Where to go

[kengaz]

I seemed to have lost connection to satellite 119 on my 921. I can get 110 all the time but no matter what I do 119 will not connect. My 501 in the other room still has 110 and 119 (never loses it no matter what). I did not buy the DVR 921 locally - since they did not have it yet. Question: is there somewhere I can send the 921 for repair and maintenance - to check if something died inside. Right now it is useless and it is costing a fortune to have a tech guy come and tell me they can't find the problem.

OR- is it possible to trade it in on another a older non-921 model. Are 921s marketable on the used market.

 

[mwgiii]

Give dish tech support a call. Make sure you go to advanced support.

If you haven't do the standard pull power cord for 2 minutes and run check switch.

Ebay has 921's for sale.

 

[kengaz]

Thanks -
I have called tech support - advanced - they are no help. Have powered off twice. Wish there was a way to diagnosis what is happening inside.

 

[SimpleSimon]

What EXACTLY happens when you do a Check Switch? Have you lost 119 on BOTH tuners? What type of LNBF and switch setup do you have?

 

[kengaz]

I have a DPP44 mounted on the rooftop Dish. I have a 501 receiver in room two and it never loses 119 or 110. There is a single wire coming into the 921 room to goes to a Diplexer, then one wire to the TV (for off-air) and one to the power supply. Then out of the power supply to the Dish Separator then one to input one and one to input two. I can get 110 no matter what - but as of two nights ago I cannot get 119 on the 921. I have tried a 6 second soft boot (it worked once but never again). I have cut power to the receiver three times, leaving it off 8 hours once but usually 30 minutes. I have taken the Diplexer out of the loop (i.e. no off-air) but still no 119. Right now when I run the switch check I always get 110 in the first column of input 1 the two input matrix but sometimes the 110 is in column 4 and sometimes column 3 of the input 2. Keep running the check until 11o is in column 1 of each input matrix. I re-tightened all the wire. Have disconnected input 2 and tried just input 1 but still no 119. I get sound and picture for channels using 110 but nothing on others. Does Dish have a warranty on the 921 (had it about two months).

 

[mwgiii]

Try pulling the power on the DPP44.

There have been reports on the board about the DPP44 freaking out and reseting the switch helped.

 

[kengaz]

If that means turning off the power to the receiver, which includes everything hooked to it, I have done that several times. Maybe I have to turn off the power to the second room 501 also?

 

[mwgiii]

I mean pull the power to the DPP44 power inserter.

 

[kengaz]

Sorry I was unclear. The power inserter, receiver, etc. are all plugged into one power strip. I have turned off the power strip several times - once for 8 hours. But no 119. I did not turn off the 501 in the other room however.

 

[n0qcu]

Is there any way you can try using two cables to the 921 and not use the seperator. I think I read once someone had a bad seperator.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Boy there's a thread on DBStalk that sure looks a lot like this one.

 

[kengaz]

Well I did post one over there (from one of your cross references on another thread. I keep hoping someone from Dish will see and respond somewhere. Dish has NEVER returned an email for tech service (and I have sent several over time)- the only way I have ever been able to get thru to them is by telephone.

 

[boatdrink]

I have had that exact same problem with my 921 when I first got it. I bought the unit off the internet because no one had it local. I also bought the DPP44 and set it up just like you did. I tried all of the fixes that you did and also performed troubleshooting several times with my 508 receiver. Bottom line is that I could not get the DPP44 to work. I had to buy a DPP34 switch and run a second line from the roof. Even after I did that I went through 4 921 receivers before I got one that was able to pick up both satellites on both tuners. Even the one that I have now stopped working correctly since the L188 download. It worked great for a few weeks and now has problemes with the timers. These units are warranteed by DISH regardless of where you buy them. Keep calling dish support and push for a replacement. Talk only to advanced technical support, if they won't send you a replacment askto talk to a supervisor.

 

[kengaz]

Satellite 119 has been re-connected but I’m not sure why. I had a local satellite tech guy come by. Just before he got here I re-set the switch three times and on the third time I got a 119 signal but hit ‘Done’ instead of ‘Check Switch’ but there was no picture or sound. I re-set it again and got the down loading data screen but that would not go away. The tech guy re-set it and got the same thing (power light and HD light) and just a data download screen. So he took the other room’s receiver and connected it to the line coming from the wall for the 921 (NOT from the power inserter), which seemed to me to be the same as it was connected in the other room. The receiver got both 119 and 110 signals. He had not turned off the 921 during this and when he switched the power inserter cabling back to the 921 the two signals, 110 and 119, were there and checking the switches set everything back. The tech guy thought having off-air going from the diplexer to the 921 TV antenna cable input connection was perhaps confusing the Dish signal settings when switching from off-air back to Dish. So he put a ‘Hi-Low’ separator in place so the cable from the Diplexer TV connection goes to the High side and the Low side goes to the TV Set output. Works fine. Will see how long the 119 stays connected. I am not going to power off the receiver (with the remote) at night as before the problem.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Just for others reading this thread, I replied in the other thread that I don't know the difference between a diplexer and a "high-low separator". Seems to me the same thing.

If you do not let the 921 reboot at least once a week, you will have significant problems that will eventually force one - typically at a very inconvienent time.

I've posted recently elsewhere that having the power inserter, separator, AND diplexers on the same cable may be an issue. Try putting the power inserter on the other receiver, and plugging that one into DPP44 port #1.

 

[kengaz]

Ssso much for my theory of inserting the new Hi-Low and not go thru the 921. My Sat. 119 disappeared again today. Could not get it back so drugged out the other receiver, connected the power inserter to it - no 119. Put on another cable (since the 119 is still going stron in the other room) and the 119 came up. Reconnected the 921 and the 119 came up (after rebooting the switch). Guess I will leave the separators out of the line-up for now (at least until Tuesday when I want to watch NCIS off-air). Maybe I can find a switch that will allow me to switch the connection between the TV and separators on and off as needed (I can do that with my computer modem/telephone lines).

 

[SimpleSimon]

I didn't follow your test plan there at all. Especially: "switch the connection between the TV and separators". The separator goes to the 921. Diplexer might go to the TV, but should go t the 921 OTA input.

I'm lost.

 

[kengaz]

I didn't follow your test plan there at all. Especially: "switch the connection between the TV and separators". The separator goes to the 921. Diplexer might go to the TV, but should go t the 921 OTA input.

I'm lost.

I think I am also.

I assume OTA is 8VSB-TV Antenna In?

OK here goes again. Let's forget what the tech. did - I don't agree with it either. Back to the original. Cable from wall to diplexer. Diplexer high to Inserter, low to 8VSB-TV Antenna In. From Inserter to separator and then to input 1 and 2. the Tech has told me he thought the tuner was getting confused as to 110/119 signal when going to off-air and then back to satellite and so he was trying to take it to the TV and not to the 921 for off-air. But I want the local 0ff-air in digital (which they are) and HD thus the 8vSB. Who knows.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Yes, OTA = Over The Air = TV Antenna.

Your re-statement of configuration is much clearer - and correct. Except...

Just a few minutes ago, I was informed that, per the DPP44 instructions, nothing can be between the power inserter and the switch. Therefore, the power inserter would have to actually be at the switch - "upstream" so to speak from the diplexers.

DPP44 --- power inserter --- diplexer ---//--- diplexer --- separator === receiver

So, the power inserter needs to be as above, or on a feed without diplexers.

 

[kengaz]

I am reaching a breaking point. Everynight now the 119 will not connect. I have to haul the other receiver into the 921 area, reset the switch, reset the 921, first try to connect thru the power inserter, then if that does not work, directly from the wall, which usually works (sometimes thru the inserter), then transfer the cables back to the 921 and there is 119. I don't know how much more of this I can take. I want DISH to replace the 921 AND power inserter. I am going to put this on DBStalk - maybe DISH will see it.