DVR522 cannot see 118

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Jun 23, 2010
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oregon
After signing up some international channels i noticed they were dropping out intermittently. Then i check the system info and noticed that sat 118 has red box with 'x'. Suspecting it's the cause of the problem. It sees 110 and 119 with ~60 signal strength. 118 has nothing. But when i check the switch, it seems ok. (DP34) seeing all 3 (i think since it says Tuner 1 and Tuner 2 and list all 3 sat). I have D500+ dish. Clear line of sight in Pacific NW. Any idea?
 
update: Saw the Azimuth = 150, Elevation = 36, Skew = 82
...strange thing was, this afternoon before 5pm pst, i notice that 118 has some signal ~49. i thought it resolves itself. but when i check again in the evening around 7pm, it's gone again.

I was able to get these signals in Dec!

Other details on the switch:

Sat 1
1 2 3
119 110 118
Dbnd Sngl Feed


Sys info:

Orbital 14 15 16 21
110 75 73 75 73
119 61 72 75 74
129 0 0 0 0 <-- not sure why 129 and not 118
 
The 118.7 signal is very touchy, it doesn't take much to lose it. The red x means it sees some transponders but some are very low or missing. That is also why the swith says 118 feed instaead of 118 Dbnd

Different transponders will have different signal strengths. Were you checking the same transponder each time ?

If the signal is cutting in and out it be a loose mount/dish or possibly trees.

The sys info showing 129 is just a software issue they never updated
 
If you have 119 then trees aren't blocking 118.7, This is why I recommend a sharpie (permanent black marker) in several spots when the install is done. Avoids a ton of down time in the event of something getting knocked off axis by a kids ball or a weed wacker hit.
 
Thanks for the all the response. I finally relented and called Dish to come out and do adjustment and pay the tech fee (signed up for the insurance plan). Any advice on how much signal i should get for all 3? i'm getting around 60+ on 110 and 119 and 118 about 50'ish. I worry Tech might say it's good enough and leave and i ended up having them back again later. Appreciate your advice.
 
Most transponders on 119/110 except spotbeams should be at least in mid to high 70s low 80s even better. 118 signal is rarely higer than low 60s on very few transponders
 
Dish Tech came out and did find anything wrong. My channels also works now but i know they will go bad again because i notice that 118 will go from ~50 to 0 but can't convinced him. He did some adjustment and "repeak" 119/118. But the signal remains the same. Still notice that the switch details still how 118 as "Feed". I pointed that out to him, only then he acknowledged that's strange since he thinks it normally should be dbnd.

...finally convince him to go back to shop to bring back another D500+ LNB. Will see what happen next...

This is the kind of thing i'm worry about...they come out, didn't find obvious problem, goes back, i paid $15, then having to ask them to come out, pay another $15
 
well, like i suspected. the problem came back even after the LNB swap. 118 is again gone. How can it go from ~50 to 0? i notice in the log that i get most signal loss from 3pm to 3am (>20), and much fewer from 3am to 3pm (< 10)
 
like i suspected, the problem came back. 118 is again gone. I notice signal loss is more frequent from 3pm to 3am PST and much less from 3am to 3pm. Not sure why time of day makes a difference. This is even after the LNB swap.

Weather can't be an issue, clear sky with no cloud today, rare sight in Portland i might add.
 
Is your dish mounted on a pole or on your roof? If it is on your roof, make sure the mast has struts attached to it. The weight of the 500+ will over time pull the mast down and your signal will suffer. If you don't have the struts, have the tech put them on the mast, it is a QAS requirement and the tech will fail the job if it is QAS'd. If your wondering and don't know, "QAS" is Dishs' quality assurance.
 
Did the tech try a new switch? You can try rearranging the order of the inputs on the switch and see if the problem follows 118 or stays on the same switch input.

Is there any kind of electrical system or appliance on a timer that could be interfering?

I'll also go out on a limb here, but I have seen it happen: if you have a radar detector in your car and it is close enough to the dish it will interrupt signal on 118.7 It sounds odd but it is true.
 
Swap the cables out at the dish between the 118 and 119 side and then rerun check switch, you may need to replace the entire cable run currently on 18 and this is the way to find out by swapping it with 119 and re running the check switch config, internittent problems like this sound like a leaky or a nicked outer shield or a connector that has been stressed.
 
r10fret, thanks for the suggestion. The "advanced tech" on the phone suggested the same thing too. She didn't like the fact that i'm seeing "Feed" on 118 in the Check Switch page. So another tech is coming out tomorrow to check the entire cable run.....could take a while as they have to rerun the cables potentially.
 
Well, tech came back. Swapped out the switch, move its location so it's not directly mounted under the roof, worry about heat problem. But didn't find problem with cable, he thinks. Still has "Feed" shown up on 118. He didn't think that's a problem, called around his colleagues as well even though the phone support person suspected that.

He unplugged my receiver power cord from power strip and plug it directly to wall outlet telling me that some time power fluctuation cause problem...i doubt it especially since then plug my power strip to another power strip...daisychaining them...shows that he doesn't know what he is doing.

Anyway, let's see if this problem come back in the evening.
 
Dish Tech came out and did find anything wrong. My channels also works now but i know they will go bad again because i notice that 118 will go from ~50 to 0 but can't convinced him. He did some adjustment and "repeak" 119/118. But the signal remains the same. Still notice that the switch details still how 118 as "Feed". I pointed that out to him, only then he acknowledged that's strange since he thinks it normally should be dbnd.

...finally convince him to go back to shop to bring back another D500+ LNB. Will see what happen next...

This is the kind of thing i'm worry about...they come out, didn't find obvious problem, goes back, i paid $15, then having to ask them to come out, pay another $15
First off ,the genius that visitied your home should have had an LNB with him.
Now, you WILL NOT have ot pay an addtional fee.
The tech is negligent. There is NO EXCUSE to not have the proper equipment on his truck.
Call DISH and if the CSR gives you a hard time, demand to speak to a manager to "escalate" the issue.
You are the paying customer and dammit, you should be able to receive the services you are paying for without problems.
 

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