Switch problem

O

Oldman

New member
I have a winter home in Arizona. For several years I have used a dish to pick up 91 with a great signal. This year I have installed a second dish for 82. I can only get a 50% signal (even trans only). My problem..If I hook up either of the feeds to my switch and run check switch it indicates they are fine. As soon as I hook up the second feed and run check switch it tells me I have no feed!

A very frustrated Oldman....
 
I think we need just a little more info. You have 2 dishes, one at 91 and one at 82? How many cable lines are running into the house? There is one LNB on each dish, correct? What kind of HD receiver will you be using for 82? Is it a 6100? Finally, what switch are you using now? Is it the SW21?

Once we know the answer to these questions, we can get you set up correctly.
 
I have duel LNB's on both dishes but only use one off each. I have added the switch at one of the dishes and have one lead running into the house. I will not be using a HD receiver I just want the extra standard feeds. As for the switch...I ordered a SW21 the is nothing on the switch to indicate what type it is. As I said in my origional post, if I only hook up one of the dishes to the switch it seems fine (either one). As soon as I hook up the second dish it says I have no signal on either and to "Check my conections".

Oldman
 
What model of receiver are you using to get non HD programming from 82 and SD programming from 91? I think that may be your problem there. The 3100's, for example, cannot switch from one sat to another, as far as I know. What you are trying to do, run two sat signals into one wire, cannot be done with non HD receivers. But I stand to be corrected by someone with more knowledge, like Nimiq1.
 
I am using a 4100. I have the same system in Edmonton (single dish 2 duel LNB's) and it works fine. One line going to a HD and the other to a 4100 in the bedroom.
 
That's right. For your HD receiver in Edmonton, you feed a line from 91 and one from 82 into an SW21 switch, and the output goes to the receiver. The receiver will take the sat from the switch. The 4100 will only have 91 on it, right?

You must have at least 3 lines coming into the house in Edmonton, two from the 91 LNB and at least 1 from the 82 LNB. That is the only way it will work, AFAIK

For your other setup, you can't get the 82 and 91 on the 4100 becuase the receiver cant split the single that has been combined by the SW21.
 
In Edmonton I have 2 duel LNB's. Four wires coming out of the LNB's into two switches. Two lines running into the house, one goes to a HD receiver and the other to a 4100. I have the same channels on both receivers except no HD channels on the 4100. The same SD on each. If you do a check switch they both show two sat's 91 and 82.

Oldman
 
I did a little research, and I think you may have a broken switch. If it picks up either signal when connected individually (really just a passthrough) but fails when two sats are hooked up, it sounds like a faulty switch.

Try disconnecting the switch and the cables from the receiver. Then do a check switch. It will fail, obviously, but I've read that it can reset the receiver. Then hook up the switch and the receiver. Make sure the power is off at the receiver or you may blow the switch. Then do another check switch. The LNB's are not faulty if you get both signals. You may want to adjust the 82 dish to give you a better signal, but it sounds to me like a faulty switch.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.
 
Oldman, if you are only getting even transponders on 82, there is a problem there too
I'm not sure on the "footprint" for 82, but you may be pushing it
Maybe someone else can tell you, but you made need a bigger dish
Only even transponders also can be a bad LNB
A good way to verify that, is to switch it with the working 91 LNB
Good Luck
 
Thanks for the info. I know I'm pushing it and I am looking for a bigger dish but they are hard to find in Arizona. If I could find a 23" plus dish in Canada I would pay for the shipping.

Oldman
 
Switch problem solved...New switch. Now I have one more problem ...I am only getting even TP on the 82 bird. 80% strength but only on even TP's

Oldman
 
It's most likely the location. One of the EV sats at 82 doesn't reach that far south due to the coverage pattern.
 
The possible causes are: receiver, LNBs, switches, cables. Unlikely a receiver problem, if you're using the same receiver as works in Edmonton. Could be any of the remaining causes, although it sounds as if you've eliminated "switch" by replacing the former one. That leaves LNBs and cables. You can test the LNBs pretty easily by simply hooking up the receiver directly to the LNB (i.e. no switch) and if you get a signal on both odds and evens, the LNB is prob. OK. That would leave cable issues (loose connector, etc). If the setup allows it, you can confirm it's a cable issue by buying a new 15 or 20 foot manufactured cable (i.e. connectors installed at factory) and using it to connect each LNB directly to the receiver.

Simply trial and error should resolve your issue at the end of the day. I doubt your "even only" issue is caused by weak signal, since I believe the satellite sends out the same strength of signal on both odd and even transponders and the transponders are physically only a few metres apart on the satellites themselves.
 
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