remote not working well in one room

slanoue

Active SatelliteGuys Member
Original poster
Oct 2, 2005
15
0
Alabama
Does anyone else have this problem?

I have two 625 boxes, which each have two TV's connected (in four different rooms). My mother-in-law moved in with us in June and she hardly uses hers because she has just been watching the big one in the living room with us. I record and watch a lot, and so now that the new primetime season is back, I am recording more.

Let me add that when I first got the receivers and had them hooked up, hers was not hooked up yet, since she and her TV were not here yet, so we added her in later. The installer guy had to put in more cable etc. to get it to work. It seemed to all work fine when he was here, but he did warn that since she is on the opposite end of the house away from the Dish, and her TV is facing the opposite way, that she may have trouble using her remote. I did not think much about it at the time because it seemed to work fine when I tested it.

Tonight I went in there to make sure it was working, and it would not work at all. The remote works, the red light comes on, but it cannot do anything...unless I go out in the hallway and point it away from her TV (toward the dish).

Now, her bedroom is only about 13 feet from the living room and it's not a big room. Should it really be doing this? She has a fridge in her room, could that be getting in the way? Do you think moving her TV to the other end of the room might help (so that her remote is pointing in the right way, at least)? Is this normal?? Do you think getting a different or newer remote might help? It's a real pain that she can't change channels a normal way.

Thanks for any help!!

Suzanne Lanoue
http://tvmegasite.net
http://suzann.com
suzanne@tvmegasite.net
 
That is a VERY common problem, with a VERY simple solution (using two standard low quality splitters and a few short coax cables). In short, you move the little antenna from the back of the reciever (near TV1) to the same room as TV2 is located. Here is a diagram:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showpost.php?p=667276&postcount=22

Actually, there are other solutions (such as using an antennuator on the antenna connection on the 625 before you hook up the antenna itself) that are easier, but none are as effective as moving the antenna to the room you need it in.

Do note: the diagram shows a DPP seperator and a Diplexor. You may or may not have a DPP seperator in your system. And you may or may not have a diplexor as well. But the absence of these devices should SIMPLIFY things for you. In theory. :) Let us know if you're having troubles wrapping your mind around things.
 
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Thanks...this is a bit complicated for me. Which one is TV 1 and which one is TV 2?
Is the one in my mother-in-law's room TV 1?

If I can't figure this out, will DISH send someone out to fix it for me and treat it as a (free) service call, do you think?

And also, it seems that when I switch channels or record something on my other receiver, it will sometimes affect the other receiver. It's not supposed to do that, is it?? That's kind of annoying. I am always finding stuff recorded on my secondary DVR that I did not put there (and some of it, at least, I know I had receoved on the first DVR). And just now while my m-i-l was watching her show, I went to play a show on the other receiver (not the tv that's connected to hers) and it changed her channel. I changed it back for her, and then when I went back to my tv, it had changed on there, too. Will your fix adjust this problem as well, I hope? Or is that a separate problem?

Thanks for all the help!
 
I have an old Drake 1524 IRD with UHF remote and have found that the orientation of the UHF remote antenna can make a huge difference in performance. Control range is terrible if it not sticking up from behind the receiver or its free space is being invaded by patch cords and cables.

...so the first thing I would try is fiddling with the orientation of the antenna. If that does not help I suggest using a short length of coax and a barrel connector to move the antenna a few feet. Try to separate it from any source of electromagnetic noise, large metallic objects, etc. Experiment.
 
Guys, I am not a techie so some of this doesn't make any sense to me.

I looked at the diagram and I guess this is the back of the receiver? The receiver is in the master room. The other TV that shares that DVR receiver is my mother-in-law's bedroom. She has no receiver, just cables go from her TV to the wall and they go through the attic and over to the master bedroom (and presumably to the dish?). So how is hooking up that splitter thingy going to help her in her bedroom? That is confusing to me. Also, I'm pretty sure he already put a splitter of some kind on there.

Please explain things in very simple terms.

I have never moved the dish so I have no idea how to do that, either...? And, WHAT antenna??

Here is a layout of my house and where the TV's are, if that helps.

http://tvmegasite.net/images/houselayout.JPG

TV 2-B is the one where the remote is not working and we have to go out in the hallway and point it toward the dish. TV 1-B is the one with the receiver.

Thanks!
 
With all dual tuners, which the 625 is, you must change the Remote address ID on the second remote. It is even reccommended to do this if you only have one dual tuner in the home. The easiest way to fix this is to have an experienced tech come out and repair the problem.

Call Dish and sign up for the extended warranty, also called the DHPP or Digital Home Protection Plan (5.99 a month), and they'll send out a tech for $29, instead of the regular $99. A day or two after the tech comes out, just call Dish back and cancel the warranty.

If you have been installed for less than 90 days, the service call is always FREE. If you signed a contract, and you have been in for less than a year, you're automatically covered under the DHPP; therefore, you'd only pay the $29.
 
The antenna I am referring to is the antenna for the remote control. It is not much more than a six inch long piece of springy wire connected directly to the back of the receiver.


It can be turned with fingertip pressure. Move it so it is pointing up rather than down. Reposition any wires that may be close to or touching it.
 
Hey, guess what...it was the antenna!
My husband accidentally knocked the box on the floor the other day, and I had made sure that the other wires/connectors were tightened, but I did not see the antenna. It was half-unscrewed. Now her remote works fine!! LOL!! That was simple. Now I feel stupid :) Thanks for all your help, guys!
 
Can you please explain how to change the remote ID address, if that was a fix for the problem of one DVR recording on the other? If it is something menu-driven, I should be able to do it...

Thanks,

Suzanne