Multiswitch Problems - Please Help

[eubster]

Hi all,

I'm a long time follower but pretty new poster so bear with me

I need some help with a multiswitch setup I'm trying to install. Sorry for the long post, but I hope it will avoid lots of questions.

I'm based in Southern France watching free to air UK channels and French Terrestrial digital TV. For the last year I've had a 90cm dish set up on Astra 2D 28.2E with an MTI QUAD LNB distributing a sat feed to 4 rooms with the terrestrial feed directly to a TV in another room. Satellite signal is more or less perfect (100% signal strength and quality on my freesat box).

Now I'm renovating I'd like to use a Multiswitch to combine the Satellite and terrestrial feed and send it to 6 rooms in the house.

I've bought an EMP-Centauri P.143-UP (MS5/8PIU-4) Multiswitch which is apparently QUAD compatible, wired up the QUAD LNB and terrestrial inputs to the Multiswitch and connected each room feed to the outputs. Unused outputs are terminated and the whole unit is earthed.

In each room I've got a LEGRAND Celiane faceplate which splits the signal into TV, SAT and FM frequency bands.

Now the problem...when it's all wired up and switched on, the freesat box indicates a signal problem. When the diagnostic runs, I can see the the satellite is still 28.2E and the signal strength remains 100%, but the signal quality is 0%.

When I manual tune, some transponders have 100% signal strength and quality, but many others have 0% quality.

Does anyone have any experience of this kind of issue...and how to solve it. Thanks to all in advance

[Tivù]

What do the Transponders you do get 100% have in common?

ie, Are they all of the same Polarity and Band

eg Horiz/Low, Horiz/High, Vert/Low or Vert/High?

Also, I note the word "apparently" regarding the compatibility of the Multiswitch with Quad LNBs ................. what is the evidence for this? Is it in the spec?

If that evidence is weak, it may be the case that you need to ditch the Quad in favour of a Quattro. But they are available for around €25, fortunately.

[Tivù]

Ok. Found the spec and it does indeed say Quad Compatible.

_http://www.emp-centauri.cz/products.php?id_kateg=5&id_pkateg=36&id=17

So, another tack ................. Can you tell me what Make/Model of Freesat Box you've got?

[eubster]

The QUAD compatibility is indicated in the multiswitch spec, so I'm pretty confident there. As for the transponders, I'll check when I get home tonight and post the results later. Thanks for the quick response!

[eubster]

Its a HUMAX HD Freesat receiver....but will need to check the exact model later this evening and get back to you.

[Tivù]

Ok, that's the one I've got. The Foxsat.

You may have to perform a factory reset on it in order to allow correct configuration of the new distribution arrangement.

If that isn't the problem, there is a feature for giving more oomph for DiSEqC switching (intended primarily to combat decay on long cable runs) - so it might be worth trying that. Can't recall how to access it right now, but I'm sure you'll find it!

Another suggestion, cribbed from the User Manual _http://www.emp-centauri.cz/pdf/P142-UP-P147-UP_users_manual.pdf is the old faithful ......... Reboot both the multiswitch and the receiver.

[ENRIQUE75]

Have to agree with Tivu. Ditch the Quad for a Quattro. Multi Switches are not designed for use with Quads. We run a bank of switches down here in Alicante Spain from a 1.9m dish and a single Quattro serving 60 houses on our urbanisation. Works fine.

[PaulR]

You don't say exactly where in the south of France you are. If you're towards Nice/Menton then you may need to go up a size of dish to 1 metre to compensate for the extra losses imposed by a multi-switch.

The rule of thumb with a multiswitch is always use a size larger than is needed for a straightforward feed.

[eubster]

OK, So here's some wierd behaviour.....

Switched the multiswitch and freesat box on and off. The freesat box suddenly picked up the signal on all transponders with 90% signal strength and 100% quality. I tuned in all the channels and it worked perfectly....for 5 minutes and then back to the old problem where it only picks up limited channels from certain transponders such as..

12560V 27500 2/3
12129V 27500 2/3
11954H 27500 2/3

Now getting channels such as BBC News, euronews and S4C, but that's it. From everyone's response, it would seem I need to get a Quattro LNB. Does this result back up the theory, even if the multiswitch apparently supports Quad LNBs?

Thanks,

Eubster

[satelliteman]

Connect up a receiver directly to the Quad and see if all is ok.

If the switch supports quattro/quad input Q2 technology and is behaving this way, it's possible that it could be faulty.

[Robbo]

Wel, its either the LNB or switch that is faulty, the switch should permanently be putting out 22kHz and 18V/13V on the appropriate terminals, to make the quad LNB into a quattro effectively.

[ralphmagno]

hello,
if you are able to connect one of the lnb outputs to the box and all works ok then the multiswitch may be the problem.
i have never seen a multiswitch make a quatro become a quad .
to do so the multiswitch would have to generate the 22 khz internaly to 2 lines and have a stable 14 v and 18 v.
so one line would have 22 khz 18 v for hor high,one 22 khz 14 v vert high,one 14 v vert low and the last 18 v for hor.low.
all the multiswitches i have seen generates one voltage and its the lnb that seperates the bands.
so if you connect the wrong line to the wrong input it will not work .
if you connect.
then your satellite receiver would use the 22 khz and voltage to switch the multiswitch and it would have to block the signals going to the lnb as well.
sound like a conflict to me.

i think you are using the wrong lnb for the job or the multiswitch is not working right.

keep us informed
ralph

[rolfw]

hello,
if you are able to connect one of the lnb outputs to the box and all works ok then the multiswitch may be the problem.
i have never seen a multiswitch make a quatro become a quad .
to do so the multiswitch would have to generate the 22 khz internaly to 2 lines and have a stable 14 v and 18 v.
so one line would have 22 khz 18 v for hor high,one 22 khz 14 v vert high,one 14 v vert low and the last 18 v for hor.low.
all the multiswitches i have seen generates one voltage and its the lnb that seperates the bands.
so if you connect the wrong line to the wrong input it will not work .
if you connect.
then your satellite receiver would use the 22 khz and voltage to switch the multiswitch and it would have to block the signals going to the lnb as well.
sound like a conflict to me.

i think you are using the wrong lnb for the job or the multiswitch is not working right.

keep us informed
ralph

These quad suitable multiswitches have been around for some time now and work perfectly well, the technology is not suspect.

The individual multiswitch may of course be suspect.

[Tivù]

OK, So here's some wierd behaviour.....

Switched the multiswitch and freesat box on and off. The freesat box suddenly picked up the signal on all transponders with 90% signal strength and 100% quality. I tuned in all the channels and it worked perfectly....for 5 minutes and then back to the old problem where it only picks up limited channels from certain transponders such as..

12560V 27500 2/3
12129V 27500 2/3
11954H 27500 2/3

Now getting channels such as BBC News, euronews and S4C, but that's it. From everyone's response, it would seem I need to get a Quattro LNB. Does this result back up the theory, even if the multiswitch apparently supports Quad LNBs?

Thanks,

Eubster

Did you try the "oomph" button I mentioned earlier?

I recall it is presented to you as a long cable compensation feature during initial set up, so a factory reset of the Foxsat is required in order to get at it: I suggest it merely because I see it as one possible source of incompatibility and perhaps something you could at least try before binning the multiswitch or the LNB.

Please excuse the overly technical expression "oomph", but I can't recall the proper label and I am not prepared to Factory Reset my own Foxsat to find out as it is set up for multi-Satellite use and all my Channel Lists are exactly how I want them!

As you're only using it for 28E and Freesat proper, 'tis but a five minute job.

[eubster]

OK, so after a factory reset of the freesat box, all seems to be working and stable....I'll test the terrestrial tv tomorrow, but seems it's fixed. Thanks to all for your your help

[Tivù]

Give it a few days "soak testing"!

I'm sure it'll be fine