tuner 2 of the HR20 to test the 4 outputs of the LNB. All read 18V with a strong signal.
I used tuner 1 of the HR20 to test the 4 outputs of the LNB and got an alternating (18V, 13V) voltage and signal dip.

[litzdog911]

Sounds like it could be a problem with your dish's LNB assembly.

[rjsnelsonjr]

Is the alternating voltage a normal situation for a tuner?

Would a bad LNB assembly damage the (103/110/119) inputs to the WB68 in such a way that no voltage is passed back?

Would any of this be the source of a R15 that now has a bad disk?

A lot seems to have failed at once... ??? It was cold/wet/and windy when this all started, but certainly no lighting strikes.

[K4SMX]

I don't think the R15 necessarily has a bad disk. The voltage is probably alternating as a result of the software in the HR20 trying to access the different satellites on booting. I doubt if anything has been really damaged. It sounds like you've just got an LNB whose internal multi-switch doesn't work.

[Ext 721]

Is the alternating voltage a normal situation for a tuner?

Would a bad LNB assembly damage the (103/110/119) inputs to the WB68 in such a way that no voltage is passed back?

Would any of this be the source of a R15 that now has a bad disk?

A lot seems to have failed at once... ??? It was cold/wet/and windy when this all started, but certainly no lighting strikes.

When a receiver is unable to get signal, it goes into a "search mode" where it alternates between 13 and 18 volts. this is useful for many "automatic" dishes found atop campers. when the receiver gets a signal it likes, it stops alternating, clueing the dish in to the fact that it just found the right bird.

It's also useful to test the output voltage of the receiver.

Thsi may or may not be related to the alternating voltage you found. remember that voltage is not current, and that all voltage comes from the receiver, not from the dish or switch...unless it is a powered switch.

[rjsnelsonjr]

OK...

If the alternating voltage is not the big issue I imagined I'll focus elsewhere.
The LNB assembly seems to be a where I'll have to start replacing equipment.

What about the lack of pass through voltage on the 18V and 13V inputs (sat 103/110/119)? Is the WB68 just as likely to have to be replaced at this time?

Finally, the apparent "false positive" signal indication from the SatAlign2 meter is just annoying. If I'm in this for the long haul, would the investment in a ACUTRAC III Plus be warrented since it would identify all 5 signals individualy?

I've had days to mess with this situation. I'm ready to resolve in one swoop if possible and there is not much faith in the original installers.

[K4SMX]

If you lost all your receivers simultaneously, and you're unfamiliar with your signal meter, why are we not suspecting nothing more than that your dish has moved?

[rjsnelsonjr]

The elevation, azimuth and tilt of the bracket appear unchanged from the original install. It is a pole mount so there could be misalignment of the base, but there is no indication of a major disruptment.

Please offer suggestions for realligment... as metioned the signal meter I am using shows a strong level from something. The spec on the device is for Frequency range: 950MHz to 2050MHz so I'm not picking up the tone from Ka-Lo band of 250-750 MHz.

When the HR20 boots and is "searching for signal" and attempts to download the guide information... will any of the satellites signals get it to the next step or is there any one sat signal that is specificaly required?

[houskamp]

The elevation, azimuth and tilt of the bracket appear unchanged from the original install. It is a pole mount so there could be misalignment of the base, but there is no indication of a major disruptment.

Please offer suggestions for realligment... as metioned the signal meter I am using shows a strong level from something. The spec on the device is for Frequency range: 950MHz to 2050MHz so I'm not picking up the tone from Ka-Lo band of 250-750 MHz.

When the HR20 boots and is "searching for signal" and attempts to download the guide information... will any of the satellites signals get it to the next step or is there any one sat signal that is specificaly required?
if you are getting that far on startup, just wait for it to time out and hit menu.. you can then get to the signal meters screen..
and by the way these dishes are quite sensitive to position, anyone who says "It looks about right" is dreaming that he can tell..

[rjsnelsonjr]

Fair enough point on eyeballing the alignnment... I was unaware that I could skip past the time out screen to get to the the signal meter screen. I will post signal numbers later tonight.
Thanks!

[K4SMX]

When you get home, head outside with a 1/2" socket wrench. Check the main mast bracket first, then the EL and AZ fine alignment nuts for looseness. I'd be very suspicious your main mast bracket nuts may be loose enough for the dish to have spun on the mast. You wouldn't notice it. See if you can move it easily on the mast. (Mark its current position first with a Sharpie.) It's been reported a lot more than once that installers have not tightened some or all of these nuts securely. Don't mess with anything that's not a 1/2" nut.

[rjsnelsonjr]

I have held off posting for several hours due to overwhelming embarrassment...

As mentioned earlier, elevation, azimuth and tilt were all locked down tight and had not moved.

The dish is a pole mount just off the front corner of the house. The base of the dish bracket is approx 4 feet off the ground level. Throughout the past year, the state of Georgia has had extreme drought conditions. The ground conditions at the pole base were always very firm considering it's straight into Georgia red clay.
One of the home's gutter downspouts is no more than 6' away, but seeing as there has been no significant rainfall since the installation of the much larger slimlime dish who knew I would have a problem.

The significant rain we experienced last week appears to have softened the soil/clay just enough to allow shifting of the pole in the direction of the dish's 67 degree tilt. I'm talking about an "out-of-plumb" condition by no more than 3/16" off the vertical at the 4' height.

I had no idea the level of signal sensitivity. A slight nudge to the pole had vast impact on the signal numbers across the board.

Good news is that I'm mostly back up and running even with the WB68 in the system. Bad news is that I have a flawed dish location/mounting. I have no way to insure that degree of dish stability with the current pole mount installed.

I will want to investigate a wall mounted bracket system for the near future to gain greater stability.

The only ongoing issue is that the R15-500 can still not get past "checking disk", but I will assume that this is an unrelated issue to the previous signal issues.

Thank you all of helping me pull back into reality with some basic "troubleshooting 101."

[K4SMX]

We feel your pain. We all have bought the T-shirt, too! You just need a shovel and a bag and a half of Sakrete. Pole mounts are the way to go.

[K4SMX]

Throughout the past year, the state of Georgia has had extreme drought conditions.

Yes, it now appears there will not be a war between Georgia and Alabama over Lake Lanier's water and the Chattahoochee "River," such as it is.

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