Winegard G2 Channel Signal Loss

Gary Cunningham · January 28, 2016

New convert from DirecTV to Dish. Bought a Winegard G2, and had Dish out to install their system. He came late afternoon. He saw the G2 and said that he wouldn't touch anything that wasn't a Dish product, and further, if I installed the G2, if anything went wrong, Dish wouldn't pay for any repair/replacement or service call. (Is that true?) We told him to just hook up the normal Dish, and install the receiver for two TVs in the motorhome.

All was well until a week later when I decided to hook up the G2. I did the setup okay, and can use the DVR (which I absolutely love). The problem is that I often get the blue screen of Channel Signal Lost on one or the other of the TVs. The cure of course is a receiver reset, and all is well for sometimes hours, then it's back to a lost signal on one TV. Sometimes using the Up/Down I'll find a station, but can't go to the one I want. Sometimes even that doesn't help. This doesn't make sense to me, since obviously the signal is not lost, since it's on the other TV.

So...is my problem with Dish, Winegard, or nobody since this is normal??? The reset is a pain, because it will often mean a lapse of something being recorded on the working TV.

(P.S. I tried a forum search, but no results. I'm kinda crappy at search).

G&E

Mark and Dale Bruss · January 28, 2016

To start, you mention two receivers. Exactly which model receivers do you have. I have a pretty good idea but the receiver models will clarify the problem.

Also, it sounds like the Dish Technician setup a dish on the ground. I assume it has three LNBF (white buttons) on the head. How many coax wires are run from the dish to the RV?

Gary Cunningham · January 28, 2016

It's a 722. One receiver but for two TVs. I have two cables running from the G2 into the receiver, the one that Dish left had 3 LNBs. I think there's only one in the G2. Any thing else I need to provide?

G&E

Mark and Dale Bruss · January 28, 2016

Okay here is what happening. The VIP722 is okay as long as the two tuners are using channels on the same satellite. The G2 has only one LNBF and has to move that LNBF between satellites if a channel request is on a different satellite. The DPP 1000.2 ground dish does not have to move because it receives all three satellites at the same time.

With the G2, one of the tuners has precedence and if if selects a channel on a different satellite, the G2 will move to it. That will leave the other tuner without the signal from the satellite it was using. This is the problem with any dome dish, ground or roof.

I tried dealing with this for a few months and the aggravation was too much. This tuner split can happen quite often especially with the second TV. My answer was to get good at setting up a ground tripod dish. A better tripod and some tools got the process down to just a few minutes. And I set the dish up for even one night stops.

After 7 years, I got a Winegard Trav'ler, an automatic DPP 1000.2 mounted on the roof. Now we just turn on the dish.

We still carry the tripod for the couple times a season when we have to park under the trees.

Chad Heiser · January 28, 2016

What Mark said is exactly correct.

Your G2 can only see one satellite at a time and Dish has its programming (channels) spread over three satellites. The primary tuner in your 722 is the one that tells the G2 which satellite to lock onto. The secondary tuner can watch any other channel on that same satellite. If you change channels on the primary tuner and the new channel is on a different satellite, the G2 will move to that new satellite. The secondary tuner can no longer receive the signal for the channel it was watching on the previous satellite and will give you the blue screen saying it has lost signal. This is a limitation with all dome satellite dishes and Dish programming.

The only resolutions are:

Always watch channels on the same satellite between your two tuners (not very practical)

Set up a 3 lnb dish (DPP 1000.2 or equivalent) on a tripod to receive signal (lock onto all three satellites at once, just like at home)

Use a Travel'r automatic DPP 1000.2 dish mounted to the roof of your RV (most convenient, but also most expensive)

Gary Cunningham · January 28, 2016

A sincere thank you for your responses. That makes sense. Wish I had opted for the Travler, but can't change up now, maybe somebody will benefit from my error.