Bird Fan Posted February 4, 2006 CID Share Posted February 4, 2006 So I power-cycle my modem today (because it had been on for 5 days and I was getting lots of little red X's) and when it comes back on, it says I have a signal of 10 (prior to power-cycling it was 50). So I think no big deal, I'll just try it again. Same thing happens. Then I think "Maybe they're having problems.... I'll just leave it off for a while." After about 2 hours of it off, I turn it back on and it's still at 10. So I eat dinner, then call Direcway. They won't transfer me to level 2, so I have to sit and talk to an Indian who doesn't know anything and it takes him 5 minutes to give instructions; he says something, I do it, *waits 30 seconds*, then he tells me something else, *waits 30 seconds*, ect. They finally come to conclusion that my dish if off alignment... They say that they're going to get an installer out and re-align the dish. Fortunately, they gave me a temporary dial-up account, so I can be on that for a while. And I checked my dish, nothing's off. I even tweaked it a little last weekend. There is more movement than normal; like if I pull on the left side of the dish it moves a lot, but it doesn't change the signal at all. I think it's a faulty transmitter, what do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostmaster Posted February 4, 2006 CID Share Posted February 4, 2006 usually a 10 either means that your dish is out of alignment, bad trans...or they are having problems.... usually its they are having problems.... when I got home at 7:00, my system was out. I dont know how long it was out but it came back up soon after I got home...maybe 5 minutes later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Fan Posted February 4, 2006 Author CID Share Posted February 4, 2006 I forgot to mention that we tried every transponder on the AMC3 and there was no difference (no suprise). He also wanted me to say "2 watt transmitter" when it asked what kind of transmitter I had; I actually have a 1 watt one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryanb602 Posted February 4, 2006 CID Share Posted February 4, 2006 So I power-cycle my modem today (because it had been on for 5 days and I was getting lots of little red X's) and when it comes back on, it says I have a signal of 10 (prior to power-cycling it was 50). So I think no big deal, I'll just try it again. Same thing happens. Then I think "Maybe they're having problems.... I'll just leave it off for a while." After about 2 hours of it off, I turn it back on and it's still at 10. So I eat dinner, then call DirecWay. They won't transfer me to level 2, so I have to sit and talk to an Indian who doesn't know anything and it takes him 5 minutes to give instructions; he says something, I do it, *waits 30 seconds*, then he tells me something else, *waits 30 seconds*, ect. They finally come to conclusion that my dish if off alignment... They say that they're going to get an installer out and re-align the dish. Fortunately, they gave me a temporary dial-up account, so I can be on that for a while. And I checked my dish, nothing's off. I even tweaked it a little last weekend. There is more movement than normal; like if I pull on the left side of the dish it moves a lot, but it doesn't change the signal at all. I think it's a faulty transmitter, what do you guys think? Sorry to hear your having trouble. I had a problem like this once and it happen during clear weather, i was on the 6000 modem then. after spending nearly half a day on the phone with dway (they had to transfer me up to level 2 support) and waiting almost two weeks for someone to come out..... it turned out to be that my dish had gotten off by a little. A repoint fixed my problem. transmitter was fine. ONly thing different is you rebooted when you lost signal. I never rebooted it just happened during the middle of the day. Maybe you failed crosspole or something. (Thats just a thought, I'm not sure about that) I also get the red X thing alot from time to time...restarting the modem is the only fix I have heard of other than just waiting it out. Atleast the gave you a dial up account. Thats way better support than I got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcleanshaven Posted February 4, 2006 CID Share Posted February 4, 2006 Hi BirdFan, have seen the same issue a few times, usually related to bad connections on xmit side OR (only in case of 7000) dead xmitter output from modem. (I have spares so testing it is relatively easy for me). And it does seem as if the problem (signal strength 10 after perfectly good signal) has some relation to power cycling, though I cannot say that is the exact problem. You mentioned that your dish may have some movement? Last week, I had a dish which had been functioning perfectly, but suddenly red x's and then lost signal. Reboot did nothing to solve problem. Looking for possible causes led me to dish, it had a very significant movement when I touched it and the signal moved from 0 to 45 and back to 0. So, I turned on the pointed software and had someone relay to me the signal strengths as I 'tweaked' the dish. 5 minutes later, signal strength was 76, crosspol 71 and now it works fine. Oh yeah, the bolts are all tight again too. for whateve it may be worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Fan Posted February 4, 2006 Author CID Share Posted February 4, 2006 Thanks for replying guys... mrcleanshaven, how would I know if there is an xmit problem with the modem? Is there anything I can do to test it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Fan Posted February 4, 2006 Author CID Share Posted February 4, 2006 My pings are pretty nice... Pinging testmy.net [67.18.179.85] with 32 bytes of data: Reply from 67.18.179.85: bytes=32 time=172ms TTL=53 Reply from 67.18.179.85: bytes=32 time=176ms TTL=53 Reply from 67.18.179.85: bytes=32 time=245ms TTL=53 Reply from 67.18.179.85: bytes=32 time=234ms TTL=53 Ping statistics for 67.18.179.85: Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds: Minimum = 172ms, Maximum = 245ms, Average = 206ms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcleanshaven Posted February 5, 2006 CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 hi Bird Fan, sorry for the delay in responding, just returned to the home office... is the connection on satout (bottom port of 7000 RG6 connectors) tight? more than finger tight? sorry I don't know much about your system, cannot remember all of the posts I have read... if it has a grounding block, w/proper ground connection to transmitter and ground rod (house ground or equivalent), then one can assume it is not attributed to static charging in transmit conductor, if grounding is suspect, do disconnect (after power down of modem) satout RG6 and discharge, (touch center conductor to grounded surface (house ground), then reconnect and power up... is your signal strength still 10? sorry for the really stupid question, but did you verify your satellite parameters in setup pages? I have seen a 'random' reset of these numbers which gave me a very similar symptom (good signal then suddenly gone...) have you verified your dish mounting bolts are tight (ie if you move the dish GENTLY with your hand, it only flexes and doesn't move?) check signal strength let me know if I can offer more suggestions... ps your pings are great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Fan Posted February 5, 2006 Author CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 hi Bird Fan, sorry for the delay in responding, just returned to the home office... is the connection on satout (bottom port of 7000 RG6 connectors) tight? more than finger tight? sorry I don't know much about your system, cannot remember all of the posts I have read... if it has a grounding block, w/proper ground connection to transmitter and ground rod (house ground or equivalent), then one can assume it is not attributed to static charging in transmit conductor, if grounding is suspect, do disconnect (after power down of modem) satout RG6 and discharge, (touch center conductor to grounded surface (house ground), then reconnect and power up... is your signal strength still 10? sorry for the really stupid question, but did you verify your satellite parameters in setup pages? I have seen a 'random' reset of these numbers which gave me a very similar symptom (good signal then suddenly gone...) have you verified your dish mounting bolts are tight (ie if you move the dish GENTLY with your hand, it only flexes and doesn't move?) check signal strength let me know if I can offer more suggestions... ps your pings are great No problem mrcleanshaven... Yes, everything is tight and I've checked for static, so that's not the problem. With the tech last night, we tried every transponder on the AMC3 and still got the same signal. I even tried a different satellite and still got the same signal... Last night, I didn't tighten any bolts because I forgot to grab the right wrench... It did move a lot, but why would that throw off the signal more than 40 points? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M16 Posted February 5, 2006 CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 Yes bird that is nice ping wish i had that ping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
php Posted February 5, 2006 CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 it's dialup... it had better have a faster ping than sat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcleanshaven Posted February 5, 2006 CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 doh... yeah right, forgot you said dialup. sorry again for the delay, dinner w/wifenkids... back to the movement questions; if there are any of the structural bolts, meaning bolts that are part of the dish/mounting structure, that are loose (or loosish) the dish will move easily, and don't forget your bird is flying at ~23,000 miles, so a 1 degree change here, can translate to missing your bird by ~600 miles or so. the 10 number is common for a signal strength when the dish is first pointed and has not really got a bird to lock onto, i have seen it multiple times and have then swept the dish right first, then left until I find a change in signal strength, once i see and increase, i then adjust the tilt (up and down) looking for a change in signal the entire time. once I have a change in signal (hopefully for the better), i sweep again (this time much less movement (maybe like peaking it) then move if required, and repeat tilt adjustment again. then, if signal is good ~60 or better, i do crosspol. sorry again for the delay back in a minute, one more reboot for tweaks testing.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepnklown Posted February 5, 2006 CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 SAT makes me want to hug my cable modem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M16 Posted February 5, 2006 CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 Lol peepn i want cable but they dont sever it here yet they said they going to start runing it here in about 3 months "i hope" and well sprint being a pain lol they well not talk to me been trying 8 years to get dsl looks like cable may get me first i hope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Fan Posted February 5, 2006 Author CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 doh... yeah right, forgot you said dialup. sorry again for the delay, dinner w/wifenkids... back to the movement questions; if there are any of the structural bolts, meaning bolts that are part of the dish/mounting structure, that are loose (or loosish) the dish will move easily, and don't forget your bird is flying at ~23,000 miles, so a 1 degree change here, can translate to missing your bird by ~600 miles or so. the 10 number is common for a signal strength when the dish is first pointed and has not really got a bird to lock onto, i have seen it multiple times and have then swept the dish right first, then left until I find a change in signal strength, once i see and increase, i then adjust the tilt (up and down) looking for a change in signal the entire time. once I have a change in signal (hopefully for the better), i sweep again (this time much less movement (maybe like peaking it) then move if required, and repeat tilt adjustment again. then, if signal is good ~60 or better, i do crosspol. sorry again for the delay back in a minute, one more reboot for tweaks testing.... Again, it's no problem, I won't be doing anything tonight. I've come to conclusion that it's probably not the transmitter. Should I mess with anything tomorrow or should I wait 3-5 days for the installer to come out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fikester Posted February 5, 2006 CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 This is hard to believe....835pm EST :::.. Download Stats ..::: Connection is:: 1076 Kbps about 1.1 Mbps (tested with 2992 kB) Download Speed is:: 131 kB/s Tested From:: https://testmy.net (server1) Test Time:: Sat Feb 4 20:36:20 EST 2006 Bottom Line:: 19X faster than 56K 1MB download in 7.82 sec Diagnosis: Looks Great : 19.03 % faster than the average for host (direcpc.com) Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-BGZUNFSXI better have another beer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Fan Posted February 5, 2006 Author CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 This is hard to believe....835pm EST :::.. Download Stats ..::: Connection is:: 1076 Kbps about 1.1 Mbps (tested with 2992 kB) Download Speed is:: 131 kB/s Tested From:: https://testmy.net (server1) Test Time:: Sat Feb 4 20:36:20 EST 2006 Bottom Line:: 19X faster than 56K 1MB download in 7.82 sec Diagnosis: Looks Great : 19.03 % faster than the average for host (direcpc.com) Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-BGZUNFSXI better have another beer! :::.. Download Stats ..::: Connection is:: 35 Kbps about 0 Mbps (tested with 97 kB) Download Speed is:: 4 kB/s Tested From:: https://testmy.net (server1) Test Time:: Sat Feb 04 2006 20:42:27 GMT-0500 (US Eastern Standard Time) Bottom Line:: 1X faster than 56K 1MB download in 256 sec Diagnosis: May need help : running at only 1.54 % of your hosts average (qwest.net) Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-GLS6OB4J3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M16 Posted February 5, 2006 CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 :::.. Download Stats ..::: Connection is:: 1066 Kbps about 1.1 Mbps (tested with 2992 kB) Download Speed is:: 130 kB/s Tested From:: https://testmy.net (server2) Test Time:: Sat Feb 4 20:43:22 EST 2006 Bottom Line:: 19X faster than 56K 1MB download in 7.88 sec Diagnosis: Looks Great : 17.92 % faster than the average for host (direcpc.com) Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-ZK2WJ3AXD 8:43 pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fikester Posted February 5, 2006 CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 :::.. Download Stats ..::: Connection is:: 35 Kbps about 0 Mbps (tested with 97 kB) Download Speed is:: 4 kB/s Tested From:: https://testmy.net (server1) Test Time:: Sat Feb 04 2006 20:42:27 GMT-0500 (US Eastern Standard Time) Bottom Line:: 1X faster than 56K 1MB download in 256 sec Diagnosis: May need help : running at only 1.54 % of your hosts average (qwest.net) Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-GLS6OB4J3 [glow=orange,2,300]Dway dial up rocks planet Earth! [/glow] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M16 Posted February 5, 2006 CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 [glow=orange,2,300]Dway dial up rocks planet Earth! [/glow] LOL thats a good one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Fan Posted February 5, 2006 Author CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 [glow=orange,2,300]Dway dial up rocks planet Earth! [/glow] It's amazing how much better Direcway is than dialup... I actually miss it Dialup is usable, though. At least I can get on AIM and I can browse this site fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M16 Posted February 5, 2006 CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 Bird maybe you get it all worked out soon best of luck *up date on ping program* got it to work but ping jumps from 412 to 988 on ut 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Fan Posted February 5, 2006 Author CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 Bird maybe you get it all worked out soon best of luck *up date on ping program* got it to work but ping jumps from 412 to 988 on ut 2004 Can you give some more info on the update? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcleanshaven Posted February 5, 2006 CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 if you feel comfy doing it, move the dish (gently...) whilst monitoring the signal strength, and look for any significant changes. If there are changes, for the better of course, move it in that direction. you want to do this without loosening the bolts, just for simple testing. (dish will flex significantly without loose hardware) and will show significant corresponding changes to signal strength, IF bird is close to being aligned... hope that is helpful. will be available tomorrow if you want more useless input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Fan Posted February 5, 2006 Author CID Share Posted February 5, 2006 if you feel comfy doing it, move the dish (gently...) whilst monitoring the signal strength, and look for any significant changes. If there are changes, for the better of course, move it in that direction. you want to do this without loosening the bolts, just for simple testing. (dish will flex significantly without loose hardware) and will show significant corresponding changes to signal strength, IF bird is close to being aligned... hope that is helpful. will be available tomorrow if you want more useless input I already did that last night, no change... It even moved and there was still no change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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