Missing only a few channels...

C

Chops_in_France

Member
My Satellite Setup
GFSAT200HD
Grundig Sky Box
Generic Satellite Decoder
My Location
Burgundy France
Hello

New here, but having read many threads I am convinced that someone will quickly solve my problem. I can't find anything similar, but apologise if I missed it.

Set-up:
NE France (Burgundy), GFSAT200HD, 80cm Sky-type Elliptical mesh dish, 4-way generic LNB, HDTV (also Grundig Sky Box, and Axil generic sat box).
GFSAT200HD - Model 02, Hardware 1.4, Software 2.2.6


My dish bracket is well fixed, but the fixing of the dish to the bracket is with a very unsubtantial pivoting affair, and with small bolts at close proximity, no matter how tight I make it, a bit of wind and the whole thing is off.

I have lived with that - the dish is pretty easy to get to, so every three or four months, I stick my meter on it, and tighten it all up again.

The last time I did this though, I lost a few channels - including Tiny Pop.

If I view this channel (on 605) then I get Network ID 003b, and Transport Stream 096a - which I gather is correct... I also get SS and SQ around 80%, sometimes 100% on both (?) together with Lock OK... but these three things flash about every second, alternating between on as above, and no signal, no quality, no lock.

Corresponding with this, if I view the channel itself, then I get Not available, or the EPG.

I think it is every channel on this frequency, but pretty much everything else is there...


I have tried setting different postcodes, and also have tried to add the channels manually... although I cannot adjust the FEC - so for this frequency it is stuck at 3/4, whereas I seem to need to set 2/3


What is wrong???

Personally, I can live without these few channels, expecially Tiny Pop with it's endless looping repeats! However, my youngest really misses it.


If I look at BBC1 (which is currently set to London) I get Locked, 003b, 07fd, and 80+ percent on SS and SQ - so I'm guessing my dish is as near perfect as I can have it... I have no physical obstructions between the dish and the sat - apart from the odd bird and plane of course!

My Sky box has just developed a fault, so I can't test the channels on that, but the Axil box quite happily receives the channels that my HD box can't...


ANY IDEAS???


TIA

Andy
 
Welcome to the forum.

Could be a dish alignment issue but this transponder also falls within DECT frequencies. Check for phones and if so pull them out to see.

11642-9750= 1892Mhz
 
Thanks for the welcome, and thanks also for the idea.

It never occurred to me - but whenever the phone rings, TinyPop breaks up. But not otehr channels (that we watch).

Anyway - all phones off, and to be sure all other radio / wireless equipment off...
Result - well, the signal strength and quality don't fluctutate the same... but there is no picture, but a half-second sound byte every couple of seconds or so.

So - I'm wondering what you meant by "dish alignment issue" - I seem to be ok on everything else, and now I get about 80% on SS and SQ... is it maybe down to my skew ?


Thanks again

Andy
 
Dish mis-alignment, LNb focal/skew adjustment etc. Assume your using a matched LNb for what I think is a zone 2 [60cm] rather than an 80cm from your description.
 
Chops_in_France said:
is it maybe down to my skew ?
Click to expand...
Tiny is on EB1. That satellite is skewed 8º more than the others at 28ºE.
 
You might consider getting a proper 65cm or 80cm 'parabole', a mount (if it is not supplied with one) and the all important 'tête' from Leroy Merlin etc. Unfortunately they put their prices up with the digital switchover but at least you won't have to keep fiddling with it.
 
hexah said:
You might consider getting a proper 65cm or 80cm 'parabole', a mount (if it is not supplied with one) and the all important 'tête' from Leroy Merlin etc.
Click to expand...
LM do the Metronic dish. Not my cuppa!
 
I think a lot of the French 'brico's' sell standard, i.e. budget equipment. Perhaps you'd be better off ordering from a French sat specialist if you really do want to increase the dish size or go for a better quality product. This is a firm I've used several times and they stock both Gibertini and Triax.

_http://www.2galli.fr/boutique/liste_produits.cfm?code_lg=lg_fr&type=29&num=21
 
Huevos said:
LM do the Metronic dish. Not my cuppa!
Click to expand...

Metronic do indeed have a deserved reputation for being crap. O-Ha


sonnetpete said:
I think a lot of the French 'brico's' sell standard, i.e. budget equipment. Perhaps you'd be better off ordering from a French sat specialist if you really do want to increase the dish size or go for a better quality product. This is a firm I've used several times and they stock both Gibertini and Triax.

_http://www.2galli.fr/boutique/liste_produits.cfm?code_lg=lg_fr&type=29&num=21
Click to expand...

I was thinking that since the Sky dishes are but one step up from a bin lid (though that's arguable) and the satellite is strong in his part of France, it would have been easier to get a 70-80cm generic dish locally.

But if Chops_in_France wants something decent, follow sonnetpete's excellent advice and be shocked at just how crappy the Sky dishes are in comparison... :eek:
 
Thanks guys for all the ideas... I expected an email to tell me messages were waiting... must look for that in the Profile.

Anyway... yes, Satelliteman, it IS a 60cm dish, I realised this when I was sat next to it the last time - and I didn't know I should be using a special LNB with it... I have a generic 4-way LNB, but it has been working so well before.
The Sky LNB has a round end, the one I have is elliptical, and the shape is opposite to the shape of the dish... so maybe I am missing some of the signal then? Particularly if as Heuvos says, there is already a big difference in the skew of this channel compared to the others.

I have a 80cm round dish in the garage - originally had the two side by side before switching to the 4-way LNB... maybe I took down the wrong one? I prefer the look of the oval dish, and it stands out as a bit different to everyone else here...

Anybody think I should try this dish? It's nothing special, just a cheap dish that came from a DIY store, decoder and dish and LNB all in for 60€ if I remember correctly... but something to try perhaps?


And to quickly reply to Hexah, I don't even think my dish is branded as Sky - it looks the same, but I never got it from a Sky source...


Thanks again

Andy
 
The 80cm should cure your problems. :)
 
Thanks very much everybody. I will try the other dish, and come back if it doesn't help!

It may take some time, so I won't post if it does work, otherwise the thread will come back up for no reason! I'm Admin on some other forums, so I know how annoying that can be!!

Thanks again... what a great place!

Andy
 
Chops_in_France said:
I won't post if it does work, otherwise the thread will come back up for no reason! I'm Admin on some other forums, so I know how annoying that can be!!
Click to expand...
I always think a thread is better if it comes to a conclusive end rather than a hanging one. Anyway we like a nice long epic thread here, just ask Gary. His thread has 564 replies so far and is still going strong.
 
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