I have a Sony SAT-W60 receiver. It no longer records two programs at once. The system test reveals transponder 2 not getting a signal. I tried switching satellite feeds with the same result. Also tried unplugging unit overnight without success. Is tuner 2 shot? If so, does anyone have a Sony unit for sale?

Tuner Failures because of hardware degradation or overheating is the most common problem with UTVs (besides the occasional Hard Drive failures which are fixed with a replacement hard drive). So keep your UTV cool as best as possible. Elevating it, making sure the internal fan is working and keeping the vent holes clean and in the open all will help the UTV stay cool and possibly prolong it's life and reduce Tuner problems.

If you want to use the Sony UTV with just ONE Tuner (or risk the UTV recording using the "Bad" Tuner)... Your best bet is to test EACH Cable run individually NOT in pairs. Which ever Tuner remains stable for several minutes is the "Good" Tuner. The UTV will then switch to "Single" Tuner Mode and operate like a more "traditional" DTV receiver.

While it isn't common there may be a problem with one of the cable runs,LNB,Multi-Switch, etc.... Testing the Cables individually and bypassing the Multi-Switch and other Sat Setup components... may narrow down problem areas.

If you want to see if Tuner "2" (or "1") has some life left in it without doing an unplug/shutdown... you can try the UTV Code for Resetting/Rebooting the unit. 12357 is one code that will do this. This will NOT delete recordings or upcoming recording settings but it may bring a "bad" Tuner back to life for few minutes,hours,days depending on how bad it is... (Having it cool down overnight should have the same effect so it does seem you have a "serious" issue here).

Good luck. Sony UTVs may not be as common as the RCA UTVs but they do have identical user interfaces. If you don't mind a different remote/keyboard and outer casing... The differences are very minor. In some ways the RCA UTV has several features (AUX/DTV modes and Remote functions "Antenna") that the Sony doesn't offer. You might find the RCA UTVs are cheaper since they are more available.

First off, thank you for taking the time to answer. However, I am a little confused. When I switched the cable leads from the satellite dish and still got a "Tuner 2" failure in the system test, wouldn't that rule out a problem with the leads, LNB, dish, etc? And I don't know what a Multi-Switch is. I am not sure I even have one. I tried the code "12357" with no luck. I have used a laptop cooler for the last two years and now have two variable speed usb fans sitting behind the unit. If I still need to test the cable runs, how do I go about that? With a voltmeter? Again, thanks for your time.

sounds like a tuner failure to me too
either send it to ccs or pick up another UTV

Agree, almost certainly a single tuner failure. I have one of those on one of my units and so bought a couple spares off of ebay.

Every so often, someone on this board is selling their utvs. You might check back often.

A multi-switch is needed to drive 2 or more utvs (or any 2 dtv receivers) off of a single pair of cables. You can't just use plain radio shack cable tv splitters, they don't work. DTV cables are not just passive leads, they also have voltage levels that the receiver needs to be able to pass back to the lnb (to get it to switch from odd to even). A multi-switch does this. You don't need one if you only have one receiver.


Check the utv history, it normally records when the unit switches from two tuner mode to one tuner mode.

Just remove one of your cables at a time and you should be able to figure out which one is bad if you are not using a multi-switch.

As mentioned, you can get your unit repaired at

http://www.ccscorporation.net/

Once again, thanks for your time and responses. I am sure also it is a single tuner failure. I can still use the unit, however I can no longer watch a ballgame while the unit is recording a show. I am torn between getting it repaired and limping through the year till I go High Def next year. Directv has a HD DVR receiver for $200. I don't have an HDTV yet either. From what I understand Sony will repair the unit for $84 or so. Is this an option? Anyone with personal experience with them?

Yes,

Sony does/has offered UTV repairs for around $84. So that is another option to CCS. Not sure how recently someone has used the service. Maybe check the "Repairs for RCA UTVs" Sticky in this forum. There is probably some talk of Sony's UTV Repair Service there.

RE: Cable Runs and Tuner Testing.

Just wanted to make sure you covered your bases. The UTV can sometimes say Tuner X is failing when it is actually X+ or - 1. So testing the cable runs one at a time instead of just swapping cables... can narrow down possible problems. If for example the Tuner failure traveled with a certain cable run... Without a Multi-Swich you might have tested the LNB (Dish)... Swapping the cables there and see if the "Tuner Failure" suddenly swapped cable runs. THAT would have indicated a bad LNB.

I will certainly check that out. However, when I do a signal strength test......there is no signal on Tuner 2....not sure if that means anything other than Tuner 2 is history. Who knows. I will swap cables at the LNB this weekend and see what happens.....again thanks for your time.

I would agree with many here suggesting Tuner 2 is officially toast. If it doesn't come back with a cooldown/reboot (for a few moments at least) OR when given a "good" feed...

Just wanted to point out why it's best to troubleshoot the whole thing. Making assumptions can be right or wrong. When they are wrong it can be a real waste of time.

I'll put forward a forum member that had his/her "bad" UTV plugged into a "switched" outlet and it was first suggested the UTV's hard drive was toast since it wouldn't record scheduled programs and would have the blinking green light of death when sitting down to watch it.

Some actual "trouble shooting" found that the UTV had been moved recently and was mistakenly plugged into the "switched" outlet unknown to the user.

Always start at the basics and work your way up. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the LNB or cable run is to blame but it isn't looking likely. Maybe, like some other UTV users... you'll find some "problem areas" that need attention (bad/damaged contacts) and address them regardless if it fixes the current problem or not.

(Which brings me to a question... When you "swap" cables... you aren't carrying over any "Quick connect" connectors (push on type contacts that can be screwed onto the end of the cable) also have you checked the condition of the two tuner connectors? Does tuner 2 happen to look more beat up then tuner one?

If you have a Multi-Meter you can test the volts at each tuner and that should tell you if they are working properly. If you have trouble with tuner two, while unlikely you may want to see if the connector is warn out. Try using a cable with a slightly longer wire contact also see if wiggling the connector with the cable attached changes anything.

Good luck,

Thanks everyone for your input....most appreciated. I tried everything you said in your last post lgodave. I have all quality cables hooked to my unit. Still tuner two shows no signs of life. I am going to see if I can pick up a fully functional unit second hand to hold me over till my "jump to light" in the form of HDTV. Just hope tuner one will stay afloat till then. I have a non-dvr, non utv receiver in the closet if it doesn't. But you know what they say....once you go DVR, you will never go back!

damn tuner chipz!

i've got several units for sale: sony & rca. remotes are included. also, i should have one or two new sony keyboards laying around too.

Remember to activate your replacement unit the easy way. I've not yet tried it, but lots of reports that you can just click a button on the internet. Good luck.