Lost Locals on 6.4a

peasnluv11 · 08-17-2012, 08:13 AM

Hey all,

I lost all of my local channels yesterday and I'm not sure how to proceed. I've searched the forums and it seems that most folks that lost their local channels upgraded to 6.4a and it solved their problem. Unfortunately, I'm already on 6.4a! I've tried both Restart & Clear options and forced a call which reports that it was successful but still no luck! I also sent a re-authorization from the DTV website.

Here's my setup:

Philips DSR704
Software Version: 6.4a-01-2-101

Any ideas?

sbourgeo · 08-17-2012, 08:26 AM

This is the first I've heard of someone having this issue with 6.4a. Do you have another DirecTV receiver where the locals are working/not working properly? That could at least potentially narrow down the issue to this particular receiver.

peasnluv11 · 08-17-2012, 08:38 AM

Unfortunately, this is my only receiver!

dcstager · 08-17-2012, 11:14 AM

Try a "rehit" of your receiver:

https://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/mydir...horization.jsp

peasnluv11 · 08-17-2012, 02:17 PM

Just retried re-authorizing my receiver, reacquired the guide and still no locals.

I also had a spare IDE hard drive sitting around that I Instant Caked with the 6.4 image and put it in my receiver and got the same result. Just wanted to rule out that there was an issue with the drive itself.

Any other ideas?

stevel · 08-17-2012, 02:36 PM

Sometimes it may take 12-24 hours after a reauth for the locals to appear. It is probably an issue related to the access card.

peasnluv11 · 08-17-2012, 02:55 PM

I reauthorized my receiver the first time last night around 9:00pm CST. Do you think I should just wait until tomorrow to see if they return? You also mentioned a possible issue with my access card, do you mean there could be something physically wrong with it?

Ilovetorecord2 · 08-17-2012, 03:14 PM

I checked my HDVR2 and the software is 6.4a.01-2-151. Not sure if it makes a difference. Don't remember how long it took for the locals to come in.

sbourgeo · 08-17-2012, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ilovetorecord2

I checked my HDVR2 and the software is 6.4a.01-2-151. Not sure if it makes a difference. Don't remember how long it took for the locals to come in.

The last three digits just specify the manufacturer/model, so that's OK. The 151 just means you have a Hughes HDVR2 and the 101 in peasnluv11's software version indicates a Philips DSR7000. Basically if you have 6.4a-01-2-xxx then you have the latest and greatest on a S2 DirecTiVo.

peasnluv11, have you tested the signal strength on all transponders?

peasnluv11 · 08-17-2012, 03:59 PM

OK, I just cycled through all 32 transponders and I get 90+ on both inputs for every transponder except:

12 - No Signal at all
4 & 20 - in the 20's
26 - in the 70's
28 - in the 80's

stevel · 08-17-2012, 07:23 PM

That's not good - on a single-sat box such as yours you should have a good signal on all transponders.

sbourgeo · 08-17-2012, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peasnluv11

OK, I just cycled through all 32 transponders and I get 90+ on both inputs for every transponder except:

12 - No Signal at all
4 & 20 - in the 20's
26 - in the 70's
28 - in the 80's

I would be concerned about 12, 4, and 20 on the 101 satellite.

Is that the signal strength on both tuners? Also, is it possible you have a loose cable somewhere?

peasnluv11 · 08-17-2012, 10:05 PM

Yes, it's the signal strength on both tuners. Both tuners mirror each other or are very close on every transponder. It's definitely possible that there is a loose cable somewhere! I'll re-check them all tomorrow and report back. Thanks to everyone for your help so far!

peasnluv11 · 08-18-2012, 01:58 PM

OK, checked the cables from the LNB all the way back to the receiver and they are tight. Each cable run goes from LNB -> Ground Block -> Receiver. There are no switches or splitters.

Would you all recommend repositioning the dish to try and get a signal on transponder 12 and increase the signals on 4 & 20, even if it is to the detriment of the other transponders that I'm currently getting 90+ on?

stevel · 08-18-2012, 06:41 PM

Repositioning is not likely to help here. I'd guess that the LNB has gone bad, but that's only because I've run out of other ideas.

peasnluv11 · 08-18-2012, 07:46 PM

I have a spare LNB! I'll switch them out tomorrow and see if that helps!

peasnluv11 · 08-20-2012, 08:23 AM

Switched out the LNB, same result. Any other ideas? I'm beginning to think I'm going to have to break down and upgrade to the new Tivo box from DTV!

sbourgeo · 08-20-2012, 08:46 AM

I'm running low on troubleshooting ideas.

Do you have a friend with DirecTV where you could hook your receiver up at their place and check the signal strength on all transponders with their dish and/or who could loan you a spare DirecTV receiver to see what the signal strength looks like on all transponders with your dish?

peasnluv11 · 08-20-2012, 02:03 PM

Yes, I have someone that I can swap receivers and try both. It'll probably be this weekend before I can get to it! Do you think there might be a possibility that the tuner in my receiver is going bad?

sbourgeo · 08-20-2012, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peasnluv11

Yes, I have someone that I can swap receivers and try both. It'll probably be this weekend before I can get to it! Do you think there might be a possibility that the tuner in my receiver is going bad?

I suppose it's possible. At least if you are able to try it with someone else's equipment you can isolate the problem to you receiver or to your dish/cabling.

dcstager · 08-25-2012, 03:13 PM

I'm going to guess that you are trying to receive locals that are not local. The spot beam covering your actual geographic area is different than the location in the Tivo setup or the locals are on a satellite your dish can't receive like having a single LNB when you need a 3 LNB or something like that.