OTA Signal Strength 100% - Not Locked!

[talljoel]

I have the 622 receiver. I'm in the Chicago area.

As of yesterday, when I turn on channels 38-1, 38-2, 38-3, and 38-4 I get error message #739 - The offair signal has been lost.

The system setup - local channels for these channels shows in red " Not Locked Signal Strength 100".

If I bypass the receiver and connect the OTA directly to my TV I am able to view channels 38-1, 38-2, 38-3 and 38-4.

I have tried unplugging the receiver and rescanning local channels.

I have called Dish Network. They said the problem is with my OTA and I should contact the retailer who installed the OTA.

I do not think it is an antenna problem as I am able to view these channels when I bypass the Dish receiver.

I should mention I use a splitter to combined my Winguard Square Shooter antenna and my condo's master antenna. I have had this antenna setup for 6 months. I have been able to watch the channels in question using the Dish receiver until yesterday. And the only local channels I can not view using the Dish receiver are 38-1 ect.

Anyone have any ideas what is going?

 

[haertig]

My TV has a much better OTA tuner than the one included in my 722. Connect my antenna directly to the TV - perfect lock every time. Connect it to the 722 - well it mostly locks, but loses it sometimes.

They just put a crappy tuner in the 722, that's all. You can maybe compensate by getting a better OTA antenna.

BTW, you cannot really compare signal strength readings across different devices. My TV may lock a signal it reports as 55% perfectly, while the 722 falters on a signal it reports as 70%.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I tried to use two antennas to combine a signal to my 622 receviers in the past and it never worked. But I could use my tv and it worked everytime. My advice is to Use ONE antenna to the 722 and not combine signals .

 

[haertig]

Oh, I missed your last bit about being able to lock these channels on your 622 until yesterday. did you just get a new firmware download from Dish? That could explain it. Also, you could go over to AVSFORUM and check the local OTA HDTV thread for your area. Check if others are having similar problems. Here's the Chicago thread (it looks to be 21 pages long, so jump to the end of it for more recent issues): Chicago, IL - OTA - AVS Forum

 

[wase4711]

well, I get a signal of 93 on all of them, but no picture; says signal is lost..
It must be off the air, cause all the other local chicago stations work fine..
Fortunately, those channels don't show anything special, and the PQ has always been poor as well..

 

[whatchel1]

one antenna only

Using 2 different ants is nothing but problems. The length of the cable by it self will cause timing conflict problems that will cause comb filter effects. You have manged to set up so that it is canceling out some frequencies. It is evident that the TV tuner is not effected as much by the multi-path as the 622. Test one hook-up then the other the one that gives you the best signal stay with it Oh BTW the fact that you didn't have any problems before may be that now that all the trees have lost their leaves then that may have been a factor that was damping out the secondary signals that are destroying the ability to receive now.

 

[talljoel]

Channels 38-1, 38-2, and 38-3 broadcasted the ION Network

Using the 622 receiver I again rescanned for locals. Channels 38-1, 38-2 and 38-3 no longer show up.

Using my television's settings I scanned for locals. Channels 38-1, 38-2 and 38-3 are gone. However, now I have channels 43-3, 43-4 and 43-5 which are carrying the ION Network.

Funny thing is that the Dish 622 receiver scan for locals does not give me channels 43-4, 43-4 and 43-5.

I rarely watch the ION network, So, I'm more curious as to what is going on than upset about not receiving these channels with my Dish receiver.

With the Square Shooter Antenna I could not receive WBBM - CBS - channel 2-1. With my condo's master antenna I could not receive 2 channels :WTTW - PBS - Channels 11-1 and ABC - WLS - channel 7-1. With the antenna's combined I get all the locals. Occasionally, and only for a second or two, I will lose the signal on WBBM - CBS - Channel 2-1

 

[whatchel1]

Reason

Channels 38-1, 38-2, and 38-3 broadcasted the ION Network

Using the 622 receiver I again rescanned for locals. Channels 38-1, 38-2 and 38-3 no longer show up.

Using my television's settings I scanned for locals. Channels 38-1, 38-2 and 38-3 are gone. However, now I have channels 43-3, 43-4 and 43-5 which are carrying the ION Network.

Funny thing is that the Dish 622 receiver scan for locals does not give me channels 43-4, 43-4 and 43-5.

I rarely watch the ION network, So, I'm more curious as to what is going on than upset about not receiving these channels with my Dish receiver.

With the Square Shooter Antenna I could not receive WBBM - CBS - channel 2-1. With my condo's master antenna I could not receive 2 channels :WTTW - PBS - Channels 11-1 and ABC - WLS - channel 7-1. With the antenna's combined I get all the locals. Occasionally, and only for a second or two, I will lose the signal on WBBM - CBS - Channel 2-1

OK the reason that WCPX is now on 43. 3, 4, & 5. That is the carrier freq of the channel's digital transmitter. The 38 is the what it has been know in the analog world. So what has happened is at the station they have reset their PSIP generator and it isn't telling the "world" anymore that I'm channel 38.1, 2, & 3. You will need to contact the station and let them know that they no longer transmitting to the world they are channel 38. Once they reset the info in the the PSIP generator you will have to scan the locals again to find them under channel 38.
Now the 2 ant set up must be working because one of the units is completely shielded from the stations it is missing & the other is luckily shielded from the other set. If either were picking up both they would cancel out on each other.

 

[talljoel]

Watchel1, thank you for explaining what happened. I will call WCPX.

I am lucky the 2 antenna solution works.

 

[haertig]

Try manually adding (not scanning for) channels 44-3, 44-4, 44-5 to your 622. Yes, I did say 44 and not 43 on purpose. I believe the actual frequency is one higher than the stations you really want to receive (i.e., manually tune to 44-3, 4 and 5, not 43-3, 4 and 5). I may have this backwards and you need to tune down one channel (e.g., 42-3, 4 and 5), but I'm pretty sure you tune upwards. Normally when you scan for channels, it scans them all in sequence so eventually it would tune to 44 and that PISP generator would tell the TV that 44 is really 43, and your TV would then remember that. And you could subsequently tune the channel either as 43-3,4,5 or 44-3,4,5. (If you're not scratching your head saying "huh?!" about now, you should be!)

Of course, if the station's PISP generator is hosed, this probably won't work either.

 

[dlsnyder]

One problem that I have noticed with the 622, and probably carried forward in the 722, is that if a broadcaster does not include a channel number in the PSIP data it will not be displayed in the guide no matter how strong the signal is. Here in the LA area we have KRCA 62.1 which broadcasts on channel 68. Since they do not put their analog channel number in the PSIP stream, my 622 ignores it completely. Nothing I have tried so far can get it to scan in, even though there is easily 100% signal strength and no multipath at all. My TV tuner finds it with no trouble at all, with the channel showing as 68.1. This may be related to the problem you are having.

 

[dishcomm]

I have the 622 receiver. I'm in the Chicago area.

As of yesterday, when I turn on channels 38-1, 38-2, 38-3, and 38-4 I get error message #739 - The offair signal has been lost.

The system setup - local channels for these channels shows in red " Not Locked Signal Strength 100".

If I bypass the receiver and connect the OTA directly to my TV I am able to view channels 38-1, 38-2, 38-3 and 38-4.

I have tried unplugging the receiver and rescanning local channels.

I have called Dish Network. They said the problem is with my OTA and I should contact the retailer who installed the OTA.

I do not think it is an antenna problem as I am able to view these channels when I bypass the Dish receiver.

I should mention I use a splitter to combined my Winguard Square Shooter antenna and my condo's master antenna. I have had this antenna setup for 6 months. I have been able to watch the channels in question using the Dish receiver until yesterday. And the only local channels I can not view using the Dish receiver are 38-1 ect.

Anyone have any ideas what is going?

It appears to me that the built in module that allows the OTA signall to be recived and integrated into the guide of the receiver is going bad or is bad. Call Dish and choose the prompt for "technical support' that gets you to a domestic call center. Request a tech come out. If the CSR tries to have to trouble shoot beyond the most basic stuff, tell them you want a tech out because youy do not want to touch the EQ in any way. If thy persist, let them know that you are the customer and now you demand an appointment be made for a tech to come to your home and you won't take no for an answer. good luck.

 

[whatchel1]

Only after contacting TV station

It appears to me that the built in module that allows the OTA signall to be recived and integrated into the guide of the receiver is going bad or is bad. Call Dish and choose the prompt for "technical support' that gets you to a domestic call center. Request a tech come out. If the CSR tries to have to trouble shoot beyond the most basic stuff, tell them you want a tech out because youy do not want to touch the EQ in any way. If thy persist, let them know that you are the customer and now you demand an appointment be made for a tech to come to your home and you won't take no for an answer. good luck.

Since he is still receiving the signal but under the digital TV channel number as opposed to the call letter numbers I don't think there is a problem with the receiver. Now if after he talks with the engineering dept at the station nothing is resolved then it is time to call in the service people.

 

[dishcomm]

Since he is still receiving the signal but under the digital TV channel number as opposed to the call letter numbers I don't think there is a problem with the receiver. Now if after he talks with the engineering dept at the station nothing is resolved then it is time to call in the service people.

Good point.
However( don'tcha just hate that word) i have in my experience in installing and tuning OTA antennas when distant or weak signal stations are received, the digital rather than the actual broadcast channel shows up on the guide. Often the signals from these are so weak that the video/audio is not usable
Now, in this guy's case where the sig strength is at 100% and no video/audio. Thats' a head scratcher. I am theorizing here.

 

[talljoel]

Before calling WCPX, I decided to rescan for locals with the 622 receiver; just in case the station fixed the problem this mourning.

38-1, 38-2, 38-3 were back.

Before this weekend I did not now about PSIP generators.

 

[Peter Parker]

I agree with dlsnyder. It may be a problem with the PSIP data from the station. This was the case with a DC area station. Once it was corrected the receiver was able to lock onto it. Before that i could not even tune to it manually but my two other digital tuners could.

As soon as the station added PSIP data I locked o yo it fine. OF course I have no guide data but one stepat a time.