Moto-Sat Trouble

[Danss]

Have Moto-Sat setup and all of a sudden I can only get 14 channels on Direct-tv and I subscribe to about a hundred. I still get all channels at home. I sent reciever to Sony and they checked it with my card and got all channels. The problem must be in the Sat. Dish? Any ideas?? Dan:confused:

[jello_jeep]

Call customer service (1-800-347-3288). Have them resend your coding while the dish is aligned and the receiver is on.

This can be done by entering your billiing telephone number, and using the menu options along the way to tell it you are not getting channels.

The automated little voice will tell you that the screens should come up in a moment. Within 30 seconds to a minute, it should clear up.

If not be persistent and follow the prompts to tech support and get a tech on the horn.

Save yourself from doing it twice, they will want the model & serial number to the dish, and the access card number.

My bet is the automated reprogram will work.

Its an antipiracy scheme and if you have the receiver off for long periods of time (like in an rv) you lose some programming authorization sometimes.

Hope this helps.

;)

[Joe Cannarozzi]

We are still in the stone age with this equipment utilizing a tri-pod for the dish. A real pain not to mention tacky looking next to the bus. What is this Moto-Sat. Is this the latest and greatest that everyone is using. Where can I look and price and BUY?

[Danss]

Direct-Tv was first thing I tried and worked with them about an hour---no luck--- They said must be reciever so I sent to Sony and they said it works fine so that eliminates everything but Dish I think. I do appreciate the suggestions and am willing to try anything to not have to go spend $2400 for an in motion rig.
By the way, Joe this Moto-Sat is from the dark ages and not a modern contraption as it was installed in 1999 but has done well so far. Thanks again everyone, Dan:confused:

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Jello Jeep, You are lucky to have a tool addiction you can use them for your fix;)

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Dan,

This is one of the places I make something up if I don't know the answer.

We went through a lot of grief before replacing our dish with a new one because we actually believed the technicians. They put their computer on our system and with great confidence pronounced our receiver as bad.

So fortunately I found a company that sells used receivers and bought one pretty cheap and my satellite system still did not work.

To make a long story short I took the dome off and went to the menu, got down to where I could see signal strength and manually aimed the dish until I got the maximum signal strength. My wife monitored everything from inside the coach and talked to me on the cell phone. When we had the strongest signal we picked a channel and Bingo, we had good clear TV.

My point is that you can do some analysis yourself. Our problem was not in the receiver, but in the ability of the dish to recognize a good signal so it never aimed at the satellite.

I'm not saying that is your problem, but you can verify things. We opted for a new dish because the KVH techs did not provide me with a warm toasty feeling and I had had the TracStar recommended by numerous sources.

[jello_jeep]

Dan, the easy way to check is this.

You probably have an "advanced" receiver with extra connections to the moto sat so it knows when it has good signal.

So run the dish up and let it lock on. Verify by getting the channels you do, so you know you are on the bird.

Power down the dish pointing part, and swap in a known good receiver (one from the house, or a friend) and see what you get.

Many times people didn't understand that the dish had to be aimed, and the receiver powered up to get the programming signal being downlinked to your receiver to get things right again.

Its also possible you have a bad LNB, and only getting signals from some transponders & not from others.

Also check in the menu, and veryify that you have the right dish type specified in setup (probably round, single LNB).

You can figure this out, we have faith! ;)

[jello_jeep]

Jim, I am fixin to FIX indeed :)

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Although the dark ages model would probably go well with an 86- What IS the current stationary remote dish of preferance?
AND
How many Lewbucks for an in-motion dish?

[garyde]

I priced an in- motion unit last year at Quartzite and FMCA for around $1600.00 w/ install. I do not remember what type however. Gary

[rfoster]

Joe: as I mentioned in a previous post that I have a 12 foot high door, so I have killed two dishes to date. Google in motion satellites and you will get a hit from Houston Texas - view the web pages, then call the gal and order you a trac vision, remanufactured saves you a few bucks and You can be watching Opra with the best of us.
Not hard to install cause I did it. Good luck - I still enjoy John Wayne Movies the best.

[Coloradobus]

Danss,

We have the Motosat Executive dish on our Marathon. We thought it was failing too. We took the receiver out and used it with a small manual dish and we received the same limited number of stations, and loosing more all the time.
So, we went to Camping World, bought a new Direct TV receiever. The old reciver had been specially built for Marathon to put up the dish.
So, calling Mitch at Motosat, he sent us a new direction finder that was "plug and play" and BINGO, we had all our channels, plus we got to keep our original dish.:)

[Danss]

I have a new direct tv receiver but when I unhooked the old one the Dish stowed and the new receiver has no way to raise it . New problem now , I got the receiver back from Sony and they said it was fine ,but now it will not raise dish. As soon as you turn it on the screen says searching for Satellite and the dish is face down, so nothing ever happens. Do you know how to reach Mitch at Moto-Sat? I am about ready to give up! Thanks for the help, Dan:confused:

[Coloradobus]

Call 1-800-247-7486 and follow the prompts or if they answer ask for Mitch. Tell hm you need a new direction finder for your dish. Can't remember the real name for it. Oh Ya, a Nomad II

[Ray Davis]

If it IS the receiver, they are dirt cheap. $50 at Walmart or similar for a new receiver. When I purchased my bus, it included two DTV receivers. When I went to turn them on at Santa FE (at POG2), I was informed they were still on the account of the original owner, AND that even if he released them (written release), I would need to purchase two new $20 SIM cards for the units. I wouldn't be on the air for several weeks.

Instead, I went down to Walmart, picked up a new receiver for $50, and was online in minutes.

[Coloradobus]

We bought our new Nomad II for $208.00 directly from Motosat. Retail cost was way more than that. If is a new direction finder you need, I would call Motosat. Ours was plug and play and has worked flawlessly, getting all the channels the old receiver wasn't picking up since the old direction finder in the old receiver that made esspecially for Marathon was no longer locking onto the satellite. We were not getting much over 60% signal. Direct TV would sent new programming but they told us we needed over 80% signal to get all the stations.

[Danss]

Not familiar with terms --- What is the Nomad II? Is it a box in addition to the Receiver? If so Where is it normally? On the dish outside or inside by receiver?
Sorry for all questions but my dish will not raise---I just sits there, but the message on screen says it is searching. Thanks again for all help! Dan

[Coloradobus]

Hui Danss,

First I need to ask you this. With your old receiver, were you able to raise the dish? By the receiver's remote?
If this is the case, then you have the same problem we had. When plugging in the new Direct TV receiver, there was no hardware/software for raising and aiming the dish. That is when we called Motosat. They told me I needed the Nomad II to plug in between thenew receiver and the dish. The Nomad is what raises the dish and aims it so the new receiver recieves signals from the dish.
You push the Nomad's button to raise and stow the dish.
Our dish is a Motosat Executive and was installed by Marathon. The old receiver was specially made and programmed for Marathon to raise the dish, aim it and stow it. Replacing this Marathon designed receiver with a new one from Camping World made our dish blind and inoperable until we got the Nomad. Hope this helps.

JIM

[Danss]

I will be on phone with Moto-sat when they open. Thanks Jim, for explaining the Nomad I can now at least understand where pieces fit. Tha:) nks again, Dan