[Lord Vader]

I don't know exactly where to put this, so let me explain what the situation is...

I got a new HR10-250 for my brother. I installed a 500GB drive in it, then modified it appropriately. I connected it and ran it for two days so it could download sat. info, etc. Everything worked fine--my connectivity with an FA120, the sat. guided setup--everything checked out OK.

So, I shipped it to him for Christmas, packing it VERY well (bubble wrap and styrofoam peanuts up the ying yang), even putting "Fragile - Keep Upright" stickers all over it. It arrived in the same condition--no bumps or scratches. I mention this because I don't think the shipping caused anything to go wrong.

My brother disconnects his current HDVR2 and connects the HR10-250. It boots up fine, the FA120 adapter's working, etc. However, the guided sat. setup is where the problem arose. Apparently, it is telling him this (if I recall correctly):

Sat. 101: Tuner 1 and Tuner 2 are OK
Sat. 119: Tuner 1 is OK; Tuner 2 no signal
Sat. 110: Tuner 1 is OK; Tuner 2 no signal

He has the Phase III dish with 4 RG6 cables coming from it to a powered 4x8 multiswitch. All four cables appear to be properly connected to the 4 inputs (he didn't change anything from his HDVR2 configuration). His two RG6 cables coming out are via "out 1" and "out 2," again, no change from the HDVR2 configuration.

He's rebooted the unit and tried guided setup again, but the same or similar problem arises. He doesn't have his OTA antenna connected--yet--but the guide does show his digital local channels. That's no big deal now anyway. He's getting an off-air antenna this week.

Again, when I had this unit at my place, I set it up and configured the guided sat. setup as if I was at his place, and everything checked out OK (I also have an Eagle Aspen 4x8 multiswitch--the same one he has, BTW).

So, I'm baffled as to why suddenly he is having this problem. If the dish or the multiswitch was the problem, his HDVR2 would have shown him the same errors, or would it? I'm also wondering just which channels he'd be missing if either the 119 or 110 wasn't coming through on one of the two tuners.

This is rather strange, so if anyone has any suggestions, let me know.

Edited to add: Apparently this same guided setup is occurring on his HDVR2, with the same error responses as indicated above. He never noticed a problem before on that because the HDVR2 doesn't get all the same channels as the HR10-250 does (specifically channels 70-99). It would appear that because both units are experiencing the same guided setup problem, the problem itself is in either the multiswitch or the dish. Now, the multiswitch appears to be connected correctly, so could the dish be ever so slightly out of alignment? If so, then WHY is one tuner showing a signal but not the other tuner? Remember, the HDVR2 says the same thing.

 

[carl6]

It sounds like one of the following:
a) bad cable between multiswitch and dish - one of the SatB lines.
b) bad LNB assembly in the dish
c) bad multiswitch.

Carl

 

[Lord Vader]

Well, I HOPE it's not "a" or "b," because my brother's roof is extremely steep and dangerous--he's already fallen off once and broken his arm. This year he replaced the entire LNB assembly on the dish when he bought the multiswitch.

Could it still be "c" even when one tuner shows OK for 119 and 110, but the other tuner shows no signal for 119 and 110?

 

[Lord Vader]

It sounds like one of the following:
a) bad cable between multiswitch and dish - one of the SatB lines.
b) bad LNB assembly in the dish
c) bad multiswitch.

Carl

Well, Carl, I've sent my brother a replacement multiswitch to swap out with his existing one to see if that might be the problem. I had a new-in-box one lying around, so I'm giving it to him to try out. If that doesn't fix his problem, then it's got to be something in the dish or one of the cables. How to figure that out is his biggest dilemma.

 

[carl6]

For testing purposes, have him unhook all four lines from the dish at the multiswitch. Then connect them up in pairs directly to the DVR - no multiswitch - using barrel connectors. Keep careful notes of what he does and the results he gets.
Cable 1 and cable 2 jumpered to the coax going to the dvr. Tuner 1 and 2 responses on all sat's.
Cable 1 and cable 3, ditto.
Cable 1 and cable 4, ditto.
Cable 2 and cable 3, ditto.
Cable 2 and cable 4, ditto.
Cable 3 and cable 4, ditto.

With every step, if he gets a problem reading, reverse the two leads at the back of the DVR and note the results, then put them back the way the were.

With that, we should be able to tell a little better where and what the problem is, before he risks falling off the roof again.

Carl

 

[Lord Vader]

I'll pass this along to him and see how he does. Thanks.