PacMan2006

Y2K...

Thanks for the help. I'm not just watching a show and thinking it's recording. I'm actually TRYING to record and it doesn't. But I found out something new...

When I'm watching DirecTV, it states about 90% of the time at the bottom of the screen "searching for signal in satellite in 2." Everynow and then, I'll turn to a few channels, and that message will not appear, almost as if that tuner is getting fine reception. And hour, maybe two...maybe three later, it's back. Every now and then because of it, I DON'T get any reception at all, and I'll have to re-start the whole Tivo receiver.

Here's the thing. I was flipping channels and noticed that this message wasn't appearing--at the time--on ESPN. I wanted to record ESPN's "Playmakers." It was on my season pass. I looked later tonight in the "List", and it DID do it.

So this must be the problem. Whenever that message about satellite 2 not getting a signal is on the screen, I CANNOT record using season pass or search for title category and be on another channel while it records. The only time it seems it will work is if I maunally do the record feature, and LEAVE the network/channel on while it's recording. So if I want to record NBC's "Whoopi" at 8pm...I have to record it either while I watch it, or maunally press record in the guide on the show at 7:45pm, and leave NBC on and not change the channel once 8pm rolls around. It sucks.

On the bright side, someone is coming to look at this tomorrow morning. We'll see what happens.

Hope that was clear. Thanks.

Y2K Falcon

It sounds like there MIGHT be a problem with your second tuner (either the tuner itself or all the way up the chain to the dish). The first to self-diagnose this usually is to switch the wires in the back (you do have two wires going into the back, right, along with whatever connects TO your tv????) Was this a self-install or a 'professional' one?

It could be as simple as a loose connection at the dish, multi-switch, or receiver itself. That would suck!

Though it SEEMS like many of your problems involve "local" channel network shows.

Do you have the "Majors" as locals (usually under channel 100) or do you get the network feeds from NY/LA (Channels 380-389)?(don't know your location)

When you choose your season pass for the shows you are having trouble with, did you use the listing for whichever you receive? I set up season passes for the NY listing in error a couple times, till I learned (and removed them from my "Channels I receive" list). YMMV based on how you get the "Networks" (CBS/ABC/NBC/FOX).

PacMan2006

Thanks Y2K...

Oddly enough, the DirecTV guy canceled on me. They really have horrible customer service. He's now coming Saturday.

Yes, there are two wires going into the back of the Tivo one for satellite one and the other for satellite 2 I believe...I'm curious, what would switching them solve?

Also, this was a professional installation. And yes, I have the majors as locals. I don't get like New York's CBS feed or anything...

Any ideas, hehe? Thanks.

Y2K Falcon

Oh, switching wires, could help pinpoint a problem.

If you ONLY see the "searching for satellite" screen on "2" (yet still occasionally see channels there), and you switched the wires going into your tivo, then:

1) It might "fix" the problem, if the wire was just loose, probably unlikely
2) The error might stay on '2', meaning the problem is probably with the 2nd tuner within your tivo.
3) The error might move to '1', meaning the problem is upstream from the wire, somewhere between the signal hitting the dish and the end of the signal wire you have screwed into the tivo.

If your dish is an oval one, then the multi-switch is on the dish itself, and if you only have 1 or two other receivers, there won't be another switch to worry about, so in theory, there should be a solid wire (no joints) to worry about. If they tapped into existing coax where "cable tv" was installed, there could be other issues that might be causing something loose or a short.

I'm gonna guess you either have an install problem, a hardware problem, a wiring problem, or user error. (or possibly a combination!)

Since you don't get the NY/LA Network feeds, you might want to make sure you delete them from your "channels I receive" so that they don't show up in your "guide" (assuming you set the guide to only be "channels I receive") and so that tivo or your "find programs" searches won't find shows on those channels and let you set up Season Passes for them. damn_tivo!


On the season passes that you set up (that aren't working) make sure that when you look at them that they are for your local channels (mine say 'AU 24' for Austin, Channel 24, for my ABC station) since Season Passes (but not wishlists) are channel specific.

PacMan2006

Thanks Y2K...

Do you think the DTV guy who's coming to help fix this will have everything he needs to fix it? I mean, if it's not say a wire problem but a tuner problem, what needs to be done then? Just replace one of the tuners?

Also, I used to have cable AND DirecTV on the same television. The cable was recently cut last week when the DTV guy came in to hook up the Tivo. When I called customer service, he said he thinks it has something to do with the diplexer (maybe that's a form of multi-switch?)

Are you familiar with this?

Thanks.

Wizdar

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