No Signal, I'm gonna jump!

[Zagnut]

Hi, I'm new to post, but have read stuff here repeatedly. Here is my tale of woe.

I'm trying to install a brand new DTV Slimline 5 with a H21 Receiver in a 2ndary location. I have a Birdog Plus meter that I bought used. It does not have all the sats on the slimline downloaded and I didn't get the USB cord before I left for this location, but it does have the 101 and the 119.

My Slimline is the type with 4 coax downleads, so I guess it's not a SWM.

When I search for a signal with the Birdog on 101, I get a reading of s 197,q 76%, and "found". On 119, I get s 178,q 12%, and "found".

Inside, I get "No Signal"

My mast is temporary and is not perfect, but it's pretty good (plumb) and stable. The ground is frozen 2' here with about 2' of snow on top, so a permanent pole is out of the question at this time.

I'm thinking that whatever the bug is, is simple, but it doesn't matter, I'm still at wits end trying to figure it out. To make matters worse, I'm on a very slow dial up internet connection. I've watched the videos on dish pointing at my main residence, but they won't load here in a reasonable amount of time and they are almost unwatchable.

I would think that I should get something/anything on the receiver, but NO!

TIA,
Zagnut

 

[jdspencer]

Call DirecTV and have them align your dish.

 

[Ftoutloff]

Hi, I'm new to post, but have read stuff here repeatedly. Here is my tale of woe.

I'm trying to install a brand new DTV Slimline 5 with a H21 Receiver in a 2ndary location. I have a Birdog Plus meter that I bought used. It does not have all the sats on the slimline downloaded and I didn't get the USB cord before I left for this location, but it does have the 101 and the 119.

My Slimline is the type with 4 coax downleads, so I guess it's not a SWM.

When I search for a signal with the Birdog on 101, I get a reading of s 197,q 76%, and "found". On 119, I get s 178,q 12%, and "found".

Inside, I get "No Signal"

My mast is temporary and is not perfect, but it's pretty good (plumb) and stable. The ground is frozen 2' here with about 2' of snow on top, so a permanent pole is out of the question at this time.

I'm thinking that whatever the bug is, is simple, but it doesn't matter, I'm still at wits end trying to figure it out. To make matters worse, I'm on a very slow dial up internet connection. I've watched the videos on dish pointing at my main residence, but they won't load here in a reasonable amount of time and they are almost unwatchable.

I would think that I should get something/anything on the receiver, but NO!

TIA,
Zagnut

Hey bro - you're on the right track you just got to fix a few things. Your pole should be perfectly level. That dish needs to pick up 5 satellites and if things aren't plumb you are going to have trouble like you are right now.

First you either need to straighten out that pole (and make sure it's sturdy and solid) Plug in your birdog to one of the leads you aren't using and move the dish slowly till you see improvement. Get it as good as you can then tighten the bolts down. Now make sure your skew is in the correct numbered position - since your pole is probably not level, maybe play with the skew to see if your signal improves. Now loosen the nuts on the bottom of the skew plate so you can adjust the horizontal fine tuning. When you get that as good as you can do the same for the vertical fine tuning.

Plug in the lines that lead to your house and head to your receiver with your birdog. Plug your birdog into the line that feeds your receiver. Does it read a signal? If not trace the line back and find out what's not connected correctly. If it is plug that thing into your receiver and watch tv. Don't forget your b-band converters if it's an older receiver

 

[Zagnut]

Thanks Ftout,
I've already done all that you describe. The mast is plumb not level as is the dish mount. It's not perfect, but it is within an RCH. I'm a contractor/carpenter by trade, I know my bubbles, levels, plumbs, etc. I do get a signal inside just ahead of the receiver on my Birdog. As far as I can tell, I do not need b-band converters. My H21 receiver says not to install them. I'm wondering if the signal level I'm receiving on my Birdog is sufficient, it seems low to me, but that is as good as I can get them and I have no base line to know what the numbers should be. I even tried a used LNB that I had laying around and it gave me the same numbers.
Zagnut

 

[Jimbo]

The Birdog numbers will never be as high as the 90's you want inside on the recvr, thats normal.

I think 70 is about the top, but could be wrong on that number, but thats what I remember to be as good as it gets.

 

[Zagnut]

Inside, I get "No Signal"

I should have been more specific. I get the same signals on my Birdog inside as I do outside. I get the message "a satellite signal could not be detected" on my setup screen on the TV.
Zagnut

 

[JustanOldfart]

Thanks Ftout,
........ As far as I can tell, I do not need b-band converters. My H21 receiver says not to install them........... Zagnut

??? Both of my H21's won't work without BBC's. Has something changed?

 

[Bob Nielsen]

Do you have the correct dish type selected on the receiver? The message about not requiring BBCs makes me wonder if it (or the switch type) might be set to SWM.

 

[Zagnut]

Do you have the correct dish type selected on the receiver? The message about not requiring BBCs makes me wonder if it (or the switch type) might be set to SWM.

Of the 18 choices on the set up menu, only 2 seem to apply #18 (Slimline-5S(SWM)) and #4 (Slimline-5). I have tried both settings and both give me the message "! Do not install B-Band Converters"

In it's primary residence, this receiver is hooked to SWM setup and what appears to be a Slimline 5 with a single coax downlead. My dish in this rural location is a Slimline 5 with 4 downleads. Both dishes and the receiver are 2.5 months old.

Are my meter numbers sufficient? I've learned over the years that troubleshooting almost always comes back to something really simple and usually at the front end of the system, but for the life of me, I can't seem to get this one worked out.
If there is a SWM switch, where is it?
Zagnut

 

[raoul5788]

Thanks Ftout,
I've already done all that you describe. The mast is plumb not level as is the dish mount. It's not perfect, but it is within an RCH. I'm a contractor/carpenter by trade, I know my bubbles, levels, plumbs, etc. I do get a signal inside just ahead of the receiver on my Birdog. As far as I can tell, I do not need b-band converters. My H21 receiver says not to install them. I'm wondering if the signal level I'm receiving on my Birdog is sufficient, it seems low to me, but that is as good as I can get them and I have no base line to know what the numbers should be. I even tried a used LNB that I had laying around and it gave me the same numbers.
Zagnut

You do need the BBC's. I think that is probably your issue. Also, when plumbing the mast, are you using the bubble level in the top? If so, they can be way off. You should get a post level from Lowe's or Home Depot. They are much more accurate. Good luck!

 

[Zagnut]

Raoul,
I think you're correct. I knew it had to be something simple, because I was pretty sure I had the dish aimed correctly.

While I was messing withstuff, I cut down a limb that I figured might be interfering and re-checked for plumb. The dish is dead on for plumb in both verticals and I'm now getting meter readings on 119 of (s 191, q 99%). The numbers for 101 stayed about the same. I guess the limb was casting a shadow on the dish. I should be good to go with the B-Band Converter installed. Now if only I could run into a DirecTV installer tomorrow.
Thanks,
Zagnut

 

[boba]

you don't need b band converters to receive 101/110/119 they will come in without b band being attached to the receiver.

 

[raoul5788]

you don't need b band converters to receive 101/110/119 they will come in without b band being attached to the receiver.

Right, but with the H21, he won't get any hd without them.

 

[Joe Diamond]

Of the 18 choices on the set up menu, only 2 seem to apply #18 (Slimline-5S(SWM)) and #4 (Slimline-5). I have tried both settings and both give me the message "! Do not install B-Band Converters"

In it's primary residence, this receiver is hooked to SWM setup and what appears to be a Slimline 5 with a single coax downlead. My dish in this rural location is a Slimline 5 with 4 downleads. Both dishes and the receiver are 2.5 months old.

Are my meter numbers sufficient? I've learned over the years that troubleshooting almost always comes back to something really simple and usually at the front end of the system, but for the life of me, I can't seem to get this one worked out.
If there is a SWM switch, where is it?
Zagnut

This looks like a problem in dish selection....your problem is at the second location,,,,with the Slimline & four leads...right? Run any one of the four leads to your H-21...select Ka/Ku 5LNB...connect the BBC. Reboot before doing this and start.
over. Report what your receiver signal meter says for the 101 sat.

Joe

 

[Zagnut]

My transponder screenfor 101 shows a signal in the 90's for all but four transponders on the + side. Three of those are 0's and 1 is in the 80's.
The 103 transponder screen comes up all 0's. I still get no picture, only the "searching for signal on satellite in
1...771"
screen.

On another screen maybe a system test screen, I get the message "errors ontuner 1" and a box gaph thing with checkmarks and X's.
It looks like this.
___________________
99 101 103 110 119
___________________
X__ /__ X ______/____
___________________
X__ /__ X __ /__ /___

/= check mark

Zagnut

 

[Zagnut]

Joe,
You were right, I did have a problem in "Dish Selection" or more properly "Switch Selection", but I corrected that some time ago. The other problem is that I'm out in the boondocks and I don't have a BBC, and I still don't have even a SD picture.
Shouldn't I receive something?
Zagnut

 

[raoul5788]

Joe,
You were right, I did have a problem in "Dish Selection" or more properly "Switch Selection", but I corrected that some time ago. The other problem is that I'm out in the boondocks and I don't have a BBC, and I still don't have even a SD picture.
Shouldn't I receive something?
Zagnut

Try channel 200. It is in the clear, no subscription necessary. Just because you have a strong signal on 101 and 119 doesn't mean that you have 99 and 103 dialed in. It does mean that you are close. Without a bbc, you won't get anything on either 99 or 103.

 

[Zagnut]

Good call Raoul, I get 200, but as near as I can tell that is all. Do you know of a site that tells me what channels are on a given satellite? I'm inching closer. One step at a time.
Thanks all,
Zagnut



edit Well I'm stumbling onto some channels now. I guess I just have to remember which ones are not HD.

 

[raoul5788]

Good call Raoul, I get 200, but as near as I can tell that is all. Do you know of a site that tells me what channels are on a given satellite? I'm inching closer. One step at a time.
Thanks all,
Zagnut



edit Well I'm stumbling onto some channels now. I guess I just have to remember which ones are not HD.

http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/america.html
Most of the other channels you need a subscription to get, of course.
BTW, it's Chip, Raoul is just my screen name. (long story!)