TV Never Works

[Bill Barclay]

oes your TV consistantly work? mine doesn't and it's always a different reason. I've got KVH R6 and Direct TV. Direct TV couldn't install the receivers, I hired an RV company. KVH replaced the core. I couldn't get locals so Direct installed them, now they don't work. Called Direct for fix and they made it worse, now receiver is dead.Direct says I need a tecnician, while traveling? Direct says I never need to give them a zip code while traveling, now they say I do. Does anyone's TV really work most of time? What am I doing wrong?

[Bill Barclay]

oes your TV consistantly work? mine doesn't and it's always a different reason. I've got KVH R6 and Direct TV. Direct TV couldn't install the receivers, I hired an RV company. KVH replaced the core. I couldn't get locals so Direct installed them, now they don't work. Called Direct for fix and they made it worse, now receiver is dead.Direct says I need a tecnician, while traveling? Direct says I never need to give them a zip code while traveling, now they say I do. Does anyone's TV really work most of time? What am I doing wrong?

[Kuma]

Mine always works... I don't have a KVH system though, just use a tripod.

Not sure about your 'locals'. True locals are spot beamed, and if you've traveled outside the spot beam that's associated with your billing address zip code then you won't get them, ever! You can, however, send DTV a waiver then sign up for Distant Network Services (DNS)... At a cost that will give you the East and West coast NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox feeds. For an additional cost you can also the 'national' PBS feed.

As I travel I always run through set-up when I get to the new location. Put in the zip code for where I'm actually located, then use the signal meter (and chirping) from the receiver to tweak the dish pointing.

So far, never had a problem... If it was me, I'd get to a town with a DTV installer and have them take a look at it... and if I was a betting man I'd bet on the KVH not pointing correctly. But who know...

Good luck

[Bill Adams]

My DirecTV service works all day, every day and I couldn't be any happier!
It is hard to tell from your post what the problem is as you don't really give any details. Are you having problems with the antenna locking onto the satellite or the DTV service after the antenna locks on?
As is mentioned above, if you are traveling you will want to get the DNS waiver so that you can receive the Network programming from NY and LA. "In theory" you could call DTV every time you moved and have them turn on the local networks but this is not very practical and the programming comes from a different satellite than there regular programming. This requires that you have the KVH move from the 101 to either the 110 or 119 satellites before you can change channels. Almost all the the DTV programming and the DNS Networks is broadcast on one satellite.

[Bill Barclay]

Let me give you details. A week ago everything worked great. Then NBC/CBS NY/LA was added, everything worked great. So I got ready to watch a football game 2-days later on CBS. The pregame worked great. As soon as game came on CBS signal went crazy & then disappeared. CBS/NBC are all gone. We call directTV, they attempt to correct and the front receiver looses all channelsfront TV). The other receivers(rearTV) can receive some channels/not CBS/NBC. Will be home a couple days. Will call directTV to come out. Will get someone who has never seen an RV. Yes I'm frustrated. I've got $4K invested plus $50 mth and rarely get TV. Pls offer advice.

[jfb]

In September, we got crossways of the DISH people in India and the Philippines. After years of excellent services from DISH, we cancelled and they didn't seem to care. We signed up with DirecTv and have never looked back, albeit its been only 30 days. If this doesn't work out, we have been invited back, several times, to DISH

[Kuma]

Bill Barclay:

Which KVH R6 set-up do you have installed? Are you using the "Multi-Service Interface Box" connected to your DTV Receiver(s) or do you have one or more of the "Integrated 12V Receivers"?

If it's the Integrated 12V Receiver I don't think a DTV service technician will be able to help much! You'll probably have to take it back where you purchased it or to the service department of some other retailer that sells AND installs the unit.

[Bill Adams]

Bill,
It sounds like you are using 2 receivers. If you used a splitter to change the one incoming cable to 2 cables to provide service to 2 receivers this is your problem. You cannot do that.
If the KVH is capable of handling a dual output (not all are) then you either need 2 separate cables running from the dish with one to each receiver or there will be a multi-switch inside the coach where one or 2 cables enter and the output will be labeled for multiple output.

[hamguy]

Hi JFB,

[we have been invited back, several times, to DISH]

We have had Direct for 3+ years. Only a couple hiccups involving poor cust svc. A simple redial took care of all but one who said she was top level. Anyway, am happy both on the road (6 months at a time) and in the stick/brick the other 6.

[Bill Barclay]

To Bill Adams - Thanks for comments. Yes, KVH R6 will handle 2-receivers/TVs. KVH recommended specific DeStacker, that I bought from them to handle the 2nd receiver/TV. KVH also provided wiring diagram used for destacker/2-receiver install. Overall system has worked perfectly at times, but fails for apparent different reasons. Latest/current failure is: Got NBC/CBS NY/LA for a few days just fine then they failed, Called DTV, telephone fix killed 1-receiver. 2nd receiver partially works. DTV recommends technician come to me when I return home in a few days. Will do, not optimistic. Any other ideas? Thanks.

[Bill Adams]

It is so unlikely that what you are seeing is a DTV issue that I would be looking for help from KVH. If you have (or can borrow) a tripod dish or if you can hook your receiver to someone's working system it would be interesting to see if the problem goes away.
One troubleshooting steps you can take is to take the destacker out of the loop. Connect the connection from the roof directly to the receiver in that cabinet and see if you normal programming returns to that receiver. If so, then you definitely have a KVH/destacker problem.

[Bill Barclay]

Thanks again Bill, it get's more complex. Got home yesterday. Planned to call DTV to get technician as they suggested. Decided to test/turn on TV one more time be be certain is still dead from last Sunday. Work's perfectly, including so called local channels. I didn't do anything different. I say thanks to the TV God's but what in the world is going on? Is this normal? Should I check on something or wait for the next failure? Remember Pigpen' from Peanuts who had the black cloud over his head?

[Bill Adams]

If, by chance, this happened when you only had one receiver turned on it would confirm my suspicion that the problem it the KVH setup. Try turning both receivers on and changing through a number of channels on each receiver. If it all goes belly-up then the KVH setup is the problem.

[itdave]

This sounds like there is a issue with Distant Networks Service (DNS). I say this because Bill said when he got home the so called local channels worked. The reason the front and rear receivers might work differently is that DTV send signals to specific receivers to enable the LA/NY feed of NBC/ABC/CBS. It may be that when Bill tried to watch the football game it may have been blacked out in the area. This would also happen if Bill has a sports package from DTV, they don't work with DNS.

I have DTV with DNS and it has worked great no matter where we travel unless the king dome can't see the satellite.

I would recommend Bill contact DTV and make sure what type of service is authorized for each receiver.