Dish Playmaker dropping signal

[CedarCreekWoody]

I can often watch my Playmaker all day and evening but it will invariably loose contact with the satellite overnight. Almost every morning I have to go through the long reconnect process. Is this normal? Anything that I can do to remain in contact with the satellites overnight?

[bubbles]

If you have it once set up there should be no issues overnight. You do have the update time set right? I set mine for 0400hrs. I use the Wally but also have used the VIP211K, both with Wally and Tailgater antennas. Have not had your issue.

[BBogey]

Sorry, I can’t help you, but wanted to say we’ve hD ours for about 4 years and it’s been flawless = your situation does not sound normal

[cboss]

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

I can often watch my Playmaker all day and evening but it will invariably loose contact with the satellite overnight. Almost every morning I have to go through the long reconnect process. Is this normal? Anything that I can do to remain in contact with the satellites overnight?

Mine is doing the same thing and it drives me nuts! It doesn't do it every night, but most nights it loses signal. For the past 48 hours it has been just fine. I have a Wally and a Pathway X2.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by cboss

Mine is doing the same thing and it drives me nuts! It doesn't do it every night, but most nights it loses signal. For the past 48 hours it has been just fine. I have a Wally and a Pathway X2.

I feel your pain bro, mine does the same. My wife is ready to throw the whole thing in the trash (and me along with it!) If I find a solution I will post it.

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by bubbles

both with Wally and Tailgater antennas. Have not had your issue.

That's Playmaker and Tailgater.

[DougW]

How is your dish mounted? If the mounting surface is not good and firm the dish may be moving a little with the overnight temp changes, it doesn’t take much for it to lose the satellites.

I have had this problem a couple of times but it was usually when we stopped for just a day or two and I set the dish on the ground. With it on the tripod and the legs set properly it does not happen. Also, the Wally resets during the night so if the dish gets moved even a little bit between the time of the reset and when you turn the TV on in the morning it will lose the satellites.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by DougW

How is your dish mounted? If the mounting surface is not good and firm the dish may be moving a little with the overnight temp changes, it doesn’t take much for it to lose the satellites.

It is on a short tripod sitting on the ground with a bungee cord holding it snug to a screw-in ground anchor. It seems solid.

[RangeMaggotBob]

I've had that problem a couple of times. I think it's that cheap Playmaker satellite receiver. The ones with the better dishes don't seem to have that problem as much. Just a thought.

[DougW]

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

It is on a short tripod sitting on the ground with a bungee cord holding it snug to a screw-in ground anchor. It seems solid.

That would be the same tripod we use, I usually don’t put in the ground screw and bungee unless we are going to be in one place for a week or more so I doubt that is your problem.

Another thing I just remembered I had happen a couple of times, if there was heavy dew it wouldn’t work well in the morning until I went out to wipe the water off the front and then did a search for the satellites again. I solved this by putting about 3 coats of car wax on it so the water runs off better. My theory is the water degraded the signal enough that the Wally was unable to be sure it found the satellites during the overnight reset so it just gave up trying.

I am sure you have already thought about trees and checked for that problem, I use an app on my IPhone that is from Winegard called “TV Signal Finder”. It helps to make sure the dish has a clear view of the satellites. I use the “AR VIEW” which shows the satellite location in the sky on the screen of your phone superimposed on the image from the camera. It works quite well.

[bubbles]

The Wally resets at whatever time you select (AM/PM anytime). I just set the antenna on the ground or sometimes set on roof if trees are an issue. I do try to set it level and if on the ground cars can be an issue if passing by interrupting beam. Not sure if dew accumulating on the dome would create an issue.

[CedarCreekWoody]

I use the same app to point the dish. Dew could be an issue, not sure. I don't think it is trees because it works great all with no signal loss. My reset time is 2 AM. It can find a signal the next morning but often requires a lengthy re-scan.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by RangeMaggotBob

I've had that problem a couple of times. I think it's that cheap Playmaker satellite receiver. The ones with the better dishes don't seem to have that problem as much. Just a thought.

Unfortunately I fear that you are correct.

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

Unfortunately I fear that you are correct.

I guess RangeMaggotBob didn't read post #4 where the issue arises using a Pathway X2 antenna which is not cheap.

[CedarCreekWoody]

I talked to tech support, she says this is normal. She said if you unplug the receiver at night and plug back in the morning it will still do a rescan but it is quicker. Not much of a resolution in my opinion.

[Winegardtravler XLR]

Some sat Receivers. Go to sleep and stop sending power to the dish. This power save is “greener”
It may be the Satellite receiver and not your dish

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by Winegardtravler XLR

Some sat Receivers. Go to sleep and stop sending power to the dish. This power save is “greener”
It may be the Satellite receiver and not your dish

That could be, I have a Wally.

[Goferbroke]

I have the Playmaker with the Wally and I was having problems connecting consistently. I called WineGard, the maker of the Wally and the tech told me the most common issue was using the wrong cable to connect. He told me to get a good quality RG6 Coax preferably 25ft. or less and that fixed my problem. Since then, have had to go to a 40ft. cable and am now having a few issues on cloudy days. Also, he told me to connect directly to the receiver. Don't use the RV hookups. I drilled a hole in the wall behind my receiver and installed a thru the wall connector.

[emm-dee]

I had a similar problem but solved it by turning the whole system off at bedtime. I really didn't like be awoken at 3-4 am when the system did it's normal reset. Since my playmaker (w/wally) is permanently (sorta) installed on the fiberglass roof the noise and vibration of the gears in the dish moving would always wake us up. So, first thing in the am I turn it on and by the time coffee is ready it's time to watch the morning news.

[kayo]

Too many problems with DISH. DIRECT is better!