Hope I can get a few suggestions here:

I have the 9200 and the 82 signal strength is jumping from 70 to 50 or to no signal on the 9200. However I checked the other receiver in my house (4700) and the signal strength on the 91 and 82 are 70+ with no bouncing on any of the transponders. Therefore I am assuming the dish is aligned properly and the trouble is from the 9200 receiver to the Sw44 switch or from the SW44 switch to the dish.

I called Bell and they suggested plugging in the 9200 directed to the wall or to its own power bar. I did this which helped a bit but I am still getting the bouncing on some of the 82 transponders.

Can anyone offer other suggestions that I should try?

I have the same problem after my installation and have confirmed through the use of a 3100 that satellite and cables are fine. I did not directly connect the 9200 to the direct cables from the dish but suspect it is the SW44 that is at fault. Bell is sending me a new one which should arrive tomorrow or Thursday. Will let you know if it resolves the problem. My 9200 is plugged into a UPS that filters and levels the power so I would find it strange if they though being plugged into an unconditioned line would be an improvement. BTW I do not filter by cable through the UPS, just direct from the SW44 which is only 8 feet away from the PVR and the switch is only 14 feet away from the dish so not likely signal lose over long cables.

Thanks Gary for your suggestion, I will make sure I bug BELL so they will swap a SW44 with me.

Please keep me informed of your progress so I know what to try and not to try.

I will post my step by step trouble shooting as it progresses.

As of last night Dec 14, 2005, all 82 transponders were 65+ strength except 13, 12, 8 which had no signal at all. As for 91 transponders, they were 75+ on all.

I have still have not received my replacement switch but here are my current rating for both tuners:

Transponder Tuner 1 Tuner2

1 73 64
2 64 70
3 65 62
5 64 62
6 65 63
7 0 0
8 0 0
9 71 51
10 71 53
11 0 0
12 0 0
13 71 47
14 69 54
15 67 47
16 71 54
17 65 42
18 64 47
19 63 42
20 70 59
21 64 43
22 66 57
23 55 57 - 0
24 0 0
25 53 40
26 68 63
27 59 52
28 71 65
29 0 0
30 69 64
31 0 0
32 70 64

As you can see there is a large difference between the two tuners on the 9200 and the signal strength is about 10-15 % lower than when connected straight through (no SW44) to a 3100. The two cables feeding the 9200 from the SW44 are from different manufactures but both are RP6.

Will update the table once the new switch is here. Given the low 40 signal strength and one transponder that flips between 57 and 0 explains why the HD stations get lost.

Here is a tidbit of info I got from a friend you just joined BELL installations (he has no clue as why my signal is jumping around since he did the install):

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Many of you may already be aware that the 4100 receiver lacks proper shielding which results in signal loss and poor performance of the receiver. Bell had released a bulletin some time back specifically regarding 4100's operation when located close to older television sets. We are receiving additional reports from the field regarding these receivers as well as others that I felt I should pass onto the group. Please review below some of the common issues we have encountered in the field

4100 Receivers

1. Proximity to televisions - this is no longer limited to older televisions, we have experienced this problem with newer model televisions. As a rule please place the receiver as far away from the television as possible.

2. Sharing electrical outlets - avoid using an electrical outlet which is being used by a space heater, air purifier, hair dryer, aquarium pumps/accessories, vacuum cleaners or other devices which may cause signal loss or picture distortion.

3. Placement with an A/V cabinet or electronics stack - ensure the receiver is properly vented, you must have at minimum 1.5" of clearance above the receiver in order for it to dissipate heat properly.

4. As yet unconfirmed reports - we have heard from numerous techs that if the television shares a common wall with a kitchen that interference has been reported when the microwave is in use.

9200 Receivers and SW44's

1. Sharing electrical outlets - for customers with large screen televisions or large home theatre systems you should avoid using the same A/C outlet. Problems with signal strength, receivers simply not powering up and switch test errors have been resolved by simply plugging the 9200 into a separate power outlet. In some cases you may have to ask the customer to supply an extension cord so you can plug the equipment into an A/C outlet on a different circuit, in these instances you may have to instruct the customer to contact an electrician to install additional outlets in the home. *** The SW44 switch should also be plugged into a separate A/C outlet***

2. Power Bars - do not use power bars, always plug the device directly into a wall. *** This applies to all Bell receivers ***

*********************************************************

So the 9200 is a power beast and needs its own generator. lol

BTW...I made sure all my connections to the SW44 were in the same order as the diagram shown on another post here for 9200 installations. I noticed a bright blue spark (very small but shows that a receiver is plugged in on that line) from one of the line from the receiver to the SW44 switch since this line had a new end placed on during install. However the other line from the same reciever with no new end placed on it did not really show a small spark. I am assuming then the end is corroded thus not giving a good contact with the SW44. When I replace the end and I will post my results, I hope I will not need to replace the whole line..:(

Also Gary, I read more about transponders and for some of the transponders that have no signal could mean that there are no channels on that transponder for HD since there are only 20+ channels so far. I think the best measure will be the signals that due actually lock on SAT 82 but then start jumping around. Let me know what you think....

James

Thanks James for the additional information. I posted all the transponders just to be complete, the ones with 0 values typically are not available but I had one that was poping from 0-56%. I can understand perhaps if some one add all there equipment attached to a power bar but my PVR and Inverter are power off a ACP UPS that conditions the power so there is a constant voltage. I would have thought that this would provide the best of all worlds for any electronic equipment to run in. I am tracing as we speak where my replacement equipment is and I am going to go back this week end and ensure that I have clean and long leads on the coax where it connects with the SW44 to eliminate bad connects as a possible cause....stay tuned

Looks like you got a pretty awesome setup there Gary!!!

I will be monkeying around this weekend with it as well and I will report back with any news....Have a good weekend!

James

Have had to change my SW44 switch a couple of times and with the last one it seems that all the even transponder signals are lower on 82; i.e.
11-88, 12-59, 13-66, 14-61, 15-69, 16-59, 24-47, 25-87.Checked the connections and cable and they seem to be all right. I have 2 dishes, one for 82 and one for 91. Could it still be one of the cables causing the problem? Both are the same length 60 - 70 ft. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Folks, please please either give your locations or put them in your user profile (thanks Garry for yours). Depending on where you are, reception on 82 can vary. If you're all in Central Canada its usually not a problem but in many other places it can be.

Any trees in the way? I just did an install with the exact same problem. Re-mounted the dish with a clear sight and now stable.

For clear sight suggestions, refer to the installation section in the 9200 receiver manual.

I had a very similar problem as discussed in this thread:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=45647

My problem was on Sat 91 and turned out to be the LNB after a lot of troubleshooting. Try replacing your LNB....

My 4700 was only affected very slightly, seems to be something the 9200 is more sensitive to.

Skippy31

Cable length also affects the signal. 30 meters of cable can reduce your strength by 5-8 points on your meter, ie: 80% to 73%. Keep cables short and don't just coil up excess cable.