# What to do?



## kengaz (Sep 24, 2004)

My 921 will no longer connect to satellite 119, only 110. The 501 in the other room stays connected to both without problems. There is a DPP44 on the dish on the roof. For the 921 I have a single cable from the wall to a Diplexer, then one cable to the TV and the other to the power inserter. From the power inserter to the Dish Separator and then to input 1 and 2. It has been working just fine since installing about a month and a half ago. Last night (9/22) when I turned on the 921 (I keep it turned off when not in use –per dish tech people) the picture and sound would not come up. Called tech support and they said to hold the power switch down for 6 seconds and let it reboot. I did and it did. I got both satellites, picture and sound. Later in the evening I went to an off-air program (which I often do) but when I came back the 921 would not pull satellite 119 and it has been that way for two days. Unplugged it today for about an hour but still no 119. I can get 110 programs but nothing else. What else can I do? I disconnected the Diplexer and went straight to the power inserter (no off-air access) but still no 119. My switch check used to say 110 and 119 for both inputs in columns 1 and 2 respectively but now only 110 in column 1 (although a couple of time the input two 110 was in column 3 or 4). Dish techs say they do not have a clue what to do. Is there somewhere I can send it for check up to see if something internal is ‘bad’, broken, burned, etc. How on earth is it possible to diagnosis a problem?


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

Try hooking up your 501 to the line coming out of the diplexor to see if you get both satellites with it. If you do, then it sounds like your 921 has died. If the 501 also can't see 119, then either your DPP44 has died or you have a problem with a cable (likely an end connector).


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

I've been reading some recent stuff indicating the DPP44 might need to be reset - of course, this probably happened when you removed the diplexers (you did remove BOTH of them, right?).


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## kengaz (Sep 24, 2004)

Not quite sure what you mean by 'both' of them. Is the Dish separator just another term for a diplexer? But if I remove that out of the line then I would only have one line to the 921 - which I guess would be to input 1? When I read about 'rebooting' the DPP44 - how is that done - power off?


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## Slordak (Dec 17, 2003)

The only way to "reboot" a switch is to unplug all of the receivers and power inserters or other devices providing power to the switch. If you kill any and all power sources (and no, just turning a receiver off doesn't count as killing it; either the power cord or the satellite RG-6 cable must actually be pulled) to the switch, then when you re-apply power, the switch will effectively be reset.


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

The DPP44 switch is a powered switch, so theoretically, all you need to do to reset the DPP44 would be to pull the power inserter cord. It doesn't also pull power from the receivers, does it?


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## kengaz (Sep 24, 2004)

The receiver, power inserter, etc. are all plugged into a power strip. I turn the power strip off. Which kills everything. However, I have not turned off the power in the second room on the 501 at the same time - I wonder if that makes a difference?


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

kengaz - in that case, I'd recommend NOT plugging your DPP44 power into that power strip if you routinely turn the power strip off. Seems to me that you'd have to do a checkswitch everytime you powered up that way.


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

What Mark said.

Also, considering how power inserters work, if the DPP44 accepts the inserter on any receiver port, I think it would still have some power if ANYTHING is still plugged into it. Maybe not enough to operate, but enough to keep it alive - which we don't want for this.

I'd be VERY interested in knowing if the 501 works even when the power strip is shut off.


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## kengaz (Sep 24, 2004)

Sorry for the misunderstanding. This is the only time I have turned off the power strip in an attempt to reset stuff. At night (bedtime) I just turn off the receiver with the remote (Dish told me to turn it off at night). However, turning off the power to the power inserter did not get the 119 back.


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

Alright, so like I said, plug your 501 into the satellite line coming to where your 921 is and see if it sees both satellites. If it does, the 921 is your culprit. If it doesn't, then either the switch or cable is.


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## kengaz (Sep 24, 2004)

Sounds logical - I will try tonight when I get home.

Thanks


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## kengaz (Sep 24, 2004)

A stupid question - when I put the 501 in on the line do I keep the power inserter and DISH separator in line and just use input 1 from the separator, or just the cable from the inserter or take the inserter out of the line also?


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

Not a stupid question at all. Remove the DPP Separator. Keep the power inserter. This is a good time to unplug the inserter - then you're sure the DPP44 has been reset.

Of course, that's more than one change at a time, so keep track of things.

Bottom line. If 501 works everywhere, we don't have a cable problem.

Oh - just remembered - I read a thread somewhere that indicated the DPP Separator was not happy when used on port #1 of the switch along with the power inserter. I also have read about other people have that setup working fine. However, why not try:
Port 1: power inserter and 501
Port 2: Separator and 921.

I'm just shotgunning this thing, but at least it gives you the idea that sometimes the strangest change might git-r-done.


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## kengaz (Sep 24, 2004)

thanks - will try


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## kengaz (Sep 24, 2004)

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.


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

Unh. A diplexer IS a high-low separator, so I don't know what changed.

Just thought of something I guess I missed before - the diplexer near the receiver - is it closer to the other diplxer than the power inserter? I've never liked power inserters on the same line as diplexers, although there's no reason for it not to work.


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## kengaz (Sep 24, 2004)

Line from wall to diplexer - sat connection to power inserter
- tv connection to Hi-Low (that's its name - may be the same thing as the diplexer - just diff. manufacturer)
Line from TV to High Low - Diplexeter TV line to High of Hi-Low
- Low line (16") to 921 Receiver TV port
Power Inserter to DISH separator and then input 1 to input 1 and input 2 to input 2

It just makes it so I can push the TV button on the remote and move to off-air.


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## kengaz (Sep 24, 2004)

So 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 strong 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). Amazed that Dish NW puts out a product that is this unreliable


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

kengaz said:


> Line from wall to diplexer - sat connection to power inserter
> - tv connection to Hi-Low (that's its name - may be the same thing as the diplexer - just diff. manufacturer)
> Line from TV to High Low - Diplexeter TV line to High of Hi-Low
> - Low line (16") to 921 Receiver TV port
> ...


That makes no sense to me.

The "High" side of the diplexer MUST go to the power inserter (if still used on this feed) or to the DPP Separator. The "Low" side goes EITHER to your TV OR the OTA port of the 921. A splitter could be used to drive both - but let's not try that yet.


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## kengaz (Sep 24, 2004)

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 also put this on Satellite Guys. Any chance DISh will see either one and do SOMETHING?? No use in sending a tech request via email since as I said earlier they have NEVER answered an request for help. Also the tech support by phone just tell me do do what I have already done. How do I get them to honor a warranty???


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

kengaz, I'm sending you a PM.


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