I have been running the same Directv setup for over 6 years now. All of a sudden I'm having a problem getting my local channels. When I first turn the tv on, my local channels are fine but will start to scramble after about 5 min. depending on the temperature outside. That's right, if its cooler out ( 60's ) it may take a half hour before they scramble or give a blank picture that goes in and out...... This only happens on my local channels only..... Does anybody know what the problem might be?
directv signal problem
- Thread starter chancey
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to Satelliteguys chancey!There are several things that could be wrong. First, do you have an hd or sd setup? How about the line of sight? Are there any branches in the way? You could have a bad lnb or possibly (not as likely) a bad cable or loose wiring.
Are these D* provided Locals, or OTA ?
If you have OTA, is it happening on the OTA as well ?
Is it ONLY the Locals or other Sat delivered channels as well ?
If you have OTA, is it happening on the OTA as well ?
Is it ONLY the Locals or other Sat delivered channels as well ?
Since you have SD, get up near the dish and look inside the plastic cap that covers the LNB. If you see moisture in it there is the problem more than likely. Having the same LNB for 6 years getting beat by the elements always seem to act odd like that
That is a definite possibility Hutch, but shouldn't it affect all of the channels, not just locals?
Raoul, it depends. Most of the directv channels for SD come off the 101 satellite, but Locals are "special". Locals can come off either the 101 Sat or the 119 Sat.. which one depends on what area your in. I think thats what Jimbo was trying to get at when he asked what city the OP lives in.
Another way to check is if the dish is an 18" Round or a 3 LNB 18"x20".. The 18" round only gets the 101 Sat. The 18x20 gets 101, 110 and 119... 119 being the critical one if this is the dish he has.
So, to the OP, if your Dish is a perfect circle its most likey a cable or connector problem (rare, but it happens), if it's an Oval shaped dish (which I'd bet a dollar on), then it's most likely one of the LNB's or an alignment problem.
Another way to check is if the dish is an 18" Round or a 3 LNB 18"x20".. The 18" round only gets the 101 Sat. The 18x20 gets 101, 110 and 119... 119 being the critical one if this is the dish he has.
So, to the OP, if your Dish is a perfect circle its most likey a cable or connector problem (rare, but it happens), if it's an Oval shaped dish (which I'd bet a dollar on), then it's most likely one of the LNB's or an alignment problem.
Does D* mean Directv?
By checking signal strengths do you mean the menu on the tv screen?
My locals come from Little Rock.
Tried to take off the LNB caps but am afraid they might break... Any secret?
The dish is 18x20 oval w/ 3 lnb.
Alignment problem meaning trees, etc?
By checking signal strengths do you mean the menu on the tv screen?
My locals come from Little Rock.
Tried to take off the LNB caps but am afraid they might break... Any secret?
The dish is 18x20 oval w/ 3 lnb.
Alignment problem meaning trees, etc?
Hi Chancey..
D*=DirecTV
If you have the 18x20, then your local channels come from the 119 satellite. This is important for the next two
Trees and such cause Line of Sight or LOS problems. Since your locals come from a different satellite than the main programming, it's possible that you can have an LOS problem on one satellite but not the other.
Alignment is where the Dish is pointing.. The Dish, pole or even the surface its mounted to can shift and cause an Alignment problem.
The other option, as stated, is the LNB for the 119 Sat could be letting moisture in or be otherwise damaged.
As far as how to remove the LNB's, I'll bow to the other members, as I've never done it myself.
D*=DirecTV
If you have the 18x20, then your local channels come from the 119 satellite. This is important for the next two
Trees and such cause Line of Sight or LOS problems. Since your locals come from a different satellite than the main programming, it's possible that you can have an LOS problem on one satellite but not the other.
Alignment is where the Dish is pointing.. The Dish, pole or even the surface its mounted to can shift and cause an Alignment problem.
The other option, as stated, is the LNB for the 119 Sat could be letting moisture in or be otherwise damaged.
As far as how to remove the LNB's, I'll bow to the other members, as I've never done it myself.
Your Little Rock SD locals come from the 119 satellite. Your problem is almost certainly either a misaligned dish, or the line of sight to the 119 satellite is interrupted by trees. What are your signals like on 119 (all transponders)?
FYI the idea was to look from the outside at the LNB caps to see if there is moisture inside, do NOT take them off!
FYI the idea was to look from the outside at the LNB caps to see if there is moisture inside, do NOT take them off!
chancey, your local sd channels come from satellite 119, transponder 25. What are your signal strengths for that one?
Transponders 1-32 are running 95-98 except for 12,18 and 26 are running 0 and 20 is running 85. Transponder 25 is running 96....... Signal strength is 97%. ..... I ran a system test and it said I have a alignment problem...... Right now the dish is on a pole about 2' off the ground. I guess maybe I might need to put it on the roof because there are a lot of trees around.
IF your at 96% on the 119-25, then THAT is not the issue with your locals not coming in.
At this point, I'm leaning towards a bad LNB or cable.
Were you able to look at the LNB and see if theres any moisture in it ?
I already tried connecting a new cable to it and that didn't help..... I looked at the lnb but couldn't really tell if there was moisture in it...... If it's a bad lnb would that explain why I can watch the local channels ( when I first turn on the tv ) for about 10 minutes ( depending what the temperature is outside ) before they start to scramble?
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