DSTV E143-4 Error on Xtraview

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Badprop_za

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Can anyone please help or guide me in the right direction?

So my current setup is as follow:
- Primary decoder is a Explora 2
- Secondary decoder is another Explora on Xtraview
- Then I also have a HD4U decoder on Xtraview

I keep on getting a E143-4 error on the HD4U decoder. I will reboot the decoder, and then later the error will pop up again.
The installer has been at my house a couple of times and the problem is still there. They have replaced the cabling, spliter, etc and cannot find anything wrong.

Can anyone please provide some assistance / help?
 
Badprop_za said:
Can anyone please help or guide me in the right direction?

So my current setup is as follow:
- Primary decoder is a Explora 2
- Secondary decoder is another Explora on Xtraview
- Then I also have a HD4U decoder on Xtraview

I keep on getting a E143-4 error on the HD4U decoder. I will reboot the decoder, and then later the error will pop up again.
The installer has been at my house a couple of times and the problem is still there. They have replaced the cabling, spliter, etc and cannot find anything wrong.

Can anyone please provide some assistance / help?
Click to expand...

1. What else do you run at the HD4U or primary decoder. I.e Home Theatre?
2. Do you get the error at all times of day?

I kid you not, from the months of June to September, from around 7pm to 5am, there is no communication between my primary and secondary if I switch on either one of the following two:

1. My Samsung Home Theatre
2. Outside Floodlight

After months and months I have made piece with the fact that, when it is cold and I switch on one of those two, there must be some sort of interference with the heartbeat cable. Only happen round about those months, and round about those time.

I can use those things other months, or during the day, and it is perfectly fine.
 
werfie said:
1. What else do you run at the HD4U or primary decoder. I.e Home Theatre?
2. Do you get the error at all times of day?

I kid you not, from the months of June to September, from around 7pm to 5am, there is no communication between my primary and secondary if I switch on either one of the following two:

1. My Samsung Home Theatre
2. Outside Floodlight

After months and months I have made piece with the fact that, when it is cold and I switch on one of those two, there must be some sort of interference with the heartbeat cable. Only happen round about those months, and round about those time.

I can use those things other months, or during the day, and it is perfectly fine.
Click to expand...

Unbelievable.

Thing that is bugging me is that after rebooting the decoder, everything is fine for any period from 5 minutes to a couple of hours. I can't keep on rebooting the freaking decoder the whole day.
 
This error is related to an installation issue, or, happens after a decoder reboot and some of the settings have restored themselves to the default settings, not applicable to your installation.

The decoders will generally come back and work for up to 30 minutes before going off the air after a reboot and the HB signal is not received form the Primary decoder.

So to get to the bottom of this issue, please supply some more detail on your install. It has nothing to do with the decoders normally, just a problem with the settings and or the installation.

The 3-decoder combination has very specific installation requirements. An Explora MUST be the Primary decoder, and, generally it is best if the Explora model 2A is the Primary decoder when the combination includes an Explora model 1.

1. Are you making use of a Communal antenna setup, in which case the only way you will get 3 decoders to work is if you installed a 24-1Z multi switch.
otherwise for a normal home:
1. What SLNB is installed? It should be a SLNB model LMX501 ( new) [3 Unicable ports + 1 universal port] or LMX 500 (4 unicable ports + 2 Universal cable ports.
2. Which ports are used for the decoders.? The 4U decoder can be connected to either a universal port or to a unicable port.
3. How is the HB cabling done? There are two ways, one distributed via a separate cable between the decoders connected to the correct RF ports,

OR,

via the LNB cabling, in which case the 4 U decoder has to have installed behind it a diplexer. This combination MUST use a unicable port for the 4U decoder and NOT a universal port on the SLNB.

As to the intermittent issue regarding HB interference, that is almost always caused by a bad cable connector somewhere in your setup that is temperature sensitive. The only way to work out why is to know precisely how the HB cabling has been done and what other splitters/combiners there are in the mix.
 
Geoff.D said:
This error is related to an installation issue, or, happens after a decoder reboot and some of the settings have restored themselves to the default settings, not applicable to your installation.

The decoders will generally come back and work for up to 30 minutes before going off the air after a reboot and the HB signal is not received form the Primary decoder.

So to get to the bottom of this issue, please supply some more detail on your install. It has nothing to do with the decoders normally, just a problem with the settings and or the installation.

The 3-decoder combination has very specific installation requirements. An Explora MUST be the Primary decoder, and, generally it is best if the Explora model 2A is the Primary decoder when the combination includes an Explora model 1.

1. Are you making use of a Communal antenna setup, in which case the only way you will get 3 decoders to work is if you installed a 24-1Z multi switch.
otherwise for a normal home:
1. What SLNB is installed? It should be a SLNB model LMX501 ( new) [3 Unicable ports + 1 universal port] or LMX 500 (4 unicable ports + 2 Universal cable ports.
2. Which ports are used for the decoders.? The 4U decoder can be connected to either a universal port or to a unicable port.
3. How is the HB cabling done? There are two ways, one distributed via a separate cable between the decoders connected to the correct RF ports,

OR,

via the LNB cabling, in which case the 4 U decoder has to have installed behind it a diplexer. This combination MUST use a unicable port for the 4U decoder and NOT a universal port on the SLNB.

As to the intermittent issue regarding HB interference, that is almost always caused by a bad cable connector somewhere in your setup that is temperature sensitive. The only way to work out why is to know precisely how the HB cabling has been done and what other splitters/combiners there are in the mix.
Click to expand...

Let me try to answer as far as possible.

Setup is:
Explora 2A is the primary.
Other Explora secondary
HD 4U secondary.

Secondary Explora is working with no issues.

Not sure which SLNB was installed, but I know a new one was installed.
The 4U is setup for Unix able port
I have not yet look in the roof, so not sure about cabling setup.
 
The HB cabling check is simple to check. There should be a connection to a RF port on the 4u decoder that goes to a RF port on the primary decoder.

If this cable is missing then the 4u decoder will not receive the HB signal.

The alternative is there should be a diplexer behind the 4u decoder for the HB connection via the lnb cabling. There should also be a diplexer behind the older Explora if this method of distributing the HB is being used.
 
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I don't have a technical solution to Badprop_za's problem.
My experience: I can use the DSTV decoder all day no problem, at night it starts looking for signal all by itself. Eventually found that a certain high quality Phillips fluorescent light with a glass shield interferes with the decoder, as when I switch the specific light off the decoder works fine. Changed to a cheapy low energy light and problem is gone.
I tried to inform the DSTV people that it was not their decoder's problem, but for their info it might help should others have a similar problem, they were not interested.
 
Mafavuka said:
I don't have a technical solution to Badprop_za's problem.
My experience: I can use the DSTV decoder all day no problem, at night it starts looking for signal all by itself. Eventually found that a certain high quality Phillips fluorescent light with a glass shield interferes with the decoder, as when I switch the specific light off the decoder works fine. Changed to a cheapy low energy light and problem is gone.
I tried to inform the DSTV people that it was not their decoder's problem, but for their info it might help should others have a similar problem, they were not interested.
Click to expand...

Well documented issue. The decoders (all of them) pick up IR interference via the front panel remote IR detector, which can be interpreted as remote commands which causes all sorts of behavioral issues.

Direct sunlight, reflected sunlight, cfl lamps, LED lamps, are all sources of this type of interference.

It is moot as to whose problem it is. You could argue that MC should improve the design of their remote technology.

As a user, you have only one solution and that is find the source of the interference and eliminate it as you have done.

UPDATE: A new source of IR interference easily picked up by DSTV decoders is from the backlight option on modern flat panel TVs. To prove this as a source, disable the backlight and see if the issue goes away. Then try and move the tvLINKs eye around and place it away form the TV and see if that helps. Try and shield the decoder from the TV.
 
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Easiest solution to all of this. Ellimnate DSTV. Problem solved forever.
 
Geoff.D said:
The HB cabling check is simple to check. There should be a connection to a RF port on the 4u decoder that goes to a RF port on the primary decoder.

If this cable is missing then the 4u decoder will not receive the HB signal.

The alternative is there should be a diplexer behind the 4u decoder for the HB connection via the lnb cabling. There should also be a diplexer behind the older Explora if this method of distributing the HB is being used.
Click to expand...

I had a look. There is a cable on the RF port on the Explora and cable on the RF out on the 4U. How many cables should be connected at the back of the Xplora 2 (Primary)? Currently there is 2.
 
Drifter said:
Easiest solution to all of this. Ellimnate DSTV. Problem solved forever.
Click to expand...

Tried it for a while. I just struggled too much to get quality streams for sports. Pop-ups, etc was becoming a serious pain.........despite all the recommended sites.
 
Forgot to add. Channel 100 is working without any issues. Installer mentioned that the decoder could be faulty, but I doubt it as channel 100 is working without any issues.
 
So based on what you have posted the following should now apply:

(1) You probably have the LMX501SLNB installed. It has 4 ports, 3 Unicable ports and one universal port.
(2) The 4U network settings are for unicable connection, so all three unicable ports should have cables on the SLNB.
(3) The HB cable is setup NOT to use the SLNB cabling as you do not seem to have any diplexers installed behind the 4U decoder and the Explora 1.


(4) Any RF port on the Explora 2A can be used for the HB connection. The important things is that under the settings menus, XV setup check if there is a setting for the port used and if there is make sure this setting matches the RF port used. The Explora 2A should have 2 cables connected to it, The LNB cable connected to the satellite LNB port and the HB cable to either the RF IN or RF OUT port.

(5) The Explora 1 should have two cables connected to it. One on the LNB port going to the LNB, and the other connected to either the RF OUT or the RF IN port. The XV settings should match whatever port is used if there is such a setting. As the Explora 1 is working , you can safely assume this setting is correct.

(6) The 4U decoder should have two cables connected. One the LNB in port and the other to either RF IN or the RF out port. the same for the XV settings - check that any XV settings for the ports matches the port used.

(7) The primary Explora 2A should under XV settings state that it is the Primary decoder and it is transmitting HB. The Explora 1 should state it is secondary and it is either receiving a HB or is waiting for communication. If you watch this decoder setting, the setting should go from waiting to receiving a pulse and then back again at regular intervals. The 4U should do the same it should state it is waiting or receiving a pulse and that it secondary. If it says it is "ready but inactive" then the decoder has not been properly linked on your account and you need to contact MC to get this fixed.

(8) The remote command setup screens should be set to only respond to one mode one each decoder (TV1, TV2, TV3 with the others set to ignore, UNLESS you are also trying to view content via RF anywhere else, in which case one mode must be set to respond and the other two set to "relay". Older remotes should be set to ignore.

(9) The last thing to check is if any of the decoders have been set to provide power to a tvLINKs eye, If there are no eyes in your setup then tvLINKs power should OFF on all 3 decoders.

(10) The two secondary decoders should also show that they are linked to the Primary SC number and the Primary decoder should show which secondary SC numbers are linked to it.


If all the above is correct and you still get nothing on the 4U, you need to go and find a splitter somewhere in the roof and see if it connected up properly. It could be a simple T piece or it could be a proper SLX splitter or a 3-way splitter used as a combiner.
 
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