322 Receiver upgrade question

[mpierich]

Hi,

I had a 311 single receiver for a single TV installed by a Dish contractor in January and it has worked great.

My son recently moved back in, so I ordered and received a 322 dual-receiver model from Radio Shack. It came with a splitter, a "dp Plus Separator" with one connection marked "INPUT" and two on the other end with short cables marked "Satellite In 1" and "Satellite In 2". I hooked the single cable running from my VCR to the INPUT side and ran the other two to their respective connections on the 322 receiver.

I cranked it up and it apperaed to find the satellites and download the software, then I got a screen with a number to call to activate. They said they couldn't activate it for some reason, and sent me to tech support.

After trying several different things, the tech decided that the "separator" was faulty, and so I ordered another one.

But...I noticed that in the 322 manual wiring diagrams they show two cables running into the house in all cases. Mine has only one. Since the original setup was for one TV, am I missing something outside? Do I need another piece of equipment on the dish itself in order to use the dual receiver? I had assumed that I could just use the separator to split the signal to the two receivers in the 322 unit.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Andrewwski]

You can use the separator provided you have Dish Pro Plus switches/LNBF's.

 

[mpierich]

You can use the separator provided you have Dish Pro Plus switches/LNBF's.

Thanks. Can you tell me where to look for those? I know nothing. Sorry.

 

[Jim5506]

Look in system info, it tells you what type of lnb's you have. Menu,6,1,3 I believe

 

[mpierich]

Look in system info, it tells you what type of lnb's you have. Menu,6,1,3 I believe

OK, thanks! :up

 

[mpierich]

OK, it appears I have a dp twin lnbf, which according to my research means I need a dp plus lnbf installed, which means i need to call a tech to climb up on the roof and install one. Is this correct? Anyone?

 

[volkodav]

OK, it appears I have a dp twin lnbf, which according to my research means I need a dp plus lnbf installed, which means i need to call a tech to climb up on the roof and install one. Is this correct? Anyone?

yes thats one way, or you can buy one and do it your self

 

[mpierich]

yes thats one way, or you can buy one and do it your self

Hmmm...I thoght my climbing days were over, but I might be able to do it. Anything special about the install, or does it bolt right in where the old one is? Any aiming or other fooling around involved?

Thanks.

 

[volkodav]

no just take 2 cables off screw it on the left side of the new lnb. not the one on the right because it is in-put for 3rd satellite. no aiming needs to be done

 

[mpierich]

no just take 2 cables off screw it on the left side of the new lnb. not the one on the right because it is in-put for 3rd satellite. no aiming needs to be done

Cool. Now to complicate things further, this is found in the DPP Twin Manual:

(on the installation summary screen): "Also confirm the LNBF is correctly identified as a DPP Twin (some early factory software on some models may identify this LNBF as a DP Twin. This identification is OK)."

Real nice. Mine says DP Twin, so I still don't know what it is for sure. Guess I gotta crawl up there and look at it.

Thanks for the help.

 

[volkodav]

can you do a check switch? go to menu 6-1-1 then switch test do the test if test goes up to 2 you have DP Twin if it goes up to 3 and says 119 all 110 all X X then you have DPP Twin

 

[mpierich]

can you do a check switch? go to menu 6-1-1 then switch test do the test if test goes up to 2 you have DP Twin if it goes up to 3 and says 119 all 110 all X X then you have DPP Twin

Well I did the check and it only goes up to 2 - guess I need to get another LBN to use the 322. Wish me luck, my roof's pretty high.

Thanks so much - you and the others have saved me a lot of trouble.

 

[mpierich]

One more question - am I gonna get in trouble with Dishnetwork for doing this upgrade myself, or is it OK? When I activate, will they automatically charge me for another receiver on my monthly bill?

Thanks.

 

[volkodav]

you should be fine doing it your self, as long as you don't get hurt doing it.

 

[Rhino0018]

They won't charge you for another receiver as long as you deactivate the 311 if you aren't going to be utilizing that receiver. Hook the receiver up to a phone line if one is available to avoid the $5 a month additional outlet fee. If one isn't available you need to have a phone line bypass posted on the account.

 

[mpierich]

you should be fine doing it your self, as long as you don't get hurt doing it.

Thanks! Oh, I'll be fine...I can still climb if I throw a rope over the house. I used to do construction, just never liked heights, lol! :yikes

 

[mpierich]

They won't charge you for another receiver as long as you deactivate the 311 if you aren't going to be utilizing that receiver. Hook the receiver up to a phone line if one is available to avoid the $5 a month additional outlet fee. If one isn't available you need to have a phone line bypass posted on the account.

More good info! I'll do that...haven't had a line hooked up so far, but it will make it easier to order movies anyhow.

Thanks!