Help! Receiver won't detect Satellite

[Becket]

Hi all, very disappointing day trying to hook up DirecTV HD so far.

I have an existing 2 room setup, and decided to upgrade to get HD on my main set (HD). I bought the triple LNB dish, Hughes HTL-HD and off air antenna from Best Buy (dish came free).

Setting up the dish was no problem -- because I didn't have access to the main TV at the time, I used the other room's standard receiver to set up the dish. The receiver recognizes the Triple LNB dish, A and B are getting strong (75-85) signals, and the standard receivers in both rooms are receiving signals as normal.

Okay, step two -- hook up the HD receiver. Here's where the problems start. It fails to detect the dish automatically. It also fails to detect any signal manually. I try this for hours, then finally give up (DirecTV was unreachable all day by phone), and take it back to Best Buy, and trade it out for the Samsung.

I get the Samsung home, hook everything up, and get the same issue -- "Finding Satellites Failed" in Samsung lingo.

I'm at my wit's end. I finally got through to DirecTV and they were befuddled, since the other receivers in the house get a signal, and if I put the old standard receiver back on the main set, it immediately gets a signal.

Anyone got any ideas before I just give up on HD for a while and take it all back?

 

[grydlok]

try the receiver in a different location.
Are you using a multi switch?

 

[ckudrna]

dont give up on the HD.

Tell us a little more about your setup. You will need ALL 4 CABLES from the LNB unit on the HD dish into a multiswitch. Two cables will work for SAT A I think but you will need all 4 out from the switch on the LNB into a multiswitch (or right to the recievers).

How do you have your equipment set up?

 

[Becket]

dont give up on the HD.

Tell us a little more about your setup. You will need ALL 4 CABLES from the LNB unit on the HD dish into a multiswitch. Two cables will work for SAT A I think but you will need all 4 out from the switch on the LNB into a multiswitch (or right to the recievers).

How do you have your equipment set up?

Hi, my Triple LNB dish has a built in multiswitch, so there's just one cable going to each receiver. Both Sat A and B get strong signals on both old receivers, but when I plug in the new HD box, it not only fails to detect the dish, but gets NO signal for either Sat.

I'm stumped.

 

[branchbouncer]

Did you try the new HD receiver on one of the coax that you know is receiving a signal (the old stb's work on)

 

[Becket]

Yes. Both of the old receivers in the house are receiving both Sat A and B, and getting a perfect SD picture. Connect the HD receiver and get nothing.

 

[branchbouncer]

If one of the old stb's will work on the coax in the location that you are installing the HD receiver and it auto detects a oval triple lnb then either the stb is bad or maybe the coax wire from the HD location should be switched to one of the other output connection on the lnb to see in fact that the lnb multi switch is at fault

 

[slacker9876]

I may be talking out of my butt here but does the lack of HD channels not indicate that maybe the polarization of the dish is off? Speaking of this .. I am off to tweak mine today to try and get back into the 90's

 

[branchbouncer]

If he can see the test channel 99 with the standard stb's then he is locked in on all the satellites and should be able get the HD receiver to pull a signal,of course not physically being there is a disadvantage.

 

[Becket]

Could the culprit be cabling? I can't tell whether the cable leading from the wall jack (left by the installer last year) is R6 or not.

 

[Becket]

Well....I've tried everything, even replacing the cable from the wall to the unit. Nothing. I took the Receiver to the other tv, connected it and it works fine, so I swapped out the LNBs, took it back downstairs, and it won't work.

At this point, I have to assume there's something wrong with the cabling in the wall (the cable for this particular input connects to existing wiring in the wall; the one on the other TV does not).

Guess it's time to call a professional installer....hopefully I won't get a hungover jerk like the guy who installed my standard system last year.

 

[branchbouncer]

Even if the cable in the wall is not RG6 it would still work,you could pull the face plate on the wall to see if it is total connected(screwed in).Or you may have mister fuzzy in the wall and has chewed through the coax,but he or she would have to chew all the way through or there would still be a signal,with all that you have been through I hope that you have a good end result

 

[Becket]

Just to update this....I got on the phone with DirecTV and was informed that old non-RG6 cabling may not pass through the frequency that the HD receiver needs to detect the dish.

Best Buy (where I bought the dish) refused to arrange for installation (other than something under their $400 Home Theater installation plan), but the folks at DirecTV agreed to do it for $100.

Moral of the story: DirecTV offered a package to get a dish, receiver, and off air antenna for $400. I went with Best Buy because I could get the dish & receiver for $300, thinking I could install it myself and save cash. Ultimately, I'm having to spend the same and won't have the off-air antenna to show for it.

But, I will have my HD by the start of football season.