pixelated with a frozen screen

MicEd

Member
Oct 23, 2008
53
4
8
75
michigan
I have three receivers on my direct TV system. I am looking for answers as to why I get pixelization on 2 of the receivers but not on the third. This happens when the weather is not all that bad. Mostly after it has rained. I only lose some channels not all. I am not sure if they are odd or even. And some channels only have screen freeze. As an example CNN will have screen freeze while BTN will be pixilated and will not stabilize. If there is any one who knows what might be causing these problems I look forward to hearing from you.
 

HomieG

Member
Oct 13, 2008
318
10
18
Sounds like theres a connector problem with the coax to the LNB and/or multiswitch.
 

MicEd

Member
Oct 23, 2008
53
4
8
75
michigan
I tried swapping the cables around on the receiver side of the multi switch with little or no effect
 

MoeSyslack

Member
Oct 14, 2008
130
7
18
Summer Shade KY
Heres a good place to talk to people. I go here all the time, they are pretty helpful. They will know what questions to ask to figure out what is wrong and help you get going.

Directv
 

dlynx

Member
Oct 9, 2008
411
8
18
Michigan.
www.btlsfan.com
I would suggest moving the receivers with issues to the location that does not have the problem. If the problem follows the receiver to the good outlet then you know your issue is more then likely something to do with the receiver. Same goes for the good receiver, take it to a bad location and see if it's still perfect.

However I doubt that is the issue, the receivers are usually fairly robust and can take a beating, I don't have DirecTV, but with DishNet I only had to replace one receiver and that was due the satellite ground getting cut and then a fairly close lightening strike.

More then likely I would believe the culprit would be a bad F connector either at the receiver itself, or on the switch. They can also corrode sometimes depending on the types of connectors used (kinda like a galvanic reaction), if that is a possibility (especially outside connectors) try disconnecting the wire using a fine wire brush to clean it, and then securing it back tightly.

Also looked for pinched wires. Coax is not meant to have tight radius's corners, treat it just like you would a computer network cable with at minimum a 1-2" radius in bends in the cable. Also stapled wires can cause issues (especially if the installer puts a staple through the wire). I've had this happen to me many times, and sometimes it'll work great for awhile then your SOL.

And finally there is the switch and the LNB's themselves. If none of the other things fix your issue, you might as well just place a service call to DirecTV and let them get a guy out there that has the right switch for your particular setup, and LNBs, and can make sure the dish is aligned optimally for you. Yes you could do possibly all this yourself, but the time, cost, and waiting for parts all added together really isn't worth it.