I have been using Dish HD for some time but switched recently to Directv. They sold me a Genie HR-44 and three C-41's and installed them on the house. I bought a SWM-3 Slimline dish to mount outside on my 'quad-pod' and hooked the cable to the cable-in on the RV. I hooked up the Pwr inserter and a splitter that came with the dish as well as a single LNB which appears to be the same as the one on the house (all of the stuff looks the same as on the house). So off camping I go and try to hook it up. Set up in north TX only a little ways away from home (50 miles). Bought DishPointer for phone and it says 99/101/102 at 184 az, 51 and +5 (85 degrees) tilt. Problem - no signal nada What am I doing wrong? I thought this thing would work.

RG6 cable goes to DirectTV receiver and HDMI from cable box to TV.

Did you install the power supply? Without it, no power to LNB, no signal. The coax in the RV could be RG6 or RG59. The Genie systems needs RG6 and no splitters. Try running a coax directly from the antenna to the power supply, then to the splitter and from there to the receiver.

We have 2 hookups on the outside cable and aux. The cable doesn't work for dish because there is stuff in the wire. It only works hooked to the aux because it goes straight to the dish box.

Yes, it sure does have RG6 and HDMI; and I have been enjoying HD for a couple of years now using a 211 receiver from Dish Network. However, I decided to upgrade with Directv Genie (HR-44?). Anyway I hooked it up like I thought the home system is hooked up. The cables should be good enough. It is a new dish Slimline w/SWM 3 just like at the house, but no signal. I hooked up the cable-in to the power inserter's power side and the other side (IFR) goes to the splitter where I connected to the PVR and to a C-41 - I'm thinking perhaps I am wrong about how to hook it up. I read through a bunch of other threads, but couldn't find what I need. (I am not positive that my new dish and LNB are the same as on the house but they sure look the same. The LNB is a single tri-LNB in one knob-looking thingy and it too looks like the one on the house. The dish and mount are definitely the same. I used the LNB, SWM-3, power inserter and splitter that came with the dish. Sure looks nice, but won't peep.

Is the power supply plugged in to 120VAC?

Why no TV signal? | Good Sam Community

34 Replies

jdubya
Explorer
May 11, 2015
Hi all those following my post: I have been chased from the Directv trouble by storms in the area again. So I packed the dish up as the water in the lake rose.

@Bobbo: you are correct about the possibility of misalignment, BUT (big but) I have done this before on Dish Network. I did not say that I expected the system to see the signal based on the settings, I said I expected to be able to find it near those settings, so I suspected that I was doing something wrong. I have never had a situation where I could not find a satellite somewhere. Usually all I have to do is get the elevation right and then turn the azimuth through the circle in the approx direction and I would get signal from 'a' satellite perhaps not the right one. I could then find the right one and correct up or down/ side to side for the best signal.

Sometimes when I had difficulty finding it, I would pick up the dish and carry it around, changing the angles as I went, until I could find an 'open enough' spot. Then note the direction, set up the 'quad-pod' and aim it. Never had this much trouble finding a signal. On Dish Network anything over 50 would work so all I had to do was find the right hole in the trees.

In this case, the southern sky is wide open - we have stayed here before - super easy to get signal. But I cannot - so I suspect non-functioning parts or incorrect wiring - pretty sure I have the wiring right.

I am not familiar with Directv, so I asked for help in determining what was going wrong since I tried all my tricks and could get no indication that the dish system was ever receiving a signal or even working. I should have tried it at home first. New equipment, new system (to me) and so I am dropping the attempts until I can verify that the parts are working before wasting any more time on it, not to mention bad weather.

The last couple of days it has rained almost without ceasing. I have a lake-front site now that the lake has risen another 3' - and now the waterline is right where I had set the dish which used to be 150' from the waterline. And the lake was really up when we got here last Wednesday - we needed the rain though!

We are close enough to a big city that we can get regular tv on antenna. But I am paying $50 - 100 per mo for this service and I wanted to use it. If it were something that I just didn't know about, I hoped some of you could clue me in and you did - but it still don't work.

Thanks again - I'll follow-up when I get home and test things out (if I have a home left).
Bobbo
Explorer III
May 10, 2015
I told him that, but he said the numbers were right on his antenna, so he must be on the satellite. He doesn't understand that if you are off only a little, you won't get a signal at all. He seems to think the signal just tapers as you get farther, rather than suddenly being gone.
1mtnman
Explorer II
May 10, 2015
I suspect your problem is associated with properly aiming your dish. Accuracy in aiming is the key to getting on the proper satellite. I use a signal devise that has a earpiece that you use to tune to the highest pitch signal. If you get a good signal on 101 it will also provide a adequate signal on the other two satellites for HD TV.

Here is a Direct TV forum site that has good info for users. DIRECTVFORUM
2oldman
Explorer II
May 09, 2015
Thank you for the additional information. Yes, with that system test result and no beeping, something is suspect in the hardware. Afraid I can't add much more than that without further research.
jdubya
Explorer
May 09, 2015
Bobbo wrote:
If you ran a coax cable directly from the receiver to the antenna, without using the RV's cabling, and still get no signal, I bet your antenna is mis-aimed. You can't just dial in the numbers and set the antenna on the ground. It takes fine adjustments after that. Yes I am aware of the fact that it won't be real good, but I am unable to find any signal at all. The system test recognizes the equipment, but sees no signal - none. I cannot believe that I am unable to get within some level of nearness to this set of satellites using the settings given. The unit has a built-in level, and vernier dials on azimuth and elevation. The Dish Pointer Pro says I am pointing right at the cluster of 99, 101 and 103, but it does not see them. I cannot get any signal which leads me to believe that I am doing something terribly incorrectly or something is not functioning.

Even my 18" round antenna has to be adjusted after being set up. The numbers are just a guidline.
jdubya
Explorer
May 09, 2015
2oldman wrote:
Setting up a Slimline is not that easy, especially for the first few times.
jdubya wrote:
. All of the transponders register '0' - I am not certain which of the selections I should use -
I'm not familiar with the Genie, but I am familiar with Slimline aiming and a regular HD box.

To aim, I use a Swift Hitch camera to see the Signal Meters screen, NOT the signal strength screen (which shows each transponder). Does the Genie have that screen?Yes, it says tuner 1, tuner 2, tuner 3, tuner, 4, tuner 5. All of them say 'unavailable' That said, I've been told the Genie receiver has the BEEPS in it, like the old SD receivers, and unlike my HD receiver. That alone should be enough to aim your dish sans any separate meters.

Also, shoot the 101 at 90°, THEN set the skew. That should work much better.

Does Genie have a System Test function that will make sure all is well with your hardware? The system test runs and ends saying usually 771 no signal and sometimes 775 unable to communicate with dish. That would reveal a bad LNB, which is not likely.
jdubya wrote:
I bought a SWM-3 Slimline dish to mount outside on my 'quad-pod'
Is that a tripod? It is a 4-legged tripod pinned to the ground similar to the Dish Traveler (I think it is called) except no dome wrapped around it and no automatic setting features.
jdubya wrote:
One guy says that he uses the sound from the setup of directv to listen while he adjusts - that is great, except I get absolutely no signal.
That's what I would do. When you say 'no signal', do you mean no beeping?Yes, no sound at all
Bobbo
Explorer III
May 08, 2015
If you ran a coax cable directly from the receiver to the antenna, without using the RV's cabling, and still get no signal, I bet your antenna is mis-aimed. You can't just dial in the numbers and set the antenna on the ground. It takes fine adjustments after that.

Even my 18" round antenna has to be adjusted after being set up. The numbers are just a guidline.
2oldman
Explorer II
May 08, 2015
Setting up a Slimline is not that easy, especially for the first few times.
jdubya wrote:
. All of the transponders register '0' - I am not certain which of the selections I should use -
I'm not familiar with the Genie, but I am familiar with Slimline aiming and a regular HD box.

To aim, I use a Swift Hitch camera to see the Signal Meters screen, NOT the signal strength screen (which shows each transponder). Does the Genie have that screen? That said, I've been told the Genie receiver has the BEEPS in it, like the old SD receivers, and unlike my HD receiver. That alone should be enough to aim your dish sans any separate meters.

Also, shoot the 101 at 90°, THEN set the skew. That should work much better.

Does Genie have a System Test function that will make sure all is well with your hardware? That would reveal a bad LNB, which is not likely.
jdubya wrote:
I bought a SWM-3 Slimline dish to mount outside on my 'quad-pod'
Is that a tripod?
jdubya wrote:
One guy says that he uses the sound from the setup of directv to listen while he adjusts - that is great, except I get absolutely no signal.
That's what I would do. When you say 'no signal', do you mean no beeping?
jdubya
Explorer
May 08, 2015
@2oldman: According to the DishPointer app, the amount is plus or minus from the 'zero' which on this dish is 90 so if I understood their description +5 would mean a setting of 85 (90-5) which was very close to what the Directv setup claimed for this zip code - 182, 51, 84 (azimuth, elevation, tilt), so at 184, 51, 85 I should be within honing distance. But I get no signal at all.
2oldman
Explorer II
May 08, 2015
jdubya wrote:
Bought DishPointer for phone and it says 99/101/102 at 184 az, 51 and +5 (85 degrees) tilt.
I don't understand this part.

My Slimline elevation mark only goes up to 60°. 51 makes sense, but what does +5, and 85° mean?

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Why no TV signal?

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