[trent741]

Ok, a year or so ago I had too many recievers for my 6x8 multiswitch so I went to this forum for suggestions. I ended up running my 4 lines from lnb to 4 power passing splitters and then going to same input of multiswitches from each splitter. It has worked for over a year now with exception of 1 dvr which when u change channels it makes a little popping noise but no big deal...I took 1 reciever up north to cabin for a week then came home hooked it back up, it worked again at home. My rec room reciever which I don't use too much started not getting no signal(771). Tried everything to figure it out...nothing, so directv came out today. First thing he said when he looked at my setup with switches is "that won't work"..I told him it worked for over a year. He then hooked up the 2 wb-68's the way he said directv does them, going into 1 multiswitch with the 4 leads then into the other wb-68 from 4 of the outputs of the first wb-68. Checked signals on reciever getting some good signals and some 0's odd/even he said he was going to do his other call for the day and said he would come back and spend the rest of the afternoon trying to figure it out. From what I remember I was told not to cascade the wb'68's for some reason from this site. Any ideas? Thanks

 

[jdspencer]

Since the system did work at one time, I'd suggest that one of the WB68s or a splitter failed (somewhat unlikely, but could happen). Try using a different set of outputs from the WB68. Knowing what the signal strengths from all TPs and Sats can help pinpoint the problem.

 

[texasbrit]

You are not supposed to cascade WB68s the way the tech has them configured, your setup using splitters was correct. It is because the WB68 is unpowered, cascading the WB68s can result in degredation of the satellite selection voltages to the point where the receivers don't work. Zinwell the manufacturer of the WB68 actually issued a tech note to this effect but it is so long ago I am not sure I can find it.
Your 771 problem is probably caused by a bad cable/connector, with a multiswitch or splitter failure being possible but unlikely. As jdspencer says, seeing all the satellite/transponder signal levels from a "faulty" receiver can often tell you exactly which cable is at fault.

 

[trent741]

He found out from his supervisor that he can't cascade them, he said he has been installing for directv since '06 & hasn't seen 2wb68's hooked up they way I had it. After spending 7 hrs at my home, we checked everything showed we had 2 bad splitters...changed them. Then showed we had a bad multiswitch...changed it. Go back to testing and getting the same results. 5 hd dvrs- 2 of them getting high signals on 119 and 0's on the odds. Last thing we did was changed the lnb and still the same. He is coming back out today with a swm-16, that should take care of the problem!

 

[joed32]

I'm surprised he didn't do that in the first place.

 

[HoTat2]

I'm surprised he didn't do that in the first place.

Yeah ... paralleling passive multi-switches through power pass splitters without say a polarity locker was never a great solution anyhow. Even though recommended by Zinnell if necessary as opposed to cascading.

The standard DIRECTV procedure in the OP's case was to formally use a WB616, and now a SWiM-16.

Though I will say if the receivers experiencing consistent zeros on 119 odds are both on the same multi-switch, and that switch has been swapped, the problem is almost certainly the 13v/22 Khz patch cable or connectors from the particular splitter output to that switch.

 

[RunnerFL]

He found out from his supervisor that he can't cascade them, he said he has been installing for directv since '06 & hasn't seen 2wb68's hooked up they way I had it. After spending 7 hrs at my home, we checked everything showed we had 2 bad splitters...changed them. Then showed we had a bad multiswitch...changed it. Go back to testing and getting the same results. 5 hd dvrs- 2 of them getting high signals on 119 and 0's on the odds. Last thing we did was changed the lnb and still the same. He is coming back out today with a swm-16, that should take care of the problem!

I was just about to say I'm surprised he didn't just convert you to SWiM.

 

[naijai]

I was just about to say I'm surprised he didn't just convert you to SWiM.

He probably did not have it with him at that time and i still think SWiM 16 are still held on to with a death grip.

 

[RunnerFL]

He probably did not have it with him at that time and i still think SWiM 16 are still held on to with a death grip.

Not so much so. With DirecTV's push to get everyone on SWiM trucks are equipped with SWiM gear.

 

[texasbrit]

Yeah ... paralleling passive multi-switches through power pass splitters without say a polarity locker was never a great solution anyhow. Even though recommended by Zinnell if necessary as opposed to cascading.

The standard DIRECTV procedure in the OP's case was to formally use a WB616, and now a SWiM-16.

Though I will say if the receivers experiencing consistent zeros on 119 odds are both on the same multi-switch, and that switch has been swapped, the problem is almost certainly the 13v/22 Khz patch cable or connectors from the particular splitter output to that switch.

Driving the two multiswitches in parallel was for most people a perfectly workable solution, even without a polarity locker. There was marginal additional voltage loss through the splitters, so you would have to be right on the edge of the acceptable signalling voltages to have a problem. Certainly if parallelling the WB68s did not work, cascading them would definitely not work!

As you say, looking at the pattern of the zero transponders nearly always allows you to home in on a specific cable/connector issue between the splitter and the multiswitch, but that was probably above the installers pay grade....!

 

[naijai]

Not so much so. With DirecTV's push to get everyone on SWiM trucks are equipped with SWiM gear.

That's good to know

 

[trent741]

Ok, got my swm-16 installed and working great! Had to move the odu due to low signals for 119 sat. Funny thing is within the first the tech got here yesterday I was lending a hand to help him and he turned and said to me "you can follow me but I will do the work!" He eased off after he realized I knew what I was doing... This morning when he got here with the swm16 he was going up on the roof and he didn't ask me but said "I'm going on the roof to move the dish, here is the swm16,power supply, and the decas- go install them while I'm on the roof!

 

[wahooq]

Free helper!