Hopper wants to run check switches all the time?

[cllcomputers]

Whenever I turn on my hopper after its been in standby for a long while (overnight), it wants to run a check switch. It doesn't have any issues with tuning channels or anything, everything works fine, check switches run fine. What could be causing this?

My satellite configuration is this:

Device DPP44 Switch
Port 1: 72.7º
Port 2: 61.5º
Port 3: 110º
Port 4: Disconnected

All three tuners working. Solo Node. 1 Joey, no splitters, no taps, everything is straight run, everything works fine.

I live in an EA market where locals come from 110º in SD only (No PTAT for that reason really sucks! but I knew that was gonna happen)

I live in Northern Maine. We are out of footprint for the 77º satellite. The rest of Maine check switches see the 77º but with ~5 IRD points of signal. Up here it will show LOCKED with a super buddy meter with 0 points, but never shows on check switches with any receiver.

We don't see the 77º here but my thinking is that the Hopper sees that 'I don't have all the satellites' and wants to verify this, but its getting real old real fast. This market, there's nothing wrong at all (other than locals not being HD). When the check switch finishes this it doesn't complain and goes on its merry way.

Any thoughts?

 

[sca]

i would try to reach dish engineering with this. sorry i dont have an email to provide. i know the dish facebook page will reach out to you with support via pm if you post problems there.

 

[cllcomputers]

There's a lot of things I could talk to engineering about. I kinda thought this would have been more of an obscure issue.
As a DNS tech me and two other techs cover this area of Maine (not including retailers and subs) and so far that I know I'm the only one up here with a hopper install so far.

I'll get in touch with Engineering about this and see what I can do. Thanks.

 

[rdinkel]

Because it is a split-arc installation, I would not be surprised if the Hopper software is confused. Sounds like it wants to find the "missing" satellites.

 

[gtal98]

I don't know if it would make a difference, but try connecting the 77 port from the LNB to the 44 switch as well. Even if the signal strength is almost nothing, no channels come from that orbital anyway, so it should never be a problem. But as long as the Hopper sees that it's there maybe it will think everythings OK?

 

[cllcomputers]

I don't know if it would make a difference, but try connecting the 77 port from the LNB to the 44 switch as well. Even if the signal strength is almost nothing, no channels come from that orbital anyway, so it should never be a problem. But as long as the Hopper sees that it's there maybe it will think everythings OK?

Won't fly. It just shows "x" because the signal on the 77º is so low it doesn't show on check switches on any of the receivers. However, I can't trigger it tonight but if it does it again tomorrow morning i'm going to try hooking straight to LNBF with wing and forget the switch, see if it still does it. The check switch doesn't show "X" for port 4 on the switch which is unused, just the three green checks.

 

[cllcomputers]

i know the dish facebook page will reach out to you with support via pm if you post problems there.

I'm not terribly great with Facebook, but I have "liked" their page there. I honestly can't find a link to message them with. Is there another avenue for me to contact the engineering team with? A DIRT member to contact who can relay the message, etc?

Thanks,

 

[sca]

not that i know of, besides calling dish to file a tech report...on the dish page, just posting your problem might elicit a pm from support. i wonder if anyone else is using a dpp44 with hopper? maybe the box just doesnt like the switch...port one out does not run to the node, right? it should run straight to ac and end there. 2 and 3 should to the node.

 

[cllcomputers]

port 1 of DPP44 is hooked only to the inserter, and port 2 and 3 to the solo node.

Strangely, it hasn't been doing it the last two days, maybe just a fluke but they *might* have fixed it already. (Recordings were in progress monday)

Thanks for the support!

 

[schneider21]

I've been seeing the same thing as the OP, but I'm on the Eastern Arc, not pulling anything from 110 or 119 with my single dish install.
1 hopper, 1 joey - located in Central PA, so I'm well within the footprints.

I was wondering if the morning switch checks are just a daily troubleshooting mechanism to find problems (and possibly solve them) before they get worse - meaning it's a necessary annoyance?

 

[Tampa8]

Look at channel 105 USA, if you have it Channel 300 HBO, and 138 TNT.

Go to each channel, hit info twice and see what satellite you are receiving the channel from. I may have an answer based on what you find.....

 

[GaryPen]

port 1 of DPP44 is hooked only to the inserter, and port 2 and 3 to the solo node.

Strangely, it hasn't been doing it the last two days, maybe just a fluke but they *might* have fixed it already. (Recordings were in progress monday)

Thanks for the support!

Mine is wired the same, and it has never exhibited that behavior. You may have a defective Hopper, or a problem with wiring, connectors, switch, or node. OTOH, if the behavior has stopped, you may be fine.

Another thought is power. If the Hopper works like VIP receivers, it does a check switch after rebooting. If you had power failures or dips, that might cause rebooting and check switch/signal acquisition screens.

I've also seen posts of random reboots from defective Hoppers, so you may indeed need to swap it out, if it starts to happen again. (I would.)

 

[schneider21]

Look at channel 105 USA, if you have it Channel 300 HBO, and 138 TNT.

Go to each channel, hit info twice and see what satellite you are receiving the channel from. I may have an answer based on what you find.....

I see 72 for all 3.

 

[Tampa8]

I see 72 for all 3.

Well then what I found in my case and what someone else posted quite sometime ago doesn't apply. Those are the channels that on a mixed arc can be on 110 on your Sat instead of 72. When that happens it can cause what you are seeing, it did for me and that poster. (on a 612 and 722 for both of us it was always those channels) It could be other channels in your case, as you generally watch TV take a look at what sat the channel is coming from. If you see some or even a couple from 110 that may be why. 50% of the time those channels are on 110 for me. When they are, though not everyday, I see the check screen as you do, and it does not interfere with recording or anything surprisingly. But when those channels are not coming from 110 I never see the check screen.

 

[schneider21]

Well then what I found in my case and what someone else posted quite sometime ago doesn't apply. Those are the channels that on a mixed arc can be on 110 on your Sat instead of 72. When that happens it can cause what you are seeing, it did for me and that poster. (on a 612 and 722 for both of us it was always those channels) It could be other channels in your case, as you generally watch TV take a look at what sat the channel is coming from. If you see some or even a couple from 110 that may be why. 50% of the time those channels are on 110 for me. When they are, though not everyday, I see the check screen as you do, and it does not interfere with recording or anything surprisingly. But when those channels are not coming from 110 I never see the check screen.

I'm not pulling anything from 110 - I've got the Eastern Arc dish which doesn't look past 77.
I'm hoping it's one of those new install things that works itself out.

 

[Tampa8]

Hope it does!

 

[satjay]

As some might know, I recently had a tech over as I was not getting/loseing a signal on my two hopper, one Joey system after a few tech visites and my tech reviewing things, he changed my LNB and moved my dish a bit to face south directly, as he called it "arcing it" so I while picture is great and all, I am noticing as well then when the hoppers have been down during the night, when I fire them up it runs the check switch, I guess it's not a Huge annoyance, hopefully it will run its course and stop doing this down the road???

 

[jamoffit]

what about using a 1000.2 ea as this only gives you the 72 and 61.5? or a 1000.4(or.2) western arc solution and add the 61.5, therefore getting rid of the 44 switch?

 

[butters]

FWIW, I had the same thing happen this morning. Hopper did a check switch. I am on EA 72 and 61.5.

 

[sca]

looks like all you folks need to move west. the hopper doesnt seem to favor eastern arc.