Signal Strength Tuner 1 Not Aquired

[Trainer4736]

Left home plate and spent two days at the beach. While at beach the KVH dome antenna on roof of RV found the satellite 101 and all continued just fine. Came home and looked for satellite and even though the KVH says it has found several different satellites, none show any signal strength for 101. And a new to me message of "Tuner 1: Not Acquired" appears above the blank signal strength bar.

Any ideas as to the fix, please?

Trainer

 

[raoul5788]

to Satelliteguys Trainer!

Do you have another lnb you can swap for the one you are using? Have you tried rebooting the dvr? Have you tried swapping the cables to the dvr to see if the problem stays on tuner 1 or switches to tuner 2?

 

[Trainer4736]

Thanks Chip,

I do not have a DVR, only a sat box receiver. My KVH dome does have a second output that I will try tomorrow as it is getting dark here and I have to remove the dome cover to access the terminals. I do appreciate the suggestion.

Trainer

 

[raoul5788]

Sorry, I assumed you had a dvr when you mentioned tuner 1. Are you getting any signal strength numbers for any satellites or do you have an sd setup that sees only 101? Obviously I'm not familiar with the rv systems.

 

[Trainer4736]

Chip,

I have a small dish under the dome on the roof that will search for satellite signals and lock on when it finds one as long as I am not in-motion, any satellite signal. So it is normal for me to press the search button 2,3, or 4 times till it finds sat 101. When sat 101 is found the signal strength one the signal strength screen (sat 101, transponder 1) goes to 95 or 96 percent and I am good to go. But after finding sat 101 two days ago, this afternoon it would find several sats but no signal strength is shown on the signal strength meter.

System test says no signal (I am not pointing at the sat) and no phone connection, don't have land line anymore.

Directv help says the dome is not sending a signal to the box but it is communicating with the search switches.

Thanks for the follow up.

Trainer

 

[raoul5788]

My best guess is the lnb is going.

 

[Trainer4736]

Thanks again Chip.

Tomorrow I will see if I can hook up a tripod dish to the box and see if I can get a signal.

Really appreciate your taking time to offer suggestions.

All the best.

Trainer

 

[raoul5788]

Glad to help, that's what we are here for!

 

[BobStokesbary]

trainer4736,
With a KVH dome you can only get SD signals for DirecTV. All those are on sat 101. So, that is all you are concerned with. As you have figured out the reason you are getting the "Tuner 1: not acquired" is that there is no signal getting to the receiver.

You never mention if you have been able to get this to work when you are at home (where it appears you are having your problem). I suspect that you have a line of sight issue. (A situation where something -- a tree or some other obstruction -- is not allowing the satellite dish to see sat 101.) You can check this by going to dishpointer.com and getting the compass settings for your location. Using a standard compass, get in line with where your dome is located and see if there is some obstruction in that line of sight. Or you can alternately, move your RV where there are no trees anywhere south of your location and try again. I suspect all will work just fine as it did at the beach. You need to try this before assuming that you have any equipment problem.

Bob

 

[Trainer4736]

Morning Bob,

Thank you for your reply. But I have no job and am homeless so can not try the box on a home install. Boy, being retired and living and traveling in my RV has its draw backs all of which I like a lot.

Since i am in my winter spot and all was well before the recent trip, line of sight problems are not the issue. I believe the old KVH dome antenna has come to the end of its service life and will confirm this today with a different antenna input by connecting a sit on the ground dish.

I do appreciate you taking time to offer suggestions.

Trainer

 

[BobStokesbary]

Trainer,

Ah, in RV terms you are a "full-timer" not homeless. You have everything a home offers, yours is just on wheels.

What I was trying to get to is that one of the most common problems with a dome, is that there is a line-of-sight restriction. It sounds like you have been in the RV for some time, and are aware of that issue.. Before I gave up on it, I would take a hard look at the wiring on top of the coach. It is quite possible that water has been able to penetrate some of the connections and a good cleaning might help solve your problems. Or, depending on the age of your dome, it could be that it is in need of some mechanical maintenance. But, I seriously doubt you are having a problem with any of the electronics. And, while you could replace it with a tripod (which is what I use on our trips) that is more work every time you move.

Just my thoughts,
Bob

 

[Trainer4736]

As a followup, a new lnb on the DVH dome antenna did the trick. SD from Sat 101 is as before.

But a new question, I have a H24 receiver and a spare B-Band converter. What antenna would I need to have to achieve HD input to the receiver?

I have noticed a SWM3 lnb and dish for sale from several sources. The dish looks different from the old 3 lnb dish my neighbor gave me. Plus I see power inserters and switches offered along with the SWM lnb.

I have a signal meter so I know there is a power source in the H24 receiver. But is that sufficient for the SWM lnb?

Thanks again for your help getting me back up to speed at the modest cost of a new lnb.

Trainer

 

[raoul5788]

The receiver doesn't have enough voltage to properly run a swm lnb, so don't connect one without a power inserter. You can connect a standard ka/ku lnb which the receiver can power. You would need the b-band converter in that case, but not with a swm lnb. The real issue is using a ka/ku lnb with an older dish. It can work, but it's not easy to connect the lnb since the arms are different between the dishes. The gain isn't as good as with a Slimline dish, which the newer lnbs are designed for.

 

[Trainer4736]

Chip,

Thank you Sir. Looks like the bundle of SWM3 lnb with its dish and a power inserter but no switch is what I need. The old 3 lnb dish will not be able to be used.

Just noticed your Studebaker. Way cool according to one of my friends. Those were some cars when I was growing up.

Trainer

 

[raoul5788]

If you use a non swm lnb you won't need the power inserter, but you will need a b band converter. If you go with the swm lnb, discard the converter.

 

[BobStokesbary]

Trainer,
Very glad to hear things are working for you. Of all the things that could go wrong, I am surprised to hear that it was the LNB. But, it worked and you are up and running. That is all that matters.

Now you mentioned that you want to get an HD setup with your H24. For HD you need a slimline dish and an upgrade to your account for HD access ($10/mo). On the slimline dish setup you have two basic configurations; SWM and non-SWM. SWM would be a real overkill for your current situation since you are only considering connecting to a H24 which only requires one coax (one tuner). (Moreover, your current meter is worthless for a SWM setup.)

At minimum on the LNB you need a 3 lnb head (it is the large oval in the center of the LNB head). This gives you additional access to sats 99 and 103 which carry the HD signals. You can aim the non-SWM dish the same way you aim your existing 18" dish. You just setup on 101 using the azimuth and elevation settings you are familiar with. After you are at the best readings you can get for that part of the setup, you lock everything down and move the tilt for the best reading on your 99 sat. You need to use the receiver for this alignment. (When I am on the road I just use the tilt setting from dishpointer.com and have never been disappointed with that setting.)

If you want to receive "locals" you may need to get a LNB5 head which gives you access to the 119 bird for some local spot beams. But, you can decide on that after you make the decision as to whether or not you want to abandon your dome and do a dish setup every time you move.
Bob

 

[Ammo man]

i purchased an sl3 au9 slimline dish from solid signal. will work with the b band converter and h24. easy to set up as you get the best signal strength on the 101 and tweak to the 103 and 99.only takes minimal adjustments.

 

[Trainer4736]

Ammo Man,

Thank you for the info and reference. I have been debating where to purchase the dish. I did find a less expensive source but did not recognize the company name plus they wanted the same for shipping and handling as for the dish which concerned me even though the total is less than Solid Signal's price. But with your reference and I do recognize their name, I have now ordered a dish from them too.

Thanks again,

Trainer