SW44 switch discussion

[rosenqui]

Stupid question perhaps, but have you gone through the 3100 receiver's installation menus and told it to perform a "check switch"? It needs to know that you've now got a SW44 in the mix since it needs to tell the SW44 which satellite/polarity it wants to tune.

[patty16]

yes I have done check probably 10 times with no luck

[Pinza]

And still no signal levels.?

I would also try a Check Switch with no input on the 3100, then hook it up again and fingers crossed it will work.

It will turn out to be something pretty simple, like the length of the centre pin on the connector, or something.

[dosborne]

Originally Posted by patty16

So is the problem with the reciever? or does anyone have any suggestions?

A quality brand or a $5 'internet special'?

[patty16]

the reciever i have owned from new and worked fine until i installed the sw44

[Pinza]

I think he was referring to the Switch.....

[patty16]

I paid $40 for the switch, its a legit switch

the switch works fine
i've had 6141, 4100, and a coolsat that picked up the signal fine

just for some strange reason the 3100 I get nothing

[dosborne]

Originally Posted by patty16

I paid $40 for the switch, its a legit switch
i've had 6141, 4100, and a coolsat that picked up the signal fine

Do you have a make an model number of the switch? Does it have a proper power inserter and power supply? Is it a make/model supported by Bell? Jusr because it "works" for some recievers does not mean it follows the standards.

Coolsat.... hmmmm... please keep in mind that pirating is illegal and discussions are not tolerated here. There is no legitimate reason for using a coolsat with Bell TV. FTA receivers are notorious for frying ports/switches.

[patty16]

The switch this the exact same as the one posted in Hugh post #2

The only reason I tried the fta box was to see if it would pick up the signal
I use it for true fta purposes sorry if I misled its use

[mapleleafer]

Hi There,

I know this has been discussed a bit and I saw a couple threads saying that the SW44 is an outdoor capable switch but want to confirm.

I looked at my dish and mounted on the back is the SW44 with no casing, just mounted and the lines running out of it 2 to the basement where the PVR is and 1 to the 2nd bedroom for the 2 room solution (this seems to make the most sense where the switch is then since lines go upstairs and downstairs from the dish)....

This should be OK right? I can't tell if it is grounded or not... how would I know? I have had it for 2 months and thru heavy snow, no problems at all yet. So just let it ride and relax?

Thanks!

[dosborne]

Originally Posted by mapleleafer

I looked at my dish and mounted on the back is the SW44 with no casing, just mounted and the lines running out of it 2 to the basement where the PVR is and 1 to the 2nd bedroom for the 2 room solution (this seems to make the most sense where the switch is then since lines go upstairs and downstairs from the dish)....

This should be OK right? I can't tell if it is grounded or not... how would I know?

Yes, they are designed to be installed outdoors, although many people prefer to have them inside.

Grounding is usually done through a grounding block located where the cable enters your house. My guess is that the majority of the installs do not caontain a grounding block although I suspect most municipality regulations require it. There is a good thread on grounding in another forum (OTA I believe).

[KRD01967]

I have a sw44a at the beginning connected in the proper order to a sw44. From there my original 2 9242s are working properly however, my new( to me) 9200 will only detect the cable coming directly from the sw44a and not the one going through the power inserter. I am fairly confident that all the cables are good, I have switched the one that comes straight from the sw44a into the 9200 using either of the 2 tuner inputs and it is recognized correctly. Also, is it normal to be able to unplug the sw44a and still receive perfect signals/channels with the 9242s? I thought that since the signals are going through the sw44a before the sw44 that the sw44a would need to be plugged in to be able to use my 9242s.
A couple of points that may or may not be relevant. I do not have the grounding set up for the sw44a at either the dish end or the power end.The 9200 has not been activated.
I am stumped...(and losing my mind) please help


Thanks

[Pinza]

Grounding should not create this problem, nor should the fact the 9200 is not activated.

Why not just use the Power inserter to just feed the SW44a and feed the 9200 from 2 of the other 3 ports.?

I am guessing the 9242's are both on the SW44.? If so, dropping power on the SW44a should not affect them.

It seems to be a defective Power Inserter to me.

[KRD01967]

Thanks for the help! After replacing a couple of connectors and moving things around a little I was able to momentarily get a guide displayed as well as a pretty strong signal for at least 1 of the satellites( I forgot which one ) Bell is sending me out a smart card however,from what you were saying even at this point I should be receiving a normal signal. From the beginning of this little project the only error I consistently receive is : error port 1b Satellite input 1 missing ( I think that is how it is phrased)

If my 2 9242s are working perfectly is it safe to assume that the connection between the sw44 and the sw44a is fine?( since the sw44a is BEFORE the sw44)
If so, one would have to assume the issue is with the power inserter as you alluded to.

Thanks again

[KRD01967]

I took your advice Pinza and used a 3rd port on the sw44a to feed the 9200. With that config everything works perfectly. Of course, I would prefer to maintain 2 open ports for future use. So would that mean that the sat. out from the actual power inserter is bad?

Thanks again for all your help