msmmh
join:2011-09-08
Rayland, OH
1 edit | Issues connecting to satellite I’ve been with Wildblue for three years and the service has been ok. For what you pay upfront and the monthly cost, it has to be the most expensive internet service for the speeds they provide.
The other day my wife was online and the service just stopped. The light on the MODEM that shows the connection to the satellite just turned off. When I got home I contacted the tech service department at Dish and they ran me through the process of resetting the modem but it still didn’t work. The Tech said that they would have to send out a technician and it would cost us $95 for the service call. Believing that the MODEM was the problem I asked him to send me a new MODEM and I would install it myself. I just figured that there were only a few parts to the system and if I could save $95 all would be good. Of course they charged me to send out the MODEM. So much for good customer service.
Well, the MODEM came in today and my wife, instead of waiting for me to get home from work, went ahead an installed the new MODEM with no luck.
I really do not want to put another $95 in the hands of these extortionists. I’m a fairly intelligent person with a MIS degree so I’m sure with the help of someone on this forum, I can fix it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. |
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| To be clear there are 4 lights on the modem with the following functions:
power - top light. It should be on whenever electrical power is supplied to the modem.
Rx light - second from the top & has the symbol of an arrow pointing toward the dish. It is the receive light.
1 blink: acquiring down stream
2 blinks: ranging. If the modem gets stuck on this stage, it usually means the TRIA has a bad transmitter.
3 blinks: registering. The modem is communicating with the gateway trying to initialize your connection.
4 blinks - downloading firmware.
solid on: modem is connected to gateway and all is usually working ok.
Tx light - third from the top and has the symbol of an arrow pointing away from a dish. This is the transmit light. When it is on, the modem is transmitting data to the satellite.
LAN light - fourth from the top. It indicates that the modem is connected to and/or communicating with your computer or router.
Are you saying that the power and LAN lights are on but the Rx light is always off?
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Value Pack, beam 31, Riverside gateway |
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msmmh
join:2011-09-08
Rayland, OH | Thanks for the response Spice300.
The light I was referring to was the 2nd light down (the Rx Light).
When I got home I restarted everything and when I turned it on the Rx light started the two blinks at a time rhythm. You say that the two blinks means the TRIA has a bad transmitter, what does that mean? Is that something that only a technician can fix?
I just found out that there might be an alternative to satellite in my area. There is a WISP provider in the neighboring community that just might reach me. They are doing some testing and I should know soon.
Thanks again |
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Re: Issues connecting to satellite Because the Rx light gets past the 1 blink sequence (acquiring downstream), your dish is probably still aligned and the receive circuit is still working. Two blinks (ranging) is the first time the transmitter is used. When the Rx light gets stuck on 2 blinks, it usually means the transmitter is bad and the TRIA must be replaced. It is possible there is a problem with the coaxial cable used for transmitting. Check the coaxial cables and connectors to rule out that possibility.
The TRIA is the electronics, feed horn and waveguide attached to the boom on the satellite dish. The coaxial cables attach to it. The TRIA can be replaced by the customer or a technician. The replacement needs to have the correct polarization for the satellite that you are using.
For Anik-F2, left handed circular polarization.
For Wildblue-1, right handed circular polarization.
If you do not know which satellite you are using, spot beams 1 to 45 are on Anik-F2, and spot beams 101 to 136 are on Wildblue-1.
If you can get wireless Internet, I suggest you get that before repairing Wildblue.
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Value Pack, beam 31, Riverside gateway |
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msmmh
join:2011-09-08
Rayland, OH | thanks Spice for your help. I should know about the WISP today, wish me luck. 
You know the internet used to be a novelty, a place to play games; not anymore. Now its a necessity, something that's hard to live without. I like the fact that satellite provides an alternative to those of us that can't get cable or DSL but for the cost of the slow service and horrible tech support, I just don't know if its worth it. May be time to look for another place to live (and make sure it can get high-speed internet.) |
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msmmh
join:2011-09-08
Rayland, OH | reply to Anon
thanks Jim |
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msmmh
join:2011-09-08
Rayland, OH | reply to Spice300
Spice, One last thing. When the we received the new modem my wife connected everything up. I asked her if she matched the coaxial cables from the old modem to the new and she said that she didn't remember. Will putting the cables in the wrong spot hurt the modem?
Also, I told you that the Rx light was a steady double flash. Well, it does stop the double flash and goes into a intermittent light flash after the double flash ends. |
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 EarthSignalEarthsignalPremium
join:2002-10-03
Burlington, IA
 ·WildBlue
| said by msmmh: I asked her if she matched the coaxial cables from the old modem to the new and she said that she didn't remember. Will putting the cables in the wrong spot hurt the modem?
Absolutely, the cables should be marked with red and green tape. If they are reversed nothing is going to work. The red should be on the bottom connector on the back of the modem.
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Ron ~ Wildblue Select Pak since 01-2006, Anik F2 Beam 26, service through NRTC, Dell XPS, 2Gig Ram, XP Pro, Router DD-WRT- WRT54GL, Laptop, XP home |
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said by msmmh:Also, I told you that the Rx light was a steady double flash. Well, it does stop the double flash and goes into a intermittent light flash after the double flash ends. If the modem does not connect to the gateway after a few minutes, it automatically resets turning the Rx light off. The Rx light begins the flashing sequence again starting with several 1 blinks, then 2 blinks, then 3 blinks and finally steady when it connects properly.
Your coaxial cables are not reversed because your modem successfully acquires downstream (gets past 1 blink). If the cables are reversed. I am not sure if something gets damaged because I never tried it.
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Value Pack, beam 31, Riverside gateway |
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msmmh
join:2011-09-08
Rayland, OH | Have to wait a few more days to see if I can get WISP. Waiting to find out if I can get WISP sure hasn't been a swift process. I called them a week and a half ago and they are finally going to test my home on Tuesday. I just hope this isn't a premeditation of things to come, but I think this will be the best for us (if it works).
If the WISP doesn't work out, I guess I'm stuck paying for the Wildblue technician. I'm just worried that this is going to be like a $300 service call and I don't have it right now.
Thanks again everyone for your help. |
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 Jim_in_VA
join:2004-07-11
Cobbs Creek, VA
kudos:3 | who is the WISP? |
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| It is better to ask what equipment they are using, how many customers, and how big is their pipe?
All WISPs are not equal...where I live, there are two, one is excellent, and the other tends to be the pits. |
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msmmh
join:2011-09-08
Rayland, OH | reply to msmmh
No luck with the WISP. Broke down and called the Wildblue service tech. The TRIA turned out to be bad. The service tech fixed everything and we are up and running again.
I guess its time to look for another place to live that has better internet options. Funny how broadband used to be a luxury, now we can't live without it.
Thanks to everyone for their help. |
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