Satellite is Acting Wonky

fansill · 06-20-2011, 10:43 AM

Good Afternoon All,

We are spending the week at a local Massachusetts State Campground and so far just a few issues have arisen and I will post my questions to the appropriate forums for possible answers.

This issue revolves around our Satellite reception. We have a King-Dome in motion system with Direct TV. I have one receiver, but it is admitedly an older model, a Hughes brand. I was able to get a very strong signal of about 91 and the picture is great. The trouble is that every hour or so..(sometimes more often, sometimes less often), the picture will become garbeled and very pixilated, almost as if it is looking for a signal. (like when a storm rolls through). This lasts for about 2-3 minutes, becoming increasing pixilated as the minutes tick by. The screen then goes black for about 1-2 minutes. The next event is a blue screen stating that the program guide is being acquired with a progress bar across the bottom. When the progress bar is complete, voila...the picture is back and reception is clear.

My satellite dome seeking function is currently turned off because it is my understanding that once the signal is locked in...it is not necessary to find it again because the coach is not moving. Am I correct in this assumption?

When the above scenario happens, the receiver power light blinks sporadically and then goes out when the tv screen goes black. The power light goes back on when the program guide progress bar blue screen is displayed.

I do have a newer receiver (a D12 model) that I am carrying in the coach for a possible installation in the bedroom at some time in the future and Direct TV tells me that I could try the new receiver and that they will re-activate that "card" over the phone if I wish to replace the older receiver with the newer one. I am reluctant to wrestle everything out of the electronics compartment if I do not have to and if it is not known whether the old receiver is indeed the problem. The various components in that compartment are quite tightly placed and it will be a nightmare to finagle them out and then get them back in again.

I am looking for any and all opinions on this. I know that there are many of you great people that are much more skilled and knowledgable that I am.

Thank you in advance for your kind assistance.

Faith

Don/Lou · 06-20-2011, 11:24 AM

Can you Quickly go into the menu and check signal strength-when it starts to pictulate?? Are any of your neighbors experiencing the same problem?
Are there any branches in a tree being blown into signal path?
FWIW
Don

kjburns · 06-20-2011, 11:41 AM

Is the receiver running hot? Often when they start reacquiring the guide, it's after rebooting.

srydve · 06-20-2011, 11:59 AM

I would try leaving the seeking function on and see if it makes any difference.

InfinityJim · 06-20-2011, 12:10 PM

Just change the receiver. If the King SAT is off then whatever signal you get is not going to change unless something changes...such as the coach moving or something is getting in its way like a tree branch, or water sitting on the dome. Just sounds like the receiver is done, make the change and forget about it... Of course make sure the new receiver is compatible with the king sat.

jfran304 · 06-20-2011, 01:30 PM

If you are watching the local channels it could be interference at the station. We sometimes lose our picture on the local channels when the weather here is clear and sunny.

Jon

fansill · 07-01-2011, 11:59 AM

Thanks to all of your responses, I decided to replace the receiver in the salon area. The old Hughes receiver was running very hot and I believe that it was re-booting often and causing the picture to be lost.

I struggled for about an hour to get the old receiver in a position where I could reach my arm in to disconnect the cords. All of the boxes and components are stacked very tightly into the electronics compartment above the driver's seat. They are also all connected with velcro and foam spacers. Very neat and professional looking but soooo hard to re-arrange. My feeling was to leave all of the other components intact (the master switching box, VCR, and DVD player) because they were not causing any problems and they fit in so tightly. That being said, I was able to disconnect all the wires and cables from the old receiver and then re-attached them to the new receiver. The receiver works great and I get a super clear TV picture. I was then able to re-program my remote control to operate the receiver..So far...so good...

Now...here is my dilemma..... The old receiver had a spot on the back of the box labled "VCR Control" and had a cable going into it with a pin style attachment. I have been unable to trace that cable back to my VCR, which I assume is where it goes. (again...it is difficult to get my arm to the back of the units...) I have no inlet on the new receiver box that says "VCR Control"...so what do I do with this cable and do you think that I need it to run my VCR?? Again, I am assuming that the VCR is connected directly to the TV somewhere. There was no input cable on the old receiver for a DVD player amd yet, we have watched many DVDs in the coach with no problems, so I would guess that it is also connected directly to the TV.

There was one other mystery wire on the old receiver that looked like a ground wire. It was attached to a simple screw holding the case onto the receiver. Should I attach this to a screw on the new receiver housing? Do I need a ground wire?

Thank you in advance for your assistance. Sorry to be such a dunce. I can create a gourmet meal but I feel somewhat at a loss with electronics and mechanical things...

Faith