No Go Shaw Direct on 100cm dish

[Othea]

Thanks for the info, Joshuals.

I'm at work now, but if I remember correctly, channel 730 is French RDI. It's the only or one of the only 700 channels that come in during the first 24hrs (classic lineup).

After the overnight download, channels below 200 appear (advanced channel lineup). -- So, I guess I'm mapped to the advanced channel lineup after the overnight download. I should have stuck with Pepsi.

 

[joshuals]

OK....so you're mapped to the advance lineup. That should be fine. So do not use the DBS/VCN column in the Excel spreadsheet that Iceberg recommended, as that column lists the classic lineup, unless you mentally convert from classic to advanced using the list I suggested in my previous post.

And you see RDI on 730. Good! This is one of only two French channels that come for F1R. This further confirms that you are correctly pointed at F1R, in spite of the red/green box issue. Whatever else you may see in the 700-channel-range that is in English, that is due to the anomaly that Iceberg mentioned and that I described in my previous post, so don't even consider that aspect for now.

Have you now also received the firmware update? If so, are you getting all the F1R channels that are in your programming package?

If so, I suggest hooking up your switch and second LNB and see what happens.

 

[Othea]

Joshuals,

I'm not mapped to the advanced lineup yet. When the nightime download occurs, then I have 2 things: (a) the advanced line-up, and (b) problems.

The problems that I have with 2 lnbfs after the download: F2 channels ONLY; F1R channels gone; no way to update to 06.22.

The problems that I have with 1 lnbf after the download: F1R channels gone, except for misnamed "Travel" and "Accessible" channels; no channels from F2; no way to update to 06.22.

For the first 24 hrs more or less, I have basic channels on F1R (regardless of the number of lnbs that I have in the loop); after that the problems begin. No log fire, no 299 or 407.

Right now, I still have basic channels and am waiting for the gremlins to come.

 

[-Jim-]

Joshuals,

You said:

" Can anyone tell me if it would be possible that the OP is receiving both F1R and F2 on the same LNB, if he were pointed, let's say, about halfway between the two satellites??"

No. I did the math (simple Trig) for my own amusment one time. If you are 1 degree off a Bird you miss it by about 400 Milles.

 

[Othea]

The gremlins came last night. Channel 299: 0% (red light); target version 06.22 - forced download fails;
Advanced channel lineup w/ only Channels "710" Travel & Escape and "758" TAC The Accessible Channel.

Travel & Escape: 98%, Ecb 9.6
TAC: 98%; Ecb 9.8

Channel 9 Know @ 0% (red light). Channel 23 CTV2AB @ 0% (red light).

I'll add the 2nd lnb briefly now (as per suggestion; just to see?). Then I will quickly proceed to a 2-dish setup. Last leg of the journey. All of the potential culprits have been swapped out: lnbf, switch, cable.

At least now I can get ride of the temporary F6 cable running through the living room.

 

[catamount]

Othea,

What's your current V-code on the receiver? Is it 4352? Go to options, 4,7 line F last four numbers

 

[joshuals]

Then I will quickly proceed to a 2-dish setup

Hmmm.....well....ok.....but I sure will be anxious to learn what difference a second dish is going to make. I believed that the only "gotcha" to using a single dish with two LNB's was the difficulty in achieving the correct horizontal and vertical spacing of the LNB's.....and you state that you have correctly addressed that issue. So if both your LNB's are receiving signal from their respective satellites from a single reflective surface, how will adding a second reflecting surface make any difference?

All of the potential culprits have been swapped out: lnbf, switch, cable.

How have you ruled out your receiver as being the culprit? I like Catamount's suggestion in the previous post. I would think you might want to investigate this before investing time and money in a second dish.

I've read this thread so many times that I practically know it by heart; but I still have questions. So here goes (and I don't mean to insult your intelligence):

1) I'm presuming your DSR-600 was a virgin unit when you purchased it. Is that correct?

2) The installation procedure for a virgin unit is to mount the dish, tune to 299, maximize the signal meter on 299, and then immediately call Shaw Direct (or your broker) to have your receiver authorized. At what point in this whole saga did you call Shaw/your broker for the authorization hit?

3) When you called for your authorization hit were both LNB's working correctly and sending signals to the receiver?

4) How long after you got your receiver authorization hit did things start to go badly?

The reason I ask these questions is that Shaw will always presume that you're using standard up-to-date Shaw equipment (i.e., dish & LNB) when authorizing your unit. If, in fact, your are not using standard Shaw equipment, they may have inadvertently authorized your receiver with incorrect information for your setup (e.g. the wrong V-code). A second reason is that I have always wondered if a receiver could be authorized while receiving signals from F1R only....I've never been able to get this question answered.

 

[joshuals]

Othea,

What's your current V-code on the receiver? Is it 4352? Go to options, 4,7 line F last four numbers

Catamount:

Should that be Options 6-4-7-Line F? Or is it different on the 600?

Mine shows "-4378"; I suppose that's for a non-stacked (quad LNB) system?

 

[catamount]

Catamount:

Should that be Options 6-4-7-Line F? Or is it different on the 600?

Mine shows "-4378"; I suppose that's for a non-stacked (quad LNB) system?

You don't have to press 6 on the 600 series receivers. Actually, there is no 6. My code is 4320 which is dual non-stacked East coast classic lineup

 

[catamount]

A second reason is that I have always wondered if a receiver could be authorized while receiving signals from F1R only....I've never been able to get this question answered.

Yes! A friend of mine called me last night. He just got a 600 and ordered the HD combo pack. Come to find out he has a dual stacked system, but has only ever had one cable hooked up to the F1 satellite. I told him to run another cable to the dish. I've been looking for one of my 2x2 22k switches around the house, but no luck yet! LOL

Or if you mean maps for both satellites while hooked to F1 only, then I would say no. He got hit twice yesterday, but the F2 HD channels never showed in his guide. At least that is what he inferred over the phone.

Catamount

 

[joshuals]

My code is 4320 which is dual non-stacked East coast classic lineup

Hmmm...you have a newer receiver model yet you have the classic lineup. According to Shaw's website they have been using the advanced as the default since September 2009. Did you request the classic lineup specifically?

In your opinion, what should the OP's code be for the setup he's trying to use?

 

[joshuals]

Joshuals,

You said:

" Can anyone tell me if it would be possible that the OP is receiving both F1R and F2 on the same LNB, if he were pointed, let's say, about halfway between the two satellites??"

No. I did the math (simple Trig) for my own amusment one time. If you are 1 degree off a Bird you miss it by about 400 Milles.

I knew it was a stupid question the moment I asked it........

 

[Mr Tony]

whether or not he is on advanced or classic is irrelevant. The system knows to go to transponder X SID Y and it just maps to the right channel. So if you say go to channel 8 or 354 (I dont know if 8 is the right number for Knowledge but I'm just putting that out there) the receiver knows to pick up 107.3W TP 12 SID 1.
I dont get why the broker (assume you are using one) can't figure it out and would rather say "use two dishes"

Thats a horse's ass cop out (sorry to be blunt) that they are giving you. If you have 2 dishes or one dish with 2 LNB's its pretty much the same thing. What the OP has set up is basically a home-made version of the quad LNB that Shaw has used for a while now. Its unstacked (which means you can't use splitters on an output). Good lord I've seen where systems were set up as stacked when I did some for folks. A simple call to Shaw (or the broker) to say "its an unstacked system with the quad LNB" and they fix it in less than 5 minutes.

So its either the receiver or an incompetent person that you're working with if you are using a broker

 

[Othea]

Catamount, line F reads 4323.

Thanks everybody. I fully understand the argument that if I have good signal quality on both lnbf's already, then 2 dishes will not help. That's what prompted me to begin the post. However, I told my Canadian broker that I had good signal on both and the categoric and repeated answer was that I must have 2 dishes. I am sure that you all realize, I cannot by-pass tech support to obtain a resolution.

 

[Mr Tony]

Then tell them you set up two dishes.....hate to say it but in some cases lying works better. I've had to do that with Directv and Dish when I had issues and did all the "basic troubleshooting" before calling and they want me to redo it

 

[catamount]

Then tell them you set up two dishes.....hate to say it but in some cases lying works better.

Best advice yet!!

Joshuals, new activated accts except digital lite are advanced lineup. I've been subbed for years, so I chose to stay with classic

The reason I asked about 4352 code was because I checked an old 305 which had been factory and auth reset. Also opened a brand new 600 never activated . Their codes are 4352.

I've only found one thread through google about 4323, and that one states it is the code for the new XKU lnb. If that poster is correct, then there's likely your problem.

Catamount

 

[Othea]

Thanks again to everyone for your ideas, help, encouragement.

I think (I hope?) that the issue will be resolved very shortly. I'll provide a FULL update and report when that happens.

 

[stecle]

This thread is a great example of the need for SatelliteGuys to develop a relationship with Shawdirect and Bell like we do with Direct and Dishnetwork. Having our own in house "Shawdirect guy" would have been a big plus here.

 

[catamount]

If this same issue happened to anyone in Canada, it would have been resolved in ten minutes. It's the grey area (broker) that I see as the problem.

 

[Othea]

The problem has been solved with the expert help of friendly SatelliteGuys, who in the course of 2 weeks have taught me more than I care to know about Shaw Direct. Thanks again Catamount, Frenchophile, Iceberg, Jim, Josuals, Peano, QCK and Stecle. Am I forgetting anyone?

As everyone suspected (some sooner, some later), my old-school quad-a-like was set up with Shaw Direct as a new xKu system.

Signal quality on both satellites is solid - close to 95% / Ecb 9.5 on some HD channels - probably much lower on others, but I'm really not in the mood for examining system data right now!

Thanks guys.


History.
Equipment used at one point or another (alternatively)
* one Shaw Direct 600 HD receiver
* one WSI 99cm dish; one WSI 99cm dish + 80cm hot dish
* 2 old ASC321 lnbf’s by DMS International; 2 new JSC321S lnbf's by DMS International.
* 2 new Chieta 22k tone switches
* R6 cable in good condition, about 75-95ft, R6 compression fittings w/ 2 barrel connectors at junction points. Previously used with fully functional ku & c-band FTA w/ diseqc switch in-line; R6 cable in near-new condition, about 65-75ft, compression fittings

I. Phase one. Installation with 2 lnbf's, 22k switch and 1 dish fails.
* Lnbf-1 for F1R in focal position; lnbf-2 for F2 slightly off center.
* Set up F1R; signal acquired (97% quality; Ebn 8.0-10.0 depending on channel); log fire on 299; basic channel list downloads; only channels on F1R available on first day; channels in the 700 range belonging to F2 show 0% signal at this point; software version 05.02, target version 00.00; clock inaccurate.
* Software automatically downloads overnight; new channel list appears; signal on F1R drops to 0%; channels on F2 come in fine (80-90% signal quality; Ebn 7-8+); software version 05.02, target version 06.22; clock shows correct time.
* A "forced download" of software 06.22 fails, because there is no signal on F1R.
* The only way to reacquire signal on F1R again is to perform a "factory reset," whereupon signal returns to 97% (more or less).
* To correct the situation: I swap out existing 22k switch and lnbf's for new 22k switch and new lnbf's - problem persists.

II. Phase two. Installation with 1 lnbf and no 22k switch (direct connection on F1R) fails.
* Fine tune F1R signal at 98% quality and Ecb 10.0; log fire on 299; basic channel list downloads; only channels on F1R available on first day; software version 05.02, target version 00.00; clock inaccurate.
* Software automatically downloads overnight; signal on F1R drops to 0% on most channels; software version 05.02, target version 06.22; clock shows correct time.
* Last four digits on line F in the System Status screen (after the nighttime download) are 4323.
* ONLY 2 channels on F1R are available: (a) Travel & Escape, and (b) The Accessible Channel, and these channels are numbered wrong and misidentified in the channel list.
* Other channels are not available for various reasons: ch.299 - red light "lost signal"; ch. 300 "Attn: You are not currently subscribed"; ch. 407 green light - blank screen w/ no message; ch. 701 green light "Attn: You are not currently subscribed"; 702 green light - blank screen w/ no message; 704 red light "lost signal" - etc.
* Signal on channels that show a green light & blank screen or messages is at 90-98%, Ecb 7.4-10.01, or similar.

III. Phase three. Installation with 2 lnbf’s, 22k switch and 2 separate dishes (which tech support said was the only way to acquire both satellites).
* Before performing a factory reset, I unplugged the receiver and added the 22k switch, 2nd lnbf and a second dish to the installation. - The system then performed exactly as it did at the end of Phase one: F2 channels come in fine; 0% signal on channel 299 of F1R, etc.
* Factory reset restores signal on F1R, resets software to version 05.22, etc.
* Last four digits on line F in the System Status screen (after the factory reset) are 4352.
* I didn't make it to the next nighttime download, because tech support made the change from xKu to unstacked quad -- and that solved the problem.

The last four digits in line F are now 4322 and both satellites are go.
The 99cm size is more than adequate to guarantee superior signal quality. I don't expect to have any problems whatsoever with rain fade.

Happy holidays to everyone!