No DirecTV signal after [non-storm related] Power Outage?

Question

Simple as that. We've contacted our local electric co. (Ameren UE) and they've said workers were out aroun our area. Yesterday the power flickered on and off about 3-4 times, and after that, our DirecTV receivers got nothing. About 3 hours later, signal just came back on...

We have to standard recievers (D11) and a Plus DVR. After the signal came on yesterday--the two std. rec. were fine; however the DVR still stalls out in the "searching for satellite" screen--before going to black screen and no channels...

Today, the power went out again at about 11am for <30 sec. DirecTV signals GONE! What's the deal--and why are power outages affecting our DirecTV signals.

Note--we've had no severe weather here for weeks...

Answer 1

There could be a few things going on here.



Remember that your receivers are very similar to computers in the way they work. That means power outages affect them in the same ways.



First, try unplugging the receivers from the power and Sat In cables. Leave them like that for about 30 seconds, then plug ONLY THE POWER in. Once the receiver reboots and gets to where it would normally show you TV programming (it should say Searching For Satellite Signal (771)) you should plug the Sat-In cable(s) in again. At that point it should begin to acquire the guide data and start working normally again.



If that doesn't work, there may be the possibility that the multiple power outages have affected the dish itself. Call customer service and they'll walk you through some advanced troubleshooting and, if necessary, they can send a technician or replacement receivers.

Answer 2

I'm assuming a few things here: a) you use surge protectors (not just power strips), b) you've disconnected and reconnected all the cables and reset the boxes, and c) you've called Directv.



You may not like my answer very much, but your receiver(s) may have been damaged/destroyed by the outages. This happened to me about three weeks ago, although mine was weather-related. During a vicious thunderstorm, we sustained several lightning strikes very near the house. After the weather cleared, my standard receivers functioned fine, but my two HD receivers (one was a DVR) remained "stuck" in "Searching for Satellite".



The next evening after work, they showed the same message, so I called Directv. They confirmed my fears: the lightning had ruined my receivers.



All of my equipment is on surge protectors, so they are fine, electrically-speaking. But it seems that electricity from the lightning surged through my receivers (either via the coaxial cable connecting it to the dish or through the attached phone lines) and rendered them inoperational. I had to purchase new receivers (again this only affected my HD receivers; the standard-def receivers are fine!).



So something similar may have happened to your receivers. I know you stated that you've had no severe weather, but it's possible that whatever work the power company did that caused the outages also had a damaging effect on your receivers.

Answer 3

Ameren Ue Power Outage

Answer 4

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Answer 5

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Answer 6

This puzzles me too