not receiving many channels

[carler]

I have direct tv with 4 boxes. In a somewhat rural blocked signal area.About half the channels(always the same ones) not coming in on some days and the check of signal strength reveals zero for every other channel.Other times all come in well,and HD channels all working on HD receiver.What's up?

 

[texasbrit]

I have direct tv with 4 boxes. In a somewhat rural blocked signal area.About half the channels(always the same ones) not coming in on some days and the check of signal strength reveals zero for every other channel.Other times all come in well,and HD channels all working on HD receiver.What's up?

zero signals for every other transponder nearly always indicates a cable/connector problem. Which satellites show this problem (look at the signal strength screens for all of them) and do you have a multiswitch?

 

[raoul5788]

I thought losing all odd or even channels meant a multiswitch or lnb issue.

 

[jdspencer]

The OP mentions the loss of every other channel not TP.
He needs to supply us with his signal strengths for each satellite.

 

[texasbrit]

The OP mentions the loss of every other channel not TP.
He needs to supply us with his signal strengths for each satellite.

Yes, I missed that. There is just about nothing that could possibly cause the loss of every other channel because of course they are on different transponders and sometimes even different satellites. Seeing his signal strengths on all the TPs on all the satellites will probably tell us something.

 

[texasbrit]

I thought losing all odd or even channels meant a multiswitch or lnb issue.

As has been posted, the OP said channels and I responded about transponders. As far as transponders go, the loss of odd or even TPs is nearly always a cable/connector problem, only very rarely is it a multiswitch or LNB issue. .

 

[raoul5788]

The OP mentions the loss of every other channel not TP.
He needs to supply us with his signal strengths for each satellite.

When you are checking signal strength like the op was, aren't you checking the transponders?

 

[raoul5788]

As has been posted, the OP said channels and I responded about transponders. As far as transponders go, the loss of odd or even TPs is nearly always a cable/connector problem, only very rarely is it a multiswitch or LNB issue. .

Okay, I didn't know that. Live and learn!

 

[Jimbo]

As has been posted, the OP said channels and I responded about transponders. As far as transponders go, the loss of odd or even TPs is nearly always a cable/connector problem, only very rarely is it a multiswitch or LNB issue. .

Okay, I didn't know that. Live and learn!

That makes two of us .....
I too thought that if every other transponder was zero's it was an LNB as well.

 

[texasbrit]

That makes two of us .....
I too thought that if every other transponder was zero's it was an LNB as well.

To get even transponders the receiver generates an 18v signal. To get odd transponders the receiver generates 13v. If there's a poor connector (loose, corroded etc) this can drop either the 18v or the 13v below the detection threshold and so you lose either even or odd transponders. This is by far the most common cause of loss of even or odd transponders.
If you have a multiswitch the effect can be even more specific. For example, there are four cables from the dish to the WB68 multiswitch. One carries 99/101 evens, one carries 99/01 odds, one carries 103/110/119 evens and one carries 103/110/119 odds. So from the pattern of the missing transponders, you can often determine exactly which cable/connector is faulty.
A situation where you have a multiswitch and you are losing odds or evens on ALL the satellites indicates either a faulty multiswitch or LNB, or a situation affecting all the cables (cable run too long or trying to use RG59, or using RG6 CCS on very long runs - all of which can cause voltage drop)

 

[jdspencer]

Here's a follow-up by the OP.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/directv-technical-discussions/196593-miracle.html

Seems he may have the temperature problem with the LNB.