HDTV Installation problem

Staso

New Member
Original poster
Oct 27, 2008
3
0
I reside in a remote location in Alaska. Up here we must have two 4 ft. dishes in order to receive both the 110 and 119 satellites. I currently have them both going into a SW24 switch and everything has been working great. I am upgrading to HDTV and have acquired a DVR receiver. I asked Dish what I needed to upgrade to HDTV. They sent me a SW44 switch and I connected my two dishes to the input side of the switch and ran a single coax to my older 301 (non HDTV receiver) and two additional coaxes to my DVR receiver. After running check switch I received a message that says that I lost the 110 satellite. I called Dish and they now say that I need a SW34 switch, which they are now sending. Does anyone have any ideas as to what I need to do to get this working?
 
.... you need a third Dish to get all the HD channels as most are on a seperate satellite.... either the 61.5 or 129 (no clue which in Alaska).... I don't see why a 34 Switch would work but a 44 Switch wouldn't...; my guess is you are you not using the Power Inserter correctly.... you need to make sure the Power Inserter is put on the coax that is going to Port 1 on the 44 Switch... and that it is facing the correct direction (meaning "To Switch" is plugged into the wall, not the receiver coax). I recommend you put the Insterter on your 301 rather than your dual tuner.

Why they would say you "need" a 34 Switch to make this work, I have no idea... but they are correct in saying a 34 Switch WILL work.... plus this way you don't have to worry about a Power Inserter at all.....

Edit: Just thought of something else.... you did take the other Switch out of the system, correct? To use a 44 or 34 Switch, it needs a coax coming from each Dish, with no other Switch in the line...
 
Last edited:
Check your LNBs that you have now. If they are legacy then you need an SW64 and a third dish with another legacy dual LNB. If you have DishPro LNBs (DishPro label on them), then you need a DP34 or a DPP44.

SW44 switch is basically for mixing two legacy LNBs on to 4 receivers. Basically, an SW44 + 2 Legacy LNBs equals a Legacy Quad LNB.
 
.... you need a third Dish to get all the HD channels as most are on a seperate satellite.... either the 61.5 or 129 (no clue which in Alaska).... I don't see why a 34 Switch would work but a 44 Switch wouldn't...; my guess is you are you not using the Power Inserter correctly.... you need to make sure the Power Inserter is put on the coax that is going to Port 1 on the 44 Switch... and that it is facing the correct direction (meaning "To Switch" is plugged into the wall, not the receiver coax). I recommend you put the Insterter on your 301 rather than your dual tuner.

Why they would say you "need" a 34 Switch to make this work, I have no idea... but they are correct in saying a 34 Switch WILL work.... plus this way you don't have to worry about a Power Inserter at all.....

Edit: Just thought of something else.... you did take the other Switch out of the system, correct? To use a 44 or 34 Switch, it needs a coax coming from each Dish, with no other Switch in the line...
I did remove the other switch. The only switch I had in line was the SW44 switch. However, you mention the power inserter. When they sent me the switch they did not send a power inserter transformer. I called them about it and they said that I did not need it. Therefore I had to use the switch without the power transformer. Could this be the reason it did not work?
 
I did remove the other switch. The only switch I had in line was the SW44 switch. However, you mention the power inserter. When they sent me the switch they did not send a power inserter transformer. I called them about it and they said that I did not need it. Therefore I had to use the switch without the power transformer. Could this be the reason it did not work?


Yes, you do need a Power Inserter. Sometimes the switch will work without it.... but only for a while. I don't know why they told you that.... it says to use it right in the manual for the switch. They come with the Power Inserter from the factory.....
 
Lots of misinformation here. First off there is no Dish Network SW24 or SW34. They switches are out there but are not from dish. There is a DP34 switch which is dish pro. To get HD you need a 3rd dish, not even sure if you can get either one in Alaska.

I would venture to guess that you have legacy lnbs now. If that is the case then just as vegas said you would need a SW64 to wire in the 3rd dish. There is little to no HD on just 110 and 119.

If your lnbs were Dish Pro then yes a DP34 switch would work as would a DPP44 switch. A DP34 would require 2 lines to your HD receiver as well. What HD receiver do you have by the way?
 
I have a 612 DVR receiver as well as a 301. The switch I tried came directly from Dish and is a SW44. They are now sending what they say is a SW34 for me to try. I know I am limited to the 110 and 119 as we are not able to acquire the other one up here. All I want to do is get what HD I am able and get a nice clear picture on my 46inch set. I more than likely have what you refer to as a legacy system. Thanks to all of you for the info.
 
I have a 612 DVR receiver as well as a 301. The switch I tried came directly from Dish and is a SW44. They are now sending what they say is a SW34 for me to try. I know I am limited to the 110 and 119 as we are not able to acquire the other one up here. All I want to do is get what HD I am able and get a nice clear picture on my 46inch set. I more than likely have what you refer to as a legacy system. Thanks to all of you for the info.


If you DO have a legacy system, then the above poster is correct.... you need a Legacy Switch, such as a 64 switch. Look at your LNBs.... if on the backs (the other side from "eye") you see black colored writing, you do not have Legacy, and the 34 Switch or 44 Switch (with power inserter) will work. If the backs are just solid grey, you do in fact have Legacy and need that 64 Switch.