Help! Woke up and had no sat!

[Das Hammer]

It's been a troubleshooting nightmare this past week. I'll spare you all of the gory details.

Well, one day I came home, turned on the STB preparing to search for some good feeds and I was only getting around 11% quality on G3C c band. Obviously there was no lock, but just 24 hours before that there was a lock and we were watching some Cosby.

Long story short, I have 19V DC measured at the coax end what connects to the LNBf. I have tried 3 different LNBf's now. I can tell that the dish has not moved. The receiver is confirmed working, but when connected to the coax for the big dish it acts as if it is not connected to anything at all.

I can tell the dish mount has not spun on the pole because I marked the mount and the pole a couple years ago when everything was dialed in. It has not moved. All bolts are tight on inclination and declination adjustments. I have a very hard time believing anything has moved there.
I thought maybe the postitioner just lost count, but I can move the dish east and west with no noticeable improvement in signal or quality readings.

To further complicate matters, the receiver acts as if it is not connected to anything. Remember the 11% quality reading I was getting? Turns out the receiver will display this even when a coax is not even connected to the STB!!!! Also, when performing a blind scan, the receiver goes slowly. If there were signals to be found, it moves pretty quickly (traxis 3500). To prove to myself that the STB was working, I hooked it up to my fixed 99W dish. Performed a blind scan and started finding data TP's left and right very quickly.

Bottom line, the only thing that I have not bypassed or replaced in all of my troubleshooting is the 15foot length of coax from the base of the dish to the LNBf. I didn't feel the need to replace this coax or bypass it because I was still measuring 19V +/- at the end of it, so I assumed it was OK.

I'm plumb out of ideas as to what else to check. I even tried a different coax from the house to the base of the dish and still nothing. I've been checking the coax for shorts, and nothing there either. Of course, if there was a short I don't think we'd be getting DC voltage at the dish?

Any ideas here, fellas?

Other info: I'm using a Traxis 3500, connected to a VboxII (but not at the moment for troubleshooting purposes), and that line goes to the BSC621 C/Ku LNBf on the big dish.

I guess one last thing.....just to make sure I'm not a complete idiot.....on the BSC621, to use the built-in 22KHz switch, you attach the jumper cable from the port labeled "LNB" to the Ku LNB, and then you connect the port labeled "RCV" to the line coming from your STB, correct???

 

[turbosat]

Sounds like receiver has problems, how full is the memory? I notice mine seems to fill up pretty fast if I use it 3-4days in a row for blind scanning without cleaning it out.

 

[lumpkin666]

Sounds like receiver has problems, how full is the memory? I notice mine seems to fill up pretty fast if I use it 3-4days in a row for blind scanning without cleaning it out.

Except that he said that the receiver works fine when connected to another dish.

I'd start with replacing the cable and bypassing any inline connectors, possibly even bypassing the 22k switch from the bsc621 (your summation of how it works is correct). If the receiver works fine, and the lnb is good, it has to be in the wiring - maybe you're getting 19v, but still getting some interference at a certain frequency due to a slight short or something.

 

[turbosat]

Except that he said that the receiver works fine when connected to another dish.

I just read that he had hooked it up and it 'found data transponders'
and when I do something like that it's usually the receiver lol.
Receiver or cables. Hope he figures it out, I have no idea about those lnbfs on big dishes.

 

[Anole]

can I play ?

I read your description, and the following sentences jumped out at me.

...I have 19V DC measured at the coax end what connects to the LNBf.
I have tried 3 different LNBf's now.

The receiver is confirmed working, but when connected to the coax for the big dish it acts as if it is not connected to anything at all.

Bottom line, the only thing that I have not bypassed or replaced in all of my troubleshooting is the 15foot length of coax from the base of the dish to the LNBf.
I didn't feel the need to replace this coax or bypass it because I was still measuring 19V +/- at the end of it, so I assumed it was OK.

If you used a meter to measure the 19 volts, it's quite possible that with no load, you had voltage, and with load you don't.
Try replacing the one thing that hasn't been changed.
If that doesn't help, then we'll get serious.

 

[Das Hammer]

Today I will fab a replacement coax for the one piece that has not been replaced.
Will get back with you guys later and let you know of any developments or disappointments.

Thanks for your replies/encouragement!

-------------EDIT------------------------

Apparently, I was so excited yesterday when the new LNBf arrived that I completely forgot that I left the coax unplugged at the house junction because I was going to put a new F connector on it. Connected it, and now everything works, of course.

So, it was the LNBf after all, the new one works fine (if you connect it).

Still, I appreciate everyone's support. Thank you!!!

 

[rainmaker]

yeah I would replace the cable if you are using a digital voltmeter they will show voltage but the current is not actualy moving. this happens alot to me in my field of automotive repair it will show 12 volts on the voltmeter but will not light a 12 vot test light no amperage so I would replace the coax.

 

[turbosat]

Glad you figured it>had to be that or the cable or receiver if the dish hadn't moved.

 

[Mr Tony]

whoops....its always the simple things, huh?

 

[Tron]

Glad you got it working, Hammer! You might want to post this story in the D'OH moment thread we had a while ago

 

[Das Hammer]

Yeah, no kidding! What added to my misery was the first LNBf was bad, and then the first replacement LNBf was DOA also. Made for a pretty crazy week. But, we're back thanks to the second replacement LNBf (and plugging in the cable).