Receiver problem

If you sign up for the Protection Plan, you are committing to keep the PP for a period of one year. If you cancel the PP before that year is up, you will be charged something like $10 for cancelling it early, and depending on what benefits you may have received under it (and the timing thereof), you may be charged for part or all of that (like if you cancel right after a covered service call, you may be liable to pay for that service call).

As I was reading your post, I was wondering about the BBCs in your testing - whether you had the BBC on your questionable H20 when you tested it downstairs? If you left the BBC connected to the line in the bedroom, testing a non-HD receiver wouldn't actually "test" that BBC. I was thinking the BBC may be the problem.

Hope you get this worked out soon! You will get lots of help from people here, no doubt about that!

I thought that might be it but I swapped the two H20s and the 'good' receiver works fine upstairs with the potentially bad BBC.

The strange thing is that I initially took it into my office where I have a SD receiver. Plugged it in there and it worked fine, so I don't know what is going on. I tried removing the BBC then in my downstairs room and it didn't find a signal. But the 'good' HD receiver and SD receiver can get a signal anywhere.

Since I can swap the HD receivers and duplicate the problem with a different BBC, I'm guessing its a problem with that receiver. What are my options then? I am going to call the place that installed it and see what they say but I may be forced to call D* and ask for a replacement.

I knew the protection plan would require a 1 year contract but its better to let that overlap with the last year of my deal than have to sign a new contract without it. So whats the policy on receiver replacement????

schlar01 said:

The power flickered yesterday and now my bedroom receiver won't work. Its an H-20. I tried it downstairs and it works. I tried the downstairs non-HD receiver upstairs and it works. Any ideas? It just sits on 'searching for satellite signal' forever and never actually does anything.

Now I tried swapping it with the other HD receiver and it can't find a signal, either. Could the HD hardware be fried? I'll try it without the b-band converter and see what happens.

I don't have the protection plan. If I want a replacement receiver, will I have to sign another 2 year contract? If so, that really bugs me. If so, if I sign up for the protection plan and wait the 30 days, will I have to sign a new contract?

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ok, well if you take the last option, you will have to be 1 year to avoid the cxl fee of the prot plan ($10) and, is the receiver under warranty?

also, you can take the phone call and try the troubleshooting, sometimes it works. if not, well, you can place the prot plan when they send u the replacement. there is a lot of options.

schlar01 said:

I knew the protection plan would require a 1 year contract but its better to let that overlap with the last year of my deal than have to sign a new contract without it. So whats the policy on receiver replacement????

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If you're saying you have at least a year left on your programming commitment anyway, and you can do without that receiver for the 30 day wait period, that is definitely the route I would go (get the PP, wait the 30 days then get the receiver replaced without incurring a new two-year commitment for a non-PP covered replacement). You would be paying an additional $5.99 a month for the PP during that year. And if the receiver is beyond the 90 day warranty period, I don't know if you would necessarily get a free replacement (with $19.95 shipping) of the receiver anyway (now ducking because I'm sure to get piled on for that statement - sorry! I just don't know for sure).

I signed up in August last year so I have about a year to go. I really want to avoid signing a new contract because I don't know what I'll do in a year, I might cancel. I can handle not having it for 30 days since its in my bedroom.

and to top it all off, you will NOT get a new receiver, even with the protection plan. they will only send you refurbs. I personally have had nothing but problems with 5 different refurbished units i have gotten from directv(or is it them?). it wasnt until i really got angry about the stack of receivers at my door that they finally sent a tech with a new receiver to put it in. careful of refurb hell....

I thought I read before that you could request a new receiver. Any chance of that happening?

schlar01 said:

......The strange thing is that I initially took it into my office where I have a SD receiver. Plugged it in there and it worked fine, so I don't know what is going on......

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Something's wrong with this picture. Does it still work there? If it works there, it should work everywhere, and I would not be convinced you have a bad receiver. You probably have a multi-switch. See if it works in its original location if you bypass the multi-switch on that line with a barrel adapter and run straight to one of the dish lines.

K4SMX said:

Something's wrong with this picture. Does it still work there? If it works there, it should work everywhere, and I would not be convinced you have a bad receiver. You probably have a multi-switch. See if it works in its original location if you bypass the multi-switch on that line with a barrel adapter and run straight to one of the dish lines.

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Yes, I don't think this is an issue with the receiver itself if it works "somewhere". Since the receiver gets a signal without the BBC, my guess is a multiswitch issue (either the one in the dish or an external unit). They are solid state devices and can get "confused". If you disconnect all the feeds from it to the receivers for a few minutes, it might "reset" itself and start working. If not, and you have an extra unused port on the dish/multiswitch, try that.

schlar01 said:

I thought I read before that you could request a new receiver. Any chance of that happening?

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request away, but if you look at the 'lease agreement' D* has the right to send you (i think the word is) ANY receiver. i requested new every time also, but kept getting used and non-functioning

you could try a service call, the normal cost is 79.95, if you add the prot plan in that moment, it will be then a 19.95.
because maybe the problem is not the receiver, maybe some backwards kicks from chuck norris could do it.