Install Problem, Problem RG6 cable or ...

[djtowle]

I'm having a tough time with an install and hoping someone here can help. E* is stumped as well.

The Short story: Connect a 921 or 721 tuner 1 input directly to a 148 Dishpro single LNB. Only odd transponders show up with a 80-mid 90 signal strengh. Have used 2 different cables (they were manufactured 3 years apart) swept for 2.3G have swapped LNB as well. Having swapped recievers and LNB's and cable, I and dish tech support, are stumped.

Does anyone have any experience with carol Cables? Although it is rated for this use could it be the problem?

Longer story: I just got a 921 :D :D swapped it for my 721 booted up fine. But wouldn't see the 148 location. Look in the manual and see that the wierd way the installer hooked up my 148 to my 721 was not supported by the new 921(he hooked it with 2 DP21's and a DP splitter, it's in the book but not how I would have done it). Anyhow I took those out and popped in a DP34, no problem. wrong. 110, 119, 148 were showing up on random ports, not symmetric, sometimes showing feed, somtimes as twin, etc. Tried swapping in new cables, and 2nd dp34 switch, same problems. After consulting dish, messed with which dish went to each input on the switch, this helped a little. We also swapped the 721 in for the 921 to rule out a reciever problem. Same results on the 721. BTW sending the two lines down direct from the dish500 DPtwin LNB works great.

Armed with this I decided to try the 148 sat hooked direct Strong signal on the meter, and on the reciever, but no even transponders???? also note the transponder # in the dish point screen somtimes jumps from # to #. It'll be on one, jump to 2 or 4, if you hit the up arrow it might jump from 4-7.

HELP, I'm out of Ideas!!

TIA

[Mike123abc]

I would suspect the LNB/Dish aiming on 148 if you get 119/110 fine down the same cable.

Try leaving 148 out of the equasion for now and see if you can get just 119/110 to work with the sw34. Then try adding back in the 148 to the sw34.

A while back I was having bad problems with one of my recievers, it turned out the old crimp on connector on one of my cables had come lose from the original install. The wind would blow the cable a bit and lose contact causing all sorts of wierd problems. Check all your connectors, maybe moving back and forth is causing problems.

[djtowle]

Thanks for the help Mike, I will try just the DP34 and 110/119 when it stops raining. I think I tried it but cannot remember.

Also I forgot to note I did swap out the 148 LNB for a new spare, same problem.

Cables are all new, connectors are Snap & Seal. And I'm just running a short cable directly from the dish through the window to the reciever.

This is so Bizzare.

The signal at 148 is strong on the odd transponders, and my meter. I didn't point this dish myself (installer did) so maybe I'll just get out the ol compass and see how close it is.

[boba]

Are you just running 1 cable from 148 into the 921? If you are I don't think this receiver will support just 1 input. Put the DP splitter back in line and run 2 cables from 148. And obviously make sure that spare 148 LNB is a Dish Pro.

[Mike500]

Carol cables are made by General Cable out of Pawtucket, RI. It is the brand sold at most Home Depot Stores.

I'd take a standard ohmmeter and check out the resistance between the center conductor and the outer shield. You might have a "phantom short," or one of the braid wires wrapped around the center conductor.

I'd connect the receiver directly with a separately to the 148 DishPro single lnb and peak that dish. If this works, then, I'd subsitute the "in place" cable. if this works, I'd then move the single lnb to the Dish 500 and try out each of the cables in each separate position at 110 and 119 with the single DishPro lnb.

If all works separately, I'd then try it with the switches hooked up.

If you use a DishPro splitter, the coax going to the receiver must be the "power pass" leg of the splitter. Otherwise, you will get only one set of transponders.

[djtowle]

After much experimentation and a few new parts $$ I have all three satellite feeds showing up on my 921. Yeah.

It seems it was one of two problems, maybe both, and now that it works (after 3 days) I'm not A-B'ing the two suspects to find out which it was.

It was either a bad Dish Pro 500 twin LNB. Seems one of the 4 possible ways it could connect was balky.

And-Or

My local dealer sold me some "dish pro compatible" equipment. The aftermarket DP 34 switch may have been a problem, Curious thing was even when the aftermarket dp34 switch was connected to 3 single LNBs of the same make it still wouldn't work right.

Anyhow it's all Dish Brand Switches and LNB's for me from now on.

:uglyhamme