[Steve9060]

I have been having problems on my HD channels especially my locals, since they came online. This will be the third time I had to have my dish aligned by Dtv. They have been there and signal strength has looked good, but it varies greatly because right after the guy left, without a cloud in sight it drops off again. I do not know what sat my HDs are on, but all my SD stuff comes in great, but the HD channels constantly drop out in my living room and bedroom sets.

Any advice anyone can give as far as making sure this tech does a good job of getting a strong signal to these birds? I am always courteous it has been a while since a tech has tried, but my wife is home for the summer and it drives her crazy when the Today show drops out…

Anyway thanks for any advice that you can lend, I love the service and just want to stop the constant dropouts, I understand rain fade, and high clouds, but I just want this system to work as well as it does on the SD channels…

 

[GTS]

The only thing I can suggest is that you ensure that you and the tech check the signal level of ALL the transponders on all of the satellites on ALL of your receivers before you sign off on any work orders. The 103 readings should all be at least 90, if they are then your dish is truly peaked. Most installers have no way of checking the 99 and 103 signals at the dish so be prepared to lend a hand by monitoring and relaying the levels using one of your receivers, use the bar graph display not the matrix, while he tweaks the dish. Make sure the monopoles are installed.

YOU ARE ULTIMATELY YOUR OWN QUALITY CONTROL REP.

Good luck

 

[Steve9060]

The only thing I can suggest is that you ensure that you and the tech check the signal level of ALL the transponders on all of the satellites on ALL of your receivers before you sign off on any work orders. The 103 readings should all be at least 90, if they are then your dish is truly peaked. Most installers have no way of checking the 99 and 103 signals at the dish so be prepared to lend a hand by monitoring and relaying the levels using one of your receivers, use the bar graph display not the matrix, while he tweaks the dish. Make sure the monopoles are installed.

YOU ARE ULTIMATELY YOUR OWN QUALITY CONTROL REP.

Good luck

Is there any way to tell what transponders my locals are on? Most of them are zeros, so I assume as long as a number higher than zero comes up, it has to be over 90?

 

[Mertzen]

Is there any way to tell what transponders my locals are on? Most of them are zeros, so I assume as long as a number higher than zero comes up, it has to be over 90?

Yes there should be at least one transponder close to 100 on one of the spotbeam birds.

 

[texasbrit]

Is there any way to tell what transponders my locals are on? Most of them are zeros, so I assume as long as a number higher than zero comes up, it has to be over 90?

Don't worry about the HD locals for dish alignment. They come from either the 99 or 103 slots, so if you get good signals on the CONUS channels (99c and 103c if you have a DVR, 99a and 103b if you have a receiver) your HD local transponders will be good also. You should have 80s, maybe 90s, on all the active TPs on the CONUS screens (there will probably be two zero transponders on 103b/c). If you have a DVR, make sure you check both tuners.

Just FYI. Because the 99s/b and 103s/a signal strength screens show only spotbeams, you will see all sorts of signal strengths varying from zero to possibly as high as 100, depending on whether it is the TP carrying your HD locals, one that is close to you and you are inside someone else's spotbeam, or a TP whose spotbeams are directed so far away from you that you see no signal at all. If you receive HD locals, when your dish is aligned you will see (at least) either one or two transponders with high (90s) signals, on just one of the two signal strength screens. If you have Hartford locals they will show up on 103 s/a, and none of the 99s/b signals will be relevant for you.

 

[Steve9060]

So if I may would like to ask you experts a related question, since my outages, or whatever you want to call them occur, I can switch to any SD channel and it comes in no problem, is it possible it could also be an that its an LNB problem?


Hope I'm not being a pain here, but I love the service, and if I get another installer who doesn’t get it right, the wife may be at her wits end…

 

[texasbrit]

So if I may would like to ask you experts a related question, since my outages, or whatever you want to call them occur, I can switch to any SD channel and it comes in no problem, is it possible it could also be an that its an LNB problem?

Hope I'm not being a pain here, but I love the service, and if I get another installer who doesn't get it right, the wife may be at her wits end…

The SD channels are from the 101 satellite and this has a VERY wide beamwidth, much wider than the Ka satellites carrying national HD. So you can do a very sloppy installation and get 101 reception but very poor signals from 99/103.
As GTS posted, just don't let the installer leave until he has shown you the signal strength on the 103c or 103b screen , and on the 99c/99a screen, for BOTH tuners if you have a DVR, and those signals are at least in the 80s. If he tells you 99c/a is not transmitting yet, or does not matter, he is WRONG. as I posted, get 103c/b and 99c/a at decent signal strength and the HD locals will take care of themselves.

 

[Steve9060]

Will do, thank you guys very much for the help!

 

[K4SMX]

If you have additional SD receivers requiring the use of a multi-switch, make sure that you have the proper multi-switch: a Zinwell WB68 or WB616, not a SAM-6802. If you do have the proper multi-switch, try bypassing it with double-female "barrel" adapters and run your HD receiver(s) straight to the dish lines. It may be defective.

If you don't use a multi-switch, and even if you do, examine all the connectors in your lines for looseness/corrosion, especially at your ground block, which can also be bypassed for testing with barrel adapters. Re-tighten until just snug with a 7/16" wrench. Connectors can cause problems with HD signals which don't appear (yet) with SD signals.

If none of that works for you, you could have a bad LNB. Post your signals on 99(c) and 103(c) the next time you lose HD channels:

Satellite transponders (14 total at 99º(c)/(a))
[New national HD channels]
1-8 # # # # # # # #
9-16 # # # # # # NA NA

Satellite transponders (14 total at 103º(c)/(b))
[Most national HD channels]
1-8 # # # # # # # #
9-16 # # # # # # NA NA
17-24 0 NA NA NA NA 0 NA NA

 

[RAD]

Make sure that they also installed the two monopoles to help support the dish. Without the extra support the dish is easier to slip out of alignment.

 

[Steve9060]

If you have additional SD receivers requiring the use of a multi-switch, make sure that you have the proper multi-switch: a Zinwell WB68 or WB616. If you do have the proper multi-switch, try bypassing it with double-female "barrel" adapters and run your HD receiver(s) straight to the dish lines. It may be defective.

If you don't use a multi-switch, and even if you do, examine all the connectors in your lines for looseness/corrosion, especially at your ground block, which can also be bypassed for testing with barrel adapters. Re-tighten until just snug with a 7/16" wrench. Connectors can cause problems with HD signals which don't appear (yet) with SD signals.

If none of that works for you, you could have a bad LNB. Post your signals on 99(c) and 103(c) the next time you lose HD channels:

Satellite transponders (14 total at 99º(c)/(a))
[New national HD channels]
1-8 # # # # # # # #
9-16 # # # # # # NA NA

Satellite transponders (14 total at 103º(c)/(b))
[Most national HD channels]
1-8 # # # # # # # #
9-16 # # # # # # NA NA
17-24 0 NA NA NA NA 0 NA NA

I have an HR20 in the living room and a Hr21 in the bedroom, not sure what kind of mulitswitch they put in but looks nothing as fancy as the Zinwell, but at the time it was installed it was the Hr20 and an SD receiver in the bedroom.
Will get those numbers posted tonight, it happens pretty frequently. Thanks

 

[Steve9060]

here is what it looks like when things are OK...

Satellite transponders (14 total at 99º(c)/(a))
[New national HD channels]
1-8 85 85 81 83 83 81 83
9-16 85 73 85 91 86 NA NA

Satellite transponders (14 total at 103º(c)/(b))
[Most national HD channels]
1-8 85 68 80 65 83 68 80 70
9-16 85 73 80 73 86 77 NA NA
17-24 0 NA NA NA NA 0 NA NA

 

[Mertzen]

Yeah, that one needs a realign. Not sure what locals you get but if it is the NYC ones there are on Tx 3 on 99s/b.

 

[K4SMX]

No 60's allowed, although I doubt that's the cause of your current difficulties. You should be able to get mostly all in the 90's on these two satellites, unless your HR21 is an HR21-100, which tend to run 5-10 points less for some reason. With your current alignment, you should get all the HD channels, you just have reduced "rain fade" margin, particularly on 103(c). They won't want to roll a truck on that alignment, unless you're losing channels, which of course you will in downpours, just earlier than you should. Might be easier to fix yourself. It's probably about a turn and a half on the EL fine adjustment knob.

I'm more interested in this multi-switch issue. How many total receivers do you have? If you have more than 4 antenna lines, you definitely have a multi-switch, and you need to find out what model number you have.....

 

[Steve9060]

Here is all there is coming into the house.

From there two wires go into similar device that goes into my Hr20 in my living room and two wires run right to my Hr21 in my bedroom.

 

[deboxer1]

Those gold connectors appear to be twist on's. Get rid of those and replace them with compression connectors. That is a ground block the cables are connecting to.

 

[Steve9060]

Those gold connectors appear to be twist on's. Get rid of those and replace them with compression connectors. That is a ground block the cables are connecting to.

So dont need a multi switch?

 

[deboxer1]

How receivers do you have and what models? A multiswitch would be installed between the dish and the receivers. On the right of the picture, the messenger wire should be the cables from the dish.

 

[Steve9060]

How receivers do you have and what models? A multiswitch would be installed between the dish and the receivers. On the right of the picture, the messenger wire should be the cables from the dish.

I have two, and HR20 and an HR21. Unless its outside, i don't see it, to the right is where they come in the house.

 

[deboxer1]

No you dont need a multiswitch, the slimline odu has a built in multiswitch that will support 4 tuners HR20 = 2 tuners, HR21 = 2 tuners, total tuners 4. If your dish is easy to get to, take the lnb off, using a 7/16 wrench take off the cables connected to it and inspected the connectors, look for corrosion, moisture and that the dielectric is seated all the way. Hopefully they will all be compression connectors, again any twist ons or crimped connectors get rid off. Putting the connectors back on the lnb, finger tighten then use the 7/16 to give a 1/4 turn. Do not over tighten, the connections can and will spin inside the lnb.