Community Forums

rpasetto · 07-29-2020, 08:43 AM

So after installing the Winegard DirecTV to DISH conversion on my Winegard Traveler, I tested it, all the functions worked ... once. It stowed, did a seek and found the correct DISH satellites and reception was great. But that was last week. Yesterday I went to shut down and stow the dish; I got the "AZ Motor Stall" message.

Spoke to Winegard and, after a few minutes of discussion and 'diagnostic" steps, I was informed that that model Travler was un-repairable. I was offered a "refurbished" Traveler, for $800 plus shipping; that's about half the price of a new one, with half the warranty. Needless to say I am not going that route.

Does anyone have ideas about what to try next to fix?... if there is one. The rep's suggestions had mostly to do with making sure the LNB cable was not interfering, but that would be the tilt motor, not the azimuth motor.

I would not be adverse to going to another brand; I've heard of RF Mogul, do not know about that one or others so if anyone has experience on those, let me know.

450Donn · 07-29-2020, 08:59 AM

Junk it and go buy one of the portsble domes. You will be much happier.

chuckbear · 07-29-2020, 09:01 AM

The dish needs to be recalibrated. Here is the procedure...

Press and hold "enter" on the interface box until "enter user menu" appears.
Press "select" to move the * next to yes, and then press "enter"
Press "select" 2 times until the * is next to "installation" then press "enter"
When asked for password, press "enter" 4 times
Press "select" until the * is next to "calibrate EL", and then press "enter"
Press “Select” to move the * to yes, then press ”enter”
It will then say “calibrate el in progress”
It will then say "on EL hard stop." Verify If the satellite dish is still pointing straight up press "select" to move the * next to yes, and then press "enter"
It should say calibrate EL success. Once it does press "enter"
Press "select" until the * is next to "exit"
It should now say "power off: yes/no." Press "select" to move the * next to yes and then press "enter"
It may come up and say EL MOTOR HOME FAILURE again, if it does press enter and it will say STOWING

Chuck

rpasetto · 07-29-2020, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckbear

The dish needs to be recalibrated. Here is the procedure...

Press and hold "enter" on the interface box until "enter user menu" appears.
Press "select" to move the * next to yes, and then press "enter"
Press "select" 2 times until the * is next to "installation" then press "enter"
When asked for password, press "enter" 4 times
Press "select" until the * is next to "calibrate EL", and then press "enter"
Press “Select” to move the * to yes, then press ”enter”
It will then say “calibrate el in progress”
It will then say "on EL hard stop." Verify If the satellite dish is still pointing straight up press "select" to move the * next to yes, and then press "enter"
It should say calibrate EL success. Once it does press "enter"
Press "select" until the * is next to "exit"
It should now say "power off: yes/no." Press "select" to move the * next to yes and then press "enter"
It may come up and say EL MOTOR HOME FAILURE again, if it does press enter and it will say STOWING

Chuck

I tried that yesterday after the "EL motor stall" message. That was somewhere in the manual. After that I got the "AZ Motor" message. Nothing in the manual about dealing with AZ Motor.

I manually stowed the dish just now. I'll try the whole thing again later.

chuckbear · 07-29-2020, 10:01 AM

Since you stowed it manually, you might try raising it and then stowing again to see if it works. You can go into the diagnostic mode and run the AL and EL test. This shouldn't raise the dish. If all that does not work and you get the AZ motor stall again, you will probably need to send the turret back for repairs. Chuck

PJStough · 07-29-2020, 10:24 AM

I had the same problem back in April. After talking to Winegard, and trying what they suggested, they said it was unrepairable, so I removed it and threw it in the dumpster.

rpasetto · 07-29-2020, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PJStough

I had the same problem back in April. After talking to Winegard, and trying what they suggested, they said it was unrepairable, so I removed it and threw it in the dumpster.

What troubled me most is that I was told it was "too old" for them to have repair parts. It was only a month earlier, when I ordered the DISH changeover kit, they had a "Software-Hardware check to determine if the Travelr was "new enough" to work with the DISH kit.

Lack of confidence in Winegard is one reason to look elsewhere.

Busnut · 07-29-2020, 01:48 PM

Had the same problem last year. I called Winegard. They told me the Turret needs to be rebuilt. It would be $500.00 plus shipping there and back comes with a 90 day warranty. I waited a few months, I was ready to ship it. Winegard told me it was to old. They don't work on that model any more. I showed them the emails that I had. They changed there tune and told me to send it. Been working fine now.

rpasetto · 07-29-2020, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busnut

Had the same problem last year. I called Winegard. They told me the Turret needs to be rebuilt. It would be $500.00 plus shipping there and back comes with a 90 day warranty. I waited a few months, I was ready to ship it. Winegard told me it was to old. They don't work on that model any more. I showed them the emails that I had. They changed there tune and told me to send it. Been working fine now.

They told me it was too old right away. Wondering if I should take it off and try to get the motor rebuilt... or maybe sell it online for parts... The Dish upgrade kit was just put in last week. Also I have all the DIrecTV parts ... LNBs, dish, everything that was removed duringt the DishNet conversion. Anyone interested in the DirecTV stuff, PM me. I'm certainly not going to need that.

Busnut · 07-30-2020, 01:36 PM

If it was me I would ask for the manager. I would tell them you just bought the conversion kit and it did worked at first. And now it don't. That if they are not going to fix it. That they should refund you the cost of the conversion kit.

rpasetto · 07-30-2020, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busnut

If it was me I would ask for the manager. I would tell them you just bought the conversion kit and it did worked at first. And now it don't. That if they are not going to fix it. That they should refund you the cost of the conversion kit.

I've been down that road already; they know that the system locks-in on satellites using the signal from the LNBs; it does not have a GPS. They don't want to hear that or anything else. My plan is to reinstall the DirecTV arm and dish to see if that changes things; however I get the feeling I am dealing with a ruthless company that just wants customer support to sell.

chuckbear · 07-30-2020, 02:06 PM

Have you tried it since you manually stowed it? Have you reprogrammed the controller for Dish Sats? Chuck

rpasetto · 07-30-2020, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckbear

Have you tried it since you manually stowed it? Have you reprogrammed the controller for Dish Sats? Chuck

Yes, First thing after installing the Dish upgrade kit is to reprogram the control box to Dish, with the code for the LG base which it has.

I tried it a few times after manually stowing. Same thing happens, the search starts and then starts pointing higher and twisting clockwise until it stops, usually with the AZ motor stall message (I also have gotten the EL stall). I suspect that the signal from the Dish LNBs is telling it to go that way for the satellites. Of course it could be something else; it could be the control electronics inside the turret or the motors. But Winegard is not willing to even hear the possibility of something that might be their responsibility.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, I will make a test. I'll remove the Dish kit and reinstall the old DirecTV LNBs and reflector. Then I'll have to reset the control box to DTV and see if the Trav'ler correctly seeks to the DTV satellites. If it does, that's proof that the Dish-LNB kit is causing the problem.

If it "goes whacko" there could be other possibilities... one is that a flaw in the Dish LNB kit 'fried' the electronics in the turret, another is that coincidentally both AZ and EL motors simultaneously went bad. ... or perhaps it was the "coincidence" that the electronics went south... or maybe it was something I did wrong... I cannot prove to Winegard that I followed their instructions to a "T", although that seemed to be the attitude they took with me when I called support.

I've tried to be open minded with Winegard, but after being told they would give me a "special price" on a refurb Dish unit at $800 with 1 year warranty, I looked up a new Dish unit and it's running around $1400 with a 2 year warranty. Kind of makes one suspicious of how special that deal is.

Pigman1 · 07-30-2020, 02:51 PM

Welcome to the Winegard tap dance. Have you gotten to the service/technical rep who reads you the same lines off their computer time after time regardless of what you ask them? A bit over 2 years ago I got sick of it and junked it. Bought a RF Mogul and haven't looked back. The mogul controller is faster, more accurate and has a wider tuning envelope than Trav'lers. In addition, you can get actual technical information over the phone, and they will furnish you parts rather than requiring you send the whole antenna back before they'll even tell you if they'll be able to fix it. When Winegard was the only game in town, you had no choice, but there are good alternatives out there now.