Satellite television systems are not immune to problems. Here’s an overview of some of the most common ones, and some ways you might be able to resolve those problems yourself without having to call a specialist from a DirecTV retailer in San Bernardino County.
No television sets getting picture
If none of the TVs in your house are getting any picture, your first step should be to check all receivers and TVs connected to the system. If multiple devices aren’t getting any picture, there’s likely a problem with the signal. This is a circumstance in which you’ll need to call your satellite provider.
However, if it’s just a single device that’s not working, check its signal level. Get to the “QAM Setup” menu, and you’ll see a moving signal bar along the bottom of the screen. If the signal is over 60, that means the problem is something other than the signal, so you can continue troubleshooting. If the signal is below 60, try changing the frequency to see if that helps the signal strength. If that doesn’t work, give your satellite provider a call.
One receiver is not getting picture
In this situation, it’s likely the cable box is not getting a satellite signal. First, make sure your TV is turned to the correct channel or input. Then press “Power” or “System Info” on the receiver. If there’s a response there, you might just be having issues with the remote.
You can also try resetting the receiver, holding the power button until all the lights go out. Check all your connections, and if all cables are pushed in correctly, turn the receiver back on and see if that works.
Missing certain channels
If you’re just missing certain channels on your dish box, make sure you’re in “All Chan” or “All Sub” mode in the Guide. If the channels aren’t even in the list, you should check your signal level and transponders. If any transponders are missing, you’ll likely need to run a QAM scan.
Here again, you can check your signal strength as described above, and change the frequency to see if that helps.
If the channels you’re looking for are colored red in the Guide, you might not actually be paying to receive those channels, so that could be the problem.
Poor picture quality
If you have multiple receivers, check to see if the problem occurs on more than one of them. If not, you shouldn’t focus your efforts on troubleshooting a single receiver.
Check the connections between the TV and receivers. Make sure the frequency is set to 459, or whatever frequency is used in your local area. If the signal strength is below 60, unplug the power to the receiver, reseat the coaxial connections located between the wall jack and the receiver, then plug it back in and start it up again to see if that helped.
If you are uncomfortable with these troubleshooting methods or simply cannot get them to work, call a DirecTV retailer in San Bernardino County for assistance.