Just got HD, now have problems.

After some research, I found that the channels that have the intermittent problems are on 101, transponders A2, A6, and A10. 101A6 seems to be the worst. Any ideas what might be causing this? My switch is a Zinwell WB68.

TIA

can you post signal strenths?

At this very moment, my H21 is working flawlessly, as is my D10 in my den. The D10 in my bedroom is acting up on the 101 A6 and A10 channels.



I will provide signal strengths for the upstairs D10:

101A

94 93 92 0 92 96 91 97
92 92 92 0 92 97 89 93
90 100 92 0 92 94 90 96
92 91 92 92 94 93 93 96

It was pointed out that because my home is wired with RG59, this may be the culprit.

If that is the case, would I have to rewire my house, or just use a HRPID1422
Polarity Locker / Power Inserter?

Rewire anything that's RG59 to at least RG6. Anything less will not send everything to the receivers that it needs to.

What is a better grade than RG6?

Before you re-wire anything, swap the D10's to see if the problem moves to the other location or stays with the problem location. If it stays with the problem location, remove and inspect all the connectors in that line and inspect for corrosion. Re-tighten until snug with a 7/16" wrench. Finally, you could try moving that line to a different output (not a Flexport input) on the WB68 multi-switch.

Replacing cable is usually the cheapest way to go. Solid Copper Core RG6 is what to use.
If you can't replace the RG59, then the Sonora locker can help, since it powers the LNBs.

Ntrikit said:

What is a better grade than RG6?

Click to expand...

Unless you have very long coax runs (exceeding 200 feet or longer), RG6 with solid copper center conductor is all you need. The next step up is RG11, which is larger (thicker) with a heavier center conductor (and is more costly).

Carl

Seems like for a run to a D10 of anything less than 100', plain old, garden-variety, home improvement store copper clad steel center conductor RG-6 by the roll is a workable solution, should in fact the cable be a problem. His HD box has always worked fine, per the OP.

And welcome to DBSTalk, Ntrikit!

Thanks for all the help!

Here are a few points that might help.

- The H21 HD receiver in the basement has always worked, never even a hiccup. It also has the shortest cable run to the multiswitch. Coincidence?

- I have 2 D10's; One in the den, one upstairs in the master bedroom. Both D10's have this intermittent problem, sometimes at the same time, sometimes one works, the other freeze-frames. I swapped out the problem D10 with a spare D10 I have, and it has the same problem. I am 99.999% sure it is not a bad receiver.

I will get a few hundred yards of RG6 today, rewire from the LNB's to my basement. The DirecTV installers zip-tied the multiswitch to the AU9 mast. I am going to move the multiswitch to the basement, and then start running RG6 from there to the D10's.

Wish me luck.

Ntrikit said:

It was pointed out that because my home is wired with RG59, this may be the culprit......

Click to expand...

I'm not sure who brought this to your attention, but if it was the HD upgrade installer, he should have re-wired at least your HD receiver with solid copper center conductor RG6 as part of the upgrade. I gather you previously had your D10's wired to an older multi-switch with pre-existing RG59.

In an older installation pre-wired with RG59, I would be particularly suspicious of of wall plate pass through adapters and their associated connectors. There's nothing the matter with moderate lengths of RG59, provided it's in good condition. The usual problem is connectors, pass throughs, cable TV-type splitters in the lines, and damage from being stapled to wall studs.

Ntrikit said:

Thanks for all the help!

Here are a few points that might help.

- The H21 HD receiver in the basement has always worked, never even a hiccup. It also has the shortest cable run to the multiswitch. Coincidence?

Click to expand...

Probably not a coincidence.

Ntrikit said:

- I have 2 D10's; One in the den, one upstairs in the master bedroom. Both D10's have this intermittent problem, sometimes at the same time, sometimes one works, the other freeze-frames. I swapped out the problem D10 with a spare D10 I have, and it has the same problem. I am 99.999% sure it is not a bad receiver.

I will get a few hundred yards of RG6 today, rewire from the LNB's to my basement. The DirecTV installers zip-tied the multiswitch to the AU9 mast. I am going to move the multiswitch to the basement, and then start running RG6 from there to the D10's.

Wish me luck.

Click to expand...

I got a 500' roll from a home center for $45.

Good Luck

Mike

Ntrikit said:

....I will get a few hundred yards of RG6 today, rewire from the LNB's to my basement. The DirecTV installers zip-tied the multiswitch to the AU9 mast. I am going to move the multiswitch to the basement, and then start running RG6 from there to the D10's.

Wish me luck.

Click to expand...

Enthusiasm trumps luck. The installer should not have left your WB68 dangling in the weather, so you are right to move everything to the basement. You have a bunch of connectors to install, so I strongly recommend that you additionally buy compression fittings and the tool to install them as well as an RG6 cable stripper. Be careful with copper clad steel not to nick the copper coating on the steel center conductor.

Everything you're about to do should have been done by the installer, but from what you've said so far, you'd be better re-doing it yourself than dealing with the same guy again. He deserves to be dinged with a charge back, however.

K4SMX said:

I'm not sure who brought this to your attention, but if it was the HD upgrade installer, he should have re-wired at least your HD receiver with solid copper center conductor RG6 as part of the upgrade. I gather you previously had your D10's wired to an older multi-switch with pre-existing RG59.

In an older installation pre-wired with RG59, I would be particularly suspicious of of wall plate pass through adapters and their associated connectors. There's nothing the matter with moderate lengths of RG59, provided it's in good condition. The usual problem is connectors, pass throughs, cable TV-type splitters in the lines, and damage from being stapled to wall studs.

Click to expand...

Sure, now you guys show up :grin:
He had the dish and switch upgraded with the HD reciever, but they left the 100' runs of rg59 in place to his other 2 recievers... Looks like a good place to start to me..

Would you recommend Wal-Mart (Phillips) RG6 with pre-installed ends?

Also, what should I use for WalPlates and barrel connectors?

TIA

houskamp said:

Sure, now you guys show up :grin:
He had the dish and switch upgraded with the HD reciever, but they left the 100' runs of rg59 in place to his other 2 recievers... Looks like a good place to start to me..

Click to expand...

Yes, when the installers showed up, they replaced my 2nd round dish with the AU9, and my Eagle MS44D (4x4) switch with the WB68. I think these guys were more concerned with getting out of the summer heat than with doing the job correctly. They not only zip-tied the switch to the mast, but they had about 20' of cable that they just wound in a 2' loop and zip-tied it to the mast. How hard would it have been to cut to length and discard the extra cable?

I'll take some photos of their installation later today and post them here.

Today I ran 5 new strands of Quad-Shield RG6 ($17 per 25 feet at WalMart) from my AU9 and Local Dish to my multiswitch, and moved the multiswitch to my basement. I found that the home-builders did not believe in making their own cables. When they could have used a 5' section of cable, they used a 25' or 50' and zip-tied it into a bundle, and stuffed it between the floor joists. I removed at least 75' of cable from my home, while still making the proper connections.

I am going to see if this helps. If not, I will look into fishing new RG6 through my walls and/or adding the Sonora Locker.

Ntrikit said:

Would you recommend Wal-Mart (Phillips) RG6 with pre-installed ends?

Also, what should I use for WalPlates and barrel connectors?

TIA

Click to expand...

Sounds like you're making good progress! I'm surprised that they sell Quad Shield at Wal-Mart. If you find that you need to replace the RG59 because it's been damaged with staples, etc., I recommend you pick up a 500' roll of RG6 at Lowe's/HD, compression fittings, compression tool, and wire stripper/prep tool. Don't worry about the Quad Shield bit. It's not necessarily all it's cracked up to be. See: Video Cable Shielding - What Works, Why, and the Myth of "Quad Shield" Cables.

I'm not a fan of wall plates, because they just introduce more loss and possible connection problems into the system. I usually just remove whatever double-female is in the plate and home-run the wire directly through the hole in the plate to the receiver.