You know, after 12 years of shepherding this blog, I can’t believe I haven’t written a simple, concise guide to seeing if your LNB is bad. I’ve written several articles that come close to the subject, but I guess I never wrote something that takes you through simple steps to try to find out if your LNB has gone bad and needs to be replaced.
The honest truth about DIRECTV LNBs
When it comes to DIRECTV LNBs, they tend to follow the same rules as a lot of consumer electronics. Generally they will fail within the first few days of use, or they’ll last for years. Let’s say that you installed a new LNB and it was working just fine. And then something stopped working. Let’s go through the troubleshooting steps to see if you should just replace it.
Are you getting an error code on screen?
If you get one of the following error codes, it could mean a bad LNB, but each code could also mean something else as well.
- Code 771 means that there’s no signal on that channel. It could mean that something is blocking your dish or that a cable is disconnected.
- Code 775 means that your receiver can’t detect a multiswitch. The multiswitch could be built into your LNB so that could mean a bad LNB. It could also mean that your power inserter is disconnected from power.
- Code 782 is a general error that means that nothing is coming down the cable. It could mean something is disconnected.
Is everything plugged in and connected?
One of the two most common problems with satellite TV is that something has become disconnected. Check the power inserter. It’s a grey box that looks like this:
It should be plugged in and you should see a green light. Also check the cables from the receiver to the dish and make sure nothing has gotten disconnected.
Does it look like anything is blocking the dish?
The other most common source of errors is something blocking the dish. It could be heavy rain or weather, or it could be a tree that has grown in the path of the dish. This can be a very easy fix. If it’s raining, wait until it’s stopped raining. If there’s a branch blocking the dish’s view of the sky, cut it. That sort of thing.
Next step: Does the problem happen all the time or on all channels?
Here’s where you have to dig in a little bit. Are there any cases where you are getting good satellite signal and a live TV picture? In some cases you’ll see problems at a particular time each day. This could indicate a loose connection. As things heat up, they expand. Sometimes this means that connections get loose. It could even mean that a bird is landing in their nest a particular time each day and blocking the signal.
If the problem is only on some channels, it could be that those channels aren’t in your programming package. If you have a single satellite dish like a KING One Pro, you may not be able to see the HD versions of some channels. This is normal.
If you’re able to get a live TV picture at all, make sure it’s not just DIRECTV’s Signal Saver streaming instead of a lost picture. If you see something like this on screen:
this indicates that you’re actually streaming, not getting satellite signal. You might need to temporarily disconnect your router to see if this is the case for you.
If you’re able to say for 100% sure that you’re not getting signal on any channel at all, this is a sign that your LNB could be bad.
Next step: Check satellite setup and signal strengths
Here are two videos that can help. This is for a Genie, H26K, or H44 receiver:
This one is for an older receiver:
What you’ll want to do is confirm that you are getting zeroes on every satellite on every transponder. This sounds like a lot of work but it’s really not that bad. It should take about five minutes.
If you’ve tried all of this…
If you know that there’s nothing blocking the dish, if everything is plugged in and connected, but yet you’re getting error messages and zero signal strength on every channel, this could be a bad LNB. Now’s the time to call the experts at Solid Signal. We can recommend the right replacement part for you! Call us at 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours and we’ll take great care of you. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below or shop at Solid Signal for DIRECTV products.
