Some Channels Work - Some Don't

[teamcoltra]

Hey guys, I have been having a problem with my setup since I moved into my house, where only certain channels work. The channels that don't work bring up a message "Acquiring Satellite Signal"

sat 119
transceiver 19 (sometimes it says 8)

then it flips to "error" and tells me to change channels or restart my receiver by pressing and holding the power button.

Channels that work
local channels 2-4-6-8 etc

USA (thank goodness... What would I do without psych)
TBS
CMDY
TVLND
LIFE
CNBC
CNN
CSPAN (lol at least I can watch CSPAN right?)


(not an exact list, just the ones that we want to watch and can)

what DOESN'T work is

the Discovery channel (and affiliates) (hist, sci, tlc)
TNT
SYFY ( I miss SYFY)
FOX NEWS
ION



Sat: 119
Transceiver: 19
Receiver: VIP211K
Location: Chevak, AK


My neighbors all get these channels so I doubt its my location, my direct neighbor (other half of the duplex) said he had these issues and wound up taking he unit back to the place he bought it from, and they fixed it for him... but that required him flying back to Anchorage, to have them work on it... or sending it to them and waiting on them sending it back... if that is avoidable I would prefer to not do that.

Thanks for your help!

 

[hyperguy]

Sounds like your dish needs fine tuning its getting the 110 and some of the 119but no tall

 

[teamcoltra]

our entire housing complex uses the same dish, and no one else is having the issue other than us.

 

[primestar31]

A pinched (or damaged) coax cable can notch out channels, and cause weird issues like this. So, replace your coax from the receiver to the dish or switch.

 

[3HaloODST]

What are your signal strengths on TPs 14, 15, 16, & 21 for 110/119 (MENU - 6 - 1 - 1 )? Are they both locked and green bar? Name acquired? No "wrong sat?"

In MENU - 6 - 1 - 3, are the sats listed in the following order?

119 110 ?

If so, then you are pointing at the right sats, may still have signal strength issues, may not.

If not, then you are picking up the wrong sats through the wrong LNBs.

Both are green?

Status says "Good?"

How about at MENU - 6 - 1 - 1 - Check Switch?

All green and "OK?"

Status "Reception Verified?"

Click on "Details" on the "Installation Summary" screen, do both ports say "Even, Odd?" Is port 1 119, and port 2 110?

Try clicking "Test" in the "Installation Summary" screen? Make sure "SuperDISH" and "Alternate" are not selected.

 

[teamcoltra]

13 good 15 good 21 good (14, and 16 not working), Check Switch says Port 1 Satellite 119 OK, nothing else, details says Port1 None 119 Even, Odd. 6 - 1 - 3 nothing... Status says Warning! Select Details -- Which isn't anything new in details it just says we experiance some outages, which ... we do.. .we live in Alaska. There is only 1 red x on that page.

 

[KKlare]

I'm guessing, I see odd transponders and no evens in your small sample. I think that means a bad LNB.
-Ken

 

[teamcoltra]

I don't know what that is? Will I have to send it back to get fixed or can I fix it on my own?

 

[primestar31]

our entire housing complex uses the same dish, and no one else is having the issue other than us.

It can't be the LNB, if what you said above about everybody in the complex using the same dish is true. You are basically over thinking this. It can only be something common to YOU. That leaves the satellite dish coax wiring directly to YOUR receiver, OR your receiver itself being bad.

Nothing else.

Borrow a neighbors receiver, hook it in place of YOURS, run a CHECK SWITCH, and see if you still have the problem. IF you do, it's not your receiver! Then, replace the coax, maybe even the wall plate connector if you have one.

I have had a bad coax, and it acted just like you are saying. It notched out a bunch of channels, just like you mention above. Are you using Satellite grade RG-6 3GHZ coax, or some cheap RG-59 cable tv crap coax to wire your receiver to the dish system? If the RG-59, that's your problem.

We can give you all the advice in the world, but if you keep just reading about it, but never actually swap something, it'll never get fixed.

 

[teamcoltra]

primestar31, I know you are trying to be helpful, but you come across arrogant. I know I am a newbie, and that makes my questions seem a bit silly, and seem like I am not listening... but I am.

If you look you made a little post about it possibly being the coax cable, I took that into advisement... Then there was a second post right under yours which had a way for me to give you guys diagnostics on my setup.

Of course I took that action, because then it might help you guys better understand whats going wrong.

THEN someone replied to that saying that it was the LNB, which for all I know could be something in MY BOX, or it could be something in my cables. Since I don't know, I asked for clarification, had I known that was a satellite thing, then I wouldn't have bothered asking further about it.

I will hook up a neighbors box, and try it out, thank you.

 

[primestar31]

Sorry, I'm not trying to be arrogant, I've been an electronics technician for a very long time, and most of this is so basic and simple (to me at least). You are right in saying that it's confusing, especially if you are real new to it, and if a lot of different info comes to you quickly. The more you learn, the easier it will get for you.

You had a good start right off, when you said these things:

"I've had this problem since I moved into my house" (translation: it never worked properly, right from the start. That's much different then: "it used to work, but now it doesn't", and is therefore harder to diagnose)

"We all use the same dish, and nobody else has this problem"

"My neighbor had a problem like this, and it was his receiver"

So, my technician thinking basically narrows it down to your receiver, or a coax cable issue to the dish, which could include the wall plate (if any) that your receivers coax connects to, to go through the wall. Those plates have a connector built-in, and have been known to go bad, and not pass certain frequencies. That would knock out some channels, but pass others. Also, there must be a DP switch between you and the dish, and it's just possible, that the specific port you are on is bad.

Another good test, would be for you to take your receiver to a neighbors house, and see if it works there. Remember to do the "check switch" test each time you move it.