Major DVR 721 Trouble - Long HELP!!!!!

[Kaydigi]

Alright I've been through 4 721 boxes in the last 20 days. Yes 4 boxes in the last 20 days. Box #5 was just dropped off by UPS a few hours ago.

The major problem i'm having is that my 721 (all of them) will not lock on to Sat 119 even # transponders. Most channels betwen 139-171 will not lock. I get a black screen that says Lost lock then the transponer and sat number.

I've done check switches and the sat 119 shows up fine. Nothing still works. I also have a 522 & 311 which runs on the same switch and gets all the channels fine.

I put the 721 on the 522 wires and did a check switch etc.. and the same thing happens LOST LOCK etc...

I take the 522 upstairs and put it where the 721 was and ran a switch and everything came up ( channels 139-171 etc....)

Of course I played CSR roulette and they sent 2 techs over. The first tech never seen a 721 before and didn't do anything but a check switch and got me another 721 (box 4).

The second Dish Tech (about 4 days later) came and inspected everything. He followed every wire from the dish to the switch to the boxes. He checked every inch!!! He change couplers (sp?) barrels, changed the grounding where the dish was.

He says the the 721 is getting a signal from the switch but he is stumped. So he called and tried to get them to give me a 522 or 625. They refused.

Dish offered 2 510's at $75 a pop. I said no ( $20 extra in DVR fee's). I spoke to 2 more CSR reps and they could not give me a 522 or 625.

So now I have BOX 5 sitting here sealed in it's box. I wont even bother activating it. I was looking to ebay it and just get a 625 or trade it at dishdept and get a 625 there.

Or contact ceo via email.

Has anyone ever been through some madness like this?

What is the dish email you guys use? And what do you recommend?

That's alot.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Trade in your 721 to www.dishdepot.com for a 522 or a 625 dvr . Mark will give you a trade in value and there is no tax on the purchase if you live outside of the state of Florida. He is great to work with and I have done many trades and got the latest receivers from Dish. I highly recommend him and his website.

www.dishdepot.com

 

[LER]

ceo@echostar.com is the address, and I would definitely try them.

That's just ridiculous.

I just swapped a 501 to a 721 with zero grief.

LER

 

[larrystotler]

Please post your install setup. Without knowing what equipment you have I can't begin to tell you what the problem might be.....

 

[ken]

My guess is it is PROBABLY is not the 721 (even though my 721 is a piece of junk) but I don't have a clue what it could be. The reason I say this is even E* can't be that screwed up to send 4 bad receivers, I hope. My sympathies.

 

[LER]

Agreed, Ken, However, my advice stands. Get ceo@echostar.com involved to get a DECENT Tech over there. There has to be SOMETHING weird going on here.

LER

 

[Claude Greiner]

Are you sure your not doing anything wrong with your install?

I hate to say it the Dishstore still has some 721's in stock and I had one customer also go through 4 boxes this week claiming all of them where bad.

I got one back the other day which the customer said bad tuner #1 and needless to say its working on my bench at my shop just fine.

Im waiting for my customer to send back the other 3 defective boxes to see if I can get them working, but for the most part the 721's I have been seeing are acting very screwey upon initial setup especially with the new yellow cards.

If your getting receivers back from the service department at Dish, I would believe you could get 2 bad boxes in a row, but not 4!!!!

 

[Kaydigi]

I have a Super Dish and DP34 switch.

4 cables coming from the switch.

2 of them go to the 522 downstairs ( 2nd tuner runs upstairs)

the 2 other cables go to the 721 upstairs.

The second service tech checked everything, the dish the switch, all the wires. I followed him everywhere he went.


The 721 upstairs is where the problem was. The rep checked the cables, ran check switches etc...

I took the 522 from downstairs to where the 721 was. Same cables, and everything came on.

I took the 721 downstairs to where the 522 is and it gives the Lost Lock screen.

It's not locking on Sat 19 on transponders 4 and 8.

I've even activated my 311. I ran check switches on both lines (2 for the 721 upstairs) and it gets all the channels.

Like I said the 2nd tech did everything in normal guidelines and even change the grounding box/switch.

BTW the 721 passes the check switch it just can't lock onto SAT 19 even # transponders. No ESPN, Nogin etc..

It does work for USA, BET, etc...


Is there anything i've missed?

Also out of all the boxes that I received, at least 1 of them was brand new. I can't call it at all.

 

[Jordan420]

are the feeds to the switch correct?

are the lines from the switch on ports 1&2 or 3&4 (not 1&3 or 2&4 for example)?

Just a thought

 

[boy921]

Time for a new switch.

 

[sksatellite]

If any line to port on the switch not right, the switch test will not pass.

If the tech has went through all the normal checking and still not fix the problem, to me, all the necessary procedures are done, then this is the receivers problem, it could be Dish got a pallet of bad tuner receivers, Or all those DVR you received are re-man products.

 

[Kaydigi]

are the feeds to the switch correct?

are the lines from the switch on ports 1&2 or 3&4 (not 1&3 or 2&4 for example)?

Just a thought

Yes they are all parallel. During the second box, the CSR ( a good one ) advised me to check all the lines coming from the switch and try each combination on the 1-4 ports.

 

[Kaydigi]

If any line to port on the switch not right, the switch test will not pass.

If the tech has went through all the normal checking and still not fix the problem, to me, all the necessary procedures are done, then this is the receivers problem, it could be Dish got a pallet of bad tuner receivers, Or all those DVR you received are re-man products.

Yes I think at least 3 of the 4 were refurbed (I refuse to open box 5 right now). One box box number 4 looked like it was new. Plastic caps around the AC plug, no scratches on the box etc....

 

[larrystotler]

How did the problem start? Were you already using a 721 and then started having a problem, or did you just recently purchase the 721? Also, did you try removing the SuperDish line from the DP34 and then see what happens???

The only issue I had with my original 721 is that the hard drive crashed. The replacement was a refurb, and it has been fine. A lot of people complain about these receivers, but there will always be lemons.

 

[Kaydigi]

How did the problem start? Were you already using a 721 and then started having a problem, or did you just recently purchase the 721? Also, did you try removing the SuperDish line from the DP34 and then see what happens???

The only issue I had with my original 721 is that the hard drive crashed. The replacement was a refurb, and it has been fine. A lot of people complain about these receivers, but there will always be lemons.

All of sudden in June/July the 721 just stopped locking on to the channels between 140-171. Nothing change, the 522 was always downstairs and the 721 was upstairs.

I did remove the 3 lines coming from the dish to switch. The CSR tech lines 2 and 3 were put wrong. No dice.


I didn't call Dish right away because I still had a whole season of the Shield and Veronica Mars still on the drive. I didn't want to lose them if they made me return the box. So I did an insanse 3 day marathon and called Dish.

 

[larrystotler]

Since you have a SD, there is only 1 way to really test. If you have the 105SD, then the 119 is the outrigger LNB. It should hopefully be a DP Dual. IF it is, disconnect the line from the 110 LNB(says DBS, the 105 say FSS). Barrel the 119 and the 110(now with the 119) straight to the 721 and do a check switch. If it shows 119 only, check your channels.

Also, you can try unhooking the sat inputs on the 721 and run the check switch. It will say "of 28" and give no sats. Once it does, disconnect the 721 AND the 522(this would be with everything hooked up) from the power. Hook the 721 back up with the sat lines and do a check switch. Then check your channels. Also, make sure that the 522 and 721 are connected to either ports 1&2 or ports 3&4. Some receivers have a problem with this.

Did the tech ever replace the DP34 with a new one? Also, how long is the run from the 721 to the dish? I realize that the 522 works in either location, but some receivers are more sensitive than others.

 

[ken]

It's been awhile since I have done any service work and several other posters are more up on this but what kind of LNB do you have , legacy ? When I first got my 721 I had to go back to a legacy quad because the Dish Pro would not work (but perhaps it would with your other receiver). Sorry if you have mentioned the LNB earlier but I did not see it.

 

[Kaydigi]

It's been awhile since I have done any service work and several other posters are more up on this but what kind of LNB do you have , legacy ? When I first got my 721 I had to go back to a legacy quad because the Dish Pro would not work (but perhaps it would with your other receiver). Sorry if you have mentioned the LNB earlier but I did not see it.

It's an DISH Network Dish Pro Dual Output LNB, with 1 line going out the other output is empty.

 

[Kaydigi]

Since you have a SD, there is only 1 way to really test. If you have the 105SD, then the 119 is the outrigger LNB. It should hopefully be a DP Dual. IF it is, disconnect the line from the 110 LNB(says DBS, the 105 say FSS). Barrel the 119 and the 110(now with the 119) straight to the 721 and do a check switch. If it shows 119 only, check your channels.

Also, you can try unhooking the sat inputs on the 721 and run the check switch. It will say "of 28" and give no sats. Once it does, disconnect the 721 AND the 522(this would be with everything hooked up) from the power. Hook the 721 back up with the sat lines and do a check switch. Then check your channels. Also, make sure that the 522 and 721 are connected to either ports 1&2 or ports 3&4. Some receivers have a problem with this.

Did the tech ever replace the DP34 with a new one? Also, how long is the run from the 721 to the dish? I realize that the 522 works in either location, but some receivers are more sensitive than others.

I have a DISH Network Dish Pro Dual Output LNB with 1 line coming from it. The switch wasn't replaced, and the 721 isn't more than 50 - 65 feet.

I will get a better look at the dish in the AM to see if I can attempt what you suggested. Thanks a lot.

 

[bimmerbenz]

I'm no expert by any means but I think that you have to connect both outputs of the LNB to the switch.