[DLP2008]

A little background: This is concerning my parents install. The only receiver on their account is an H21. A few months ago, they purchased a new house that was already installed with a SWM system. They called to move service and I believe the appointment with the directv tech only consisted him hooking up the H21 to the existing install and making sure everything was working correctly.

This morning, my mom called and said few of their channels were coming in and that they were intermittently getting "Searching for satellite signal" messages. I went through the steps involved in getting onto D*'s website and reauthorizing the receiver, which she said fixed the problem.

A few hours later, she called back and said that the problem had came back, and some channels would work and some wouldn't, then they lost all programming

Thinking the reciever was to blame, I took my HR22 and went to their house to see what my receiver would do. When I got there, I plugged it up and went through the setup process. It wouldn't get a signal. It got high 90's on the first few transponders on 101* and the rest all 0. Then, it kept giving the error "Unable to locate SWM". Tried again with their H21 and got the same error.

Could it be the SWM LNB gone bad? I'm looking into ordering a new one and putting it on for them. Just looking for opinions here before we call directv. I'm not sure if having a tech to come fix it would cost anything or not.

 

[Davenlr]

Sounds more like the SWM power supply, but it could be the LNB, or a bad coax connector, or moisture in the connector. If you can, disconnect all the coax connectors and inspect them for water damage or shorts.

 

[DLP2008]

This may sound dumb...I couldn't find the power supply! Where would it be at? The line from the SWM goes to a grounded 4-way splitter on the side of the house.

At this point, I'm considering getting a multiswitch LNB and a BBC for their receiver...not sure if that would be easier than all this troubleshooting or not.

The lines and everything looked good and corrosion/moisture free.

 

[veryoldschool]

This may sound dumb...I couldn't find the power supply! Where would it be at? The line from the SWM goes to a grounded 4-way splitter on the side of the house.

At this point, I'm considering getting a multiswitch LNB and a BBC for their receiver...not sure if that would be easier than all this troubleshooting or not.

The lines and everything looked good and corrosion/moisture free.

It has to be either before the splitter, or on the coax connected to far left port of the splitter [the splitter is marked].

 

[DLP2008]

She just called and said that channels are intermittently working again. I have no idea what to do, I couldn't find the power supply anywhere.

 

[krazyrs]

She just called and said that channels are intermittently working again. I have no idea what to do, I couldn't find the power supply anywhere.

tech hid it somewhere
if its not before the splitter between the sat/splitter, there is a output for a power passing line labeled on the splitter
might be on a outlet in a attic/panel if its not at the receiver

 

[DLP2008]

I just bit the bullet and ordered a non-swm LNB5 from ebay.. (only paid 4.99 + S/H). I'm just going to swap it out. They really have no need for SWM anyway, and I figure with just the one receiver they have it would be pretty straightforward to just swap out the LNB, instead of tearing apart the attic and/or basement looking for that power supply..and I will say the tech did a good job of hiding it.

 

[veryoldschool]

I just bit the bullet and ordered a non-swm LNB5 from ebay.. (only paid 4.99 + S/H on eBay). I'm just going to swap it out. They really have no need for SWM anyway, and I figure with just the one receiver they have it would be pretty straightforward to just swap out the LNB, instead of tearing apart the attic and/or basement looking for that power supply..and I will say the tech did a good job of hiding it.

Hope you do find the PI if there is one, or you'll have problems, or need to use another coax.

 

[DLP2008]

I think what I'm going to do is just run a coax from the new LNB, ground it with a coupler where the current SWM splitter is, run a coax from there, under the house to the living room and get rid of the existing SWM wiring. Does that sound like it would work?

I know I'm probably making it harder than it has to be.

 

[WestDC]

Don't forget to take a BBC with you as well.

 

[veryoldschool]

I think what I'm going to do is just run a coax from the new LNB, ground it with a coupler where the current SWM splitter is, run a coax from there, under the house to the living room and get rid of the existing SWM wiring. Does that sound like it would work?

I know I'm probably making it harder than it has to be.

You're going the right direction. Might be worth checking for voltage if you have a meter. Pull the power cord on the receiver and check the coax/splitter input for any voltage.
This whole thing might be that there isn't a SWiM PI, and the receiver is trying to power it.

If you go non SWiM, remember it will need a BBC.

 

[DLP2008]

I believe I have an extra BBC laying around I'll remember to take with me. Thank you all for the help and opinions. I'll try to let you all know if we get it fixed once the new LNB gets here..wish me luck

 

[veryoldschool]

I believe I have an extra BBC laying around I'll remember to take with me. Thank you all for the help and opinions. I'll try to let you all know if we get it fixed once the new LNB gets here..wish me luck

I just get the feeling that the old owners packed up the SWiM PI when they moved out and that's the whole problem.

 

[DLP2008]

I tend to agree with that...I have looked everywhere I can think and can't find it. If it requires a wall plug I would imagine it would have to be in one of the bedrooms as there aren't outlets in the attic.

They only have one receiver, but prior, the house was wired for the living room + four bedrooms and the kitchen, and its not at any of these places. Oh well. Personally, I'm not a big fan of SWM so hopefully the new (old) LNB will do the trick.

 

[veryoldschool]

I tend to agree with that...I have looked everywhere I can think and can't find it. If it requires a wall plug I would imagine it would have to be in one of the bedrooms as there aren't outlets in the attic.

They only have one receiver, but prior, the house was wired for the living room + four bedrooms and the kitchen, and its not at any of these places. Oh well. Personally, I'm not a big fan of SWM so hopefully the new (old) LNB will do the trick.

While I can see your point, SWiM does have some advantages and resistance to rainfade can be one.
How cheap is a PI off ebay? Would seem to be the simpler fix.

 

[DLP2008]

Admittedly, I didn't search too hard for a SWM power supply. Most of the ones I found came bundled w/ a splitter and the LNB for ~$50-$70. Once I found the older LNB5 for about $15 after shipping I jumped on that.

I do have a couple of 100ft spools of coax needing to be used, and I have a long weekend ahead of me...so I guess it'll be more of a "fun" project than anything...

 

[WestDC]

Random Thought's : They may have installed a 3 LNB (legacy) if they had installed a swm lnb you would not get any channels at all-without a PI. installed.

Also to explain the missing channels if no BB'c was installed on the H21 then channels would be missing and 771 would be displayed at times.

Should you have a BBC I would add that to the H21 first before swapping LNB's and running wire.

 

[veryoldschool]

Random Thought's : They may have installed a 3 LNB (legacy) if they had installed a swm lnb you would not get any channels at all-without a PI. installed.

Not always the case, as the 18 volts from the tuner can "almost" power the SWiM.

It was working to some degree:

This morning, my mom called and said few of their channels were coming in and that they were intermittently getting "Searching for satellite signal" messages. I went through the steps involved in getting onto D*'s website and reauthorizing the receiver, which she said fixed the problem.

 

[DLP2008]

It is for sure a SWM, as there is only one wire going from the dish to a splitter on the side of the house. The splitter has one input "in from SWM" and then 4 outputs. As for your other points, could it be a power inverter losing power intermittently?

 

[veryoldschool]

As for your other points, could it be a power inverter losing power intermittently?

They normally work or don't. There have been times where the 21 volt has been a bit weak and a 28/9 volt works fine.
Since you haven't found a PI, I'd be more inclined to believe there isn't one and the receiver is trying to power it instead.