[Cedem]

Hello all,

I just moved into a new house last Friday. The previous owners had D*, and have two dishes attached to the roof. Following the cable as far as I can, it looks like the cable is in good condition. I see no reason why the jacks shouldn't be active. Anyway, I attempted to hook up my receivers last night but was unable to acquire a satellite signal.

I've got an appointment set up with the mover's program for next Wednesday, but I don't have the patience to wait that long because it's been a month since I have been able to use the service. I spoke to someone with technical support last night, who pretty much concluded that the dishes must be out of alignment. There are no trees obstructing the view, and from my very unscientific eyeball test, they are aligned at least very closely with my neighbor's dishes. I am going to attempt to get on the roof to verify the alignment, but other than that does anyone have any suggestions as to other problems I should look into?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[veryoldschool]

"I see no reason why the jacks shouldn't be active"
This is a bit vague. Unlike cable, you need a straight run from the dish to a receiver. How many cables come from the dish?
Do they go through a multi-switch?
How many "jacks" do you have?

 

[joe diamond]

"Two dishes...." That is a clue! And then there is the wonder what wire is connected to them and where does it go? I think it unlikely the dishes have been moved but very likely that some painter or real estate agent did some wire cutting to "clean things up."

The mover connection tech will have spare parts,,,,,,,put your receivers near the TVs. If you have a toner you could ring back each cable. If more than one outlet rings, the last owner had cable. Find the splitters. If there is a cable bundle somewhere near your electric meter there should be a multiswitch or ground block.

Report what you find.

Joe

 

[BattleZone]

I see no reason why the jacks shouldn't be active.

Ahh, assumptions.

It is possible the previous tenants had DirecTV at one time, then switched to cable. It is also possible that they only had 1 active receiver, and all of the other outlets are disconnected. As Joe said, take another, more thorough look and report back. We might be able to get you fixed right up.

 

[RobertE]

Find the switch. There should be one there, or was there.

With two dishes, there will either be a Ka/Ku/18" dish and a wing dish (72.5 locals) or that nasty World Direct dish.

Follow the rooms cable to the mystery spot. You should either find a switch or a cable splitter.

 

[Cedem]

Thanks for the replies gang. I should know better than to assume, but I was just letting my optimism of getting this working interfere.

There is a 4x8 multiswitch in play. There is only one set of cables I can visually follow from the multiswitch once inside the house (in the unfinished basement). I'm sure there is probably some way to trace the wires when they are not in plain sight, but I'm a complete novice at that sort of thing.

I tried all 4 outlets in the living room, and the only outlet in the master bedroom. I didn't try the basement because I did not have anyone to help me move a tv down there, but I will give that a shot when I get home this evening.

 

[RobertE]

Thanks for the replies gang. I should know better than to assume, but I was just letting my optimism of getting this working interfere.

There is a 4x8 multiswitch in play. There is only one set of cables I can visually follow from the multiswitch once inside the house (in the unfinished basement). I'm sure there is probably some way to trace the wires when they are not in plain sight, but I'm a complete novice at that sort of thing.

I tried all 4 outlets in the living room, and the only outlet in the master bedroom. I didn't try the basement because I did not have anyone to help me move a tv down there, but I will give that a shot when I get home this evening.

Most 4x8s are powered. Check for a green light on the switch. Green light on = Good. No green light = bad. No green light, find the power brick and plug in. Then assuming everything else is in place, enjoy TV.

 

[BattleZone]

Most 4x8s are powered. Check for a green light on the switch. Green light on = Good. No green light = bad. No green light, find the power brick and plug in. Then assuming everything else is in place, enjoy TV.

Yeah. Unfortunately, customers never remember what those power supplies are for, so they usually pack them up when they leave. Without a power supply, that switch, and the entire system, is useless. At this point, it's probably best to wait for the MC. The tech should replace that old 4x8 with a Zinwell WB68, which doesn't need a separate power supply.

 

[RobertE]

Yeah. Unfortunately, customers never remember what those power supplies are for, so they usually pack them up when they leave. Without a power supply, that switch, and the entire system, is useless. At this point, it's probably best to wait for the MC. The tech should replace that old 4x8 with a Zinwell WB68, which doesn't need a separate power supply.

Been on (too) many service calls where someone in the house unplugged that power supply. Sometimes, I *almost* feel bad for the person having to pay for the service call for me to plug in a plug. !Devil_lol

 

[joe diamond]

Been on (too) many service calls where someone in the house unplugged that power supply. Sometimes, I *almost* feel bad for the person having to pay for the service call for me to plug in a plug. !Devil_lol

If they have a protection plan.........plug in the switch and replace the LNB. Everyone who deserves to be ok will. The HSPs and DTV have other ways of making money. Preventative maintenance!

Joe

 

[Cedem]

Most 4x8s are powered. Check for a green light on the switch. Green light on = Good. No green light = bad. No green light, find the power brick and plug in. Then assuming everything else is in place, enjoy TV.

I checked last night and the green light was on. Took a tv and receiver to the basement to try that outlet since I could actually follow those wires from outside. Still no luck. Looks like I'll have to wait until next Wednesday, which is fine because the boxes aren't going to unpack themselves anyway. Thanks again to everyone for the suggestions.