[geaux1]

1. Not only HD, but also my spanish Opcion extra especial channels were gone, searching for Sat signal.

2. It has been a recurring problem, always fixed with a reset, but lately has not been, has also happened on my ST HD games, MPEG2 channels only, MPEG 4s still work.

3. basically my 119 and 110 dropped so tech support had me stay home and have my multi switch swapped out.

SURPRISE!!!! Tech guy comes and says, LOL, that's not a multi switch, why didn;t they just send you new boxes???? Everybody knows a lot of the HR20's just stop recieving the 119 and 110 and who knows why, look, and he buts some box he is carrying up to the sat line and it shows the 110 and 199 at 96% strength on all transponders and hooks up a spare HD reciever he carries to show skeptical customers and yep, all the channels come in. He says you gotta call DTV and tell them to send you some new ones. I've been waiting to calm down before I make that call. Can't decide whether to call or just cancel and tell them to shove their service agreement and cancellation fee because I sure won't pay it. This is ridiculous.

So I stay home for nothing from work again, thanks DTV, WTF is going on over there???? But if anyone else has this problem, don't stay home to have the multi-switch swapped out or just have them send you one if they will and try it yourself first because that's not what it is if you are losing the 110 and 119 on the HR20.

 

[litzdog911]

I haven't seen reports of "lots of HR20's just stop receiving the 119 and 110 ....".

You might try removing your HR20's B-Band Converters if they're installed because those are known to sometimes cause problems.

Also, where did he check the satellite signals? Checking them at the dish will not diagnose your multiswitch. He would have to check them at the multiswitch outputs. And your multiswitch might have just one or two bad outputs.

 

[geaux1]

He swapped out the multi switch, checked them at the boxes, the switch on both ends, and at several connections throughout the attic. He also swapped out those big grey things and tested them that connet to the boxes, not sure if that's what you are referring too.

 

[tunce]

I'm having this same problem with the searching for sat on my HD channels but not on any of the mpeg4 or SD. This is starting to really get me mad. I was on the phone last night with D* tech department for an hour just to have them hang up on me when he was checking with the dept. supervisor. So now I have to call back tonight with the same issue. All signals are in the 90's for the main 3 sats.

 

[Mavrick]

I lost the channels on 119 2 days after my HR20 install and turned out to be a failing lnb even though the techs signal meter said that he was getting 95% signal from 119 and at first he thought the problem was with my HR20 but when I showed him it also existed on my hr10-250 that really puzzled him for he kept saying that the lnb were fine for his signal meter said so by showing a 95% signal strength.

After finally talking him into going onto the roof with a spare lnb and try that which he really did not want to do I got all the channels back which really infurated the tech for he said he had never seen an lnb show a perfect signal on his meter but be bad but it was for I have not had another problem in the month since he changed it.

 

[geaux1]

He probably just got disconnected, maybe it is the LNB if you were getting good signal reads but it was still defective, it just doesn't make sense to me it can be that with the meter reading a good signal. But what does not make sense is that the signal goes out on both boxes at the same time, if it was the boxes, wouldn't it go out at different times or be out all the time? But OTOH it was showing 0 on the signal meter on the HR20's and blasting on the signal meter on the box (not the techs) on the one he hooked up that he had with him, so who knows. But it was wet on my roof as it's rainnig so he legitimately couls not have gotten on there today anyway and he is the guy that put it up so he's not afraid to get up there.

 

[wmschultz]

The Bird Dogs the installers use are able to send the signal to the LNB to force it
to see the 119 and 110 sats but it doesn't send the "switch" or whatever it is
to pop different transponders, and that is what the receivers do. I kept telling my
installers that the LNB was bad, but they kept swapping everything BUT the LNB.

They swapped the 110/119 LNB and that didn't fix it. It is the multiswitch in the 101/99/103 head that screws up. Non-powered Multiswitches suck.

 

[geaux1]

The Bird Dogs the installers use are able to send the signal to the LNB to force it
to see the 119 and 110 sats but it doesn't send the "switch" or whatever it is
to pop different transponders, and that is what the receivers do. I kept telling my
installers that the LNB was bad, but they kept swapping everything BUT the LNB.

They swapped the 110/119 LNB and that didn't fix it. It is the multiswitch in the 101/99/103 head that screws up. Non-powered Multiswitches suck.

So are you agreeing with guy it might be the LNB anyway or are you saying it might be the multi switch evben though he swapped it out? I just didn't udnerstand?

 

[wmschultz]

There is a multiswitch in the 101/99/103 LNB that can go bad. So yes, I am agreeing
that it is the LNB, but it is the MAIN LNB, the big circle one.

 

[ktabel01]

There is a multiswitch in the 101/99/103 LNB that can go bad. So yes, I am agreeing
that it is the LNB, but it is the MAIN LNB, the big circle one.

Regarding LNB problems or not. In a condo where we all share a dish. ONLY the HR20 people are having trouble, mainly 771 errors and the well discussed black recordings/partial recordings. There may be those with LNB issues, but it just seems that the largest majority is the software being bunk. Never would recommend against trouble shooting other causes, but cmon, were people on here having this much trouble with their old receivers that would require them to fuss with their multiswitches, dishes, LNBs, etc?

 

[iceman2a]

Regarding LNB problems or not. In a condo where we all share a dish. ONLY the HR20 people are having trouble, mainly 771 errors and the well discussed black recordings/partial recordings. There may be those with LNB issues, but it just seems that the largest majority is the software being bunk. Never would recommend against trouble shooting other causes, but cmon, were people on here having this much trouble with their old receivers that would require them to fuss with their multiswitches, dishes, LNBs, etc?

How old is the coax in the condo complex? How long are the runs to the switch??
You may be correct, "problems only with the HR20" but the box may not be the problem! B4 my AT9 install, I replaced all runs with RG6 , solid copper core, all compression fittings! I've had very few problems with my HR20!!

 

[matto]

You're right!! With only the HR20s failing!! It must be the cabling!! Which works for all the other receivers!!

 

[bigpuma]

I have been having this problem as well. Every now and then I will lose the 110 and 119 satelites. The problem is that I have been extremely busy at work and every time I try to troubleshoot the problem the 110 and 119 sats are working fine. I haven't had time to check the other receivers when this happens since they are all SD I wouldn't notice when watching them. Next time it happens I am going to check for signals on the other receivers. I hope this is an easy fix because it is really annoying to lose the HD pack every so often for a few hours.

 

[geaux1]

Now my 119 and 110 are out all the time since he changed the multi switch. I don;t think the main LNB can be the problem since I get all those fine unless I am just not undertanding the guys point since that one is the 101/99/103. My patience is really wearing thin, I am going to call retention tommorow or Friday, may not have time tommorow, and just tell them politely but firmly straight up I want this fixed if the new boxes don't resolve this next Friday when I am home during the federal holiday or I will cancel and will refuse to pay the termination fee for breaking the contract. No reason I should pay if they can't deliver. If I told you all the problems I have had from getting the dish installed to the problems with this service it would take 10 pages. I have been a loyal and high end customer and have loved DTV since 1996 or so and I hate that they have been screwing up since about AUgust, but it has been insanely ridiculous, comical even. It will pain me to cancel my service, but I am at my wits end.

 

[Tom Robertson]

Perhaps its not the "main LNB" so much as it might be the switch within the main LNB. (I'm talking about the older 5 sat. dishes with the "side car LNB arm", not the slimline where all the LNBs are in one row.) Or the cables from the secondary LNB arm might not be plugged correctly or tightly into the main LNB.

All diagnostic guesses mind you, but at least things to look at.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[litzdog911]

Perhaps its not the "main LNB" so much as it might be the switch within the main LNB. (I'm talking about the older 5 sat. dishes with the "side car LNB arm", not the slimline where all the LNBs are in one row.) Or the cables from the secondary LNB arm might not be plugged correctly or tightly into the main LNB.

All diagnostic guesses mind you, but at least things to look at.

Cheers,
Tom

That would be my guess as well .... check those cable connections between the two LNB assemblies. Also, there are three possible mounting positions for the "sidecar" LNB assembly, so hopefully your installer used the correct position.

 

[matto]

Also, there are three possible mounting positions for the "sidecar" LNB assembly, so hopefully your installer used the correct position.

I've heard this said before, but I've spent some time examining my AT9 and there is only a single mounting position for the two LNB sidecar. I guess there are a few differences in the dish across manufacturers.

 

[Tyrod]

I've heard this said before, but I've spent some time examining my AT9 and there is only a single mounting position for the two LNB sidecar. I guess there are a few differences in the dish across manufacturers.

I believe it's the big LNB that has multi positions, not the sidecar.

 

[matto]

I believe it's the big LNB that has multi positions, not the sidecar.

That also has a single mounting position.

 

[litzdog911]

I believe it's the big LNB that has multi positions, not the sidecar.

No, it's the 110/119 "sidecar" LNB that has the three mounting positions. See pp 8 & 13 of the installation manual here ....
http://www.solidsignal.com/manuals/AT9_install_manual.pdf