Tried everything I know, but....

[DownSouth]

tearing it all down and trashing it

I have a Winegard Square Shooter OTA antenna (SS2000-the amplified one) that I cannot finagle at all to pick up my local HD channels. I've tried various amplifiers (Radio Shack, Winegard PS-9370) and configurations ad the result is always the same....."no locals found" E*'s about as cooperative as a dead horse saying "get the best antenna around....Terk" Yeah right......they're pieces of s**t.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I refuse to accept that the Square Shooter won't work seeing as how it worked just fine when I had Voom and D*. I currently have my old Voom receiver hooked up to get OTA HD locals and my better half is after me to do something about the clutter of boxes in the family room.

Sorry for the rant

Peter

ViP 211
Panasonic 47" HDTV

 

[Rick0725]

zipcode please

can be as simple as a wiring issue...complicating the situation. since the antenna performed for you to your liking in the past.

diplexors, etc.

 

[DownSouth]

Rick,

zip is 36532

I'm sure bumfuddled here....especially since I'm watching HD locals on Voom receiver though I undertand Voom receiver has powered OTA antenna connection and the ViP doesn't. I'm playing with both a SS1000 and a SS2000 Winegard Square Shooter, btw, and can't get either to work with the 211

 

[Rick0725]

The ss2200 needs to be powered to work properly otherwise you get poor reception.

not familiar with dish network equipment.

 

[DownSouth]

yep, I know. I've tried powering it with the power injector that came with it, to no avail, and tried powering it with a ps 9370, again to no avail. The 211, unlike the Voom receiver and most D* receivers, does not have built in power on the 8BSV antenna in port, from what I understand, which is why the SS1000 worked with them. Unless I'm missing something, the powered SS2000 should work with the 211. I can't believe that a Terk OTA antenna would work any better after looking at them. Both the Terk (in the models I looked at) and Winegard have what looks like the same power supply. I wonder if the 8BSV OTA antenna\cable in connector on my 211 is bad????

 

[techpuppy]

It would seem that if you can receive your locals using a different receiver, the problem has to be the DishNetwork receiver. Does it need to be authorized or activated? If you're sure that you are getting a strong signal using a power injector to power the antenna's amplifier (check it with an analog TV if needed), the the satellite receiver is not functioning in some way. You might want to mention to Dishnetwork's customer service that your signal is fine, the receiver just doesn't work right and ask to return it for a refund. That might be enough to get them to do something to resolve the problem.

 

[Rick0725]

When I am faced with a situation as yours

-the antenna amp or powersupply has failed (cause by a short during installation process)
-faulty wiring/installation, not using the correct power passing diplexors, power not getting to the preamp,etc.

workaround
-run a direct line from the powersupply (ps 9370) to the antenna preamp
-run a line from the ps 9370 to the hd turner

bypassing the diplexing process and see it the antenna system is operational.

and go from there.

 

[ronniejay]

Is the better half a keeper? No better half = boxes to the ceiling, wires run everywhere, keg on coffee table, etc.!

 

[DownSouth]

I don't think I can afford her NOT being a keeper

I've not been using any diplexers in trying to get an OTA signal to the 211....straight coax runs only and I've been using new R6 to boot. Authorization's not the problem either as I'm using the 211 for all my HD and SD programming, other than locals. E* told me the other day that they'd be carrying HD locals in my area "very soon" to which I asked what his definition of 'very soon' was for the 68th largest TV market. He told me by the end of '08.....very soon, my ass LOL

Now I've not tried hooking up any other tv's yet as I've gone on the assumption I get good signal based on the fact that the Voom receiver picks up the HD locals no problem. The only way I'm going to get E* s help with this is by getting them to replace the 211. They want nothing to do with OTA at least that's the impression I get.

As bad as Voom was in many regards, you raised cain with them enough and they'd send someone out with an OTA antenna. E* tells you "too bad".

 

[techpuppy]

I'm sorry to hear that Dishnetwork was not more responsive. I would take the 211 to a neaby dishnetwork dealer and have them try out the OTA part of the receiver. It doesn't sound like Dish is taking your problem seriously and they should as you've ruled out just about everything else. (You've done the troubleshooting work for them). If a local dealer can't get it to work then have the dealer call them.

 

[teamerickson]

I'm sure you probably did this already. In the 211 HDTV setup menu, is the analog set to offair?

 

[DownSouth]

yep, the analog is set to "off air"....I think I've checked that 100 times if I've checked it once

I happened by a Dish outlet on Friday and stopped in to talk to them concerning the problem. First of all, I'm surprised that Dish (I re-established my Dish account online) didn't use a local installer instead of one out of Birmingham, some 250 miles away. The folks who did my install don't return email requests for help nor do they return phone calls. Anyways, that's a whole different rant. The local distributor checked off everything I had done in trouble shooting and they agree with me that the antenna in connector on the receiver is likely bad. First time I've gotten anything resembling help from E*! E*s a microcosm of what's wrong with the American service industry....overall, it sucks.

 

[techpuppy]

My biggest complaint about DishNetwork was that if you called them, it seemed they would do almost anything rather than letting you speak to a real person.

I don't know why Dish doesn't use the nearest dealer, but when I upgraded my system a few years ago a company based 180 miles away did the work. The service tech insisted on testing the function on all receivers before I signed the ticket. That's probably the best advice I could give to anyone upgrading to HDTV receivers. Make sure they are working AND receiving any OTA digital channels before the tech gets a signature.

 

[Pepper]

ok, so (according to your ZIP code) you're in Fairhope; I'm in Satsuma which is probably approx. 40 miles further from the transmitters. So in theory anything I can do, you can do better.

I was able to get most of the local digitals with standard "rabbit ears" and a UHF loop, and much better signal with a signal amplifier and a junk outdoor antenna I found on freecycle and pulled off the side of somebody's house (my wife absolutely refuses permission to attach it to any part of the house but that's another rant altogether, right now it's just propped on top of my FTA pole in the backyard). Try rabbit-ears and see what you get, if you get consistently "nothing" then the issue is definitely with the receiver. Try not just scanning but going to the specific channel you're looking for (ViP622 calls this "Add Locals" and it's probably the same in the ViP211).

If you can get WALA-10 analog with rabbit ears on a TV, then the exact same configuration connected to your 211 should easily get their digital which is on channel 9.

 

[DownSouth]

When I re-upped with E* I got the locals included and did not even think to ask if they'd be in HD. I know, never assume anything especially with E*

Pepper, yep, I'm in Fairhope. I don't have any rabbit ears to try but I went one step further a few minutes ago. I connected the OTA Winegard (the amplified one) to a small, portable TV that I've never been able to pick up anything on without an antenna and all the locals came in clear as a bell....even ch 3 and 5! I've tried both the "scan for locals" and "add locls" in my menu----->system setup------>local channels and have gotten the same thing, nada----zip---zilch, etc.

Sooooo, based upon what my feeble mind can decipher, it HAS to be the receiver, right? I'm not too bad with all this stuff....after all, I can make my own coax feeds with F connectors and set up a DPP 44 with no problems so it would stand to reason that I should be able to make an OTA antenna work if the equipment works. <LOL>