don@dramsllc.com

Ok, to expound on my previous post a little bit. There are in fact a few other things which may be wrong with the AS-2003 system which can/will cause search and lock on problems. The circumstances described by the Original Poster, sound very much like the 77 satellite problem..... The 77 satellite problem with the AS-2003 seems to also be somewhat geographic sensitive, due mostly to the elevation angle changes of the different satellites from different parts of the country. I would suggest that the OP contact Winegard Tech support for assistance. As for other systems and brands, each system has it own way to complete a search and lock on. Some may be better or worse than others. For the most part it becomes a programming issue, and that issue is dependent on how well the software developer deals with the unexpected, and handles "errors". The buzz word is "fault tolerance". In this example, the "error" is finding a satellite signal which seems right, but is really wrong. This was not a "fault" which was anticipated by the developer, and may be "unique" to the AS-2003.

Unfortunately, the problem you are having with the AS-2003 is not really fixable. In November of 2008, a new satellite was turned on at 77 degrees. The AS-2003 was developed long before this satellite launched, so what is happening is, the AS-2003 sees and locks on to this new satellite at 77 degrees, and there is nothing in the AS-2003 programming referencing this new satellite, and the AS-2003 simply doesn't know what to do next. If you let the AS-2003 lock on, and it is not the correct satellite, turn the AS-2003 off, and back on, to re-start the search routine, it may continue past and lock on to 101. You may have to cycle it off and on several times, or it may never lock on to the correct satellite.