Community Forums

ProjectPro · 07-24-2017, 02:42 PM

I was experiencing an intermittent loss of signal on my DirecTV HR-24 / Trav'ler system. The local shop couldn't get it to fail, but when I went to Florida this winter it got almost unusable. I discovered that SD channels were OK; only the HD-equivalent channels were bad. I used the signal strength meters built into the HR-24, and found out that I had low signal strength on HD. I wrote up a little procedure for anyone experiencing a similar situation.

Turn on DTV receiver & TV
From remote, select MENU
From remote, select SETTINGS AND HELP
From remote, select SETTINGS
From remote, switch to SATELLITE 101
Transponder 15 should read 90 minimum
From remote, switch to SATELLITE 99 (CB)
Transponder 13 should read 90 minimum

In my case 101 was fine but 99(cb) was in the 70s. I then remembered that I had a tree issue where the Trav'ler got stuck and I had to send my he-man son-in-law up on the roof to free it. Apparently he tweaked the dish and/or arm. I replaced both with a replacement kit for older Trav’lers (part number RPSK-8935 ) obtained from SolidSignal.com. As a result SD and HD transponders now read at or near 100%, and my HD signal is solid.

I hope this will help in the future if anyone has this type of intermittent problem.

DSL417 · 07-24-2017, 05:57 PM

So, I have the following signals:
Tuner Transponder
103 (s) not acquired all NA
103 (ca) 1-5 63-64% 1-8 NA 9-24 53-73% 25-32 NA
103 (cb) 1-5 72-73% Didn't bother looking

101 1-5 95% All 92-98% except Col 2 row 3 69-77%
Col 3 row 4 0% except row 4 76%

99 (s) Not acquired all NA
99 (ca) 38-41% 1-8 NA 9-16 39-71% 17-24 41-69% 25-32 NA
99 (cb) 61-65% Didn't bother looking

Have to admit, this looks suspiciously like two years ago when the feed arm was about 5 degrees bent; had to replace feed arm. Haven't touched or bumped into the antenna since then. Unfortunately, the people at Wineguard now want to sell dish and feed arm as a package.

Sorry, the formatting on the site runs the rows together, but the first numbers are the tuner and the second set are the transponder strengths.

Thoughts?

JMonroe · 07-24-2017, 06:14 PM

This is exactly what we experienced before they replaced the reflector and LNB arm.

Hgrace56 · 07-24-2017, 09:48 PM

Good info

ProjectPro · 07-25-2017, 08:07 AM

Dave,

I suspect you are right about it being an arm or dish. The (s) transponders are DTV's "spot" broadcasts - the narrow beams that allow local channels (and, I suspect, the local ads on national channels). Those will come and go as you travel, but won't help you unless you get DTV to change your locals to your new location. The (ca) and (cb) transponders cover all of the USA, as I understand it.

If you don't think it is the arm or dish you might want to set up a tripod dish (if you carry one) to eliminate a bad LNB as the source of your problem.

TVforMyRV · 07-25-2017, 08:07 AM

Just a little insight on why the LNB arm and dish are often "bundled" for replacement. Some time ago, DirecTV changed the dish design where the dish attaches to the "basket". The old design was 4 bolts. The new design of the dish is two bolts at the top and two tabs at the bottom. Depending on where in the production cycle, many Travlers may in fact still have the older design. The older design dishes are no longer available, so if you have a suspected bent arm, you need to buy a new style dish also.....

Keep in mind this was a change in design by DirecTV, not Winegard...

TVforMyRV · 07-25-2017, 08:21 AM

A little more info on signal strength troubleshooting.

The abbreviated alignment discussion.

The Travler antenna peaks the signal strength on 101 first, using the azimuth and elevation. Then 99 and 103 are peaked using the skew. (Simplified version)

So

You should always see relatively high signal strength on 101, since that is the basis for alignment. If 101 has reduced signal, then something is wrong.... Either a signal blockage, LNB problem, or possibly settling of the rig while parked. Another very very slim possibility with low 101 signal strength, is mechanical problems inside the turret, allowing the turret to shift in a linear direction rather than rotational while it is peaking the signal..

The scenarios described above appear to be more closely related to a bent arm/dish, based in the available information.