Troubleshooting Page

The Dish Network User's Resource

Something isn't working right on my Dish system.

What do I do?

When troubleshooting an existing system, it pays to stop and think about the problem before you start actually checking anything. Many problems can be solved in minutes if analysed properly. Each part of the system needs to be considered, but most of them are still working fine, and this should be your first step. Once you eliminate what is working, you can concentrate on what is not.

• Reset your receiver. You won't lose any setup and it might fix the problem. DishPro receivers can be reset by pushing the front-panel power button for a few seconds. If no luck, power down and unplug the receiver for a few minutes.
• Check your software version on the info screen and see if other users of your receiver have reported a problem similar to yours on the Bugs Page.
• If you have a second receiver, you should check to see if it has the same problem. If not, swap receivers. If the problem follows the receiver, we've got a clue.
• Use the point dish screen to check even and odd transponders on each satellite you receive.
• If you have a switch, run the check switch routine.

Be sure to check Dish Network's Customer Support Pages

Dish's FAQ pages start at http://faq.dishnetwork.com/

Why can I only get some channels?

You probably have a bad cable.

The LNBs switch polarization using a change of DC voltage. 13 volts gives you odd polarization transponders. 18 volts give you even polarization. Even and odd transponders use opposite polarization to prevent adjacent “channel” interference. A bad high resistance cable may not be able to get 18 volts to the LNB. Isolate this problem by going to the point dish screen and seeing which transponders are working. If they are all odd, you've got your clue.

Lost most channels

In Jan 2000 the 4700 lost premiums and most other stations. Dish informed another subscriber that there was a software upgrade. They said run the switch test which fixed the problem. Same effect as turning off the receiver.

My system works during the day, but not at night (or vice versa). Why?

Extremes of temperature often indicate a failing LNB. Like any piece of electronic equipment, LNBs are sensitive to the elements. Usually, a new LNB will fix this problem. If you have a Dish 500, you can swap LNBs to isolate this problem. If the problem switches to channels on the other satellite, you've got the clue you need. Use the point Dish screen to determine which satellite has the failing LNB.

During the Spring and Summer, I sometimes lose signals from one or both Echostar satellites, what can I do?

Check the weather in your area. Tall (often localized) thunderstorm clouds between you and one or more of Echostar's satellites often causes short service interruptions. Your signal will return when the storm cell passes by. A larger dish may help some, but some storms are so dense that no usable DBS signal will pass through. If your signal strength in clear weather is adequate, only the largest storms will cause this “rain fade.”

Another seasonal cause of brief signal loss is solar outages.

Ok, I've checked the weather in my area, and there isn't a hint of a storm anywhere, but I keep losing signals of the Echostar birds. What is the problem?

If you are certain that your system is working correctly, and there are no possible signal obstructions at your end, you may be experiencing a rare uplink problem. Tall storm cells near the uplink center can attenuate the signals on their way to the satellite. Check the weather near Cheyenne, Wyoming, where Echostar's primary uplink center is located. Since an uplink problem will affect everybody, you can also check at alt.dbs.echostar or DBS Forums for reports from other users.