Advice Needed SKY Signal Problems

[Mark_C89]

Hello All

I've been scouring the web for some possible answers to my problem to no avail!

So here's to hoping someone could be kind enough to help :-)

I have a SKY+HD setup, (NOT in the UK). I set this up myself just with a normal SKY+HD box when I moved abroad that I kept, and I went out and bought a large dish 1.1M.
Anyhow after some fiddling and making up the cables then having my wife stand infront of the TV shouting for a signal all was fine and away we went! Happy days! didn't get everything but I would say 90% of what was available we recieved, basically didn't get anything BBC or ITV related which was to be expected and I wasn't fussed.

After a while I lost a couple of channels which came back, ánd then a few more which were on then off then on then off. I checked the box an connections everything was fine I even moved the dish a little to try to improve signal strength as normal signal strength and quality for us was about 80%. Still it was only a few channels but a few of my favourites so I checked for any recent transponder changes and there weren't any, So I then thought I'll just unplug the box for a bit and plug it back in! OH NO! turned it back on then nothing. No Signal at all on either feed! and it's been like that since. I went out and bought a satellite signal finder because I thought if there was anything wrong with the box I would need to confirm this by making sure I still had signal.

After getting home with this and plugging it in I got nothing, obviously the standard bleep/interference when you turn it right up, but other than that turn it down a little bit and the beep was gone. I then moved the dish slightly and even replicated next doors (pointing at HOTBIRD 13o) and I know that obviouslly I should get full signal on the satellite finder on this as my dish is 3 times the size of theirs and they were watching TV actaully meant to be broadcast here. But again nothing does this mean possibly a problem with the LNB?

Sorry for such the long story but I am in no way an expert in this field but am quite capable of carrying out task in common sense, which is how I managed to set the box up in the first place!

Thanks in Advance

Mark

 

[rolfw]

Sounds to me like the power supply on the box is on the way out, it can be repaired relatively cheaply.

 

[Lazarus]

+1 for Receiver PSU failing.

 

[Analoguesat]

What make SkyHD box is it? Some of them are known to have poor power supplies in them as they other lads have indicated..

You could try popping the top off the case and having a look at the circuit boards around the power supply area. In particular look for bulging capacitors (the cylindrical components with T or K embossed into the top.

 

[Mark_C89]

Wow , Thanks for your quick replys guys!

And of course thanks for the advice, on many forums I'm use to getting the sarcastic comments when your a newbie with a trivial question.

However I have managed to fix the problem before reading the answers (I use the word fix loosely, as I didn't really do anything as such)
I remember I had 2 old single feed universal LNBs from the old dish here, so I tried one and believe it or not the signal finder sprung into life when I used this and actually managed to get me the TV Guide but with no listings. I then swapped back to the duel feed LNB and magically it worked minus a few channels but beggars can't be choosers.

Do you guys think it possible that it is the PSU reciever and it's temperamental and just somehow kicked into life?
(excuse my naivety)

Oh and the box is a SKY manufactured box

Thanks again guys :-)

 

[Lazarus]

I'd give it a few days .................. If you start getting the same symptoms again, then I suspect the Receiver PSU is the real culprit.

 

[Captain Jack]

Sky doesn't make boxes - they just stick their logo on it. Look for a label behind or under the box for make and model.

 

[digi247]

Sky doesn't make boxes - they just stick their logo on it. Look for a label behind or under the box for make and model.

Sky Bought Amstrad some time ago so all new HD receivers over the last few years are all Branded by Sky

 

[Captain Jack]

But still made by what was originally Amstrad, so need the right model number of he was to get those repair kits.

 

[Mark_C89]

Sky Bought Amstrad some time ago so all new HD receivers over the last few years are all Branded by Sky

Yes I definitely had checked the box and the system menu, both say SKY. I didn't know but had presumed this to be the case as I was expecting the box to be AMSTRAD, and I wasn't aware SKY had manufacturing facilities.
Well I'm going to keep an eye on the box, I won't be unplugging it again that's for sure! But I will be looking to upgrade soon hopefully anyways, new box and new dish, but I will open a new thread about that because I need a little advice for my location and what I would like to recieve. The standard advice offered by websites is by far wrong, for example people say 80cm is fine and then others saying 1.3 and then the lyngsat site is very much wrong (I'm presuming lack of an update rather than being incorrect?)

Thanks for the help

 

[Mark_C89]

But still made by what was originally Amstrad, so need the right model number of he was to get those repair kits.

Yes I can the see the model number, If I do need a kit I would look it up to be sure I was to get the right one. But hopefully it will last long enough for me to get a new box. Possibly 1 - 2TB with built in WI-FI

 

[Mark_C89]

Well this morning/mid afternoon it happend again the box seem to be picking up no signal.

So I popped the top off a I have found 2 leaky CAPS pics below, could this be the problem on this board below?

 

[Captain Jack]

Pictures are too small to see anything but if you're talking about the goo at the bottom of caps, then this is just glue holding the caps to the board.

Replace the caps anyway - they are cheap as chips and might fix the issue.

 

[PaulR]

Yes, the whitish dobs at the base of the large capacitor at the bottom of the second photo are just glue. As CJ says the pic is a bit small but at first glance the capacitors seem OK.

However, if you unplug the box from the mains and then reconnect and the problem goes aweay for a while that is a strong indication that the caps are on their way out.

 

[Mark_C89]

Well another update and slightly worrying as I got a shock

I'll try to keep this clear and concise.

I again today, as I did 2 days ago, connected the satellite signal finder. Again nothing but the smallest bits of interference which were most likely general interference.
I then, as I also did 2 days ago, swapped the LNB to a single LNB, once again all hunky dory and the signal sprung into life!
At this point I swapped the box to single feed mode as it was a bit glitchy, low and behold on single feed mode with the single feed LNB I even retrieved my missing channels (GOLD, Dave SD, Sky2, Watch SD etc.)
In aid of ruling out the cable as a possible fault, I swapped cables and no difference, still both received the same results.
Thinking to myself obviously the fault is either the LNB or the box!

However I then reverted the box back to duel feed, just to double check my theory.
So I took the single LNB from the dish (with cable still connected), then put the suspected faulty duel LNB back on the dish and reconnected the second cable.

Now! when disconnecting the cable from the single feed LNB I got a SHOCK! it felt small, but non the less what felt like a shock.
Which is obviously quite worrying, and strange as I felt the same the other day but thought nothing of it thinking I had just caught my finger on something sharp at the time because I wasn't really paying that much attention.

So now the situation stands as :- I have the box reconnected with the duel feed LNB and so so channel coverage,
and potentially a dangerous connection if you can say so. So now I have to ask your advice again what do I do?

Obviously I will most likely be advised to disconnect the box until the problem is solved, due to receiving the shock (as I presume the PSU receiver is possibly sending too much voltage to the cable? Yes? (I wanted to test this but my multimeter is in the car which my wife has at work).
but would you now definitely say it's safe to say its the box? as before the shock I was swaying to the LNB being the problem.
or maybe both happen to coincidently be a problem?

Hope this wasn't too confusing, but I figured giving you all the information would help

Thanks for being patient with me and for your help so far

 

[smoggy07]

If your receiver was turned on when swapping out the LNB you will get a shock as the box sends power to the LNB

Try swapping the cables round at the LNB (turn the box off first), see if the lost channels come back, if they do I'd place money on it being the LNB

 

[Mark_C89]

If your receiver was turned on when swapping out the LNB you will get a shock as the box sends power to the LNB

Try swapping the cables round at the LNB, see if the lost channels come back, if they do I'd place money on it being the LNB

Yes the box was on but should I be feeling any shock from such a small current? Either way If so that makes sense.

Swapped the cables same results with both the single and duel LNB

With the duel and cables swapped - Same result, not receiving all channels, and signal the same either connection
With the single and cables swapped - Same result, receive all expected channels as normal, with either connection and much better signal strength and quality

 

[Captain Jack]

I get shocks all the time from the LNB cable... they are more like tingles but unpleasant nevertheless.

Do you have another receiver you can try ... just to rule out LNB, cable, dish, alignment?

 

[PaulR]

The elctric shock is a by-product of the continental method of using double insulated mains feed rather than having an earth as well (as we in the UK used to do!). They can be avoided by disconnecting the box from the mains and reduced by earthing the satellite dish/mounting bracket/outer feed of the co-ax.

 

[Mark_C89]

I get shocks all the time from the LNB cable... they are more like tingles but unpleasant nevertheless.

Do you have another receiver you can try ... just to rule out LNB, cable, dish, alignment?

Ok well that reassures me, however I was unaware I might feel a shock from the cable with it being of such a low voltage,
mind you come to think of it is wet, and raining and the LNB and cable were obviously damp from this so...

Well I think I have ruled out the cable by testing both cables on both LNBs. Alignment well I did this as best as I could with my cheepy sat finder and also had a view of the TV so with the signal menu up I got the max possible signal I could by making mm movements on azimuth, elevation and skew (signal quality I managed to get up to 90% on certain channels) (I appreciate it would be better to do with a professional sat finder, but I don't have access to one at the moment)

I don't have another receiver as I only have the one with me here in Poland

Given this and providing the box is ok, I was thinking LNB. Seeing as single LNB gets the channels I have lost, and also recieves better signal quality?

Well I think for the price of an LNB I might just go and buy another twin from the local DIY store.
Hopefully all will be well and that will be the end of it