SC e75 advice appreciated (Dallas area)

[Steve Barton]

Background - I posted sometime ago (thanks to those who emailed me) about weakening reception in the Dallas area with SC around the time that HD was being rolled out. Over about a 7 month period almost one by one each channel deteriorated although my signal strength (54) and quality (69) remain relatively constant as it had been for the last 7 years without issue. Good news is I still get CBC on 324 so can watch HNC (isn't that why we all do this?). With the goal to increase signal strength and correct the issue I purchased a new 75e with the new quad LNB - Dad purchased it from an Ontario Source store and brought it down. I have a single older Motorola DSR 400 (I think) receiver - no HD.

The install – We obtained the various setting both from those who have shared on this site and from the supplier of the dish (small town where everyone knows everyone) I realize knowing and getting it right are two different things so more on that in a minute. To help with the process I obtained a small sat finder from Radio Shack which turned out to be quite useful (sort of). It does not give a DB readout but does provide a relative strength indication that with constant tuning helps identified increasing signal strength. After mounting an hour or so of tuning I have been successful of reaching a signal level of only 24 as indicated on the receiver. One curiosity I observed was when using the “tune in Satellite signal” (the bar) on the older dish I would see a signal strength of 54 and when checking the Signal strength under status it would match also at 54. It has always been this way where the two numbers generally match or are within a digit or two. With the 75e the status showed a signal strength of 98 (never been this high) when the “tune in satellite bar” indicated only 24. Star choice indicates to go by the Tune in level but I am curious as to what the status number is showing and why all of a sudden it is showing 98.

SC cannot make the required changes to the receiver until we get the signal strength up to the green however and although I can continue to tweak the various pointing angles and skew I do not think I am out by much. SC has confirmed we are pointing at the correct satellite (A5) on the receiver.

I have the benefit of the other dish and have remounted – used the same methodology for the round dish (no skew) and was able to lock on back to a 54 signal level within a few minutes after adjustments. I have a single cable from the dish to the receiver and since we are able to verify the integrity of that connection am quite certain it is sound. .

Question 1 – Does anyone know the significance of the Status screen versus the tune in screen on the receiver - what is it telling us?
Question 2 - Does the tune in satellite function truly detect db levels and translate that into a signal strength level?
Question 3 – Is there anyway to check the quad LNB without simply swapping with a replacement (this will not happen quickly)?

I will continue to tinker with the angles and will actually mount both antennas side by side so I can easily swap and get further confidence of the pointing direction. I have read that many have had success with the 75e so am at a bit of a loss as to why this is not coming in.

Sorry for the long explanation - Any guidance on something I may have missed would be most appreciated.

…Steve

 

[dish_dtv]

You may know this, but...

SC has confirmed we are pointing at the correct satellite (A5) on the receiver.

I think you might already know this and A5 might have been a typo, but I googled for Anik A5 and found that it is a C-band sat Anik C3 A5 117.5º 12 GHz. Are you hitting that by mistake? Is your dish logo on the receiver front panel turning 'GREEN' (instead of 'RED') when you are checking the provider ID?
If you are in Option 6-3-1 and you would like to confirm that you are on the correct signal (Star Choice on Anik F1), enter the Provider ID "4128". This should yield a green confirmation with the "A4" satellite ID (rather than A5).

Anyways, here is the SC self-install manual, if you have not seen it already.
http://www.starchoice.com/english/store/download/Self_Install_Kit_Manual_Eng.pdf

Finally, with the dual-lnb, people have stated that one could point to 107.3 by mistake, instead of 111.1. People like Iceberg/Mike Kohl could help with the SC quad-output dual-lnbf, but I do recall Iceberg warning folks that the twin-lnbfs go in reverse(left is 111, right is 107). I understood that you could conceivably get a green signal incorrectly with A4 when left/top lnbf is incorrectly pointed at 107 instead of 111. Even if you don't have any need for HD programming or any programming off 111, since your dish is a dual-lnbf, the left lnbf(111) needs to be pointed at 111.1. The right lnbf will then automagically align itself for 107.3

Good luck.

 

[Steve Barton]

Thank you for your reply as it help us get on the right track. It was not a typo and we were indeed locked on A5. Using 4128 and setting up both dishes side by side mad easier to get to the correct satellite. We are getting signal levels in the low 70's now however the big mystery is that it works. I was under the impression with the new Quad LNB's a call to SC was required for them to do something to the receiver to enable it. The other observation is that even with the higher signal level we are seeing some channels still "blip" in and out although on much fewer channels - 506 and 513 - seem the most noticeable.

Do you know if we should make that call to SC and would they do something that would improve? I have found information on this board more reliable than SC so would like your thoughts/experience on this? Again - thank you so much for the help.

 

[Steve Barton]

Well we have now recorded most of the channels that come in solid and those that flicker or blank out (about half). Can anyone confirm what signal level is required to guarantee a solid picture? I am starting to wonder if there is something (compatibility) with the broadcast signal and the receiver I have. So the other question is there anywhere I can verify the correct firmware revs for the receiver DSR-400. SC help is not much help as they keep telling it is the dish pointed incorrectly but offer little explanation as to why we can watch one channel without failure and then switch to 299 and watch the fireplace blink in and out at the same signal level. They then tried to blame it on a snow storm in Ontario however one of the channels that works was from Kingston and the fireplace is supposed to be coming from Calgary which is clear. I am off today to by a brand new cable just in case however I am not optimistic and everything I am seeing leaves me to believe this unique to the up-link signal not the down-link.

 

[SatboyZ]

Can someone tell Steve how to get into the diagnostics screen to read the EBNO readings on the 400? I am sorry I have forgot since last summer when our 400 died because the CMOS battery bit the farm. Oh well, a 205 was easily had at a garage sale for $5.

The EBNO readings are much more reliable than the signal strengh meter anyways.

Yes we did get about 3 inches of smow last night from a storm in Michigan - the sticky kind - had to go out and knock some off the lnb. This is the first time I have ever had to do this - must be the extra S/N ratio needed for 8SPK.

Hope this helps.
Satboyz

 

[dish_dtv]

Steve : Is yours a 405?

Steve:

I know you mentioned something about a 400, but is your receiver a DSR405? If so, (in case you did not know/have this already), here's the link to your receiver's user manual

http://www.starchoice.com/english/store/download/DSR405_manual_e.pdf

All manuals can be found at Star Choice - Customer Care - User Manuals

As SatGuyz suggested, have you tuned into those problematic channels and then going into diagnostics to check signal strength/Ebnos on those channels? The manual tells you the steps to fine-tune and you could use those in any specific channel also. A quick look at manual page 22 (page 36 per adobe acrobat reader) and if the steps listed there are accurate (Other 405 owners can chime in):
(1) go to your problematic channel
(2) Press OPTIONS on your remote
(3) Press 6 (system settings)
(4) Press 3
(5) Press 1
(6) Enter "4128" for Provider ID.
(7) That should list you signal strength in the box named 'Signal'

If all that is fine, the only other question I have is I know you had a round dish previously. Was the LNBs starchoice supplied? Were they Stacked? The new 75E dish has non-stacked LNBFs and if that is the case, no harm in calling Starchoice and asking for a re-hit, since you switched from a stacked lnbf to non-stacked. From what I gathered from this forum, when you do this, make sure that you are on channel 299 when you make this call.

Good luck and post your results/solution for this 'unique' problem.

 

[Steve Barton]

Again thanks for the guidance. It is a DSR405. If you view the signal level on a channel by channel basis you will see some variation but in general the level for a channel goes from a low of 65 to a high of 78 when viewing the tune in signal selection (6-3-1). If you look at status (6-4) you will get readings sometimes as high as 90 but in general it tracks slightly higher than 6-3-1.
We just got off the phone with Star Choice and then did a complete reset of our receiver with no change in symptoms. I have made an observation that there is something in the content of what is being broadcast and the symptom of stations blinking in and out. We were watching a show on 322 that was fine until the station would broadcast a banner ad at the bottom and the flickering would start immediately. As soon as the ad was gone the picture stabilized again and was fine. During commercials the problem returned - when the show returned - no problem. Which leads me to believe it is something in the content of the signal. I also noticed if there is a bad signal and you hit info the picture in the background comes in clear until the receiver text is turned off and the signal blinks out almost immediately.

Star Choice has told us the receiver has gone bad and we will need to replace it and they can not do much for us until they have tried this - good news it is covered and the replacement is free. Bad news I need to arrange for shipment.

Should anyone have further info or suggestions it would be appreciated - when I arrange to return the receiver and get the new one back I will continue my story.