How do you know if your LNB's packed up?

[richardinalex]

I'm the lucky owner of two separate dishes connected to two different SKY receivers.

One is connected to a receiver with SKY card (monthly subscription jobby) - and works fine.

The other is connected to a SKY receiver with a Free to View card inserted - picks up BBC3 / BBC4 etc.

The one with the Freeview card lost its signal a few months ago - and I've just got around to looking at it (the kids nagging has eventually got through).

I thought it had just lots its signal (dish moved) - but nuts etc tight - anyway I connected a sat finder to it - nothing.

Took the sat finder and connected it the working dish - sat finder was working OK.

So I took the Freeview SKY box and connected it to the working dish - that box worked OK.

So I put everything back where it was - hooked up the sat finder to the non functioning dish - loosened the alinment bolts on that dish - and moved the dish around - nothing - no beep - no apparent signal.

I've come to the conclusion that there is either -

a) fault with the sat cable (from LNB to decoder) or

fault with the lnb

I don't really want to take the lnb of the working dish - primarily because it looks a lot different from the lnb on the non working dish - but more because I don't want to mess up the working system.

Do any of you guys have any ideas over possible problems - or ideas on how to test either the lnb or cable (without ripping the cable of the wall and through the house)

Answers on the back of a postcard?

Thanks

Richard

 

[rolfw]

From what you describe, it sounds like the LNB is shot, as if you are connecting the sat finder direct to the LNB and getting nothing, there is very little else it can be.

You could of course always install a multiple ouput LNB on the main dish and run a cable from there.

Is this a standard LNBF on the non-functioning dish?

 

[richardinalex]

That's what I thought about the lnb

Its a Cambridge Industries GEO Universal G96 lnb (probably came out of the ark.

Any recommended sites for replacements (and models)

Only needed for the kids FTA stuff

Thanks again

Richard

 

[rolfw]

All of our supporting advertisers sell LNBs Richard and they are cheaper now than they have ever been. See the link in my signature.

 

[firestorm]

it still could be the cable as the sat meter needs a supply from the sky box and if there is abreak or short on the cable it would cause the same fault.you need a mulity meter and set it to ohms disconnect both ends of the cable and check between the inercore and the outer brading the should be a high reading,if thats ok short one end out(outer to inercore) go to the other end put your meter accross on ohms it should be a very low reading.If these are ok then it your lnb

 

[Channel Hopper]

Smack it with a broom handle, might get it working.

 

[2cvbloke]

Smack it with a broom handle, might get it working.

Could knock the dish down too if it was put up by a sky monkey...