Frustrated 921 installer in KS

[Kenjunior]

Anyone want a free 921? I would be willing to give them BOTH away...... Ok, maybe not.

We are on our 2nd 921. The first one refused to see anything plugged into sat input 1. Moved a 322 to its spot, worked fine. Dorked with Dish and finally got them to RA it. New one arrives with same issue. After NUMEROUS calls and several techs later, it seems we are installing it wrong. We were not doing the 119 dual input for sw downloads. Ok, so we climb up and pull a pair of RG6 cables for each 119 and 110, plugged the 119 into both inputs, wollah, software download 45 minutes later. Plug the sat 119, 110, and 105 (locals) back into the inputs of the DP34 switch and do a check switch. The lovely 921 pukes and says no input on input 1. Ok, swap inputs on the back of the 921 (cable 1 is now into input 2 and vice versa). Check switch and same thing happens, input 1 is dead. We have pulled the inputs, done a check switch, unplugged 921, plugged back in and check switch again, then installed cables, and ran check switch one more time and wollah, NOTHING still.

Ok, is this a 2nd bad unit or did we miss something here? Just for notes the 521 still works fine the whole time.

Please enlighten me before these 921s meet the wall at a high rate of speed.

Additional info: We are using a superdish with a DP34 switch with locals on 105. We have tried this at two locations as well (on site with customer and here at the shop)

KJ

 

[SimpleSimon]

I just answered a DP34/SD thread - double-check that 119 is on port 1, 110 on port 2, and 105 on port 3 of the DP34.

 

[Kenjunior]

That is opposite from what we have been instructed to connect the DP34 but at this point anything is an option. Have D* on the phone now, output of Input 1 is only 13 volts, input 2 pushes just under 20 volts. They tell me number 2 is bad as well.

Thx

KJ

 

[SimpleSimon]

Yeah - you should be getting 18+ volts out of each input port.

 

[Kenjunior]

We do now get 18 volts solid but still input 1 freaks out. It will "see" whatever is plugged into port 1 of the DP34 switch but it will not lock on the signal. If we swap the input 1 on the dp34 switch and plug sat 105 into it, then the 921 sees 105 but won't lock on it. If we plug anything directly into the input on the 921 it sees it and locks on it just fine. D* "expidited" another unit and gave the customer a few bucks off the bill. I will have a collection of 921s here in the office next week. It'll be a free for all <grin>.

KJ

 

[n0qcu]

FYI.... D* = DirecTV, E* = Echostar (DISH)

 

[SimpleSimon]

We do now get 18 volts solid but still input 1 freaks out. It will "see" whatever is plugged into port 1 of the DP34 switch but it will not lock on the signal. If we swap the input 1 on the dp34 switch and plug sat 105 into it, then the 921 sees 105 but won't lock on it. If we plug anything directly into the input on the 921 it sees it and locks on it just fine. D* "expidited" another unit and gave the customer a few bucks off the bill. I will have a collection of 921s here in the office next week. It'll be a free for all <grin>.

KJ

Why do you say that? From what you're saying this sure looks like a bad DP34 not a bad 921 (especially 'cause yous ay you've tried two of them). Or am I missing something here?

 

[sblasl]

I'll take the 921 if you really get serious about the threat...

 

[Kenjunior]

Sorry, I knew that, was a little frustrated on and typing while on the phone. Thanks for keeping me sain.

KJ

 

[Kenjunior]

Tried two complete different superdishes and DP34 (two complete different locations). The other kicker is, when you switch the input on the back of the 921 coming from the DP34 it follows the 921 not the output from either of the DP34 switches. I REALLY wished it would be that easy. I got the "supervisor" on the phone for the last hour of testing and support. We stumped him. I whined about having 2 techs doing the original install for a complete day and then a tech working all day today with dish to resolve this issue. Arugh!

 

[SimpleSimon]

OK. ALL the hardware has been swapped out - EXCEPT the cables. Sounds like a "Duh" on the part of the installers to me.

 

[Ronald K]

I went through the same thing last week with a new superdish install. Two bad fitting connections on two different cables.

I used another receiver at various points along the cable trail to fine the problems.

Even when I knew that their was a proper signal going into each input on the back of the 921, the check switch test on the 921 still indicated an error. It seems that the 921 checkswitch software does not clear prior readings before each test. If more than 4 tests are being performed (either 36 or 38) on each input I knew that the result was not going to be good even when there was no longer any cabling problems.

The only way that I could clear the 921's memory was to manually go into each input and lock onto each sat. Once this was done the check switch test would only perform the 4 test needed and I was then able to watch TV.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Welcome aboard, and good info!

You're right about the switch matrix getting 'stuck' at times, and it's not just on the 921. I tell folks to reset it by a multi-step procedure. I've posted it many times, but here it is again.

Disconnect satellite feed(s). Run Check Switch. Pull power plug. Run check Switch AGAIN. Reconnect feed(s). Run Check Switch and it should be OK.

 

[Kenjunior]

SimpleSimon, on the first response, "sounds like a "duh" to me"........... Its quite possible that the cables are bad but when the 921 doesn't work at 2 complete different locations with complete different hardware (including cables) and location 2 is MY office that a 521 has been running at for several months and location 1 the 322 and my 521 works (and has now been there a week). I would have to say cables are not the issue.

 

[SimpleSimon]

I guess I missed that part of the thread. Sorry.

 

[hzhao]

Kenjunior,

Can not say I am expert, but went through enough to get mine to work. Let's start from some basic:

Since you are putting the 921 at existing location where 521 was, before you get to the check switch part, did the unit lock on the 119? then check the both input signal stength. You can simply take the 119 & 110 bypass the DP34 and directly connect to 921, if everything is fine, then, you are safe with dish and cables. My guess is that you did not have proper software downloaded. If I remember correctly, 921 took more than 45 minutes to get initial download and install software. Bypass the DP34 might help you to get all the if, maybe out away. After that, make sure on DP34 input goes like 119,110 & 105. Even though it is not required, but it can save you a lots of guess work down the road. Form all the post here so far, I am suspicious that is the DP34 switch. Just becasue 521 works, it does not mean it will work for 921. Just my 2 cents.

BTW, if you do determined to throw 921 against wall in high speed, just send it to me, I will do it for you, free of charge

 

[boy921]

I'll take the 921 if you really get serious about the threat...

I take it at a reasonable price! I'll bet that when he gets the switch properly working, he will change his mind and want to keep it.

 

[Kenjunior]

Woohooo!

3rd receiver is a charm! No switch problem, no cable issues, just 2 bad 921s. Arugh. The 3rd unit is up and working fine in the office. All downloads completed, all activations done. I will let it run all night and install it in the morning, assuming the locals arrive on the low end where they are missing from right now.

Thanks for all the help and support folks!!!

KJ

 

[SimpleSimon]

Well, ain't that a b*tch.

As for locals "on the low end", I'm not sure if that feature is in the 921 yet. None of my satellite locals show up with their broadcast 2-digit numbers.

 

[hzhao]

921 does not support local mapping yet.