ROADTRIP MISSION TROUBLES

[ctnaber]

Just purchased a motorhome & had a winegard roadtrip mission installed. Found out that a Bell receiver was compatible with it & purchased a Bell 6131 receiver. I can not seem to aquire any satelite signals. Not sure where to even begin as this is all new to me. Can anyone help? By the way the motorhome was purchased in Toronto & the roadtrip mission was installed there. I am located in Saskatchewan. Thought that might make a difference for initial installation??

[Bill Adams]

Have you removed the dome and checked to see if the dip switches in the silver control box are set for Bell?
Where are you currently located?

[ctnaber]

Thanks for the reply. I just figured out where the dip switches are. I will be checking them out to make sure they are set for Bell. I am currently in Shellbrook, Saskatchewan. Does my location make a difference?

[ctnaber]

I checked the dip switches & they are indeed set to Bell settings. 1,3 & 6 up. 2,4,5,7 & 8 down. I have tried turning on the receiver & unplugging the coaxle cable & then running a check switch. Then plugging in the coaxle cable, turning on the dish & running the check switch again. I have the point dish screen up & have the transponder at 11 & the satellite at 119. Have also tried it with the satelite at 82 & 91. I am really not sure what to do from here. Are there any other settings on the receiver that need to be done? The manuals are very vague. Any advice would be appreciated. Cadee

[Bill Adams]

As to your location, I just wanted to make sure you were not in the US trying to lock onto a non-existent Bell signal (the 91).
I am not sure of the Check Switch routine with Bell or the correct transponder to select but you will only be dealing with 82 and 91 when the dome is set for Bell.
I think you need to to to Menu > 6 > 1 > 1 where you set the satellite/transponder. 82 is the main satellite and 91 the one required for HD. I see that 91 transponder 11 is a good combination but I am not sure of the 82. Try setting the 91 combination and then power up the Mission. Stay on that screen until you see a good signal strength and then do a Check Switch. If this is a Mission that ends with a T (in-motion unit) you will also need to wait until it locks and then goes to sleep about 6 minutes later before doing the check switch.
Is there current some switch type showing on the check switch screen? If so, you might want to first disconnect the coax from the receiver and run a new check switch. This will result in nothing found and when you save this it will wipe clean the memory allowing a better chance to get a successful lock and check switch.

[ctnaber]

I just cant seem to get any locked on satelites. Does anyone have the exact sequence for setting up a bell receiver. I checked winegards website but they only have instructions for dish and direct tv receiver setup.

[Winegard Tech Help]

ctnaber,

The setup for the Bell receivers is identical for the DISH receivers, so you can use that as a walkthrough.

You may need to check your line of sight for the area. For Shellbrook, I'm showing satellite 91 to be at an azimuth of 150 degrees and an elevation of 27-28 degrees. Make sure you don't have any trees or obstructions that are higher than the roof line of the coach in that direction.

If you are still having problems, you will want to check voltages on your coaxial cables by using a volt or multimeter. To do this, make sure the receiver is turned on and get on the roof, disconnect the main coax cable and with the meter set for DC voltage, press the positive probe to the center conductor of the cable itself and the negative probe to the outside connector. You should see over 12VDC at that point. If you have power there, reconnect the cable, remove the dome and locate the LNB (vertical metal box with two minicoaxial cables coming out of it right behind the reflector) and do the same test on the cable with the black shrink wrap on it, not the yellow. If you do not have power on the main coax at the base, replace the cable and test again. If two cables do not have power, the receiver may not be outputting.