KVH Satellite Dish troubleshoot?

[flyinraptr]

Hello,

I'm hoping someone on this forum might be able to provide some tips or direction that will save me some time/headaches. I purchased a "brand new" '08 Monaco Diplomat PDQ this past December. So far my wife and I have been on one 4 day shake down trip over New Year's - the rest of the time (til this past weekend) it has been in the Dealer's shop having an oven installed and getting various items fixed (long story that i won't get into now). In any event as i mentioned, got the coach back this weekend and wanted to test out the satellite for the first time - hooked up my Direct Tv box - i get the DirectTV splash screen "Searching for Satellites" and nothing else. It appears to me that either there is a communication problem between the DirectTV box and the dish or the dish is looking for the wrong satellite? This coach has the KVH "In-motion" Satellite - appears to have all of the correct modules etc. from the manuals it looks like it should be pre-configured to find the DirectTv satellites. I tried multiple DirectTv boxes (old style - small black box) and basic troubleshooting steps - turning Satellite on and off - reseting the DirectTV box - moving the coach to multiple locations with clear southern view. I have not physically checked the dip switches on the KVH yet - i noticed there is a USB mgmt port - is there a software app i might be able to get a hold of to validate it is working correctly? I am dreading having to take it back to the dealer yet again.

Thx

[bullydogs1]

Let me help you with this..

1. Which KVH do you have the R6 or the R5 unit?

2. When you turn box on, it should say a software version

then system version

Then the RF switch version

Write this down..

Your box either needs a total reset..something to which I can direct you to a site or a flash.

Your answers will tell me where to send you next.

You may also call KVH at 401 847 3327 and get to the tech support queue..if you don't know the answers to the above.

[flyinraptr]

I have the R5 SL model. The DirectTv box is a D12-100 - which is suppose to be supported. I'm not in front of it at the moment - so can't post the software version.

Just got off the phone with KVH ....

First - in the coach compartment directly above the steering wheel - there is a KVH switch plate with a On/Off switch and a serial port. On the back wall there are two coax connections labeled LNB#1 and LNB#2. I have the DirectTv box connected directly to the LNB#1 connector. There is also a loose USB cable and a thin cable with a coax connector - both of these cables run into the overhead compartment above the driver side window into a module - labeled something to the effect of KVH - HDTV module. When describing this to the KVH tech - he indicated that the HDTV module is obsolete and that it may be part of the problem. He says I should disconnect everything with the KVH -HDTV Module and that the RF1 connector should go straight to the DirectTv box.

[Diplomat Don]

flyinraptr......Climb on the roof with about 20' of coax cable. Disconnect the cable from the satelite and connect the 20' length. Connect the other end to your DirecTv box. On my KVH, I always turned on the TV, then the DirecTv box and when it got to where it said searching for satelite, I would turn the satelite on. If I didn't do it in this order, it often would not find the satelite.

[flyinraptr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diplomat Don flyinraptr......Climb on the roof with about 20' of coax cable. Disconnect the cable from the satelite and connect the 20' length. Connect the other end to your DirecTv box. On my KVH, I always turned on the TV, then the DirecTv box and when it got to where it said searching for satelite, I would turn the satelite on. If I didn't do it in this order, it often would not find the satelite.

Don - excellent idea - that will help narrow down the problem area. I was doing the direct opposite - turning the satellite on - and then the DirectTv box. I'll give both a try as well.

[bullydogs1]

With my K6 I have to turn on Dish box first, which goes through a reset when power is first applied, whether by gene, inverter or Shore power. So once I have the power I want, then I wait until the HDTV light is on the box, then I engage the KVH..5-10 minutes later, I'm good. I downloaded the flash equipment and also have a serial cable to the maintenance port of the box...this way when (not if) it needs an update I hook up computer, get phone support and have them flash it rather than me have to haul it 80 miles to someone who may have the equipment.

[flyinraptr]

Ok - thanks Bullydogs1- so it sounds like the order in which the devices are powered up could very well be it. I'm going to try that first (knock on wood). If that fails I will try connecting the DirectTv box directly to the sat antenna on the roof - if that works - then obviously that narrows the problem down to the the way it is cabled to the back panel in the overhead compartment. Also sounds like (given the age of the unit) i may want to flash it as well.

I have to keep our coach in a storage lot - so won't be able to try til tomorrow but will post the results afterwards - thanks again - appreciate the help!

[MikeyG]

I had the same problem with my 08 Camelot.
DeMartini looked at it and contacted KVH. The box was set up for my HD dish at home. I had to go into setup on the Direct box and set it to 18" (or 8" I can't remember) round and mutli-??. Can't recreate it at home, but there were only two choices for the KVH setup in the coach.
Best of luck.

[deaton]

I had a KVH on my Knight and had similar problems at first after buying the coach used. The former owner had, of course, kept his Direct TV box. I tried going to several coach dealers in the area and none of them seemed very competent. Camping World wouldn't touch it - wrong brand. I finally found a satellite specialist guy about fifty miles north of here and he fixed me right up - loose board in the KVH. Never would have found it on my own. My advice would be to deal with KVH direct and if that doesn't work, find a specialist out there in California.

Other posts above related to isolating the problem sound good to me. I assume you've checked the Direct TV box back in the stick house to make sure it's working. Direct TV has an unfortunate habit of shutting down the cards on those boxes if they sit idle for about thirty days - of course you normally get a message if that's the case.

[flyinraptr]

Thx - I tried two different DirectTv boxes that are currently working in the house. I just checked the System Info on one of them and the satellite is setup for "Slimline" .... thinking i should change the satellite settings on it prior to trying in the coach - as when i was trying to get it to work in the coach i couldn't even get to the setup menu.

[MikeyG]

Slimline is the HD dish. You need the round dish. After sleeping on it, the second setting is multi-channel. Had to wait in the coach until I could get to the setup screen. Patience is a virtue.
Good luck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyinraptr Thx - I tried two different DirectTv boxes that are currently working in the house. I just checked the System Info on one of them and the satellite is setup for "Slimline" .... thinking i should change the satellite settings on it prior to trying in the coach - as when i was trying to get it to work in the coach i couldn't even get to the setup menu.

[flyinraptr]

Status Update - Surprisingly I received a call from KVH Tech Support on my way to work - checking on how i was doing with the troubleshooting. I confirmed with him the order that i should power up and also learned that the DirectTv box needed the satellite to be set to either 18" Round (single sat) or 3LNB (mulitple sat). I gave him my troubleshooting plan - he agreed that i was on the right track. He asked if i could hear the Sat Antenna moving - which i confirmed and eliminated any power issues.

Got over to the coach on my lunch hour - hooked up as before - using back panel in OH compartment - powered up with the Sat antenna being last - was able to break out of the "Searching for Satellites" by hitting the "Exit" button on the remote - took a while to figure that out. Tried both the 18" round and 3LNB to no avail - gave each about 5 minutes. I thought i had left my long coax cable in a storage bay - unfortunately it is probably still sitting in my garage so i couldn't try bypassing the internal cabling.

However - on the KVH HDTV Converter i found an input labled "From Sat - RF1" - figured I'd give it a shot while i was there - connected that cable directly to the back of the DirectTv box and again tried both the 18" round and 3LNB Sat settings - again to no avail. One thing i did notice is i can hear the Sat Antenna continually moving that at least gives me some hope that the antenna itself is ok.

So the plan is to make sure i have the long coax cable with me tomorrow ... although now this is a matter of principle ... I am on a mission to figure this out!

[flyinraptr]

Alright - have my long coax cable with me today - prepared to test circumventing the coach cabling on my lunch hour. I also found a thread on this forum dealing with the KVH R5 SL - one of the members describes a method for using a laptop (funny - when i asked the KVH tech if there were any other troublingshooting steps i could do - he said no). I've worked in IT for over 20 years - familliar with reprogramming routers,switches,etc - so if my test today fails - will be trying the following (btw - thanks Alan for originally posting this):


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You may just need to reset the satellite programming. To do this you need a laptop with hyperTerminal installed (or equivalent) and a serial cable. Here's the procedure:

Installing Satellites for KVH R4/R5


Occasionally we hear that people cannot get their KVH R4/R5 domes to lock onto a satellite – the Owner’s Manual that came with my dome says that the North American satellites are already programmed into the system, but I could not get my system to lock on to a satellite until I performed the following operation using my laptop computer. The process is quite simple, and the required serial cable should have been supplied with your system. If not you can get a serial cable at any computer store, or office supply store. If your laptop computer does not have a serial port you will have to also get a USB-to-serial adapter, also available at the computer stores.

Equipment Needed:
· PC with HyperTerminal or equivalent – Windows XP has HyperTerminal installed – Vista does not, but it does have an equivalent program called “telnet”. Telnet is not installed into Vista by default, but it can be installed easily – use the “Help” feature of Vista for more information.
· Serial cable

1. Connect PC to dish using serial cable connected from the serial port of the PC to the serial port on the dish panel. This panel is where the power switch for the dome is located – the port is in the middle of the front panel, right next to the power switch.

2. Open HyperTerminal and make sure the following settings are set (I haven’t used telnet but there should be similar settings available for it):
a. Bits per second: 9600
b. Data bits: 8
c. Parity: none
d. Stop bits: 1
e. Flow Control: none

3. Power up the dish and wait about a minute for the initialization process to complete. There should be some data scrolling on the PC monitor, reporting any errors found during the power-up process. If not, check your connections.

4. Once the data connection has been made you can assign specific satellites using the following commands:

a. HALT <ENTER> - this places the dish in idle mode
b. SATINSTALL, <sat_a_name>, <sat_b_name> <ENTER> - the names of the various satellites are in the table, below.
c. ZAP <ENTER> - sends the commands to the dish and restarts the system.

SATELLITE INSTALL NAME
DSS 72W DSS_72
DSS 101W DSS_101
DSS119W DSS_119
EchoStar 61W Echo_61
EchoStar 110W Echo_110
EchoStar 119W Echo_119
EchoStar 148W Echo_148
ExpressVu 82 Expressvu
ExpressVu 91 ExpressTV

5. Example: to assign DirecTV 72 and DirecTV 101 use the following commands:

a. HALT <ENTER>
b. SATINSTALL,DSS_72,DSS_101 <ENTER>
c. ZAP <ENTER>

Once this is completed the dish should be able to locate, and lock onto, the specified satellites. It worked for me when my RV dealer could not get my dome to work on my b rand new motorhome.
__________________
Alan@Hepburn.com - San Jose, Ca

2007 Bounder 35E

Last edited by Alan_Hepburn; 03-22-2010 at 02:13 PM. Reason: edited to fix table

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[Norm4015]

On my KVH / DirecTV setup I use:

Dish Type = 18" Round
Switch Type = Multiswitch
Tuners = Single