need 8psk help

[Earl]

About two weeks ago I got a 8psk module from Dishdepot.  When installed it came up with "Aquiring Satellite" for hours.  Checked point dish and signal and it says "wrong satellite" but shows a signal strength in red.  I checked the 110, 119, and 61.5 satellite and all have a signal strength that is comparable to what I see on my other receiver (not a 6000) but all say "Wrong Satellite".  I called Dish tech and really got no good answers after three calls and lots of things they suggest were tried with no solution to the problem they determined the 8psk was bad and I should send it back.  I was reluctant to do that since my system info the system displayed "6000(8psk)" which made me believe the receiver saw the 8psk.  I called Dishdepot and discribed the events and Marc told me to send it back.  Received the replacement from Dishdepot today, installed it and it behaves the same.  My 6000 has the 777 soft ware version but it was downloaded before I had a 8psk, could this be the problem? If so how do I force it to re-download the 777software.  If this is not the problem anybody got other suggestions.  I would hate to wait for the new HD receiver and have to miss some of the new upcomming HD stuff on Dishnetwork. 

[alfbinet]

Bingo! I am having the same problem. When you check the transponder for HD Discovery does it say "spotbeam" instead of "transponder"? I am waiting for my replacement. I have been told it might be my 6000. When I do system info it recognizes the 8psk module. Hell, HD Discovery shows up in my program guide ( I do subscribe to the channel). When I select HD Discovery I get the program flag at the top of the screen with the program info and my screen goes to black. I do not want to get another 6000!

[Earl]

Jim, thanks for the response. Yours maybe, hopefully just the 8psk. I cannot get to a program guide since it always says aquiring sattelite. Hopefully, a new 8psk will fix your problem, it didn't help me.
Earl

[alfbinet]

Just a suggestion. Make sure (if you have an OTA antenna) that you have the proper cable going into the proper input. I had the same problem with the never ending "acquiring satellite" I switched the cables from my antenna to proper input and was able to get all my channels with the exception of Discovery HD. Are you receiving all your other channels? I hope someone can help both of us out.

[Earl]

Jim, no I don't have the 8vsb OTA module. My tv has an internal DT tuner so I get all my local OTA HD with an antenae input directly to the TV. My satellite dish input goes directly to the 6000 receiver. Also I see no dishnetwork programming with 8psk installed, all I see is the "Aquiring Satellite" banner. If I remove the 8psk and plug the satellite input coax into the standard 6000 input instead of the 8psk I can see all my programming. I also hope someone can help. Thanks for continuing the discussion. The more that read this the more likely will find someone with a solution.
Earl

[Ken_F]

I presume you already did this (you might want to do it again), but you may need to hit menu on the remote and run through multiswitch setup/detection before you will receive correctly detected signals. Of course, the satellite cable should be plugged directly into the 8PSK module on the left side of the 6000 receiver.

[Earl]

Ken, I tried that with the previous 8psk module with no success. I was told by Dish tech support that one should never do a switch check unless a satellite is receive. My point dish/signal strength setting gives me conflicting info. It says "Wrong Satellite" shows a signal strength of above 100 but the signal strength is red not green which I was told means I am not receiving the satellite. So I am reluctant to do a switch check until I can get a green signal strength bar and a "Satellite detected" status. Maybe I should be bold and just try anyway. Thanks for the input, let me know if you thank I should run through the switch anyway.
Earl

[Mike123abc]

What switch do you have? After putting in the 8PSK modules I had to power off my SW64 then do a switch test on my 6000s for them to act right (they had trouble doing switch test before I powered the SW64).

[Ken_F]

Earn,

In my experience, it is fairly common to get the "wrong satellite" indication when the switch is not setup properly on the receiver. Of course, you'll also get the same message when your dish is not pointed correctly, but I presume you had the dish pointed before you installed the 8PSK module? In my case, after I installed the 8PSK module on my most recent 6000, I couldn't receive any programming until I ran through the switch test again.

I would second Mike123's suggestion; if you are using a SW64, try powering it off first, then run the switch test again.

[Earl]

Mike and Ken, I have a Dual LNB Dish 500 with just two RG6 lines. This dish has an internal switch I combine one line from this dish with a line from the dish looking at the 61.5 bird through a sw21 switch. When I do a line switch check it reports switch not found. It does this even if I by-pass the sw21 and go direct with the Dish 500 line. It doesn't recognize the internal Dish 500 switch. I'm still leaning toward a software problem. As I said my 6000 had the latest software before the 8psk was installed. I'm wondering if that could be the problem. I'm still seeking any suggestions but may have to try Dish tech support again but that wasn't successful last time.
Earl

[jgoggan]

Um, are you sure that you have a Dual LNB Dish500? I'm not absolutely positive, but I am fairly certain that the dual does not have an internal switch. The dual LNB has 4 connectors -- 2 for each satellite. Normally, if you are going to an IRD, you need to use an SW21 to combine one of each bird -- and then run that one RG6 to the IRD. If you wanted two IRDs, you'd need to do another SW21 using the two remaining connectors (one for each bird).

So, if you are trying to tie the 61.5 bird into that with ANOTHER SW21, then that would mean that you are cascading SW21s -- which I thought was a no-no...

Have you had this working before without the 61.5 in? If not, this would explain your problem -- and why you are getting a switch not found even if you go directly to the "Dish500 line" -- because you don't have a switch there!

This would work if you had a legacy quad -- which actually has an internal switch and 4 connectors -- that allow up to 4 IRDs. You could then use an SW21 to bring in the 61.5 bird and be all set. But, with a real dual LNB Dish500 -- if that is what you really have -- I don't think you can do it like you are trying to do -- because it doesn't have the internal switch that you think it does...

Again, I could be incorrect -- but having just purchased a Legacy Quad to replace my Dual LNB so that I could do exactly what you are trying to do, I'm fairly certain about it...

- John...

[jgoggan]

Ah! I figured it out. You must have the Dish500 TWIN -- not the "dual" (granted, it is a dual LNB, but I've simply always heard it called the "Dish500 Twin" -- and the "2 dual" being the one I was speaking of). The TWIN has just two connectors -- one for each IRD -- with an internal switch, I believe.

I don't know much about the twin as far as switch detection goes... I would guess that if you JUST hook it up -- it should still detect a switch. And, since yours doesn't, I would start looking there first.

I mean -- without the 61.5 in -- and the switch not being detected -- does it "work" at all? Do you get all of your 110 and 119 channels when you are hooked just to the Dish500?

That all being said, I believe that your setup should work fine -- a Twin with an SW21 to bring in the 61.5 bird. You'd only need the Quad in that situation if you wanted more than 2 IRDs.

- John...

[Earl]

John, thanks for the input. You are correct I have the Dish500 Twin. I had this system with a sw21 connecting the Dish500 Twin and the 61.5 satellite to the 6000. You are right if I connect only the Dish500 Twin without a sw21 and do a switch check it detects a Dish500 Twin Switch, then I install the sw21 and do a switch test it detects a sw21 and sees all three satellites and everthing works fine. I had this setup for six months and got ShowtimeHD and HBOHD. This was fine until I started a few weeks ago to install an 8psk module. Now I can't get past the aquiring satellite. This is my second 8psk in two weeks and they both had the same problem. If I start an installation from the beginning with Point Dish and Signal then try Dish 500 installation it never detects a switch. All the time my second receiver in another room allways sees all three satellites and switch checks ok. I've uninstalled the 8psk and everything is fine with the 6000 and I get all HBOHD and ShowtimeHD but without a 8psk I want be able to get future HD programming. I'm still leaning toward a software problem but I don't know how to get around it. I appreciate all help I can get. Thanks,
Earl

[Mike123abc]

I would suggest putting the module back in and running a switch test. To reset the system unplug your 6000 from the wall then do a switch test. If it still fails then you can always pull the 8PSK module and do the switch test again to go back to the way it was before you installed the module.

To do a NV ram reset on the 6k do:

1. menu->system setup->diagnostics
2. Press info on remote then right >> then left << then the info button again (while you are looking at the memory dump)

It will then tell you to turn off unit.

[DarrellP]

Just for kicks, try installing your 8psk and connect ONLY the 61.5 dish with no switches and see if you get a signal.

[Jerry 42]

I do not know if this helps or not.
I have a 500 picking up 110 & 119 and a 300 picking up 148 with a SW 64. I was told that everytime you change or just disconnect and reconnect a receiver (I have 2 6000 & a 301) you must shut off the power to the SW 64 for a minute to allow it to reset and then do the switch check on each receiver after powering up the SW64. Following this procedure I have had not problems.

[Earl]

Mike, I have had the module in and out I think four or maybe five times now. When its in it never finds a switch with it out I get back to my original configuration with switch test and I can see 61.5, 110 and 119. I thinking I may need to do the NV ram reset. What is this and should I do it with or without the 8psk installed.

DarrellP, I haven't tried just connecting the 8psk to only the 61.5 bird. When I get a chance I'll try that.

thanks for the input, Earl

[Mike123abc]

The NV ram reset will make you have to start over and do the switch test (it clears out the previous switch settings). It is a last resort if all else fails. I would try unplugging from wall first with the 8PSK in and then do a switch test first. You wipe NV ram and the reciever has to redownload and reauthorise itself so you will have to let it sit turned off for a while. It is not for the faint of heart.

[Earl]

DarrellP- I tried connecting just the 61.5 directly to the 8psk and the same problem. Point dish and signal comes up red and says wrong satellite.

Thanks to all that have offered help, unfortunately I'm still where I started. This is my second 8psk module in two weeks and it has all the exact same symptoms as the first. They never saw a valid satellite so can't do switch checks or get any software down load even though I have software version 777P. I can't believe that I could get two bad units from the same vendor without lots of others buying their 8psk from Dishdepot had problems. I sent a lengthy e-mail to Dishnetwork tech support. Maybe they have an answer or somebody else on this forum has an answer. If I get a resolution from Dish I'll post the result.
Earl

[Ken_F]

Earl,

I assume you did plug the 8PSK module into the right slot? :)

What kind of LNB do you have on the 61.5? After you reconnected 61.5, did you run the switch test again? You must re-run the switch test whenever anytime you perform a modification to the switch, LNB, or dish installation.

[Earl]

Ken, yes it is installed in Port 1. When I do a systems info it ID's the receiver as 6000(psk). So it must know it is there. No I didn't do a switch test when I connected directly to one of the LNB's from the 61.5 (It is a dual LNB). As I understand it you have to have satellite reception to do a Switch check. When I do point dish and signal I get a signal strength indication but the background is red not green and it says wrong satellite. When I do diagnostics with this set-up it says the receiver is good and the dish is good with good signal reception. I'm still baffled by that. Since I am desparate to try anything I went back to the 61.5 only input and did a switch check. It comes back with "No Switch Found" and no signal or transponder for the satellite.
I'm still waiting for feed-back from Dish Tech Support e-mail. I may have to do a NV Ram reset.
Heck at this rate I may be still be beating this dead horse when a 921 comes out and I'll just get one of those and forget about this 6000. I hope not, that's a long ways off.
Earl

[Earl]

Got e-mail from dish tech support asking that I call in and ask for advanced tech support did that and got to someone, I described all the problems, he requested that I try a few things with him on the phone. Final recommendation was that I take the 8psk and 6000 to a local Dish dealer and have them both checked. Current suspicion is that some poor or damaged contacts in the receiver or 8psk. This goes against my DIY attitude but I see no way out. Thanks to all,
Earl

[alfbinet]

Just an update on my problem. Had my installer guy come out and install the new module. Turns out the original was defective the new one works like a charm. Since Rick (my installer) had nothing to do with the upgrade path I took (subscribing to HD Discovery and get the free module last summer...which I installed myself) I expected that I would pay for his time. Nope. In the early days, (1999) he did come out to tweak the system and has never charged me a cent...though I did buy the 6000 from him after I upgraded from the 4700. It is good to have a great local Dish guy in the neighborhood.