Strange SuperDish Problem

[KimInWis]

I've had the Dish, SuperDish Satellite for a few years now.
Just within the last couple of weeks, I started losing channels every now and then, but they would come back.

Now, almost every single day, selected channels go out at around
10:30am and come back around 6:30pm.

Example: Channels 110, 112, 118,205, etc.. go out...
But Channes 106, 107, 127 and all local Network channels are just fine.

We've tried numerous times going thru the System setup, Peak Angles, Check Switch Test, unplugging the receiver for hours to a time, etc..
and nothing works. We've checked the connections on the Satellite, and those look good. We've called tech support and they are clueless.

The settings under the Check Switch look like:

1A 1B 2A 2B 3A 3B
Satellite 119 X 110 110 121 121
Polarity Odd X Odd Even Odd Even

Status: Problem detected, check... (nothing past this)

Does anyone have a clue to what the problem may be?

 

[harshness]

Sounds like a heat problem. If it worked during the day and not at night, it would point to a moisture problem.

If you can reach the LNB with a stream of cold water from a garden hose, you might try soaking it for a couple minutes and see if the signal comes back midday. If it does, the LNB assembly probably needs to be replaced.

 

[webbydude]

I've had the Dish, SuperDish Satellite for a few years now.
Just within the last couple of weeks, I started losing channels every now and then, but they would come back.

Now, almost every single day, selected channels go out at around
10:30am and come back around 6:30pm.

Example: Channels 110, 112, 118,205, etc.. go out...
But Channes 106, 107, 127 and all local Network channels are just fine.

We've tried numerous times going thru the System setup, Peak Angles, Check Switch Test, unplugging the receiver for hours to a time, etc..
and nothing works. We've checked the connections on the Satellite, and those look good. We've called tech support and they are clueless.

The settings under the Check Switch look like:

1A 1B 2A 2B 3A 3B
Satellite 119 X 110 110 121 121
Polarity Odd X Odd Even Odd Even

Status: Problem detected, check... (nothing past this)

Does anyone have a clue to what the problem may be?

If you have access to the DP34 switch, try swapping the 119 for the 110 (input 1 with input 2), do another checkswitch, and see if the problem still occurs with the 119. If it does, then yes, you have an LNB that is going kaput.

 

[Van]

Dish had an issue with one or two production runs of the lnbfs for the 121 and the 105 superdish lnbfs that would cause this problem. The lnbfs would loose signal due to poor manufacturing process. What you need to do is get a phillips screw driver and take the top plastic shroud off, inside you will find the lnbfs and there is a production code on the labels that you will need to write down. Call dish up and go to tech support and explain the situation and give them the production codes and they will tell you if these are the ones that are part of the recall. I replaced about 50 of these in 05 and 06.

 

[KimInWis]

Thanks all! Yep, I really think it's a heat problem... didn't start happening until it really started to get warm here. I'm going to try the water hose cool down and the wire exchage test this week as I am on vacation (just what I love to do on my days off...Not!)..Then I'm calling.. again... the cable people to find out WHEN cable is coming to my area...

 

[BillH]

I had EXACT Same problem

I had the exact problem. I blamed it on the heat of the day.

One further bit of explaination was that my 721 would lose the channels but my 301's did not lose them. That is the thing that really puzzled me.

I called Dish and they said that it was the super dish. Replacing it was the answer. I did not believe it but I let them come and change my super dish to a dish 500 and it has not happened again. So I guess they knew what they were talking about.

Call Dish.

 

[KimInWis]

Yep, it must be the heat. Today we hit it with a light shower from the garden hose when it went out, and within 1 minute, the channels were back. We wet a towel and placed that over the lnb and that seemed to keep things running, but it was also towards sundown. Short of installing a spinkler on my roof, or swapping cool towels every 1/2 hour, looks like I need to go back to the 500... and to think I just gave that thing away.. sheesh... thanks for the tips all!

 

[papalittle]

My superdish does it too during the warm summer days, I cured it by making a light weight hood and screwed it to the LNB cover. painted it white and left a air gap between the two. never goes out now.

 

[HIFI]

it is a bad lnb and has to do with the drift that everyone is talking about

 

[mdwatt]

it is a bad lnb and has to do with the drift that everyone is talking about

You got it. I've been replacing superdish LNBs right and left for the last three months. Most of the time I've been upgrading them to a 1000.2 dish, except in cases where I don't have line of sight for 129. You have 3 options: 1. Replace the 119 LNB (it's the one out on the side by itself, not in the shroud) 2. replace the entire LNB assembly, (if the 119 is wigging out, the 105 is probably not far behind) 3. upgrade to a dish 1000.2, which will probably require professional installation. Personally I would recommend option #3, but it's your call. Any of those options will work, but I would consider 1 and 2 to be a temporary fix to a permanent problem.

 

[Van]

Yep, it must be the heat. Today we hit it with a light shower from the garden hose when it went out, and within 1 minute, the channels were back. We wet a towel and placed that over the lnb and that seemed to keep things running, but it was also towards sundown. Short of installing a spinkler on my roof, or swapping cool towels every 1/2 hour, looks like I need to go back to the 500... and to think I just gave that thing away.. sheesh... thanks for the tips all!

You dont have to downgrade to a d500, the lnbf is part of a recal and will be replaced for free.

it is a bad lnb and has to do with the drift that everyone is talking about

Wrong, its a thermal issue associated with a faulty production run on two batches of lnbfs from 04/05, cooling the lnbf down with water has already proved that.

 

[Van]

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