ruining switches

[kuntryw]

hey guys, i have a weird problem,i have messed up 3 disecq switches already. i'm using the geosat ku/c band lnbf with my wiring ran about 30 ft from where the dish is to where the switch is(the switch is indoors) then about 10 feet from the switch to the receiver. all the wiring is new and good,i know this because i can run the wiring directly from the dish to the receiver and everything works great,it is only when i connect through the switch that the problem begins. so here is what is happening. when ever i run the wiring into the switch everything works great,then after about an hour sometimes less i begin to notice the signal fades on which ever side i have the ku wire ran to. after a little longer i notice that there is barely any signal at all.i can then unhook from the switch and directly hook into the receiver and boom, the signal is right back where it should be.after that which ever side of the switch the ku side was connected to is no good. i am careful to make sure all power is off before connecting and disconnecting the switch,i actually unplug the receiver before making any changes. all my wiring is r6,and all the connections as far as i can tell are in good shape. i would think maybe it was an lnb issue or wiring issue,but i can run the coax from the dish to the receiver and it never looses anything. also this never happens on the c band side only the ku side. i have went through one 4 way and two 2 way switches.i am now down to using the only switch i have left which is an sw21 switch and so far after 3 hours it is still working good. i dont understand it, any ideas?

 

[Corrado]

My first thought is a short or excess current draw. I would disconnect each cable and test with an ohmmeter. While at it, physically inspect what's visible of the cable for damage. Look closely at the cable fittings.

Lastly, I would test the current draw of the LNBF. Does the receiver seem warmer than usual?

 

[Corrado]

Another thought...does the LNBF have a switch in the equation? Some brands use a 22 khz switch or Disecq on the housing for C or Ku selection.

 

[B.J.]

hey guys, i have a weird problem,i have messed up 3 disecq switches already. i'm using the geosat ku/c band lnbf with my wiring ran about 30 ft from where the dish is to where the switch is(the switch is indoors) then about 10 feet from the switch to the receiver. all the wiring is new and good,i know this because i can run the wiring directly from the dish to the receiver and everything works great,it is only when i connect through the switch that the problem begins. so here is what is happening. when ever i run the wiring into the switch everything works great,then after about an hour sometimes less i begin to notice the signal fades on which ever side i have the ku wire ran to. after a little longer i notice that there is barely any signal at all.i can then unhook from the switch and directly hook into the receiver and boom, the signal is right back where it should be.after that which ever side of the switch the ku side was connected to is no good. i am careful to make sure all power is off before connecting and disconnecting the switch,i actually unplug the receiver before making any changes. all my wiring is r6,and all the connections as far as i can tell are in good shape. i would think maybe it was an lnb issue or wiring issue,but i can run the coax from the dish to the receiver and it never looses anything. also this never happens on the c band side only the ku side. i have went through one 4 way and two 2 way switches.i am now down to using the only switch i have left which is an sw21 switch and so far after 3 hours it is still working good. i dont understand it, any ideas?

I agree with what Corrado responded re it sounding like a current problem. One thing you might try, is to switch the C and Ku cables, and see if the problem switches to the port that C-band is on. I also have read that it is better to have the switch closer to the lnbs than the receiver, at least when they are drawing current through them, however I can't remember where I read that, and can't remember the reason for that, so it may not be true.

One thing I've learned though, is that these switches are very tempermental. I think I've bought something like 5 DiseqC switches, and every one of them has died, dead as a doornail, 3 or 4 of them were dead right out of the box. And yet 4 of the 5 came back to life. I'm now using a 4x1 switch that was completely dead at one point. So don't throw the switches away. I think that there is a good chance that they will come back to life.

One other thing, when having problems like this, it is very handy to have a signal meter like the Channel Master 1007IFD that I have. In addition to signal, it can read lnbf voltage, current draw, and detect 22KHz (and DiseqC since they are 22KHz), and can also power the lnb with either 13 or 18V. It's more expensive than the cheap signal meters, but less expensive than many of the higher priced ones, and it has proven to be very handy at times. Only problem I've had with mine, is that the battery charger tends to overcharge the batteries, so you have to keep an eye on it when charging it up.

 

[kuntryw]

i have switched the cables from c band to ku band and vice versa like you suggested B.J.
and it seems that it is still only on the ku side.
as far as i know carrado this lnbf does not have a switch in it. it's the lnbf from sadoun found here GeaoSat Pro C KU Band Prime Focus LNBF
now on the current draw thing,i have no idea what that means,i have an ohmmeter is there a guide somewhere to show me how to test this or tell me exactly what i'm looking for when testing it?
i have checked the wiring and they are all in good shape,no bad connections or cuts and with out the disecq switches everything works 100% i get very good reception with no break ups,just onjly when the switch is hooked up does it start decreasing the signal quality on the ku side.
if it is current draw what does that mean and how dio i fix?
thanks guys for all your help, this place is very handy with information.