"Wrong Satellite" for Channel 1, but Channel 2 sees all 3 satellites

[myfsixteen]

I've owned satellite TV equipment for 30 years, starting with a 10-foot dish. My current setup is about 15 years old.

My Dish500 is pointed at 110, 118, and 119. A DP34 switch selects one of those 3 feeds for each of 2 coaxes down to my 2-channel receiver, an ancient Dish 4000.

I have run the switch test (Point Dish menu). It gives a "fewer satellites" message but I did NOT save the new settings since nothing was supposed to have changed.

One of the channels receives all 3 satellites. The other shows 119 when 110 is selected.

I replaced the DP34 switch with a new one from eBay. No change.

I switched the coaxes at the receiver. The problem switched to the other channel.

I moved the coax at the DP34 from output 2 to output 3, then to output 4. No change.

I'm not positive but the problem may have switched from one channel to the other just by running the switch test.

Signal strengths seem a bit low but as I said the one channel receives all 3 satellites OK. 118 is much weaker but I think that's normal.

I cannot figure out what the cause could be or how to fix it.

Ideas?

 

[JSheridan]

If you replaced the switch and the problem follows the coax then you might have a bad coax or connector somewhere. Or it could be something else like the receiver which is very, very old. My suggestion would be to upgrade to some new equipment.

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

 

[boba]

4000 should be a discontinued receiver no longer supported by DISH. Also you don't have a DISH 500 you have a DISH 500 PLUS it is a larger dish designed for international channels.

 

[myfsixteen]

4000 should be a discontinued receiver no longer supported by DISH. Also you don't have a DISH 500 you have a DISH 500 PLUS it is a larger dish designed for international channels.

Thanks for the speedy replies!

Which relatively modern receiver should I buy on ebay to replace my ancient 4000? I do need two channels and a UHF remote control but I don't need or care about HD. I also need compatibility with my outdoor components, the Dish 500 plus and the DP34, and satellites at 110, 118, and 119.

Edited to add:
Web searches have me thinking that my problem might be a shortfall in DC power. Three LNBs and a DP34 are near the limit of the 4000's DC output. Should I try a Power Inserter as my next step, rather than replacing the receiver? Are there any choices for the power inserter, or just the DPP44?

 

[Troch77]

Thanks for the speedy replies!

Which relatively modern receiver should I buy on ebay to replace my ancient 4000? I do need two channels and a UHF remote control but I don't need or care about HD. I also need compatibility with my outdoor components, the Dish 500 plus and the DP34, and satellites at 110, 118, and 119.

Edited to add:
Web searches have me thinking that my problem might be a shortfall in DC power. Three LNBs and a DP34 are near the limit of the 4000's DC output. Should I try a Power Inserter as my next step, rather than replacing the receiver? Are there any choices for the power inserter, or just the DPP44?

Maybe a Vip211.
Thats a start.
At least that brings you into 2005 technology.

 

[Tony S]

I have been a DIsh customer for 19 years and I remember that the first receiver that I had was a 4000. I can hardly believe that it still works at all. I thought that Dish had changed to more efficient compression so that the older models wouldn't work anymore.

It would make sense for you to get a current Dish receiver.

 

[myfsixteen]

I'm so old school I use an external UHF modulator to send the two receiver outputs all over the house! It's not exactly 4K television I'm getting with that setup.

Looking at the new dual receiver specs I would need to change my UHF modulator setup because the new receiver doesn't have video/audio jacks for both receiver outputs. I think I'll try to set a record for longevity of a receiver. I'm thinking a $20 power inserter will fix this.

I really like my old 4000. It always was a nice unit.

 

[JSheridan]

I'm so old school I use an external UHF modulator to send the two receiver outputs all over the house! It's not exactly 4K television I'm getting with that setup.

Looking at the new dual receiver specs I would need to change my UHF modulator setup because the new receiver doesn't have video/audio jacks for both receiver outputs. I think I'll try to set a record for longevity of a receiver. I'm thinking a $20 power inserter will fix this.

I really like my old 4000. It always was a nice unit.

The 222K has two sets of A/V jacks, one for tuner 1 and one for tuner 2.

 

[myfsixteen]

OK, you convinced me to change to the 222k with UHF remote. If I buy a used one do I have to worry about any balance due on it like people did in the old days? Or do I just move my smart card from the 4000 to the new box and that's it?

 

[JSheridan]

OK, you convinced me to change to the 222k with UHF remote. If I buy a used one do I have to worry about any balance due on it like people did in the old days? Or do I just move my smart card from the 4000 to the new box and that's it?

Make sure there's no balance owed and the receiver and smart card are cleared by DISH for 'redeployment'. Or just buy a refurbished one from an authorized retailer.

 

[Troch77]

OK, you convinced me to change to the 222k with UHF remote. If I buy a used one do I have to worry about any balance due on it like people did in the old days? Or do I just move my smart card from the 4000 to the new box and that's it?

As Jay said, Just buy a refurbished one it will be ready to go. Just an activation call is all you'll have to do.

Since you are using DP equipment I'm guessing ,
You need 2 wires from the Dish to the 222.
Doesn't sound like you have the newer DPP 500+ LNB.
Or 2 wires from your DP34 if thats the switch you are going to continue to use.

 

[Bobby]

and you do not move the smart card from the 4000. That card is dedicated to the 4000 and is not transferable.

 

[JSheridan]

And what Bobby said...

 

[myfsixteen]

Based on the 2015 thread entitled "buying dish receiver off ebay" (sorry the link didn't work) I'm thinking maybe I should just ask Dish to give me a receiver. But I have a feeling that Dish would require me to buy more than my current local channels plus one international channel. If I recall correctly, that's why I bought the 4000 from ebay some time in the last century.

I will also look into Wifi relay of the TV signals through the house, which perhaps is how Hopper works. I need to do more homework on that. I already have a Wifi-enabled DVD player that can feed Netflix and other apps to the TV. So it should be possible to get the satellite signal to the TV over Wifi with better performance than analog UHF modulation. Besides that, future TVs are likely not to have analog RF signal capability at all.

 

[TheKrell]

I have a feeling that Dish would require me to buy more than my current local channels plus one international channel. If I recall correctly, that's why I bought the 4000 from ebay some time in the last century.

Ha! I love it. Locals plus only one international isn't just grandfathered; it's great great great grandfathered.

 

[myfsixteen]

After several months of my 4000 receiver only receiving one channel, and that one channel alternating between the two video outputs every time the receiver rebooted at night, the problem disappeared all by itself within the last week.

I now have two channels again: one using the IR remote and the other using the UHF remote. I suspect a faulty software update which was subsequently corrected. I'm sure tech support would never have figured anything out in a million years, so I didn't bother them about it.

 

[Tampa8]

I'm sure tech support would never have figured anything out in a million years, so I didn't bother them about it...........

Yes Grasshopper you have learned well in your short time here....

Next we will practice wipe on/wipe off.