Here you will find some of the most common questions that we are asked. Hopefully, this compilation will help you fix the simpler problems that you may be confronted with from your C-Band satellite system.

Question: What if all of the channels of the same polarity are snowy or wrong pictures on a satellite and on a neighboring satellite the opposite channels are snowy or wrong pictures? (Example: On G5 all the odd channels are out and evens are in and on F3 all the odd channels are in and evens are out.) *Polarity refers to like channels on a satellite such as all odd channels or all even channels. Answer: If the wires on the back of the satellite receiver are accessible, check those that connect to the polarizer terminals. They may also be called polarity or servo terminals. The polarity wires are usually Red, Black, and White (or Clear). These should connect to Red = +5V, Black = Ground (GND), and White = Pulse ( _P _ ). If these wires seem to be connected properly, then it will probably require a dealer or a technician to check the servo motor or other parts of the system.

 

Question: What is Terrestrial Interference (TI) and how does it affect my system? What can be done about it? Answer: TI  is anything operating on a microwave transmission which is the same as your satellite receives. Depending on the severity of the TI, your screen may be totally snowy or wavy, or you may see "sparkles" in bright or dark colors on your picture. TI may not affect every channel. It may only be apparent at certain times of the day. Various types of TI filters are available and may help eliminate the problem.

 

Question: All of my odd/even channels are out on every satellite. What causes this? Answer: Usually this is caused by the Low Noise Block Downconverter (LNB) not functioning properly. * LNB is the component responsible for converting the bulk signal your satellite dish receives and breaking it down into frequencies that are recognizable by your satellite receiver.

 

Question: I'm missing odd channels on some satellites and even channels on other satellites. I've tried adjusting the skew and it does not help. Why? Answer: There may be a lose wire somewhere between your satellite dish and your satellite receiver. If you have verified that all of the wiring from your dish to your receiver is tightly connected, the servo motor on the dish has most likely malfunctioned. * Servo motor is a small 2 x 3 inch component that is located under the feedhorn cover of your satellite dish. It is responsible for changing the polarity your satellite receiver is accepting in order to receive either odd or even channels.

 

Question: All of my satellite channels are snowy and tuning east/west does not help like it usually does. What is the problem? Answer: If the dish outside is not pointing directly at each satellite, then east/west tuning will not help. The dish needs to be realigned or adjusted.

 

Question: The signal quality on my pay channels is 80-100 but the picture still looks fuzzy. Could it be my dish? Answer: If you have a very high signal quality then the problem is not in the dish itself. It is either a problem within the receiver, a bad cable, or the connection.

 

Question: I have a Star Trak 6 receiver and all my channels have good picture and sound quality except for one. It has a clear picture and no sound. What can I do? Answer: Press the MODE button until the sound comes in. This also works with Star Trak 8 and 8+, Star Trak 500, Star Trak 600, and Star Trak 800.

 

Question: All my satellite channels are perfectly clear with good sound except one. It is fuzzy and has a voice message telling me the channel has been scrambled. Why am I receiving that message when I have paid for the channel? Answer: You need to adjust the video fine tune on that particular channel. The procedure varies per receiver.

 

Question: On every satellite channels 1 through 10 are wavy and snowy. But channels 11 through 24 are perfectly clear. I know it can't be tuning, so what causes this? Answer: Usually this is caused by the LNB not functioning properly.

 

Question: On every satellite all my higher numbered channels are out but the lower ones are perfect. I had the LNB tested and it is fine. Is it tuning? Answer: This is caused by the tuner inside the receiver malfunctioning.

 

Question: This summer I lost all my channels from noon until about 7 p.m. almost every day. I've never had this problem before. Answer: The LNB on the dish may have become temperature sensitive. Extreme heat or extreme cold may cause all your channels to go out. Check the temperature the next time it goes out and check it again when it comes back on. If there is a big difference, 90 when it goes out and 70 when it comes back on, the LNB may need to be replaced.

 

Question: My Cartoon Network is broadcasting in Spanish, but all of my other channels are normal. Answer: You need to change your audio selection. On your remote, press the "SETUP" button followed by the numbers "1" and "2" and then the number "1" again. Next, press "ENTER" and then "VIEW". This should change your system’s audio setting for that particular channel from "Alternate" to "Primary".

 

Question: My CNNI/CNNfn on W3-16 does not have any audio. All of my other channels have sound. How can I correct this? Answer: You need to change your audio selection. On your remote, press the "SETUP" button followed by the numbers "1" and "2" and then the number "1" again. Next, press "ENTER" and then "VIEW". This should change your system’s audio setting for that particular channel from "Alternate" to "Primary".