Jim Parker
08-25-04, 02:12 PM
I had problem that I thought I would share, just FYI.
Dish equipment: 921, 510, SW44, two Legacy LNBs.
Configuration: 4' dish looking at 119, 6' dish looking at 110.
Problem: neither the 921 or the 510 would see the 110 sat inputs. The 119 sat inputs always worked. The "Check Switch" would report a problem with the SW44.
Cause: A ground loop between the electrical service, via the ground wire attached to the case of the SW44, and the metal flashing on the roof that I was using as a work bench.
Why: I don't have a clue! :shrug:
Scenario: Last Sunday, I installed a 6' dish to increase the signal for the HD channels as they were dropping out with the 4' dish. After getting everything installed, I could not see the 110 sat. I played with the coax connectors, moved the cables around (it did not matter if the 6' was connected to Sat 1 or Sat 2 inputs on the SW44), changed cables, cussed a lot, moved cables, tried still more cables and all of a sudden, it worked. Great! I got the dish aligned, put the SW44 back under the deck where it is out of the weather and quit for the night.
Monday, I pulled the switch out, put it on the flashing (the fireplace chimneys go up on the west side of the house and there is a 8'x3' area that is covered with galvanized metal flashing on the top), removed the too long cables and installed the original cables that were cut to length. Ran a Check Switch and no sat 110. Put the other cables back, no help. I could not get it working. Maybe a bad LNB, so I took it to the dealer on Tuesday, he tested it and said it was fine.
Maybe I have bad cables, so I got 2 premade cables, hooked everything back up, and no 110. I checked the voltage to the SW44 and it had 28vDC. Put a terminator on the cables and checked them with a ohmmeter, all tested good. Went and got a new LNB and hooked it up. No sat 110.
I got an old SW21 out, hooked it up to both dishes, connected it to the cable to the 510 and put it down on the flashing. No sat 110. I connected the LNB on the 6' directly to the 510 and there was 110! Put the old LNB back and still had 110. Reconnected everything to the SW44 and no 110.
Finally, I disconnected the ground wire from the SW44 and put it on the wood roof. 110 was there!
I must have run the check switch at least 20 times on the 921 and 510, and it did not work until this point. Why it was only affecting 110 and not 119 is a total mystery to me. It's not a weak signal, as I now have several transponders with a signal strength of over 100, most in the 80s and 90s.
Now here's the weird part. Put the ground wire back, put it on the flashing and it still works. Nor do I understand why it did not have a problem after it had found it once. :confused: I did a check switch several times and it has found it everytime. I could disconnect both cables and see if the problem comes back, but I think that I am going to leave well enough alone.
Dish equipment: 921, 510, SW44, two Legacy LNBs.
Configuration: 4' dish looking at 119, 6' dish looking at 110.
Problem: neither the 921 or the 510 would see the 110 sat inputs. The 119 sat inputs always worked. The "Check Switch" would report a problem with the SW44.
Cause: A ground loop between the electrical service, via the ground wire attached to the case of the SW44, and the metal flashing on the roof that I was using as a work bench.
Why: I don't have a clue! :shrug:
Scenario: Last Sunday, I installed a 6' dish to increase the signal for the HD channels as they were dropping out with the 4' dish. After getting everything installed, I could not see the 110 sat. I played with the coax connectors, moved the cables around (it did not matter if the 6' was connected to Sat 1 or Sat 2 inputs on the SW44), changed cables, cussed a lot, moved cables, tried still more cables and all of a sudden, it worked. Great! I got the dish aligned, put the SW44 back under the deck where it is out of the weather and quit for the night.
Monday, I pulled the switch out, put it on the flashing (the fireplace chimneys go up on the west side of the house and there is a 8'x3' area that is covered with galvanized metal flashing on the top), removed the too long cables and installed the original cables that were cut to length. Ran a Check Switch and no sat 110. Put the other cables back, no help. I could not get it working. Maybe a bad LNB, so I took it to the dealer on Tuesday, he tested it and said it was fine.
Maybe I have bad cables, so I got 2 premade cables, hooked everything back up, and no 110. I checked the voltage to the SW44 and it had 28vDC. Put a terminator on the cables and checked them with a ohmmeter, all tested good. Went and got a new LNB and hooked it up. No sat 110.
I got an old SW21 out, hooked it up to both dishes, connected it to the cable to the 510 and put it down on the flashing. No sat 110. I connected the LNB on the 6' directly to the 510 and there was 110! Put the old LNB back and still had 110. Reconnected everything to the SW44 and no 110.
Finally, I disconnected the ground wire from the SW44 and put it on the wood roof. 110 was there!
I must have run the check switch at least 20 times on the 921 and 510, and it did not work until this point. Why it was only affecting 110 and not 119 is a total mystery to me. It's not a weak signal, as I now have several transponders with a signal strength of over 100, most in the 80s and 90s.
Now here's the weird part. Put the ground wire back, put it on the flashing and it still works. Nor do I understand why it did not have a problem after it had found it once. :confused: I did a check switch several times and it has found it everytime. I could disconnect both cables and see if the problem comes back, but I think that I am going to leave well enough alone.