# Dead DECA



## seern (Jan 13, 2007)

The DECA box feeding my HR22-100 lost all its lights this evening and the picture on both the HR24-100 an H24-200 is badly pixelated. System test on HR24 shows dish alignment error. Network is functioning and the DECA box at the router is alive. Me thinks I need to do a call and get a truck rolling on this. At one point as I was trouble shooting this the system test shows the SWM was defective, but later tests did not show this.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

Go ahead and make the truck rolling, no reason to wait.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

seern said:


> The DECA box feeding my HR22-100 lost all its lights this evening and the picture on both the HR24-100 an H24-200 is badly pixelated. System test on HR24 shows dish alignment error. Network is functioning and the DECA box at the router is alive. Me thinks I need to do a call and get a truck rolling on this. At one point as I was trouble shooting this the system test shows the SWM was defective, but later tests did not show this.


The DECA on the HR22 has three LEDs, are they all green?
With the HR24, you can test the DECA network by using the front panel. Press guide & > buttons at the same time [may take more than one try] and you'll see the test menu, coax. 
The first screen shows all the nodes [DECAs] and the loss between them and the 24.
The second screen [PHY MESH] shows a matrix of the bit-rates between nodes.

Since the 24 seems to be giving various errors [or not], this may be the problem.
SWiM & DECA have nothing to do with each other.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

She said all the lights are off. I would vote for this being above her pay grade, and would suggest a truck roll as well.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

Stuart Sweet said:


> She said all the lights are off. I would vote for this being above her pay grade, and would suggest a truck roll as well.


So were the poorly streaming shows coming from the HR22?
There may be just too many squirrels running around to know what's going on.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Hence my suggestion of a truck roll.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

Stuart Sweet said:


> Hence my suggestion of a truck roll.


Copycat


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Yes, Mr. Smith, in this case I agree with you.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

J/k , no need to followup.


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## seern (Jan 13, 2007)

Well guys, thanks for that confidence in what pay grade I am at, oh, and by the way, the computer I am sitting at was built by me, and I run all my own cabling. I did let D* put in the DECA cloud since I hate to crawl under the house. Anyway, last night the pixelation was off the satellite, the SWM power block was on and active, it was the DECA box at the HR22 that was dead so the HR22 was also as far as the network was concerned. I was having a great issue in getting MRV to work at all between my HR24 and H24, both of which were working just bad pictures.

Now this am everything is working again like nothing happened so guess I was in the twilight zone for a while. !devil12:

I have to admit, building a computer is a lot like cooking, read the ingredient list, identify what you need and put it all together. :grin:


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Great to hear it all worked out!


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

seern said:


> Well guys, thanks for that confidence in what pay grade I am at, oh, and by the way, the computer I am sitting at was built by me, and I run all my own cabling. I did let D* put in the DECA cloud since I hate to crawl under the house. Anyway, last night the pixelation was off the satellite, the SWM power block was on and active, it was the DECA box at the HR22 that was dead so the HR22 was also as far as the network was concerned. I was having a great issue in getting MRV to work at all between my HR24 and H24, both of which were working just bad pictures.
> 
> Now this am everything is working again like nothing happened so guess I was in the twilight zone for a while. !devil12:
> 
> I have to admit, building a computer is a lot like cooking, read the ingredient list, identify what you need and put it all together. :grin:


Your pay grade is high enough to chase squirrels. :lol:
If there is a next time:
on the HR22, reboot it and see if the LEDs come back.
If you want to "geek out", go to a 24 and press the guide & > "buttons" at the same time and go into the coax networking menu. There are two tests/screens. One slows the DECA/nodes and the loss between them and the second show the bit-rates in a matrix.
If you post them, I'll tell you what they mean.


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## seern (Jan 13, 2007)

Thanks VOS, will do that.


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## seern (Jan 13, 2007)

Well, there was a next time. This morning when I checked the HR22 the DECA box was dead again. Per VOS suggestion I reset the unit and it is back running. We had wind and rain last night but this did no effect my HR24 so I am wondering if something is starting to go wrong with either the HR22 or the DECA box attached to it. The DECA box at the router is working fine and never had a problem.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

seern said:


> Well, there was a next time. This morning when I checked the HR22 the DECA box was dead again. Per VOS suggestion I reset the unit and it is back running. We had wind and rain last night but this did no effect my HR24 so* I am wondering if something is starting to go wrong with either the HR22 or the DECA box attached to it.* The DECA box at the router is working fine and never had a problem.


I think you're in the right neighborhood.
Without swapping things around, I'm not sure you could tell which is it.

OK, do you have a volt meter?
If so, wait for this to happen again and see if the HR22 has 12+ volts on the SAT #1 input.
If yes [without a reset BTW] then the DECA is bad.
If no, then the HR22 is the problem.


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## seern (Jan 13, 2007)

No, VOS, I do not have VOM that works. Mine gave up the ghost years ago and since I have stopped building audio equipment had no need for one. They are cheap, so guess I should get a new one in case it happens again.

Thanks for that very quick reply.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

seern said:


> No, VOS, I do not have VOM that works. Mine gave up the ghost years ago and since I have stopped building audio equipment had no need for one. They are cheap, so guess I should get a new one in case it happens again.
> 
> Thanks for that very quick reply.


"If I were to guess", it's the HR22 that stops outputting the voltage.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

veryoldschool said:


> "If I were to guess", it's the HR22 that stops outputting the voltage.


Is there any method to measure the voltage ?


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

P Smith said:


> Is there any method to measure the voltage ?


With a [VOM] meter, yes, but not in the receiver itself.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

Would be beneficial for our members to describe the process ? Would it require to open DECA box and measure the voltage inside of it?


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

P Smith said:


> Would be beneficial for our members to describe the process ? Would it require to open DECA box and measure the voltage inside of it?


The DECA connects to the SAT input, so what needs to be measured is the SAT input [center pin to shield] with the DECA removed.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

Then therefore two possible outcomes - no voltage from DVR and drop (perhaps to 0V) under load, by connecting DECA.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

P Smith said:


> Then therefore two possible outcomes - no voltage from DVR and drop (perhaps to 0V) under load, by connecting DECA.


Yes, on the DVR side and if neither then it's on the DECA side, but this is where I doubt a rebooting would always get it back.


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## seern (Jan 13, 2007)

I tend to agree VOS, if it was the DECA, then kick starting the 22 would not do much since it,, DECA, is not seeing the voltage vs the DECA fine and the 22 stops outputing the voltage.


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## NR4P (Jan 16, 2007)

One of my DECA units lights were out one day after about a month of service
It was an intermittant connection on the short coax into the DECA unit.
The cable is very short and with the DECA unit tucked behind the HR20 and parallel to it, it had just enough stress to make an intermittant connection.

Moved it away from the HR20 so it wasn't parallel and problem solved. Its the cable that comes attached to the DECA unit with the shrink wrap so the assembly was marginal.


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