Trouble with Sat 103

[murphdo817]

All of a sudden I am having trouble with receiving signals from the first 8 transponders on 103.

I noticed this because some of my HD channels give me a 771 message.

I tried realigning the dish and it doesn't seem to help. Could I have a bad dish?

I'm really frustruated with this problem. Any help or advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Here is what I have:

2 HR-21's
1 HR-20
1 HD-20

I have a 5 lnb dish with a 16x6 splitter (it's powered).

[Birdman79]

All of a sudden I am having trouble with receiving signals from the first 8 transponders on 103.

I noticed this because some of my HD channels give me a 771 message.

I tried realigning the dish and it doesn't seem to help. Could I have a bad dish?

I'm really frustruated with this problem. Any help or advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Here is what I have:

2 HR-21's
1 HR-20
1 HD-20

I have a 5 lnb dish with a 16x6 splitter (it's powered).

posting your transponders would help.Also is this happening on all your receivers?

[litzdog911]

Welcome to DBSTalk!

Please post back with your signal readings for each satellite's transponders (and both tuners if applicable). You'll find these readings under "Menu" -> "Setup" -> "System Setup" -> Satellite -> "View Signal Strength".

Fill in your readings for each satellite and tuner using these examples:


Satellite transponders (32 total at 101-deg)
1-8 # # # # # # # #
9-16 # # # # # # # #
17-24 # # # # # # # #
25-32 # # # # # # # #

Satellite transponders (3 total at 110-deg)
1-8 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA #
9-16 NA # NA # NA NA NA NA

Satellite transponders (11 total at 119-deg)
17-24 NA NA NA NA NA # # #
25-32 # # # # # # # #

Satellite transponders (6 total at 99(s))
1-8 # # # # # # NA NA
[Note: these can be very slow to appear]

Satellite transponders (16 total at 103(s))
1-8 # # # # # # NA NA
9-16 NA NA NA NA NA NA # #
17-24 # # # # # # # #
[Note, these can be very slow to appear]

Satellite transponders (16 total at 103(c))
1-8 # # # # # # # #
9-16 # # # # # # NA NA
17-24 # NA NA NA NA # NA NA

[murphdo817]

Satellite transponders (32 total at 101-deg)
1-8 95 95 92 97 89 98 91 97
9-16 91 95 89 98 86 99 91 99
17-24 88 100 84 95 86 98 92 98
25-32 92 97 95 60 97 99 95 100

Satellite transponders (3 total at 110-deg)
1-8 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 96
9-16 NA 95 NA 96 NA NA NA NA

Satellite transponders (11 total at 119-deg)
17-24 NA NA NA NA NA 97 54 96
25-32 91 97 96 96 95 97 0 97

Satellite transponders (6 total at 99(s))
1-8 98 29 99 33 95 80 NA NA
[Note: these can be very slow to appear]

Satellite transponders (16 total at 103(s))
1-8 0 0 0 0 0 0 NA NA
9-16 NA NA NA NA NA NA 95 84
17-24 91 95 95 92 17 0 92 96
[Note, these can be very slow to appear]

Satellite transponders (16 total at 103(c))
1-8 95 91 92 86 93 85 89 83
9-16 92 83 91 83 94 87 NA NA
17-24 91 NA NA NA NA 95 NA NA

Let me know what you think ... thanks

[K4SMX]

Those look excellent. Don't worry about the signals on the first row of 103(s). 103(s) tp's are all spot beams from two different satellites: DirecTV10, which also provides all the signals on 103(c), and Spaceway1. As such, the 103(s) signal strengths will be all over the lot.

On what channels are you receiving the 771 messages?

Welcome to DBSTalk.com!

[tomkat1127]

Sorry not trying to hijack someones thread here. My issue might fit in here with this one. I just had a new slimline put in today and the installer keeps thinking its a bad reciver (refurb) but after he left I did some checking and here is what I found. I have audio skipping on 8 or more HD channels only. There is not any sharp bends in coax as I doubled check (I ran the coax myself) BBC have been swapped.Is it a bad box or do the below signals seem to low?

103(c) tuner 1
1-8 = 77 73 80 76 86 74 79 79
9-16 = 85 79 85 84 88 84 na na
7-24 = 86 na na na na 90 na na
25-32 = na na na na na na na na

103(c) tuner 2
virtually the same as above

Range on on-screen signal meter is 67-81%. I had thought I had heard along time ago who wanted to stay above 80% and would like in the 90'S.

If other sat transponder singals are needed I have them written dow too.

[tomkat1127]

Sorry not trying to hijack someones thread here. My issue might fit in here with this one. I just had a new slimline put in today and the installer keeps thinking its a bad reciver (refurb) but after he left I did some checking and here is what I found. I have audio skipping on 8 or more HD channels only. There is not any sharp bends in coax as I doubled check (I ran the coax myself) BBC have been swapped.Is it a bad box or do the below signals seem to low?

103(c) tuner 1
1-8 = 77 73 80 76 86 74 79 79
9-16 = 85 79 85 84 88 84 na na
7-24 = 86 na na na na 90 na na
25-32 = na na na na na na na na

103(c) tuner 2
virtually the same as above

Range on on-screen signal meter is 67-81%. I had thought I had heard along time ago who wanted to stay above 80% and would like in the 90'S.

If other sat transponder singals are needed I have them written dow too.

[murphdo817]

Those look excellent. Don't worry about the signals on the first row of 103(s). 103(s) tp's are all spot beams from two different satellites: DirecTV10, which also provides all the signals on 103(c), and Spaceway1. As such, the 103(s) signal strengths will be all over the lot.

On what channels are you receiving the 771 messages?

Welcome to DBSTalk.com!

I'm getting the 771 message on the HD channels for 625, 241, and most other HD channels.

If you say that the signal strengths are good then I think it must be one of the wires coming from the dish and it is having trouble keeping the signal strong?

I'm going to check the wires.

Any other ideas?

[K4SMX]

You didn't say if you were having this problem on all your receivers or just one of them, but I assume all of them. There's unlikely to be anything wrong with your cables with those signal strengths, but it never hurts to remove, examine for corrosion, and re-tighten until just snug all your connectors at the WB616 with a 7/16" wrench. (If it was just one receiver, I'd suspect a bad BBC first.)

I'd next try bypassing your WB616 on one of your receivers, and connect it straight to two of the dish cables to see if there's a problem with the multi-switch using a couple of double-female "barrel" adapters.

Sometimes LNB's can also go bad in ways that don't show up in the signal strength readings, but that's not something you could test on your own, unless you have a spare. :)

[murphdo817]

Those look excellent. Don't worry about the signals on the first row of 103(s). 103(s) tp's are all spot beams from two different satellites: DirecTV10, which also provides all the signals on 103(c), and Spaceway1. As such, the 103(s) signal strengths will be all over the lot.

On what channels are you receiving the 771 messages?

Welcome to DBSTalk.com!

It looks like on most of all the HD channels. It seems to get worse at night.

All of the HD receivers are experiencing the same thing.

[murphdo817]

It looks like on most of all the HD channels. It seems to get worse at night.

All of the HD receivers are experiencing the same thing.

I also tried to bypass the splitter to a receiver and it seems that nothing changes.

I checked the wires and it looks like they are fine. Here is what I think it may be:

1. Bad Dish location - there are trees approximately 40 feet away and they are about 30-40 feet high. My dish is about 7 feet off the ground on a pole.
2. Bad LNB - I ordered another dish and it should be here before next weekend. I will try switching out the LNB's to see if that corrects it.
3. Bad Receivers - I can't believe that they all broke at the same time (all 3).

Any other ideas? I'm desparate!

[litzdog911]

A temperature related problem (mostly happens in the evening) affecting all of your receivers sure points to a dish or multiswitch problem. Do you see any difference in the signal readings on 99 or 103 when the problem's happening?

Also, what do you mean by "splitter"? I hope you're referring the B-Band Converter? Or your multiswitch? There should be NO splitters or diplexers on your cables.

[murphdo817]

By splitter I mean the 6X16 Zinwell ... sorry I 'm using bad terminology. I recently added the 6X16 Zinwell to the system so that might be the issue?

I will put back the 6x8 Zinwell to see if that changes things a bit. Otherwise I will see if I can switch out the dish next weekend.

Thanks for your advice!

[K4SMX]

I also tried to bypass the splitter to a receiver and it seems that nothing changes.

I checked the wires and it looks like they are fine. Here is what I think it may be:

1. Bad Dish location - there are trees approximately 40 feet away and they are about 30-40 feet high. My dish is about 7 feet off the ground on a pole.
2. Bad LNB - I ordered another dish and it should be here before next weekend. I will try switching out the LNB's to see if that corrects it.
3. Bad Receivers - I can't believe that they all broke at the same time (all 3).

Any other ideas? I'm desparate!
With those signals, there's no problem with the trees. The signals actually come from ~25 degrees higher in the sky than the dish would indicate, because of the LNB offset from center-line.

If you've already bypassed the WB616, and this problem effects all receivers, it pretty much has to be the LNB, absent some ferocious local RFI issue. There have been reports of temperature-related LNB problems. Drop back after you've installed the new LNB and tell us what happened. If your LNB is in fact the problem, please advise who made it.

[murphdo817]

With those signals, there's no problem with the trees. The signals actually come from ~25 degrees higher in the sky than the dish would indicate, because of the LNB offset from center-line.

If you've already bypassed the WB616, and this problem effects all receivers, it pretty much has to be the LNB, absent some ferocious local RFI issue. There have been reports of temperature-related LNB problems. Drop back after you've installed the new LNB and tell us what happened. If your LNB is in fact the problem, please advise who made it.

Another update ... I went outside to check the alignment again (I'm obsessing now!!!) - my neighbor thinks I'm crazy)) - I have a satellite meter that is self powered (AcuTrac III) and when I went to switch to check 103 it powered off. I kept repeating the process and it kept powering off only on 103 ... At this point I'm pretty sure that this has to be a bad LNB.

Any other ideas or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys

[K4SMX]

Do the folks who sold you the new dish also sell AcuTrac III's?

Just kidding!!! :lol:

[murphdo817]

Do the folks who sold you the new dish also sell AcuTrac III's?

Just kidding!!! :lol:

Very funny! I've used the AcuTrac III on a few install's (my father-in-laws) and also my house and it has worked great so I'm pretty sure its not broke too! But who knows?

I have my fingers crossed that its just the LNB ... I'll let you all know what happens!

Thanks again

[murphdo817]

Well, I've changed the LNB's and it looks like the problem is solved. I haven't had any 771 messages since.

Thanks for your help!

[K4SMX]

Excellent news! Thanks for the update.