Digital Satellite Systems are great!  That little dish delivers tons of entertainment, the pictures are amazingly sharp, and in most areas your monthly cost is less than cable service - and you get more channels.  But, when things go wrong it can be very frustrating!  This page contains information which may help you understand  the problem(s) you're having, and maybe even help you fix the problem yourself.  Feel free to print this page for future reference.

(Of course, we don't place any guarantees on this information, and if you work on your own system you assume any and all responsibility for any damages which may occur.)

Error Messages:  Your DSS is designed to tell you when it's not functioning properly by using the following on-screen messages.  Along with the messages we have provided their meaning and some solutions.

"Searching For Satellite Signal" -  This means your satellite system doesn't see the satellite, and can't give you anything to watch.  What causes this problem?  A number of things:

I.  The LNB may be malfunctioning.  We find that this is the most common problem.  The LNB is that little part that hangs out in front of the dish and delivers satellite signals down the cable to your receiver.  If the LNB has problems it can't deliver those signals, and your receiver tells you it's looking for the satellite signal.

        Solution:  If your system is less than one year old or you have purchased an extended warranty, call the manufacturer's help line and request service.  You may have to be firm with them.  If your system is more than one year old, and you              haven't purchased an extended warranty, remove the LNB and take it to a satellite dealer near you and have it tested.  Most satellite dealers will be glad to test your LNB at no charge.   Don't take it to a department store or an electronics store, they  won't have the proper test equipment. 

If the LNB is bad, you have two choices:

        If your system is still under warranty, call the manufacturer's warranty service number and request a replacement for your defective LNB.

If your system is out of warranty, purchase a new LNB.

II.  Your satellite dish isn't aligned properly.  If the dish isn't aimed properly, it can't receive the signals necessary to make those great digital pictures.

        If you're installing the dish yourself, be patient and follow the directions exactly as they are printed.   This isn't something you can rush through because you're anxious to watch all those channels.  Go slowly - your patience will be rewarded.

        If wind has moved your dish (it had to be a big wind if your dish was properly installed) it must be realigned.  If you can do it yourself, get out your owner's manual and your tools and re-point it.  If you can't do it, call a nearby satellite dealer and request a service call.  You'll be watching all those channels again in no time.

III.  There may be a problem with the cable connecting the LNB to the receiver.

           This is a sticky problem.   It's hard to tell if your cable is the guilty party without calling a service technician.  But, here are a couple of things to look for:

            A.  Look at the ends. 

                1.   Is the outdoor connector still shiny?  Is the center conductor still copper-colored?   If not, you may have a moisture problem.  The connector must be replaced and weather sealed to keep water from causing problems again.  If you have a satellite professional do the job, request that a compression fitting be used rather than a crimp connector.  Compression fittings use silicon seals to block moisture from entering the cable, and are pressed together with a special tool which makes a tight, weatherproof connection.

                2.   Does the center conductor extend beyond the threaded outer ring?  If not, it may not be making contact.  This happens when the cable has been stretched, or in very cold climates where temperatures cause the wire to shrink.  In either case, replace the connector and make certain that the center connector is long enough.

            B.  Check all connections.

                1.   Are the connectors all tight?  Loose connections are trouble spots for more reasons than we can count. 

                2.   Did you connect the cable to a grounding block, as the installation guide recommends?  If so, try bypassing the grounding block to see if the block has failed (use a barrel connector, easily obtained from your satellite dealer, or just switch sides of the block).  You'd be surprised how often this is the case!

                3.   Did you connect the dish cable to any splitters?  If so, get rid of them!   The signal traveling through the satellite cable can not be split without losing signal.  And, the splitters found in residential cable installations won't pass high frequency satellite signals or the DC voltage that powers the LNB on your dish.  The result - no pictures!  The solution - run one continuous piece of cable from the grounding block to the receiver.

            C.  Inspect the cable.  Look at every foot of it to see if it has been nicked or cut by weed whackers, lawn mowers, kids throwing rocks, squirrels, etc.  A nick or cut can allow moisture to enter the cable and cause it to stop passing signals.  If your system went down during or after a shower this may be why.  Look for places that have been flattened.  If the cable outside has been kinked or flattened it may have been damaged, and should be replaced - not spliced.  Don't try to splice cable that is exposed to the elements!  Regardless of how carefully you apply silicon sealants or "waterproof" tape, water will eventually seep back in and cause the problem to reoccur.  Years of experience has taught us that replacing the cable is the best thing to do.  Cable is cheap, usually around 30 cents per foot for the good stuff.  Go ahead and replace it if it is damaged.

IV.  Your receiver may be malfunctioning.

Try these little tricks:  Go to the front panel of your receiver and press the "down" arrow and the "on/off" button at the same time, hold them down for ten seconds, then release them.  Then turn your receiver back on.  It should come on in "setup mode", as if you had just plugged it in for the first time and were about to follow the on-screen directions for setup.  Different brands respond in different ways, but this "soft reboot" procedure is the same for all brands.  It's like "ctrl/alt/delete" on your PC.  If that doesn't work, remove the access card, unplug the unit's power cord, and leave it unplugged for at least fifteen minutes.  This is called a "hard reset".  The computer chips in DSS receivers sometimes get confused - much like a personal computer - and need to be "rebooted" to bring them back to proper operating condition.

If these tricks don't solve your problem follow the manufacturer's procedures for warranty repairs or call your local satellite professional for service.

"Move Dish 3 Degrees" - Contrary to what you may think, your digital satellite system isn't really all that smart.  It doesn't know which direction it's facing, it's just trying to be helpful.  Slowly moving your dish three degrees east or west may bring in the satellite signal if the dish is slightly mis-aligned, but don't think it's accurate by any means.  This on-screen message is the system's standard response to a signal loss, right after the "Searching For Satellite Signal" message goes off the screen.  What the system is actually saying is: "Hey!  Just move the dish a little and see what happens..."   When aligning your dosh it is very important to move slowly because the receiver requires a couple of seconds to lock onto a signal.  Move the dish slightly, wait about five seconds for results, and then move it slightly again if necessary.   Sweeping the dish from side to side, even slowly, can result in frustration because the system can't lock onto a signal before the dish has passed by that signal.  Go slow!

"...Please call Customer Service, Ext. ###" - There are several messages like this which relate to various problems with your system,  your channel package, and even your bill. 

The key to what each one means is in the extension number on the message. 

Here are the various extension numbers and what they mean:  (Some of this information is only useful to service technicians)

711 - Unauthorized access card.

721 - Service not authorized.  Subscription or Pay Per View purchase required to view.

722 - Expired Service.  May occur when a new service reuses an old service's ID.  May occur when the receiver has been unplugged for several weeks and has not received service renewal messages.

731 - The access card is full.  The receiver has been unable to report purchases or the subscriber has purchased many future events, thus filling up the allocated space on the card.  If the receiver isn't plugged into a telephone jack the access card will fill up and PPV purchases will be stopped until a telephone line is connected and the access card reports to the billing center.  If the unit is plugged into a working telephone line and this message appears, the modem in the receiver may be malfunctioning and should be serviced by a qualified technician.

732 - Insufficient credit remaining to purchase PPV event.

733 - Call back ability required for PPV purchasing.  Instant Pay Per View purchases require a phone connection to the receiver.

734 - No PPV account established.

741 - PPV purchase authorization not obtained for this PPV event.   Either the receiver failed to find the permit in the data or the access card considered the data to be corrupt.

742 - Receiver failed to complete the action.  IPPV purchase or cancellation action failed.

743 - Stored purchase price is lower than actual price.  May indicate attempted piracy:  appears when price information sent with the program indicates a price higher than that stored in the access card.

744 - Unexpected status from access card received by receiver.

745 - Illegitimate access card.  May occur due to access card connection failure with the receiver.

746 - Corrupted data.  May indicate defective nonvolatile memory in the DSS receiver.  Unplugging the unit for a short period of time may help.

None of this helped?  E-mail your problem and we'll do our best to help you solve it.  No, we're not going to have someone show up at your door to charge you for a service call - unless that's what you want.  Just send us a detailed description of your problem and we'll put our heads together and do our best to come up with a solution.   If we think your problem may help others, we'll post it - along with our answer - on our web site for others to see. 

Click the "HELP!" button to send us your question.