When we hear from our customers, the most common thing they say, right at the start, is “This thing almost never gives me troubles, but…” It’s true. Satellite TV systems for boats are incredibly reliable. When you consider the combination of sensitive electronics and sea air, add in the huge number of motors and gears and whatnot to keep the thing working while the boat is moving, it’s pretty amazing how well they work. Year after year, satellite TV systems keep doing what they should do. It’s just that one rare time they don’t, and you’re stuck looking for someone to talk to.
A lot of common satellite TV issues can be fixed quickly without any technical knowledge or even a phone call. Here are three things you can try before calling for help:
The most common problem with satellite TV isn’t a problem with satellite at all. It’s that someone changed the input on the TV. Sometimes this is done by accident and sometimes someone tried to hook something else up to the TV.
If you see a screen that just says “no signal” or is blue like what you see above, that usually isn’t the satellite receiver. That’s the TV telling you it’s not on the right input. Find the original TV remote and look for a button called INPUT or SOURCE. You may also be able to use your DIRECTV remote if it’s been programmed right.
If your remote has a button that says TV INPUT at the upper left hand side, turn on your satellite system like you generally do. Then, try pressing TV INPUT and seeing if that fixes things. If the remote has been set up properly, it should work.
A satellite TV receiver is just a fancy computer, and just like any computer, it sometimes needs to be rebooted. I personally find I have to reboot mine about once a year or so, but you might not even have to do it that often. I’ve written a tutorial on how to reboot virtually any DIRECTV box. You can find it here. It boils down to, find the red button and press it. Sometimes it’s hidden behind a door. If you can’t find the button you can also unplug the receiver from power and plug it back in.
Marine satellite systems are more complex than home systems. Your marine satellite system has an antenna control unit which also may need a reboot. Rebooting it will stop all TV services on the boat until it’s done setting up, which can be 5 minutes or more. Here’s a tutorial on how to do that with the most popular types of marine satellite systems.
Before calling, here are three other things to think about.
If you’re in the marina: It’s sometimes possible to lose satellite signal while you’re at the marina just because something is blocking the view of the sky. If you think there’s something (like a bigger boat) blocking the view of the southern and western sky, that could be the problem. Moving out of the marina will generally fix this quickly.
If you’re away from your local area: If you’ve traveled away from your local area, you won’t be able to get local channels. The ones from your local area probably won’t reach you, and the ones from the area you’re in won’t work without changing your billing address. In a case like that, all you can do is choose to watch national channels.
If you have a smaller satellite dome: If your satellite dome is about 2 feet wide (like models i3 or TV3 from common manufacturers) that means it’s only designed to get signals from one satellite at a time. This can mean your local channels won’t come in. DIRECTV is moving away from standard definition locals and if your market doesn’t have them anymore, that could be the problem.
Chances are you don’t remember who installed the system. They might be in a different city anyway. You want to talk to someone who has experience with marine satellite TV, and who works everywhere in the country.
You want to call Signal Connect at 888-233-7563. We have 20 years of experience helping marine customers, and no one does more marine satellite activations — no one in the world. We have the skills and the talent to help you no matter where you are.
Call our technicians during East Coast business hours. We’re here to help. Our team is especially trained to fix problems over the phone. If there’s something we can’t fix, and that’s pretty rare, we’ll help you find someone close to where you are. We’re committed to getting you up and running!
We’re here… call 888-233-7563 or fill out the form below for quick action.
The post Who can you call if you have problems with the satellite TV system on your boat? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
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Before you call…
A lot of common satellite TV issues can be fixed quickly without any technical knowledge or even a phone call. Here are three things you can try before calling for help:
1. Check TV inputs
The most common problem with satellite TV isn’t a problem with satellite at all. It’s that someone changed the input on the TV. Sometimes this is done by accident and sometimes someone tried to hook something else up to the TV.
If you see a screen that just says “no signal” or is blue like what you see above, that usually isn’t the satellite receiver. That’s the TV telling you it’s not on the right input. Find the original TV remote and look for a button called INPUT or SOURCE. You may also be able to use your DIRECTV remote if it’s been programmed right.
If your remote has a button that says TV INPUT at the upper left hand side, turn on your satellite system like you generally do. Then, try pressing TV INPUT and seeing if that fixes things. If the remote has been set up properly, it should work.
2. Reboot satellite TV receiver
A satellite TV receiver is just a fancy computer, and just like any computer, it sometimes needs to be rebooted. I personally find I have to reboot mine about once a year or so, but you might not even have to do it that often. I’ve written a tutorial on how to reboot virtually any DIRECTV box. You can find it here. It boils down to, find the red button and press it. Sometimes it’s hidden behind a door. If you can’t find the button you can also unplug the receiver from power and plug it back in.
3. Reboot the Antenna Control Unit
Marine satellite systems are more complex than home systems. Your marine satellite system has an antenna control unit which also may need a reboot. Rebooting it will stop all TV services on the boat until it’s done setting up, which can be 5 minutes or more. Here’s a tutorial on how to do that with the most popular types of marine satellite systems.
Some other things to think about
Before calling, here are three other things to think about.
If you’re in the marina: It’s sometimes possible to lose satellite signal while you’re at the marina just because something is blocking the view of the sky. If you think there’s something (like a bigger boat) blocking the view of the southern and western sky, that could be the problem. Moving out of the marina will generally fix this quickly.
If you’re away from your local area: If you’ve traveled away from your local area, you won’t be able to get local channels. The ones from your local area probably won’t reach you, and the ones from the area you’re in won’t work without changing your billing address. In a case like that, all you can do is choose to watch national channels.
If you have a smaller satellite dome: If your satellite dome is about 2 feet wide (like models i3 or TV3 from common manufacturers) that means it’s only designed to get signals from one satellite at a time. This can mean your local channels won’t come in. DIRECTV is moving away from standard definition locals and if your market doesn’t have them anymore, that could be the problem.
You’ve exhausted all the options, so who should you call?
Chances are you don’t remember who installed the system. They might be in a different city anyway. You want to talk to someone who has experience with marine satellite TV, and who works everywhere in the country.
You want to call Signal Connect at 888-233-7563. We have 20 years of experience helping marine customers, and no one does more marine satellite activations — no one in the world. We have the skills and the talent to help you no matter where you are.
Call our technicians during East Coast business hours. We’re here to help. Our team is especially trained to fix problems over the phone. If there’s something we can’t fix, and that’s pretty rare, we’ll help you find someone close to where you are. We’re committed to getting you up and running!
We’re here… call 888-233-7563 or fill out the form below for quick action.
The post Who can you call if you have problems with the satellite TV system on your boat? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
