Daniel
2004-08-13 19:55:24 UTC
Hello all!
I've been a satisfied Bell ExpressVu subscriber here in southern
California for nearly 4 years now. Thanks to many members of this
group who helped me figure everything out back when I first got
started.
So, first a bit of background...I have one receiver (2700), and a 24
inch dish, and my signal strength is 91%. There are no problems with
any of the coax connections, dish being dirty, or anything like that
(I've checked them all.) But a few days ago I started getting the
following message on over 80% of the channels:
ERROR 002
Your satellite signal is temporarily unavailable. Please wait, or
press the Up or Down button to change channels:
Channel: (number of whatever channel I was trying to watch)
Satellite: 91
Transponder: (varies depending on the channel I was trying to watch)
There is a Help button at the bottom of the screen, but when I select
it, it brings up a message that says the satellite lock was lost, and
to check my coax connections and cleanliness of the dish, or there may
have been storms in the area. (Storms in southern California in the
summer? Not really a problem! :-) )
When I go to the Point Dish menu on the Installation menu, it says the
receiver is locked on Bell ExpressVu 91, with the signal strength
being anywhere from 86% (if it's foggy) to 91% (if skies are clear).
There are some channels that I can watch just like before (like BBC
World), so I know it's not that I'm getting no signal. (6 months ago
I did have a problem with one of the coax connections, but then the
signal strength was 0%...once I found the problem and fixed the
connector, it was back to 91% again. So I know this time it is a
different problem.)
I called BEV Customer Service on Tuesday, and the woman went through
all of the usual "check your coax connections" answers that I had
already found on the Web. She had me read that entire Error 002
screen to her, as well as the entire "Important System Information"
screen. She said all of the information was correct, and my account
was all up to date, and she didn't know what the problem was, so she
would have someone e-mail me back. I haven't yet heard anything.
Some additional points:
* My receiver has never been plugged into a phone line. I was once
asked (3 years ago when I called customer service to change
programming packages) if it were plugged in, but other than that it's
never been mentioned -- and I have contacted customer service several
times since then to change programming packages or change the billing
credit card for my account.
* Since the day I opened the account in October 2000, I have had
pre-authorized credit card billing. I signed up for service by using
an address swap with a reader on this group who was in Montreal -- my
name, his address and phone number, my credit card. I've never
received the monthly statement, but it wasn't a problem since I had
the pre-authorized credit card payment set up, and the amount each
month was always the same since (obviously) I've never done
pay-per-view. My credit card is not expired, has plenty of available
credit. I use that credit card almost every day, for many other
purchases, and it works just fine.
The one thing I did notice was that on the Important System
Information screen, under the Smart Card ID line, there was a line
that said (in green) "NEW card available: DNASP000383". So did
ExpressVu issue new smart cards, and I didn't receive one because I'm
not at the address on my account? If they did, why would the customer
service rep I talked to on Tuesday not mention this to me? And if
this indeed is the case, is there any way for me to get the updated
smart card without disclosing to them that I'm a south-of-the-border
subscriber? Inquiries to the person who allowed me to use his address
and phone number to obtain service originally have gone unanswered, so
I don't know if anything (like a new smart card...) has come in the
mail.
Or maybe I'm way off base and the problem is something else entirely.
Any insight anyone could provide would be wonderful! Thanks!
-- Daniel
San Diego, CA
I've been a satisfied Bell ExpressVu subscriber here in southern
California for nearly 4 years now. Thanks to many members of this
group who helped me figure everything out back when I first got
started.
So, first a bit of background...I have one receiver (2700), and a 24
inch dish, and my signal strength is 91%. There are no problems with
any of the coax connections, dish being dirty, or anything like that
(I've checked them all.) But a few days ago I started getting the
following message on over 80% of the channels:
ERROR 002
Your satellite signal is temporarily unavailable. Please wait, or
press the Up or Down button to change channels:
Channel: (number of whatever channel I was trying to watch)
Satellite: 91
Transponder: (varies depending on the channel I was trying to watch)
There is a Help button at the bottom of the screen, but when I select
it, it brings up a message that says the satellite lock was lost, and
to check my coax connections and cleanliness of the dish, or there may
have been storms in the area. (Storms in southern California in the
summer? Not really a problem! :-) )
When I go to the Point Dish menu on the Installation menu, it says the
receiver is locked on Bell ExpressVu 91, with the signal strength
being anywhere from 86% (if it's foggy) to 91% (if skies are clear).
There are some channels that I can watch just like before (like BBC
World), so I know it's not that I'm getting no signal. (6 months ago
I did have a problem with one of the coax connections, but then the
signal strength was 0%...once I found the problem and fixed the
connector, it was back to 91% again. So I know this time it is a
different problem.)
I called BEV Customer Service on Tuesday, and the woman went through
all of the usual "check your coax connections" answers that I had
already found on the Web. She had me read that entire Error 002
screen to her, as well as the entire "Important System Information"
screen. She said all of the information was correct, and my account
was all up to date, and she didn't know what the problem was, so she
would have someone e-mail me back. I haven't yet heard anything.
Some additional points:
* My receiver has never been plugged into a phone line. I was once
asked (3 years ago when I called customer service to change
programming packages) if it were plugged in, but other than that it's
never been mentioned -- and I have contacted customer service several
times since then to change programming packages or change the billing
credit card for my account.
* Since the day I opened the account in October 2000, I have had
pre-authorized credit card billing. I signed up for service by using
an address swap with a reader on this group who was in Montreal -- my
name, his address and phone number, my credit card. I've never
received the monthly statement, but it wasn't a problem since I had
the pre-authorized credit card payment set up, and the amount each
month was always the same since (obviously) I've never done
pay-per-view. My credit card is not expired, has plenty of available
credit. I use that credit card almost every day, for many other
purchases, and it works just fine.
The one thing I did notice was that on the Important System
Information screen, under the Smart Card ID line, there was a line
that said (in green) "NEW card available: DNASP000383". So did
ExpressVu issue new smart cards, and I didn't receive one because I'm
not at the address on my account? If they did, why would the customer
service rep I talked to on Tuesday not mention this to me? And if
this indeed is the case, is there any way for me to get the updated
smart card without disclosing to them that I'm a south-of-the-border
subscriber? Inquiries to the person who allowed me to use his address
and phone number to obtain service originally have gone unanswered, so
I don't know if anything (like a new smart card...) has come in the
mail.
Or maybe I'm way off base and the problem is something else entirely.
Any insight anyone could provide would be wonderful! Thanks!
-- Daniel
San Diego, CA