# Loss of Signal When Running Microwave



## kgm32 (Jun 1, 2006)

Has anyone ever had a issue with the loss of signal when running a microwave? This happens on occasion. I am recording with my DirectTivo I loose x minutes of the show......I have definitely linked it to my microwave....I have tried grounding my Multiswitch which is one the same outlet run as my Microwave....that did not help....


----------



## Dkerr24 (Oct 29, 2004)

Don't think I'd want to stand next to your microwave while in use if it is causing that much intereference to affect satellite reception.

Instant vasectomy!


----------



## kgm32 (Jun 1, 2006)

Dkerr24 said:


> Don't think I'd want to stand next to your microwave while in use if it is causing that much intereference to affect satellite reception.
> 
> Instant vasectomy!


I thought about that...could be the microwave......thought that getting a sunburn inside was odd....lol


----------



## nibyak (Nov 30, 2004)

Make sure that all of your connections (coax) are tight. Interference entering the coax can cause the receiver to mess up. I had a TV in my kitchen in an apartment years ago that caused the receiver to make some really loud noises when the microwave (located next to the TV) was running. I tightened up the coax connecters and it stopped. How the connecters come loose I don't know.


----------



## rminsk (Jun 4, 2002)

There could be a break in the cable shielding. The only way for the average person to test that is with a multimeter. You would need access to both ends of the cable. Do you know if your cables are foil or braid shielding?


----------



## willardcpa (Feb 23, 2001)

How did the installer manage to talk you into mounting your dish inside of your microwave???


----------



## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

What happens if you power the multiswitch from a different outlet/circuit?


----------



## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

curious: does a cordless phone act up near it?


----------



## kgm32 (Jun 1, 2006)

Thank you all for your input....I get no interference on the cordlesss phone the Mulit switch is not powered my mistake on that point...it could be a broken cable (I have a combination of foiled and braided) but it affects all TVs..


----------



## rminsk (Jun 4, 2002)

kgm32 said:


> the Mulit switch is not powered my mistake on that point


How is that a mistake. There are alot of non-powered multiswitches and they all work just fine.


----------



## extension 721 (Sep 29, 2005)

check your microwave for radiation leakage, it is POSSIBLE for leaked microwaves to affect sat reception. If you buy a cheap signal meter, you can check it when you run the microwave. If it jumps all the way up when mr micro is on, get a new microwave. If it drops all the way down, call an electrician, you have a wiring problem


----------



## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

ok, well i didn't know if the cordless phone test meant anything but was hoping someone would tell me if it did. My phone buzzes if i get too close so i dont. Strangely enough, now that i think about it, the dish is probably only 12ft as the crow flies from the microwave


----------



## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

Ours does that. The dish essentially faces to the corner of the kitchen where the (aging) microwave oven lives


----------



## purple6816 (May 27, 2003)

Dkerr24 said:


> Don't think I'd want to stand next to your microwave while in use if it is causing that much intereference to affect satellite reception.
> 
> Instant vasectomy!


For many years I had a commercial microwave dish for my internet access. It was running at one watt of power to hit the other disk on columbia tower in seattle.

I had it mounted on a pole on the deck. With the direct Tv dish below it. I had no issues with the dtv but, my wife's birds kept dying with liver disease. We lost 3 cockatiels to that.  Unfortunatly she kept buying more.

BTW I now have DSL it is way cheaper.


----------



## rock_doctor (Oct 22, 2000)

purple6816 said:


> For many years I had a commercial microwave dish for my internet access. It was running at one watt of power to hit the other disk on columbia tower in seattle.
> 
> I had it mounted on a pole on the deck. With the direct Tv dish below it. I had no issues with the dtv but, my wife's birds kept dying with liver disease. We lost 3 cockatiels to that.  Unfortunatly she kept buying more.
> 
> BTW I now have DSL it is way cheaper.


Not to mention it is easier on the local wildlife. Just think of the guys back in the 40's who use to stand in front of the radar dishes to "warm up"... Science is a trip.

mark


----------



## vogon13 (Jun 1, 2005)

I had a customer with this problem. The microwave and also the clothes washer and an exercise treadmill all knocked out D* service on the living room reciever. When I swapped the living room and bedroom recievers, the problem stayed in the living room location.

Out of desperation, I popped the cover off the electrical panel and started tightening screws.

I found the neutral or ground bar (can't remember which, this was a year ago) at the bottom of the fuse box to be loose at one end. Tightening it fixed the problem.

Family thought I was a genius. No such thing, just desperate to get the darn satellite working again.


----------



## rock_doctor (Oct 22, 2000)

This is a wonderful tip but I would suggest not removing the breaker panel cover unless you have worked there before... You have 220v at 100-300amps available in the bare buss bars and this is definitely enough power to flash you to a crisp if your hand or screwdriver slips. 

Another way to check this out is to turn on the microwave, turn off, and back on breakers until the microwave turns off. If the TiVo is also off then they are on the same circuit. Then you may consider moving the unit to another outlet that is still on. It is reasonable that the microwave could send waste RFI though the local circuit. You don't realize how much power a microwave is producing at 700-1000 watts (2450-2460mHz). The signals coming from the satellites are only about 50-75watts... 

Good luck 
Mark


----------



## vogon13 (Jun 1, 2005)

Sorry for not posting a warning.

Of course be careful when doing anything like that. I have wired several homes, additions and basement remodels, so I don't have a ny particular fear of poking around in the electric service.

I did think it odd that the customer never noted any lights flickering anywhere in the house when the microwave was in use. I suspect the gound wire on the dish coax was the 'defacto' netral for several circuits in the house, and any large assymetrical load on L1 and L2 would pass too much current down the shield of the coax for the LNB to work properly.


Had a house several years ago that had the entire upstairs wired backwards on all outlets. Hot was neutral, and neutral and ground were both hot. Plugging in the D* three prong power cord caused quite a ruckus. Outlet tester under this particular fault will indicate a properly wired outlet (think about it) and it took me quite a while to get everything working. ( it did not fry the D* box BTW)


If anyone suspects a wiring fault is causing a D* reception problem, don't hesitate to contact a qualified electrician.


I strongly suspected the microwave of leaking enough power to mess up the satellite reception and went to some rather extreme lengths to prove the microwave was safe.

(turn all the room lights off and hold a florescent light around the microwave. If it lights up, RUN!)


----------



## Stanley Rohner (Jan 18, 2004)

Dkerr24 said:


> Don't think I'd want to stand next to your microwave while in use if it is causing that much intereference to affect satellite reception.
> 
> Instant vasectomy!


vasectomy ?
I don't think the microwave oven will reach out and snip you.


----------



## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

vogon13 said:


> (turn all the room lights off and hold a florescent light around the microwave. If it lights up, RUN!)


for real? has anyone done this?


----------

