How to Troubleshoot a Dish 500 Satellite

Reception woes related to satellite TV are far from uncommon, and the Dish Satellite 500 is not immune from such problems. Sometimes, some speedy troubleshooting is necessary to catch the end of an important program or an exciting sports event. If Dish 500 satellite reception is interrupted, do not panic. There are a number of tips and tricks that can isolate the problem and resolve it, sometimes in short order. A number of variables should be considered, ranging from cable connections, receiver problems, or Dish 500 Satellite blockages and miscalculations.

Things You'll Need

• Dish 500 Satellite
• Dish receiver
• Television

Instructions

1. Check all the cable connections between the satellite receiver and your television. Also, ensure that the power cable for the satellite receiver has not come loose. Make sure all these cable connections are snug before proceeding.

2. Reboot the receiver. The receiver may stop decoding the signal on occasion, due to a receiver-related error. Fix this by unplugging the receiver's power cable from the power socket and letting the receiver stand idle for at least 30 seconds. Upon plugging the receiver back in, it should have reset and thus begin rebooting. This will take a couple minutes as it initializes, but may solve your woes.

3. Check to ensure that nothing is blocking or interfering with your signal. Any obstruction in the way of the Dish 500 Satellite, which should be pointed to the Southern sky, can result in picture loss. Make sure there are no trees in the way of the Dish 500 Satellite, no telephone lines, or any such natural or man-made blockage. Remove any results of inclement weather, such as build-ups of snow, around the dish.

4. Consider readjustments to the elevation (up/down movement) and the azimuth (left/right movement) of the Dish 500 Satellite. The dish may have never been set up quite correctly, or something may have knocked it askew, resulting in signal failure. To make the elevation adjustments, loosen the nuts around the elevation bolts on the body of the Dish 500, and then move the dish in slight increments up and down. For azimuth, loosen the nuts around the LNB dish arm and move the dish slightly from side to side.

5. Check the results of your elevation and azimuth adjustments by troubleshooting via the signal meter screen. This screen is located under the Menu options for the satellite receiver that is hooked up to your TV. Once the signal meter screen is brought up on your television, changes to Dish 500 elevation and azimuth can be gauged for effectiveness in real time.

References

• Troubleshooting Dish Receiver

Resources

• Dish Tech Support