Can’t get Shaw to work any more

[ggilbert]

For years, I’ve had a Shaw dish that worked fine. Before that a Bell dish. All of a sudden in late May it stopped receiving anything. I fine tuned my dish and still nothing. Bought a new dish. i know I can only receive F2 111.1 where I am. In North Georgia. So I aimed for that. Get different signal strengths on different channels. Never get a picture. Moved the dish to a better part of the yard. Bought a new receiver. Ran new cable. It can’t detect the new LNB. The receiver tries to do an update. Never finishes. Never can get a picture. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[stecle]

You already started 2 topics on this exact same subject. A few of us guys gave you some suggestions but you didn't have the courtesy to reply or give a simple thank you. Now you are opening another unnecessary topic. I have mixed feelings about Mike Kohl but he does know his stuff. He tried to help you and you simply ignored him. Maybe the fast car guy can help you.

 

[ggilbert]

You already started 2 topics on this exact same subject. A few of us guys gave you some suggestions but you didn't have the courtesy to reply or give a simple thank you. Now you are opening another unnecessary topic. I have mixed feelings about Mike Kohl but he does know his stuff. He tried to help you and you simply ignored him. Maybe the fast car guy can help you.

Now wait a minute. I didn’t see where anyone tried to help me. I got a Smart Alec comment. One guy said it must be the receiver. That’s why I bought a new receiver. That’s all I saw.

 

[ggilbert]

Now wait a minute. I didn’t see where anyone tried to help me. I got a Smart Alec comment. One guy said it must be the receiver. That’s why I bought a new receiver. That’s all I saw.

I just now read the reply from Mike Kohl. It has a lot of helpful information. It is experts like him that I’m asking for help from.

 

[stecle]

I just now read the reply from Mike Kohl. It has a lot of helpful information. It is experts like him that I’m asking for help from.

For a reasonable fee, I am sure Mike would be happy to give you a phone call.

 

[mikekohl]

For a reasonable fee, I am sure Mike would be happy to give you a phone call.

I am no longer in the business of actively selling Shaw equipment, and given his situation where he is only able to get Anik F2, I really cannot offer advice on what channel to tune while downloading the Shaw signal to get mapping. It has completely changed since F1R was in service a short while back, and thus the suggestion to find another test device to confirm that he is actually peaked on F2 (such as a working Shaw receiver, a Free To Air receiver, spectrum analyzer, or other device) to positively confirm what satellite he is on.

Everything has changed, and even the technical info at www.shawdirect.ca is pretty vague.
Even with the right pointing of the dish, if you are without another method of confirming that fact, you must be properly set up on whatever channel Shaw is using for downloads, and then configured with proper internal settings on your receiver (Quad or XKu) with the appropriate LNBF. You are shooting in the dark unless properly equipped with the above, and if you do not have a local technician with test equipment as described, could be spinning in circles for a long time.

There is little further advice to offer, so no need for a phone call or consideration of charges. I took care of many Shaw users with free advice for many years (not always my customers), but just wanted to make your situation perfectly clear. You are in over your head until you carefully confirm everything discussed. Good luck.

 

[ggilbert]

I am no longer in the business of actively selling Shaw equipment, and given his situation where he is only able to get Anik F2, I really cannot offer advice on what channel to tune while downloading the Shaw signal to get mapping. It has completely changed since F1R was in service a short while back, and thus the suggestion to find another test device to confirm that he is actually peaked on F2 (such as a working Shaw receiver, a Free To Air receiver, spectrum analyzer, or other device) to positively confirm what satellite he is on.

Everything has changed, and even the technical info at www.shawdirect.ca is pretty vague.
Even with the right pointing of the dish, if you are without another method of confirming that fact, you must be properly set up on whatever channel Shaw is using for downloads, and then configured with proper internal settings on your receiver (Quad or XKu) with the appropriate LNBF. You are shooting in the dark unless properly equipped with the above, and if you do not have a local technician with test equipment as described, could be spinning in circles for a long time.

There is little further advice to offer, so no need for a phone call or consideration of charges. I took care of many Shaw users with free advice for many years (not always my customers), but just wanted to make your situation perfectly clear. You are in over your head until you carefully confirm everything discussed. Good luck.

Mike,

Thanks for the advice. You're right. this whole project is turning to be more trouble than it's worth. I know I'm on the correct satellite. The guy helping me is an old Dish installer. He had his own meter. I bought a Freesat V8 Satellite Finder DVB S2 Signal Meter from Amazon. Both of these meters say that I am on the correct satellite with a signal strength of 85%.

I can set up the new receiver with the temp LNB setting for XKu by choosing X4L(4378). But that is only good until I restart the receiver. Even using the temp setting, I never can get a picture. If I leave it overnight, I can get part of the channel guide. Not knowing what channel on F2 I need to receive the setup is a big problem. Since it's on appears to be on G1 than I'm out of luck.

I have another question. I've noticed during all this I can go to the status screen and signal meter. Both tuners are on F2. I get a signal strength of 86% on one tuner. 10% on tuner 2. They both say the are using F2. Why don't they have the same strength?

Anyway, I'm about to give up. After 15 years with Canadian television. I'm going to miss it.

Thanks for all the help.

ggilbert

 

[mikekohl]

Mike,

Thanks for the advice. You're right. this whole project is turning to be more trouble than it's worth. I know I'm on the correct satellite. The guy helping me is an old Dish installer. He had his own meter. I bought a Freesat V8 Satellite Finder DVB S2 Signal Meter from Amazon. Both of these meters say that I am on the correct satellite with a signal strength of 85%.

I can set up the new receiver with the temp LNB setting for XKu by choosing X4L(4378). But that is only good until I restart the receiver. Even using the temp setting, I never can get a picture. If I leave it overnight, I can get part of the channel guide. Not knowing what channel on F2 I need to receive the setup is a big problem. Since it's on appears to be on G1 than I'm out of luck.

I have another question. I've noticed during all this I can go to the status screen and signal meter. Both tuners are on F2. I get a signal strength of 86% on one tuner. 10% on tuner 2. They both say the are using F2. Why don't they have the same strength?

Anyway, I'm about to give up. After 15 years with Canadian television. I'm going to miss it.

Thanks for all the help.

ggilbert

You will not get a picture on any channels until mapping is completed, and you have also had Shaw Direct activate some channels. Metering should work, and confirm that you are on the correct satellite (F2). Signal strength is not as important as an accompanying dB number (plus 5.5 dB or higher to keep a solid lock). I still do not know which channel to tell you to use, but suggest if you are getting at least this type of reading, or a yellow or green signal light on the metering system, you are getting close. If there is a channel that gives these good indications, look at the channel list for F2 that I recently attached to another thread on Shaw reception and call up a channel number that is on this list as well as getting a good reading through your metering system. Good luck!

One other very critical setting that just came to mind is that XKu LNBFs will work with a standard 10750 MHz local oscillator when set up on F2 and mapped properly, Otherwise they will not register much if anything at all from 107/ Anik G1 because you are out of its coverage area.

Only AFTER confirming that you are tuning F2/111 through use of another mapped Shaw receiver, but more preferably with a Spectrum Analyzer that is mapped and set up for the unusual XKu configuration, would I then suggest swapping to an old non-XKu or Quad LNBF. This will put out 10750 MHz LO on both satellite inputs, so if you are truly mapped for F2 channels, you will find it somewhere. This is otherwise sheer guesswork unless you independently confirm you are on F2 with another device.

Mike

 

[joshuals]

Sorry for the gloom and doom, but it's over.......especially for those who subscribed for the French programming. I cancelled my subscription several months ago and the Shaw dish will be going out with the uncontained trash on the next pickup.

A thank you to Mike Kohl for all his help and advice, as well other contributors to this forum.

 

[stonemountain]

Sorry for the gloom and doom, but it's over.......especially for those who subscribed for the French programming. I cancelled my subscription several months ago and the Shaw dish will be going out with the uncontained trash on the next pickup.

A thank you to Mike Kohl for all his help and advice, as well other contributors to this forum.

I'm a couple of hours away from you -- I'd be interested in your receiver if you're planning to throw it out...

 

[joshuals]

@ Stonemountain

It was 601.....I didn't think it had much value as it wasn't a DVR......it has been recycled.