Not too happy with DirecTV now

[texasbrit]

Those transponders carry spot beams pointed at certain cities and so low or even zero signals are quite normal.

 

[JerryVolunteer]

The switch finally arrived and I installed it. Right away I wanted to check the signal strength and the even transponders but from the time I got down from the roof of our rv to the living room there was a software download to interrupt so I let that be and checked another way. The channels we could not get before were now coming in loud and clear, the icons on the menu that were missing before were now there. The guide was populated way past 4 hours already and the todo list was building. So good so far. By now could check the signal strength and the even transponders on 99 and 101 were showing values, EXCEPT, transponders 4, 12, 20, 28 were all zero. Should I be worried about that.

We left the manual programs there just to make sure the guide filled in programs would still work a few hours later and they did. The guide is still there and all appears to be ok, the only issue is that row of transponders all zero, not spaced unevenly like before when I have look at them.

So, is everything OK?

Your are good to go!

 

[bobinraymoremo]

Your are good to go!

We'll we WERE good to go but the same problem just happened although slightly different.

Background:
- worked for 3 days, today we disconnected from shore power and ran our generator for about 35 minutes then connected back to shore power. This means that the Genie rebooted twice

Symptoms:
- all three transponders on 110 (8, 10, 12) now show zero
- even transponders on 119 and 103 are now zero
- 99 and 101 signal strength is as before with great signals on everything but 4, 12, 20, 28
- guide is populated and the todo list looks good but some channels are not coming in, luckily the low definition versions are coming in for those

So far I have stowed the automatic satellite and raised it again but still the same. I am going to go up on the roof and switch cables to see if that does it but based on what I have learned so far I am betting that the even transponder port for 103, 110, 119 on the SWM8 switch has blown.

Does this mean it is the LNB?

I am going up to the roof and switch cables to make sure but I believe it is the even port and not the cables but want to make sure.

I will keep you posted.

BTW Winegard is sending me a new SWM8 switch since it was a Winegard kit that was used to upgrade our dish to SWM. Don't know how this will affect that.

Thanks again for everybody's help, it is muchly appreciated!!

 

[bobinraymoremo]

We'll we WERE good to go but the same problem just happened although slightly different.

Background:
- worked for 3 days, today we disconnected from shore power and ran our generator for about 35 minutes then connected back to shore power. This means that the Genie rebooted twice

Symptoms:
- all three transponders on 110 (8, 10, 12) now show zero
- even transponders on 119 and 103 are now zero
- 99 and 101 signal strength is as before with great signals on everything but 4, 12, 20, 28
- guide is populated and the todo list looks good but some channels are not coming in, luckily the low definition versions are coming in for those

So far I have stowed the automatic satellite and raised it again but still the same. I am going to go up on the roof and switch cables to see if that does it but based on what I have learned so far I am betting that the even transponder port for 103, 110, 119 on the SWM8 switch has blown.

Does this mean it is the LNB?

I am going up to the roof and switch cables to make sure but I believe it is the even port and not the cables but want to make sure.

I will keep you posted.

BTW Winegard is sending me a new SWM8 switch since it was a Winegard kit that was used to upgrade our dish to SWM. Don't know how this will affect that.

Thanks again for everybody's help, it is muchly appreciated!!

TOTALLY BIZARRE - CAUTION

Well I went up to the roof and switched cables at the SWM8 and the problem followed the cable that was originally on the 18v port on the SWM8. So thinking it was a bad cable I used a different cable and still a problem. Switching cables confirmed that both SWM8 ports for 103, 110, 119 were OK. So then I switched them at the bottom of the turret for the Winegard and Port A was working but Port B was not even when I used a cable that I knew was working, the one from Port A. I put the cable I knew was working back on Port A and not wanting to have exposed end I put the cable that was there before back on Port B and my wife who was watching the signal strength told me through my ear piece that I just fixed it. That's right we now have both even and odd transponders with the same cables that we were using before. Sounds like an intermittent Port B that we will probably have to wait until it completely stops working and not working intermittently to get it repaired.

Does that sound right?

It is pixelating more than we would like, and occasionally searching for satellite, would that be a symptom of a bad port on the Winegard?

 

[Claude Greiner]

Call Directv, talk to tech support and say the receiver won't power up and have them send you a replacement

 

[texasbrit]

Call Directv, talk to tech support and say the receiver won't power up and have them send you a replacement

Why? It's almost certainly not a receiver problem.

 

[Hutch1814]

Why? It's almost certainly not a receiver problem.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing HOWEVER I've seen SWM8/16's blow ports due to a bad LNB. I actually had swapped 2 16's within 30 days and got a case management out or the deal and swapped the slimline 3 and left my number, called me about a month later and said they hadn't had a problem since

 

[kodiackid]

Im not to familiar with a winegard dish, but in my professional opinion, id have to say it is the Receiver. are all your ird's having the same problem?

 

[bobinraymoremo]

Im not to familiar with a winegard dish, but in my professional opinion, id have to say it is the Receiver. are all your ird's having the same problem?

Only have the one Genie and a single client.

Remember the pixelating that we were having,

It is pixelating more than we would like, and occasionally searching for satellite, would that be a symptom of a bad port on the Winegard?

A little more background. When we noticed the issue initially on the the even transponders on 103, 110, 119, I checked all the channels we normally watch. There were 5 that had no signal and 10 that were ok. After the cable swapping work on the roof we now had both even and odd transponders with signals but a few of the transponders on the 103ca and 103cb would cycle between 0 and a good signal. Coincidentally the 5 channels that were not coming in before were the only ones with a pixelating problem. Well I checked this morning and all 5 channels are working perfectly so I checked the signal strengths and they are not cycling between 0 and a good signal.

So at least for now this is what I think:
- don't think it is a receiver problem,
- don't think it is a bad port on the swm8 switch
- don't think it is a cable problem from the winegard to the swm8 and into the RV
- could be a lnb problem
- could be the cabling internally from the lnb to the 4 ports at the turret where the swm8 is connected

Does that sound about right?

Since it is working now though it will be hard to troubleshoot. I will keep you posted.

 

[raoul5788]

I doubt it's the receiver, most likely the lnb or a cabling/connector issue somewhere. I'd put a bad switch low on the culprit list.

 

[bobinraymoremo]

I doubt it's the receiver, most likely the lnb or a cabling/connector issue somewhere. I'd put a bad switch low on the culprit list.

Will be tough to diagnose, 30 minutes ago no pixels, 15 minutes ago pixels, now working fine. The next time it is not working I need to run up to the roof and try to figure at least that it is not the cable for sure and maybe which port on the turret.

 

[texasbrit]

Just to add another variable, is it possible you are damaging something (the SWM8?) when you run the system on the generator? If there are nasty spikes or noise on the power, this could cause problems.
Running the receiver AND the power inserter from a UPS would probably solve any of those issues

 

[bobinraymoremo]

Just to add another variable, is it possible you are damaging something (the SWM8?) when you run the system on the generator? If there are nasty spikes or noise on the power, this could cause problems.
Running the receiver AND the power inserter from a UPS would probably solve any of those issues

Honestly hope this is not the case but something to consider.

 

[bignell]

You need to make sure your using a 29 v power supply and not a 21v ,that can cause the issue your having with the swm 8 switch

 

[bobinraymoremo]

You need to make sure your using a 29 v power supply and not a 21v ,that can cause the issue your having with the swm 8 switch

Will check later, thanks for the tip. Is this randomly killing the 18v ports on the swm8 switch since both times it was a different 18v port?

 

[bobinraymoremo]

You need to make sure your using a 29 v power supply and not a 21v ,that can cause the issue your having with the swm 8 switch

Will check later, thanks for the tip. Is this randomly killing the 18v ports on the swm8 switch since both times it was a different 18v port?

Drats, I have the 29v. So could it be a bad power inserter?

 

[raoul5788]

Could be, but they are easy to test with a VOM.

 

[bobinraymoremo]

Could be, but they are easy to test with a VOM.

Easy for you maybe, assuming VOM is a multimeter, which I have, what is the best way to test.

 

[raoul5788]

Yes, a VOM is a volt, ohm meter. You put the two probes to the elements on the plug and look at the meter, pretty simple. There should be a diagram on the block of the PI showing which element is positive and which is negative. If you have a digital meter, it doesn't matter which is which, the display will show a negative or positive output. An analog meter will peg the needle quickly if you have it backwards. Don't leave it connected if that's the case, just switch the leads of the VOM.

 

[bobinraymoremo]

Yes, a VOM is a volt, ohm meter. You put the two probes to the elements on the plug and look at the meter, pretty simple. There should be a diagram on the block of the PI showing which element is positive and which is negative. If you have a digital meter, it doesn't matter which is which, the display will show a negative or positive output. An analog meter will peg the needle quickly if you have it backwards. Don't leave it connected if that's the case, just switch the leads of the VOM.

Who are you calling simple, by now you should know i am simple minded

i got no voltage when both cables were connected so i disconnected the coax cables and put tips outside and inside the posts but no voltage. Remember this simpleton asked for specific directions. AC or DC setting on digital multimeter, where exactly to put the tips of the probe (OK everybodys mind out of the gutter)