[Cap'n Preshoot]

Finally vindication!

For those who have followed my frequent postings about the 222 getting into an endless download loop following a signal loss (Onscreen message 015) and requiring frequent front-panel resets, I learned today that this is a known issue with the 222, for which there presently is no fix. Dish Network engineers are aware of this problem with the 222. Replacing your 222 with another 222 will not solve it (I'm on my 3rd 222 and can attest to that).

Per Dish technical support, the temporary workaround is to perform a front-panel reset and suffer through the agonizingly slow process of reacquiring the transponders and re-downloading the guide. This will restore reception until it occurs again, at which point you will have to perform the front-panel reset again.

I was also correct in my observation that the problem is exacerbated by rain fade. Again, according to Tech Support, so long as the 222 is able to maintain signal lock, the anomaly should not occur. Once signal lock is lost, the 222 "may" not be able to reacquire lock even though signal strength is otherwise good.

All I could get out of them is that it's a known issue in the 222. No one was able to say whether it's being investigated or when a fix might be coming.

I was also successful in getting 12 months of receiver lease credit ($5/mo x 12 mos)

 

[DishSubLA]

My 222 has issues with video blanking out that a reboot (or tow) solves, but I'm afraid to RMA it because of the many other 222 problems posted that I don't suffer with now. Those other problems are WORSE than the one problem I have and I don't want them to send me a stinker replacement.

The 222 had such great promise, and now it seems like the big dud. I keep hearing the a new 222K will be coming soon. Please Dish either really fix the 222 or upon our RMA of this model, send us the new 222K, presuming it works.

 

[faiello]

I still can't use the HDMI output of my 222 without video blanking. Dish needs to find a fix or come out with a new model that works. I am on my second 222 and have gotten several credits from Dish since August because of the problems with the 222.

 

[Jason Nipp]

I was also correct in my observation that the problem is exacerbated by rain fade.

What kind of signal levels do you have? Why are you loosing lock so much?

 

[Cap'n Preshoot]

What kind of signal levels do you have? Why are you loosing lock so much?

Depending on bird and transponder, signals are anywhere from the mid-30s (129 sat) to the very low 80s Nothing any higher than 84 and that was on one of the local spot beams. Strongest TP on 129 reads about 54. The dish (Dish 1000.2) is a 5' pole mount in concrete and sufficiently rigid that even hurricane Ike (which took some shingles off my house & took down the neighbor's fence) did not blow it off path. Also, remember, we are not having this problem with the 722, only the 222 and we're on our 3rd one w/same result.

As for the issue of signal strength, the mast is perfectly plumb, but anytime they've been out to check signals they never use the 1000.2 triple LNB. Instead the installer (every one that's been out) replaces the LNB and bracket with a more conventional single LNB and aligns the dish with that, then puts the original triple LNB and bracket back on the arm. The success of this method thus assumes that the focus geometry is identically the same as that for the 1000.2 LNB, which personally I think is a dangerous assumption, but I'm not the satellite guy.

We're okay and the 222 works for days, sometimes even weeks at a time without missing a lick so long as we haven't had any significant rain fade. However, once the storms go through (and it can often be stormy here for days) then we're back to rebooting the 222. At the risk of repeating myself, this problem seems to follow the 222. By comparison, our 722 has been relatively problem free, rarely needing a reboot.

We are located in Katy, TX, one of the far western suburbs of Houston.
N 29.42.820, W 95.46.387

.

 

[Cap'n Preshoot]

In other words....

The signal strength seems OK. Nothing to write home about, but relatively stable, normal daylight/darkness propagation characteristics notwithstanding. I am of the opinion that getting any better signals would probably require individual discreet dishes for each satellite and perhaps a 1-meter dish for 129, causing my HOA to soil their drawers.

The problem (with the 222) manifests itself whenever we experience multiple deep signal fades (path activity as it is called) over a relatively short period of time, ie, over the span of a few minutes. After the 2nd or 3rd deep fade (before fully recovering from any of them) the 222 will thereafter fail to reacquire signal lock and goes into a message 015 endless loop condition and remain in that state until a front panel reset is performed.

.

 

[AColdStArnolds]

I am in Copperfield so not too far from you. Have the same problems with my 222. I know if it rains while I am at work that when I get home I will have to reboot the 222. This week after the rain it did something new. The analog tv hooked up wireless to the 222 just had a black screen on all channels with no audio either. Suprisingly the tv hooked directly to the 222 worked. That was a new issue. Have no idea what that issue is. Had to reboot the 222 to get the analog tv to work.

 

[cs550ds]

I have a 222. I have been having the same problems. I just received sw version L309 on Oct. 16th. I had SW version L307. I have not had any problems since. Does anyone know what SW version L309 is supposes to fix? I hope this solves the problems, but like all other software dowloads it will work right only for a while.

 

[Cap'n Preshoot]

I am in Copperfield so not too far from you. Have the same problems with my 222. I know if it rains while I am at work that when I get home I will have to reboot the 222. This week after the rain it did something new. The analog tv hooked up wireless to the 222 just had a black screen on all channels with no audio either. Suprisingly the tv hooked directly to the 222 worked. That was a new issue. Have no idea what that issue is. Had to reboot the 222 to get the analog tv to work.

Intermittent inability to automatically reacquire signal lock following path activity (signal fading conditions) is a known performance issue on the 222. Like you the problems we have with our 222 manifest themselves in assorted ways (ie, black screen, or won't turn on, or stuck on msg 015) are those I've experienced. Most often it's the dreaded message 015. In either case a front panel reset solves it until it happens again. It is directly related to rain fade or other signal fading conditions.

Dish is aware of the problem.

 

[Cap'n Preshoot]

And still occurring...
.

 

[Opusnbill7]

And still occurring...
.

L309 seemed to make things a little better. That is, my box at least, doesn't automatically lock up if it loses the satellite for a bit. That said, though, it has lost the satellite for no apparent reason and would not consistently re-tune them until a reboot. Luckily it's only happened a couple of times since the release, so it doesn't seem to be too big of a pain...

 

[Cap'n Preshoot]

The problem is definitely signal path (ie, rain fade) related and mostly occurs following steep fades where the signal has started to come back then fades again. If it's a clean break, such as unplugging the coax & then reconnecting it, the receiver usually recovers OK. It's an acknowledged bug and very much still present in L309. We've not had much trouble lately because it hasn't rained much lately.