Parial lost signal--recovery

[rvvaquero]

I'm new to this VIP211K receiver. Today, the wind is really gusty and I've had Code 002 Partial Signal Loss several times. If I ignore it, the screen just stays on that error message. However, if I hit the Menu button or the Guide button, the video returns immediately. Shouldn't the picture return automatically as soon as the signal recovers?

I've been using a 311 receiver for several years and it self recovered. It was common during dark clouds or windy weather to lose the signal for a second or two but the picture returned immediately without any action on my part.

Is my 211 behaving correctly?

Thanks.

 

[Jim5506]

Make sure the OTA tuner is tuned to a strong channel.

If it is tuned to a weak channel and that channel drops out, it can generate an error message even if you are watching a satellite channel, because the 211 has 2 active tuners OTA and satellite, if either loses signal the error message is displayed.

 

[MattG@DISH]

I'm new to this VIP211K receiver. Today, the wind is really gusty and I've had Code 002 Partial Signal Loss several times. If I ignore it, the screen just stays on that error message. However, if I hit the Menu button or the Guide button, the video returns immediately. Shouldn't the picture return automatically as soon as the signal recovers?

I've been using a 311 receiver for several years and it self recovered. It was common during dark clouds or windy weather to lose the signal for a second or two but the picture returned immediately without any action on my part.

Is my 211 behaving correctly?

Thanks.

Have you tried resetting the receiver or running a check switch test to make sure the sats are coming in properly? You are correct that the channel should come back on once signal has returned.

 

[JrC]

But the message does not go away when the OTA signal recovers. You must press guide or menu to get the message to go away. This happen whether or not you watching the OTA channel. Recorded material included. The only solutions are to find a strong OTA channel to tune to, or reboot the receiver. The OTA tuner seems to be ignored until it is tuned.

 

[rvvaquero]

Thanks for the responses.

First, I went to the point dish screen and all three satellites have strong signals, switch is working.

Second, I had lowered my OTA antenna and killed power to the amplifier. So, if you are correct that loss of OTA signal while watching satellite channel will cause this, then that's the answer. I believe you, even though it makes no sense that losing a signal somewhere else would cause you to lose the picture of the tuner and channel you are watching. Dish needs to alter their software to address that. So, if one of my OTA stations goes off the air, then I can't watch my satellite channels? Makes no sense.

Matt, could you verify what JrC is saying?

 

[rvvaquero]

JrC, are you saying that the last OTA station you are tuned to is the one which the OTA tuner stays on and I could select the one with the strongest signal before changing to a sat channel and the OTA tuner would stay tuned to that channel? That would work since one of my OTA channels works just fine even with the antenna lowered.

 

[TheKrell]

Yes, that is exactly what he is saying. Works for me.

 

[JrC]

Yes.

So if you acidently change the channel when set the controller down or a pet changes the channel you could tune to a channel that has a intermittent you may run into this situation.

For me, even my best OTA channels sometimes fade in and out.

I wouldn't mind it so much if the message would close after a the channel becomes good again or if I could just dismiss it. But you have to poke around on controller to get it to go away.

Each time I have spoken to Tech Support they say they have never heard of such a thing. I guess not enough people are bothered by it.

 

[rvvaquero]

JrC, you are totally correct. I've started going to a broadcast station with a strong signal before going to watch a satellite channel and I haven't got the message since, even though weather has been horrible for several days.

Maybe not many people use the broadcast station tuner.

 

[dare2be]

I boosted my antenna with a signal amplifier and now I no longer have any weak OTA stations.

 

[primestar31]

Can this issue also happen with a VIP622 receiver, with the built-in offair tuner? My receiver has been doing this lately on satellite channels, (seems to be when I'm on various channels on sat. 72, but not sure if isolated to only this sat E.A. person) and I recently moved the outside antenna from the azimuth where it was pointing. This antenna sits on a tall tripod in my "dish farm" area of my property. If it can happen with 622's, then my moving the antenna perhaps caused this. I'm way out in the sticks with most of my channels being a minimum of 40 miles away, and I have to point through trees for that.

 

[dwarren2]

Do a system info to see if you have any lnb drift. I was having a similar problem and it turned out that I had an lnb going bad. New lnb assembly and no more problems.

 

[primestar31]

Do a system info to see if you have any lnb drift. I was having a similar problem and it turned out that I had an lnb going bad. New lnb assembly and no more problems.

Ok, I'll check this when I get home from work. I sure hope it's not this, because the dish is a brand new EA dish I only installed about 2 months ago. Then again it would be a solid answer, and easy to check. Thanks!

 

[primestar31]

Do a system info to see if you have any lnb drift. I was having a similar problem and it turned out that I had an lnb going bad. New lnb assembly and no more problems.

Crap. You were right! LNB for 72 has +15 drift!

This dish is only 2 months old, almost to the DAY! They said there's 2 years warranty on it, so I'm checking to find out how to get it swapped out. I own all my equipment. Guess for now I'll have to put up a couple Dish500's I have with single DP lnb's. One for 61.5 and one for 72.

Well, on the bright side, I'll have more signal with the separate Dish500's...

 

[dwarren2]

Good. Glad I was able to help you find the problem. My personal thoughts about all these posts about it being an ota problem are crap. Contact one of the Dirt. Since it's a new installation they may be able to help you. In the worst case, do the protection plan for 4 months, get it fixed and after 4 months drop it.

 

[dare2be]

Good call dwarren on the LNB drift for the guy who resurrected this thread. However, just because the latest report happened to be LNB drift, doesn't make the previous reports of OTA problems "crap", as it was certainly the case with my receiver and it had been with others. Every case is different. Now we know to check for both weak OTA channels AND LNB drift.

 

[primestar31]

Good call dwarren on the LNB drift for the guy who resurrected this thread. However, just because the latest report happened to be LNB drift, doesn't make the previous reports of OTA problems "crap", as it was certainly the case with my receiver and it had been with others. Every case is different. Now we know to check for both weak OTA channels AND LNB drift.

I've never seen an lnb with that much drift as this one. I had a different type one years ago that was a -7 on my previous system. It seemed possible it could have been related to the OTA issue others have seen, so that's why it made sense to me to resurrect this 5 month old thread. Unlucky me to get one that failed so soon after installation. Since they stressed so much about the 2 year warranty, it makes me speculate that there is an issue Dish knows about.

Anyway, I've been in email contact with my seller, and he's sent me a prepaid return label and such to get it swapped out. VERY GOOD service so far in my opinion, and I certainly appreciate it. Hopefully the replacement one will last for years.

 

[dwarren2]

My drift was 14, don't remember if it was + or -. I do know that I had the problem intermittently for a couple of years. When I posted about it, I was always told it had to be a weak ota signal. I do know that since the lnb has been replaced, I haven't had the problem except when it was weather relatedor a Dish problem at an uplink center.
Would be interesting if everyone who has had the problem did a Systen Info and see what their results were.

 

[dare2be]

My drift was/is fine. I verified it had to do with an OTA channel on my system as I was tuned to a weak OTA channel, and just as I was changing channel to a SAT channel, the OTA channel lost signal (got the yellow message), and after it tuned to the SAT channel, the SAT channel popped up the partial signal loss message. Now since I have adjusted my antenna to get all my OTA channels a strong signal, I haven't had the partial signal loss message.

 

[Tampa8]

I verified it had to do with an OTA channel on my system as I was tuned to a weak OTA channel, and just as I was changing channel to a SAT channel, the OTA channel lost signal (got the yellow message), and after it tuned to the SAT channel, the SAT channel popped up the partial signal loss message.

And that by far will be the cause for most people who do have OTA. LNB drift much less likely but of course possible.