Cannot get a Shaw receiver to show satellite signal strength

ggilbert

SatelliteGuys Family
Original poster
Nov 1, 2006
41
3
LaFayette, GA
I had posted in a previous post that I was losing channels on my Shaw system. That was because they changed the F/G1 Anik so it doesn't reach where I am. I'm in North Georgia. Now. After that we had a bad storm. A limb hit the satellite dish and tore it up. I ordered a new Shaw dish and have been trying for a couple of weeks to get the receiver to show the satellite. I know I can only receive the Anik F2 bird. Using a meter at the dish, I am getting that Satellite with a strength on 82%. I can't get the receiver to show any reception. I have tried channel 700 because of the receiver being used before. Also, tried channel 252. Can't get a signal. Ran new coaxial cable, nothing. Do I need to point the dish at just the F2 Anik instead of in the middle of G/F1 and F2 107 & 111? I have a good signal when I connect my meter to the cable in the house. I don't know. Any suggestions???
 
I had posted in a previous post that I was losing channels on my Shaw system. That was because they changed the F/G1 Anik so it doesn't reach where I am. I'm in North Georgia. Now. After that we had a bad storm. A limb hit the satellite dish and tore it up. I ordered a new Shaw dish and have been trying for a couple of weeks to get the receiver to show the satellite. I know I can only receive the Anik F2 bird. Using a meter at the dish, I am getting that Satellite with a strength on 82%. I can't get the receiver to show any reception. I have tried channel 700 because of the receiver being used before. Also, tried channel 252. Can't get a signal. Ran new coaxial cable, nothing. Do I need to point the dish at just the F2 Anik instead of in the middle of G/F1 and F2 107 & 111? I have a good signal when I connect my meter to the cable in the house. I don't know. Any suggestions???
Unless I am missing something here, it seems obvious that your receiver is bad. What do you get when you check the signal level and the EcbNo?
 
Unless I am missing something here, it seems obvious that your receiver is bad. What do you get when you check the signal level and the EcbNo?
I do think, messing around with settings on the receiver Is what is wrong. I don’t know what are the correct settings. If someone could help me with that, I would be grateful. The signal level is zero. The little square next to the level is green.
 
The active Shaw satellites are in the same slots. While the transition to Anik G1 was taking place, Shaw was also moving much of the content from MPEG2 to MPEG4 on Anik G1. They're pretty clearly on the offensive to weed out their southern customers.

As for why you get no reception, there's a pretty high likelihood that you're pointing at the wrong satellite (i.e. 110W instead of 111.1W). Where and when did you obtain your aiming parameters?
 
I do think, messing around with settings on the receiver Is what is wrong. I don’t know what are the correct settings. If someone could help me with that, I would be grateful. The signal level is zero. The little square next to the level is green.
What kind of signal meter are you using? The reason I ask is those Shawdirect Turbo encrypted channels are hard to lock without a high quality meter. You mention that you get a signal strength of 82%. Is that signal level or signal quality?

Give this a shot. Hook up your meter and then cover the LNBF with your hand. You should lose the signal. If it doesn't change you are just reading the line output and the dish probably needs adjustment.
 
I do think, messing around with settings on the receiver Is what is wrong. I don’t know what are the correct settings. If someone could help me with that, I would be grateful. The signal level is zero. The little square next to the level is green.
You could have the dish perfectly aligned with 111 and 107, and the receiver might not be capable of reception. If you are getting green indicator lights confirming Shaw Direct on a meter (likely from F2 at 111), you are probably in the right place. But by missing a couple of years of mapping upgrades and finally losing F1R, your receiver may not have a good reference. When F1R was active, you would get remapping, and if you cleared the memory, it was simple to download current maps. This would give you channel mapping for active F1R channels from 107 West only. In order to get Anik G1 or Anik F2 mapping into the receiver, it was normally necessary to contact Shaw Direct to complete the mapping and add those satellites into memory. Once all of that was in place you could manually tune in "Quad" mode or XKu mode, and actually get response appropriate for programmed channels using the proper LNBF.

Proper setup within the Shaw system is going to need use of an XKu LNBF to achieve proper mapping in their system to match XKu configuration, for permanent operation. If you can only receive F2 in your location, you might be able to temporarily switch between XKu and Quad format, using an older Quad 4-output LNBF, with memory setting to "Quad", and your metering will respond...allowing tuning on F2. It's really a challenge to get a system going without access to live signals, and a receiver mapped properly, so it may be more trouble than it's worth over the long term. Good luck!
 
You could have the dish perfectly aligned with 111 and 107, and the receiver might not be capable of reception. If you are getting green indicator lights confirming Shaw Direct on a meter (likely from F2 at 111), you are probably in the right place. But by missing a couple of years of mapping upgrades and finally losing F1R, your receiver may not have a good reference. When F1R was active, you would get remapping, and if you cleared the memory, it was simple to download current maps. This would give you channel mapping for active F1R channels from 107 West only. In order to get Anik G1 or Anik F2 mapping into the receiver, it was normally necessary to contact Shaw Direct to complete the mapping and add those satellites into memory. Once all of that was in place you could manually tune in "Quad" mode or XKu mode, and actually get response appropriate for programmed channels using the proper LNBF.

Proper setup within the Shaw system is going to need use of an XKu LNBF to achieve proper mapping in their system to match XKu configuration, for permanent operation. If you can only receive F2 in your location, you might be able to temporarily switch between XKu and Quad format, using an older Quad 4-output LNBF, with memory setting to "Quad", and your metering will respond...allowing tuning on F2. It's really a challenge to get a system going without access to live signals, and a receiver mapped properly, so it may be more trouble than it's worth over the long term. Good luck!
Mike, thanks for the info. I may look to eBay to see if I can find an older Quad LNB. I have bought a new Shaw dish And receiver. Is the new LNB a XKu one? Shaw can send a hit to the new receiver. The trip count goes up. Also it downloads the channels logos in the program guide. Shouldn’t the new receiver have more current channel mapping? Also, the receiver can never detect the LNB. Let me know what you think.
 
Mike, thanks for the info. I may look to eBay to see if I can find an older Quad LNB. I have bought a new Shaw dish And receiver. Is the new LNB a XKu one? Shaw can send a hit to the new receiver. The trip count goes up. Also it downloads the channels logos in the program guide. Shouldn’t the new receiver have more current channel mapping? Also, the receiver can never detect the LNB. Let me know what you think.
Receivers do not have channel mapping out of the box. You have to download current signals and let the receiver go through a mapping process. A new mapping with Shaw's assistance would match an XKu device, providing channel info from G1 at 107.3 and F2 at 111.1 West. Since you do not have access to G1, any mapping will have to come from F2. I have no idea about what channel you should use to download information for initial channel setup.

What is critical is that you are configured on the proper satellite to begin downloading anything, and that is best done with independent test equipment, or receivers already mapped and configured with current channels. Suggest that you contact Canadian sources, if you purchased a new receiver from them, to get current instructions on channel mapping procedure, which can vary depending upon LNBF used. Good luck.
 
Receivers do not have channel mapping out of the box. You have to download current signals and let the receiver go through a mapping process. A new mapping with Shaw's assistance would match an XKu device, providing channel info from G1 at 107.3 and F2 at 111.1 West. Since you do not have access to G1, any mapping will have to come from F2. I have no idea about what channel you should use to download information for initial channel setup.

What is critical is that you are configured on the proper satellite to begin downloading anything, and that is best done with independent test equipment, or receivers already mapped and configured with current channels. Suggest that you contact Canadian sources, if you purchased a new receiver from them, to get current instructions on channel mapping procedure, which can vary depending upon LNBF used. Good luck.
Please read my reply in the other message about this. "Can't get Shaw to work anymore."

Thank you.
 
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