Frequently
Asked Questions
General Questions:
Can we keep our C-Band dish active if we decide to have a
DISH Network system installed?
Absolutely. It is possible to install both a C-Band and a small dish
in the same household. You can input the C-Band dish on video1 and
the DISH Network system on video2. Older TVs may require an inexpensive
switch that allows the user to toggle from one dish to the other.
Want more information on adding a small dish? Click
here.
Does NPS offer Satellite Internet Service?
Yes, NPS is now offering HughesNet High Speed Internet. Please click here for more information.
Why does a customer have to buy the entire 4DTV package? Why
can't NPS sell a-la-carte digital channels?
We apologize that we cannot offer Digital a la carte. We would like
to. We believe in choice, as that is reflected in our analog offerings.
The programmers (like FOX, the owners of Fox Sports Network) are now
requiring NPS to sell their digital programming in packages and are
stopping us from selling these services individually. When we negotiated
with them to carry the programming, they stipulated that we could
only sell the digital services in a digital package. This was our
only option or we would not be allowed to provide the service at all.
Since our customers wanted Fox Sports and other digital services,
NPS had no choice but to agree to this rule. We will continue to offer
our current list of analog selections as they are. The good news about
the situation is that when NPS recently added the Food Channel and
Do It Yourself Network to our Absolute Digital Package, we did not
raise the price at all. Since inception we have added Classic, FOX Movie Channel, Lifetime Movie Network, National Geographic
Channel, Outdoor Life Network, and Toon Disney.
May I be billed for my monthly services?
NPS only accepts credit cards on monthly services. However, you get
the convenience of auto-charge -- no monthly bills to forget.
How long may I order the IPG guide on 4DTV? And is there a
charge for this service?
The 4DTV IPG guide is a free service that is available on a quarterly
or annual bases. (Is subject to change without notice.)
Is there an activation fee to start up services, and how long
do we have to wait until the services become active?
There is no activation fee and services will come on within seconds,
once activated.
Technical Questions:
Technical Disclaimer
All advice given in this FAQ is our recommendation; NPS is not responsible for your system malfunctioning as a result of using these general suggestions.
Why don’t these instructions work with my analog receiver?
These instructions are meant for customers with 4DTV receivers, if you do not have a 4DTV receiver you can still follow the tuning instructions above, although programming is different for each model analog receiver and for that you’ll have to consult your owners manual or a technician.
How do I tune my Big Dish?
From time to time, it may be necessary to adjust your receiver in order to restore your channels. There are two main adjustments to make: dish position (moving your dish alignment east and west) and skew/polarity (ensuring that your receiver is able to correctly show a channel that is delivered in a horizontal or vertical signal).
Note that some receivers and dish configurations may require additional set up or be placed in a programming mode to accomplish proper programming reception. Whenever programming your receiver, it is recommended that you use your receiver’s owner’s manual. Your local dealer is also recommended.
When tuning in a 4dtv digital channel, start with analog odd and even numbered channels (from channels 1-24) that you subscribe to on that same satellite and tune them in as well as possible.
Starting with your Satellite Chart
It is extremely helpful to use a satellite chart when aiming your dish with your receiver. On the chart, learn the polarity differences between satellites for odd and even numbered channels. On some satellites, even numbered channels have a horizontal polarity signal, while on other satellites, the even numbered channels have a vertical polarity signal. Satellite names are listed at the top of the chart, and as you read, the furthest satellite to the left is generally the eastern most satellite on your receiver’s configuration, and the furthest satellite to the right is generally the western most satellite. Note that the chart may show satellite names that are designated differently on your receiver.
Note that this chart shows transponders, and therefore analog channel numbers. This chart will not show 4dtv digital channel numbers since multiple 4dtv digital channels are compressed into single transponders.
How do I adjust my dish position?
On your remote control, locate the dish position buttons. Most appear as actual arrows pointing left and right, or even up and down. There might be E (east) or W (west) buttons. Some receivers also have buttons that automatically tune the dish by searching for the strongest signal. These buttons may be named Auto-tune or Dish Tuning.
By pressing the dish position buttons, you may find that your receiver will display a dish position on your screen. Starting on one channel that you know something should be on, will help you recognize what satellite your dish is pointing to. As you are moving the dish position between satellites, the channel that you start on will be the same channel that the receiver will be looking for on other satellites.
On a Motorola 4dtv receiver, you can view the dish position, the skew, and the signal quality on the screen, while making the adjustments. To adjust the dish position on a Motorola 4dtv receiver, first press OPTIONS-6-4-4 on your remote control, then press ENTER on the highlighted satellite you are adjusting, and enter again to change the settings. This puts your receiver in a programming mode. Use your arrow keys to select dish position and manually adjust the 4 digit dish position with your arrow keys until the desired picture appears in the background. Then store your settings by pressing Go Back, then ENTER, then Go Back 4 more times until your channel appears in full screen.
Analog-only receivers work in similar ways. East and West buttons, or left and right or up and down arrows, adjust the dish position.
How do I adjust my skew, or Polarity?
Some receivers’ remote controls have a polarity, or skew adjustment buttons, while other receivers have a programming mode with these adjustments as an option. Your owner’s manual will tell you how to locate the skew/polarity features of your receiver.
For a Motorola 4dtv receiver, the skew adjustment is found while in the programming mode. Get to this mode by pressing Options-6-4-4-Enter. Using your arrow buttons, highlight the areas that show H or V numbers. This is the manual skew adjustment area. You will find that for one channel, only the H setting or only the V setting is possible to adjust. That is because the channel is either a vertical channel or a horizontal channel. Also, you may choose the auto-peak skew adjustment, which should automatically determine whether the channel is a horizontal or vertical channel.
Where is the T7 satellite?
Recently the T7 satellite moved to 121°, which is now East of the G0 satellite. To program in T7 at its new location, first point at G0 satellite verify reception on one of your G0 channels. Switch to channel 21, and press Options, 6, 4, 4, and highlight the T7 satellite and press enter. When you bring up the screen that has “Move dish to xxxx” you’ll need to highlight the dish position number on the second line, and decrease it by around 20 or 30 you should start to see a picture come in after you do this you may have to highlight autopeak skew and press enter if you have a signal around 60-100 without a picture. Once you have a good picture you’ll need to press “GO BACK” and then “ENTER” to save it into memory.
Where is my Guide or IPG (Interactive Program Guide)
The IPG updates nightly with your 4DTV system. If your G1 satellite is not well tuned, your guide information will not download, and when you press guide you'll see a "no info" message. If you have that message you will need to first make sure that G1 is tuned in correctly and that you get a green "DC" light on the front of your receiver while on G1-3. Once you have tuned G1 to obtain the green light on channel 3, you just need to press the Guide button on your remote. It will then pull up the guide on your screen and you will see a message, "Please wait a moment, we are processing your request." This indicates that the IPG is downloading. In a few moments you will have the program guide again.
What does this message mean?
With your C-band system you will run into a few different messages, this will briefly explain what each message you may receive really means.
A subscription is required to view this program
This means that you need to call NPS to get a subscription to the channel. If you know that you are subscribed, but you are still receiving this message, then you need to get reauthorized, or rehit. This can be easily done with our online rehit, or you can call and one of our CSRs will be happy to do this for you.
Cannot find channel continuing to search, or Please wait a moment, we are processing your request….
These two messages indicate that you need to do tuning with the steps above. Sometimes the processing your request message will be displayed when guide information is being downloaded. In that instance, you do not need to do any tuning just wait a moment for the guide to download.
This satellite is beyond your limits
This message is displayed when you try to move to a satellite that is beyond the limits that were set when your receiver was installed. When you get this message when trying to move to a satellite that you normally view, you may need to reset your limits. You need to be careful when doing this to avoid damage to your dish.
Unable to view ratings information program may be locked out
This message could either mean that you have set your receiver to lock out unrated programs or sometimes this can be a technical difficulty with the broadcast itself.
Why am I getting only even or odd analog channel numbers?
If you are receiving either all even or odd analog channels on your satellites, you have a bad servo motor. For instance, the even channels on G1 are not coming in at all. When you move to an adjacent satellite C4 or C3 the opposite should be true, your odd channels will not come in. This will not be consistent with your digital channels because they have ten or more compressed onto one transponder, whereas the analog channels each have their own transponder. The servo motor is not a difficult or expensive part to replace.
Why do I have a split screen on my digital channels?
There are two different ways to fix this problem. One is to go to G1-3 and press Options 6, 7, 7, 8, 0 then you'll want to turn the receiver off and disconnect the coax cable from the CH input. Leave the system alone for half an hour then reconnect the cable and turn it back on. If this does not solve your problem you will need to do a master reset which will completely wipe out all of the satellites that you have saved in your memory, it is a good idea to do point your dish at the G0 satellite before doing this, that way you can follow along with the steps on our Programming Satellites web page. To do a master reset you will need to press Options, 6, 7, 7, 8, 7 and then enter to confirm the reset.
Why can’t I get my game?
A lot of spots events are subject to blackout based on the area your in and contractual obligations. If you are not receiving a game or event on an analog channel, you can see if this is caused by a blackout by pressing Options, 9, 0 for a 4DTV receiver or Setup, 0 for an analog receiver. This will bring up the Diagnostic Data screen, on the bottom right corner there will be an authorization status code. The following codes may be present
CB indicates Circular Blackout
US indicates Unsubscribed
Where did this channel go?
As you know, the C-Band industry will occasionally switch channels, satellites. For a list of recent channel changes please visit our channel changes web page . You can also view our Satellite Chart which is up to date. As many of your favorite channels seem to disappear from C-Band please be aware that NPS is the only program provider that has a vested interest in maintaining the industry. We are always working to get you the channels you love. Some channels may move to a different platform or broadcast system, you may have heard of something called PowerVu. PowerVu is a platform that is not typically available to consumers, it requires additional equipment and there is no program providers like NPS for channels that are on PowerVu.
Why is my audio out of sync or garbled?
To fix this problem, first select an alternate channel and then switch back to the channel having problems. If that does not fix the problem try turning the receiver off, and then back on. If this still does not fix the problem you should press Options, 6, then 3 and check that the audio is set to VideoCipher Stereo, then press exit and Options, 9, 1, 2 and make sure that primary audio is selected.
Why won’t my rehit go through?
First you’ll need to go to satellite G0 channel 7 and verify that you have a green “DC” light on the front of your receiver. If you do not have the green light you will have to tune G0 with the steps described above. If you do have the green light, and the rehit is still not going through you need to perform a re-initialization. That is Options 6, 7, 7, 8, 0. That will bring up a screen that says Diagnostics you’ll just leave it on that screen for a few seconds and then press exit and attempt to do the rehit again. If this still does not work, please call NPS at 1-800-444-3474.
Why am I getting digital break-up or tiling on my digital channels?
When tiling, or digital break-up appears on a digital channel with the 4DTV, your signal is not strong enough. Please follow the steps in the tuning section to correct this. Generally you will need a quality of at least 30 to lock the picture in. If you follow the tuning steps and still cannot bring in a picture without tiling/break-up, you may need to consult technical support.
Why won’t my receiver come out of the WM UP mode?
Sometimes receivers will get “stuck” in WM UP. First unplug the receiver for at least 30 seconds and plug it back in. If the receiver still does not go past the WM UP mode, try this again multiple times. If the receiver still does not come out of WM UP please contact technical assistance.
Why won't my remote control my receiver?
First check to make sure you have fresh batteries in your remote, then you'll need to check to see if the frequency, or address on the receiver is the same as the remote. Do this by pressing the up and down arrow keys on the front of the receiver at the same time. This will bring up a box on your screen that says A0. Press enter on your remote and look for the A0 to disappear. If it does not press the up arrow key on the receiver to move to A1 and repeat this for A2, and A3. If you cycle through each address and none match the remote you may need a new remote.
Why won't Hallmark and Lifetime come in?
A few of the older model DSR-920 receivers are having problems bringing in Lifetime and Hallmark channels. First verify reception on GB - 601. If you have a picture on that channel then go to 602. Press options, 6, 7, 7, 8, and then 1 to manually tune frequency. Set the frequency to 1032.000 by pressing the corresponding buttons on your remote, not the arrow keys. Then use the down arrow key to highlight Tune and press enter. It will change to Tuning and you should see your quality come in the bottom right. Press go back, and view. Then switch to 603 and back to 602. If the 1032.000 does not work you can try alternate frequencies, like 1035.000 or 1038.000.
Why does my receiver skip over channels?
When new channels are added they need to be mapped into your receivers memory. Do this by going to a Digicipher channel such as G1-3. Pull up the System Status screen(options, 6, 5) and check the channels in the bottom right corner. You should see the channel count go up within a few minutes if not, unplug the receiver for 20 seconds and try again. If the channels still are not changing after that check to see if the receivers memory is full. You can do that by pressing Options, 6, 0, 5. That will bring up a “Diagnostics A” screen. Press the right arrow key until you see “Diagnostics G”. On the top row fifth column to the right you will see a four digit code if it is 1920 your memory is full and you will have to do a master reset and re-program your receiver. To do a master reset you will need to press Options, 6, 7, 7, 8, 7 and then enter to confirm the reset.
Why is it so hard for me to get HBO/Cinemax channels?
The HBO and CINEMAX digital channels on G1 satellite can be very difficult to receive and maintain for some 4DTV owners because of the age of the G1 satellite and the compression that HBO uses on those channels. There are several other possible reasons including the aim, size, and condition of your dish, and the age and condition of your LNB. The G1 satellite is scheduled to be replaced later this year and which might make it easier for you to receive those channels.
What digital programming does NPS offer?
NPS offers a great variety of digital channels for you. For example, we are industry-exclusive on many channels we offer within our Absolute Digital package. Also if you subscribe to premium movie channels like Showtime, HBO, or Cinemax you’ll also receive digital channels. For example, Showtime/TMC/Flix #783, not only do you get the five analog feeds; you also get 22 digital feeds and 2 High Definition digital feeds. Click here for a complete listing of digital channels available through NPS.
Does NPS Offer a setup or troubleshooting video?
Yes. Our 4DTV Instructional Video is a do-it-yourself guide to installing, programming and troubleshooting the Motorola 922 Satellite TV Receiver. It is available for a nominal cost (plus an additional discount to owners of NPS receivers), and comes in DVD or VHS formats. |
