Dishnetwork VIP 211Z

[tplat]

HI all, my cousin was going to switch over from Dishnetwork to Suddenlink aka SuddenCrap for TV service and SuddenCrap worked fine for about 5 minutes then it just went to a black screen with some error code in which after 2hrs+ on the phone with them they finally figured out that their reciever wasnt properly set up with the programming package they ordered and that they could have a guy out the next day to fix it and well that never happened not even a phone call saying they couldnt make it. Now they say it wont happen untill 2 days after Thanksgiving which is now unacceptable because we have no TV. Their installer apparently didnt want to install a new coax line going to the TV so he used the existing Dishnetwork line going to the TV. I can see where he cut one of the Dishnetwork lines so he could tap into the line going to the tv. The reciever is a Dishnetwork VIP 211Z, the dish on the roof is a Dishnetowrk HD dish with 3 LNB`s. with only 1 TV hooked up. My cousin cant really afford to pay a Dishnetwork installer $100 to come out and fix it so I`m trying to figure what the Suddenlink installer changed on the Dishnetwork line that according to Suddenlink`s customer service they dont touch other company`s lines or equipment. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also took a few pics of what I`m working with if that will help.

Thanks Tom

 

[harshness]

You should have posted this in the DISH support forum rather than the forum support forum.

The only picture that matters (of the multiple posts of each picture) is the one that shows the grounding block. It almost looks as though someone has already hooked up the dish and left the Suddenlink cable hanging.

If the configuration no longer looks like the picture, you would just need to make it look like the picture by connecting the painted cables to the ground block. It looks like siamese cables coming from the dish go in on the left side and the painted cables carry the signal into the house. The only reason I can think of for whacking the cable is so that you can't reach the ground block to reconnect. This is considered vandalism in many jurisdictions.

 

[raoul5788]

to Satelliteguys tplat!

 

[HipKat]

2 lines are coming from the dish, they both do the same thing. Connect the line going to the TV to one of the lines coming from the Dish at the ground block, if it'll still reach

 

[tplat]

Thanks for the replys guys. My cousin got lucky with Dishnetwork their going to send a guy out today to fix what Suddenlink screwed up for free. According to Suddenlink their installers dont touch any lines or equipment that other providers have installed which in our case was a total load of crap, I told the support lady with Suddenlink thats not the case here. Their installer didnt want to move or ask us to move a refrigerator in the garage to run a new line to their box through the wall. The pic of the cut line was one of the two lines that the Suddenlink installer cut. I know for a fact that it was hooked up because a few months ago Dish sent a guy out to realign the dish and put new connections on because it was losing signal intermittently he also said that he shot some silicone over the connections because the old ones looked corroded. The cut line had silicone on it before I disconnected it. I tried hooking one line back up but it did nothing no signal to the Dish reciever didnt think of trying the other line at the time.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I hate lazy installers.

I see guys spend an hour tracing out existing lines just to save spending 1/2 an hour running new wires.

I had an electrician do the same thing to a house I gutted and renovated. All new wire in the house and the electrician splices into 2 pieces of wire from the early 60’s with no ground and says it’s ok because he installed a GFCI and it’s considered code.

Sometimes it’s better to remove all the old wiring so there is no argument when it comes to running all new wire

 

[tplat]

Well it only took the Dish guy about 3 minutes to figure it out. It turns out that I did get it hooked back up correctly but the picture on the TV showed the no sat signal screen and when you try to exit it it wouldnt do anything. He noticed that the lights on the Dish remote werent lighting up when you pushed a button, the batteries were dead. Once new batteries were put in he exited the Dish screen and the TV went straight to a college basketball game. I really wish we could get a different internet provider here and avoid Sudden Link like the plague. Unfortunately where we live its either Sudden Link or satelite which is pricey.

 

[joewhite57]

I hate lazy installers.

I see guys spend an hour tracing out existing lines just to save spending 1/2 an hour running new wires.

I had an electrician do the same thing to a house I gutted and renovated. All new wire in the house and the electrician splices into 2 pieces of wire from the early 60’s with no ground and says it’s ok because he installed a GFCI and it’s considered code.

Sometimes it’s better to remove all the old wiring so there is no argument when it comes to running all new wire

How can a gfci work without a ground reference?

 

[NYDutch]

How can a gfci work without a ground reference?

GFCI's do not use a ground reference. They monitor the current flow on both the hot and neutral legs, tripping if the difference exceeds 5 ma. The ground connection on GFCI outlets are a safety ground for the connected equipment, just as it is on any other standard grounded outlet. A GFCI breaker is a good example, since it doesn't have a ground connection at all, just hot and neutral connections.

How GFCIs Work

 

[navychop]

I’m pretty sure you won’t pass inspection here without that ground attached to the GFCI receptacle.


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[NYDutch]

I’m pretty sure you won’t pass inspection here without that ground attached to the GFCI receptacle.

It won't, but the ground connection is not part of the GFCI functionality.

 

[navychop]

It’s still a safety.


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[NYDutch]

It’s still a safety.

Yes it is, but it serves the same purpose on a GFCI outlet that it does on a standard grounded outlet. My point was that the ground is not part of the GFCI safety circuitry and isn't used in its functionality. The GFCI will operate as intended whether a ground is connected or not. If you plug any of the many two pin ungrounded devices into a GFCI outlet, it is still protected.

 

[navychop]

I suspect the installer lied when he said it was ok to hook up a GFCI to ungrounded romex. Or he is ignorant of code.


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[NYDutch]

I suspect the installer lied when he said it was ok to hook up a GFCI to ungrounded romex. Or he is ignorant of code.

Oh, I absolutely agree it's neither safe nor code to connect it that way...