Community Forums

Art E · 07-25-2017, 09:51 PM

I'll be short as possible. I have a Winegard Trav'ler SK1000 for Dish network. It has a two year factory warranty. At two and a half years the "box" gave me an error message "no antenna communication." I called Winegard and the sent instructions. I had to remove the entire turret (35 lbs) box it up and ship to them. They made repairs and shipped it back, at my expense, total of about $550.00. So, I had to reinstall it.. Did I mention I am 76 years old? So I reinstalled it, hooked it all up, turned it on and received message on box "no antenna communication." I was beyond angry. I called Winegard and was told I probably need a new cable, and they gave me the part number. I am waiting for the cable now.

Why is it that Winegard doesn't have any local repair shops? The only way to get a Trav'ler dish repaired is to ship it back to them!

Also, they should have had me try replacing the cable first and if that did not work then go through the process of removing and shipping turret.

Even when I get the new cable I'm not sure it will fix the problem. I am 6 weeks into this project and down about $600.00.

Has anyone else experienced this problem?

imUrlaub · 07-25-2017, 09:57 PM

I'm curious, what did they say was wrong with the unit? I'm simply guessing, perhaps a faulty cable caused an issue with the receiver so after repairing the receiver the original issue remained to be dealt with? It surprises me that Winegard did not provide some troubleshooting help.

Craig36 · 07-25-2017, 10:08 PM

Curious why you felt compelled to try to fix this yourself. Many RV repair shops could have worked on it, including Camping World who sells and installs dishes. Skills vary from mechanic to mechanic, but a place that installs them would likely have had previous experience that could have saved you time and money.

Art E · 07-25-2017, 10:19 PM

So, I had called Camping World, who did install it originally. They said it was usual practice to recommend customer do it themselves. They were "not qualified" and did not have parts to make repair. They said I could bring them the RV, they would remove turret and send it to Winegard, the same as a customer would. And then they would charge for their labor.

Art E · 07-25-2017, 10:24 PM

When I called them originally they asked me to look at cable both on roof and at control box to see if "it looked ok." It looked ok to me. After all of this it appears the cable may have been the problem all along. Will know when new cable gets here.

imUrlaub · 07-27-2017, 08:04 AM

One check you can do easily is for a insulation fault. If you have a multi-meter set to ohms check the resistance from the center conductor and shield or outside conductor. The cable should not be connected to anything. The reading should infinite or open. If it reads a short or some resistance the cable has a fault.

imUrlaub · 07-27-2017, 08:12 AM

Another check is to disconnect the cable from all equipment, connect a 9 volt battery to the cable on one end and use the multimeter to check the voltage at the other end. If the voltage is less than 9v then there is a drop that could indicate a fault.

Art E · 07-27-2017, 03:19 PM

Great info. My new cable should be here in a day or two. I don't want to go on my roof before then, but I will check the existing cable then per your instructions before installing new cable. Thanks again, I will post results.

egwilly · 07-27-2017, 08:39 PM

All good ideas Art.....best of luck, and be careful up there!

dennis45 · 07-27-2017, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art E

I'll be short as possible. I have a Winegard Trav'ler SK1000 for Dish network. It has a two year factory warranty. At two and a half years the "box" gave me an error message "no antenna communication." I called Winegard and the sent instructions. I had to remove the entire turret (35 lbs) box it up and ship to them. They made repairs and shipped it back, at my expense, total of about $550.00. So, I had to reinstall it.. Did I mention I am 76 years old? So I reinstalled it, hooked it all up, turned it on and received message on box "no antenna communication." I was beyond angry. I called Winegard and was told I probably need a new cable, and they gave me the part number. I am waiting for the cable now.

Why is it that Winegard doesn't have any local repair shops? The only way to get a Trav'ler dish repaired is to ship it back to them!

Also, they should have had me try replacing the cable first and if that did not work then go through the process of removing and shipping turret.

Even when I get the new cable I'm not sure it will fix the problem. I am 6 weeks into this project and down about $600.00.

Has anyone else experienced this problem?

I definetly feel your pain Art. Attached is a link to a thread on my experience with Winegard. My advice would be to call a few local RV dealers and ask who does their installations. Eventually you will get one that is an independent that knows his stuff and should be able to help.
My issue is still not resolved but when I get home in a month I'll have my local guy take a look and see if he can get it done.

Good luck.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f59/wineg...nt-340313.html

imUrlaub · 07-28-2017, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art E

Great info. My new cable should be here in a day or two. I don't want to go on my roof before then, but I will check the existing cable then per your instructions before installing new cable. Thanks again, I will post results.

Please let us know how things work out and what you discover. Also, do. be careful on the roof.

USMCRET · 08-03-2017, 05:00 AM

I have the DirecTV version of the Trav'ler. I got the "No LNB voltage" code on my control box, which sounds similar to what the OP is dealing with. I researched this forum first and found that this is a common problem and the small cable between the LNB and the turret was most likely the issue. I called Winegard and had a replacement sent. When I removed the original cable, I was surprised to find no visual evidence of corrosion or anything else that had been reported on this forum. Nevertheless, replacing the cable cured the problem.

I'm sorry the OP spent that money to send the turret back. I'll bet the new cable cures it, and Winegard should be shamed for not doing a better job of helping the OP diagnose his issue.

Bob_C · 08-03-2017, 05:37 AM

When checking coax cables, they make what's called a termination cap.....come in a bubble pak, and both HD and Lowes carry them....you disconnect both ends of cable, screw a cap on one end, then take an ohm meter at the other end and check continuity from the center wire to the outer body of the connector.....get a reading, the cables good.....but I'd wiggle the connector to make sure there wasn't a bad crimp....both ends..

imUrlaub · 08-03-2017, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob caldwell

When checking coax cables, they make what's called a termination cap.....come in a bubble pak, and both HD and Lowes carry them....you disconnect both ends of cable, screw a cap on one end, then take an ohm meter at the other end and check continuity from the center wire to the outer body of the connector.....get a reading, the cables good.....but I'd wiggle the connector to make sure there wasn't a bad crimp....both ends..

Umm, connectivity is a good test but that doesn't mean the cable is good. Unfortunately, conclusive tests aren't easy to do, for instance capacitive reactance or even the cable's capacitance measure. The small voltage applied may not be sufficient to show a breakdown in the insulation or dielectric. Nevertheless, as you point out, a mechanical issue is a common fault.