tuning adapter

[TishTash]

I have two CISCO tuning adapters on Cablevision: One downloads program info upon power up and works well; the other's light keeps blinking and blinking and blinking. They're both off a splitter and then proceed to two TiVo HDs. When you switch them, whatever TA is on one splitter always engages correctly, while the other keeps blinking, so it's not any individual TA that's broken.

Question: Why is it that one split signal apparently doesn't engage the TA while the other (apparently of equal strength) does not?

[AbMagFab]

I have two CISCO tuning adapters on Cablevision: One downloads program info upon power up and works well; the other's light keeps blinking and blinking and blinking. They're both off a splitter and then proceed to two TiVo HDs. When you switch them, whatever TA is on one splitter always engages correctly, while the other keeps blinking, so it's not any individual TA that's broken.

Question: Why is it that one split signal apparently doesn't engage the TA while the other (apparently of equal strength) does not?

Because the signal is too weak down the other path. Is the cable run a lot longer? If so, you might need an amp further up the chain.

Also, redo all your connections with compression fits.

[Sy-]

Check your splitter. See that it is not unbalanced. I have seen one that even goes -3db on one leg and -12db on the other!

[TishTash]

Because the signal is too weak down the other path. Is the cable run a lot longer? If so, you might need an amp further up the chain. Also, redo all your connections with compression fits.

Check your splitter. See that it is not unbalanced. I have seen one that even goes -3db on one leg and -12db on the other!

Nicht to both. Mostly because I lied: I tried switching the feeds, and the blinking continues on both new TAs. I haven't tested the old TA that is working simply because I'm afraid it too won't work if I reset it. But I did use that TA's feed on the new TAs -- and they keep blinking.

The signal strength on all feeds is 87 or stronger, so I doubt signal degradation is an issue. For that reason, I believe the problem may involve Cablevision being unable to download the programming appropriately to any new TAs. This started happening after a cable outtage, so perhaps that had something to do with it?

Addendum: Reading some of the related threads, heck, now I'm thinking that maybe Cablevision hasn't properly paired/authorized the non-working TAs. Stay tuned....

[TishTash]

Okay, problem solved:

Apparently, after about an hour of troubleshooting in a conference call betw the tech, his supervisor, and the TA/CC specialist, slogging meticulously through each and every parameter in the Tivo's TA Diagnostics menu, we found what was preventing the TA from being authorized:

The PowerKey menu had an expiration date of "Expired."

Apparently, periodically, the expiration is re-upped by the headend. In this case, for some reason, after the aforementioned outtage, this third TA (remember the first one was unaffected) was rendered (on Cablevision's end) as expired. Miraculously, when this was fixed (and it took a while for them to figure out how to), the TA worked flawlessly.

One curious addenda: If I hook up the second TA (from which I switched to this new one because it too was not authorizing), will it too be expired? Why these two (one of which was not even connected or registered at the time), and not the old one which was working fine? Did the EXPIRED tag affect all new TAs, and now that one is fixed, will that render new TAs also fixed? I guess I should hook up that second TA and see what happens.

(So many questions. My head's hurting.)

[NJ_HB]

TishTash, are all your TAs now working properly?
I still cannot go one full day without mine re-booting.
I'll have to quote your fix to CV if you are fine going forward.

[TishTash]

TishTash, are all your TAs now working properly?
I still cannot go one full day without mine re-booting.
I'll have to quote your fix to CV if you are fine going forward.

Yep, they're working fine. They reboot once in a while, but fixes themselves promptly. Of course, all current recordings are quashed and not resumed.

Feel free to quote, but my problem was the TA wasn't completing its setup. Once the expiration tag was fixed, all was well. This is unrelated to rebooting issues, unfortunately.

Good luck anyway!

[TishTash]

TishTash, are all your TAs now working properly?
I still cannot go one full day without mine re-booting.
I'll have to quote your fix to CV if you are fine going forward.

Say, have you tried having the cable company resend a couple of update signals to your TA(s)? I had your problem recently (losing a few recordings, of course), and had them transmit a few updates. Since then, the TAs have been very robust.

[NJ_HB]

Say, have you tried having the cable company resend a couple of update signals to your TA(s)? I had your problem recently (losing a few recordings, of course), and had them transmit a few updates. Since then, the TAs have been very robust.

Did you have to re-boot to get the updates?
CV told me there were no updates but they would send a 'signal' and if that did not work to return the TA and get a replacement.

[TishTash]

Did you have to re-boot to get the updates?
CV told me there were no updates but they would send a 'signal' and if that did not work to return the TA and get a replacement.

Well, I rebooted a couple times, but since the TA would reset periodically, I then asked for the updates to be sent. After that, the TAs worked flawlessly (for the most part), with no need to RE-boot.

[NJ_HB]

I ended up getting a replacement. The new TA is worse than the first. The new one blinks on and off all day all night, no SDV channels. Rebooted a few times. Called CV and had them send a 'signal' a few times to no avail.
Did you reboot in any specific order that you think made a defference?

[TishTash]

I ended up getting a replacement. The new TA is worse than the first. The new one blinks on and off all day all night, no SDV channels. Rebooted a few times. Called CV and had them send a 'signal' a few times to no avail.
Did you reboot in any specific order that you think made a defference?

Wow, I feel for ya man. Persistent blinking on rebooting reminds of me of that POWERKey parameter in the Tuning Adapter Diagnostics menu that read EXPIRED. I have a feeling Cablevision has to fix that for your blinking to stop. Then you can reboot, wait for the steady light, connect to your TiVo, and then have CS send you an authorization/update. Good luck!!

P.S. For what it's worth, I switched one of my TAs to a new TiVo HD. I was swapping between tuners to see if TBS was showing Catch Me If You Can in true HD or in Stretch-O-Vision. (It turned out to be neither: the HD version was either cropping the top and bottom of the SD version, or alternatively, the SD version showed an uncropped version, with extra not-seen-in-theaters top and bottom. But I digress....) While I was swapping--you guessed it--the TA rebooted. I guess I'll be sending me another update just to be sure.