itv only breaking up, cyprus

[Popo's Dad]

Hi,i'm based in peyia, cyprus and i posted recently about a problem with breakup that i had after a retune, turned out the dish had been twisted, that was sorted by another company.
we still have a small problem which i hope someone can help with, i'm not to technical i'm afraid.
When we watch itv in the morning on central south as this is always best for us, the picture breaks up badly around 8am until 11am most days even with clear skies, bbc1 etc is ok with almost no problem at this time (99.9% ok)
any ideas why it's just itv? could it be the dish tuning or another problem somewhere. the rest of the day including evenings is perfect

thanks
popo's dad

[geoffreys]

Hi,i'm based in peyia, cyprus and i posted recently about a problem with breakup that i had after a retune, turned out the dish had been twisted, that was sorted by another company.
we still have a small problem which i hope someone can help with, i'm not to technical i'm afraid.
When we watch itv in the morning on central south as this is always best for us, the picture breaks up badly around 8am until 11am most days even with clear skies, bbc1 etc is ok with almost no problem at this time (99.9% ok)
any ideas why it's just itv? could it be the dish tuning or another problem somewhere. the rest of the day including evenings is perfect

thanks
popo's dad

I think you'll find the problem is simply that the ITV signal is a bit weaker from the satellite. Not much you can do other than get a bigger dish.
Regards,
Geoff

[Popo's Dad]

thanks, but i have a 3mtr dish, my next door neighbour only has a 2.7 mtr and his picture is fine, he's using the same model Sky box that i have.

[HB13DISH]

thanks, but i have a 3mtr dish, my next door neighbour only has a 2.7 mtr and his picture is fine, he's using the same model Sky box that i have.

Although his dish is smaller, if it is from a different make then it might have a better gain.
Please let us know your dishes (yours and neighbour's) manufacturer's name and model type.
Also some pictures might help.
Also LNB type and make.
Are you using the best coaxial cable that money can buy?
Are you receiving other channels that he is not receiving?
Perhaps his receiver has a more sensitive tuner than yours, can you test your system with his receiver?
Do you have another more sensitive receiver that you can test?

[geoffreys]

thanks, but i have a 3mtr dish, my next door neighbour only has a 2.7 mtr and his picture is fine, he's using the same model Sky box that i have.

You could always see if your neighbour would be prepared to fit his dish with an Invacom Quad C120 LNB, which you could fund by selling your dish on the second-hand market. Have a feed to your house from it using the best possible coax. QED
Geoff

[koansrc]

thanks, but i have a 3mtr dish, my next door neighbour only has a 2.7 mtr and his picture is fine, he's using the same model Sky box that i have.

The Sky boxes might look the same from the front but in fact be different models. Check the underside and markings. Another obvious reason could just be that the neighbours dish is better tuned.

[BLUEPLATINUM]

When we watch itv in the morning on central south as this is always best for us, the picture breaks up badly around 8am until 11am most days even with clear skies...

If you have a Sky viewing card then try tuning in one of the ITV1s on 12402 V
27500 2/3, they are on a different beam and may be stronger with you. They are not FTA but are FTV with a Sky card.

[Popo's Dad]

thanks guys, can't get anything on 12402 and don't really want to share a dish in case of problems with neighbours in the future or if they move etc

[MikeO]

Hiya,

I get the best ITV1 from 12402V here in Limassol. I cant understand why you cannot get it too, the ITV is completely trouble free 24/7. Is the scew of your LNB ok...i had some problems with 12402V initially, but it was because the scew wasnt exactly right. After a tweek, it has proved to be perfect.

[Zorba]

You say your dish was twisted and "sorted" out by another company. I don't think it has been "straightened" properly.Have you told them? Was it twisted from new ? Is your dish and your neighbours dish similar?
I installed a 3m dish the other day where the customer had a 2.7m DH and it was one of the worst jobs I have seen. The dish was distorted because originally it was delivered on a small truck and probably twisted and they tried to straighten by tightening the pull bars at the back of the dish. And the stand was well off from 90 degrees straight(am I the only one that uses a spirit level?) Got excellent results with the 3m including 12.402v.
Look at your dish sideways and see if the nearside rim is parallel with the farside rim,and also from front lower to topside.

[michael1983l]

Depends on which satellite and transponder you are tuning in to as they all have vairing power levels and are closer or further away from your bore sight on you antenna. ITV seems to be on Astra 2D and looking at the footprint _http://www.lyngsat-maps.com/maps/astra2d.html you will see that Cyprus isn't even close. So even with the greates dish in the world your still likely to get problems. Also the time of day will affect your reception, with the ionosphere changes and positioning of the Bird in the Sky.

[Zorba]

ITV on 2D guaranteed on a 3m dish from central to west Cyprus. ITV on the 12.402(not 2D) can work on a 2.7m

[Popo's Dad]

thansk for the replies, still pulling hair out, not to technical, i tried this yesturday, see what you think, put my box onto my neighbours setup and it still breaks up, faulty box you think, put my neighbours box onto my set up and perfect picture, looks like my setup, borrowed a pace 2500 box from another neighbour how wasnt using it and picture breaks up, tried an amstrad box and pic breaks up, so have i got 3 faulty boxes as the other 2 i borrowed where only being kept as spares or should i steal my neighbours pace 445 when he's asleep

[HB13DISH]

As the channels are FTA, why do you use Pace, Amstrad, etc?
Perhaps there are other receivers with better tuner sensitivity.

[Popo's Dad]

thanks, the box was supplied by Sky in the uk when we lived there, the others are neighbours that i've borrorwed to see if it is a box tuner problem
just trying to see what the exact problem is before buying a new box. didnt want to buy a nice expensive box to find out that lnb or cable is the problem, money's tight so cant afford to spend out too much and then still having a problem

[HB13DISH]

You don't need an expensive receiver if it is just an FTA one.
Try to ask any satellite installers or shops in your area, they should tell you which is the best FTA receiver to buy, and perhaps make a deal with them to try out different models until you are satisfied.
Good Luck.

[Zorba]

As the channels are FTA, why do you use Pace, Amstrad, etc?
Perhaps there are other receivers with better tuner sensitivity.

The Humax Freesat HD has got an excellent tuner,you don't have to have a HD tv. But at the moment it does not get the Five,Five US and Fiver channels(although Five is testing on 2D as FTA).
I always suspected the Thomson digiboxes to have a weak tuner,or the tuner going weak after about a year. I have 2 that I have taken back from customers which have problems with BBC/ITV and replaced them with Paces.
Its possible it may be a power supply fault as the Thomson HD boxes are developing problems and have power supply kits available from Satcure.

[Popo's Dad]

thanks, borrowed a neighboursspare Sky hd box yesturday while they're in the uk and got a perfect picture last night and this morning, may have got it cracked at last, thanks for all the advice

[HB13DISH]

Great. Can you please give the make and model number for our reference?

[BLUEPLATINUM]

You have found out by experimentation what many here already know. i.e. that not all Sky boxes are equal when it comes to tuner sensitivity.

I am not surprised you had excellent results with the HD box ... I bet it was Thomson like mine. It has a tuner that is even better than a PACE 2600C1.

Your best bet (assuming you want to access the FTV channels) is to buy a PACE 2600C1 off Ebay . They are not cheap, about £50, but are well worth it.

[eejay]

Hi,i'm based in peyia, cyprus and i posted recently about a problem with breakup that i had after a retune, turned out the dish had been twisted, that was sorted by another company.
we still have a small problem which i hope someone can help with, i'm not to technical i'm afraid.
When we watch itv in the morning on central south as this is always best for us, the picture breaks up badly around 8am until 11am most days even with clear skies, bbc1 etc is ok with almost no problem at this time (99.9% ok)
any ideas why it's just itv? could it be the dish tuning or another problem somewhere. the rest of the day including evenings is perfect

thanks
popo's dad

Why don't you try a Darkman Gold LNB - it costs 19 pounds and is superior to the Invacom I've been using.

[snap]

Why don't you try a Darkman Gold LNB - it costs 19 pounds and is superior to the Invacom I've been using.

You've posted this advice in other threads without any evidence to back up your claims.
It's completely the wrong advice as the member in Cyprus has a 3m prime focus dish and the Darkman LNB is for offset dishes only.