GloriaA

Mr. Know it all

Good Morning Gloria,

I would probably bet that your converter box is broke.

It would help if you gave a model number and name of your converter box.

Some converter boxes has a external power supply, one of those little thingy's that you plug into the outlet that is square and has a little wire going to the box.

If that is the case, you can read off the top of the transformer what voltage it is and match it to another power transformer and it should still work.
If the converter only has a power wire going from the outlet to the box, and everything else works, then yes you do have a defective box.

Might I be presumptuous and make a small suggestion.

If you go back on the web site for converter box coupons, you can re apply for a new set of coupons - if you change the name of the person receiving the coupon or the address and get a new coupon.

Then if you go to the Solid Signal .com site, you can buy a Channel Master CM 7000 converter box. It is about $9

I will not tell you that it is the best converter box on the market, just that it is a very good converter box and that it has many good options and a good remote control and plenty of options that I think that you will enjoy.

Good reception and their customer service is awesome.

I sent back one box so far and they replaced it with a new one in about a week. No issues with any of the other boxes that I bought off them and no issues with warranty's or returns. Just keep the receipt.

1inxs

GloriaA, Welcome to the DTVUSA Forum. One thing to check is the batteries in the remote. Some of the converters have been on the shelf for quite some time and the batteries needed replacing straight out of the box. Check to make sure there is still power to the outlet where you plug the converter in and that the converter definately has power to it.

Also as Mr. Know it all has suggested, post back with your make and model and we can better help you. Good Luck!

DTVuser2009

Also it could have just simply powered down to 'save energy'. some boxes have that feature turned on (at different intervals) out of the box. thankfully they made a menu option where it can be turned off. if it still won't work, try simply unplugging it, wait 10 minutes, and plug it back in. 9-times out of ten, it resets the internal memory and fixes the 'confused' state of the box. i cannot count the many VCRs that had the very same problem, locked up and reset by unplugging it. don't automatically assume it went 'bad' most don't; only the very super-sub-par ones do.

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divxhacker

Or, maybe, in the case of an external power supply, the power supply brick fell out of the plug under its own weight, or its cord came out of the converter's power input.

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Mr. Know it all

Most cheap boxes, the problem traces back to the power supply.

I also thought about the power down option, but I never thought that anyone would use it. The same with the batteries, most boxes has a button you can push on the face of the converter box that you can push to activate.

The Zenith DTT 900 is nice because the power button is bigger than the other buttons.

DTVuser2009

The Zenith/Insignia also have a channel UP/Down button.

The Dish DTVPal doesn't have any buttons, and most cheaper ones either have none as well or only have a power button. it's so 'blended in' though that no one even notices it.

The power down is enabled by the factory so most are surprised when it powers down without warning (not even a 'The box is powering down due to inactivity' warning) and most assume it went bad. they're Energy Star compliant but without the logo on the front among the others most don't even know that. most Energy Star stuff powers off after a preset by the factory, or as in appliances, their functions limited to 'save energy' (such as the roof air in my home, it doesn't put out as well as one from the late '60s)

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forensicnurse

Yes mine did that too. Would not turn back on no matter what.

But the other one worked FINE (same brand) so I knew it was not the remote or the electric supply.

So, I reset the breaker and voila, it was on again (with remote)

Yes, I have no buttons on the front. I have the TR-40.
It powers down after 4 hrs of "inactivity" (fine with me, because I fall asleep at night with the TV on.......... or used to, Now I don't get much TV so I don't have it on any more.........all I can get is PBS and maybe once a week ABC and it takes like 20-30 minutes to adjust the antenna (each day even though I don't move it) manually, so I am rapidly becoming a NON TV watcher. It's just too much trouble.

Try resetting the breaker. It worked for me.

HTNut

Welcome to the forum. Did you know you can turn off the 4 hour energy saver timer in the menu system? 3 hour time out for converter boxes

When you say "reset the the breaker", what breaker are you talking about?

DTVuser2009

I wasn't aware that converters had built in circuit breakers. heck i haven't seen that in electronics since the '80s. most electronics today instead have 'sacrificial' electronic circuits that when they blow, they blow the entire works, forcing a replacement or expensive repair shipment to the manufacturer (why do you think retail stores ask you if you want the 2 year replacement plan? heck most electronics should last a lot longer than 2 years)

i think the post was a person who had a circuit breaker trip inside their house. possibly a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) outlet. if such an outlet exists anywhere in my home, i immediately change it out for a regular one since they trip for no reason, even without load. it takes my living room with it too. if such an outlet exists in your home, it will have a tiny red 'reset' and a black 'test' button. i think that was the breaker referred to.

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Who is General Failure, and why is he reading my hard disk?!