no reception on sky box

[bigrandydavid]

my sky digi box has developed an intermitent fault whereby the picture is suddenly replaced with a blue screen and the message `no signal received` appears. If I then change channels i get the message `there is a technical fault with this channel`, then change channels again and I get the picture back. Its started to happen a few times a day. Could anybody point me in a direction?
its a panasonic box, about 3 yrs old

 

[zansi]

Sounds signal related, press services then 6, what signal quality do you have ? should be about 50%+

Also try un-plugging from mains leave 5 mins then re-connect.

Check "F" connector for good connection.

Panasonics not usually troublesome with tuner problems.

 

[bigrandydavid]

could well be signal related as I aligned the dish manually when i moved house about 10 months ago.

connections seem OK.

would there be any logic to some channels being more of a problem than others? (H / V?)

 

[rolfw]

Yes there would BRD, you can be well aligned on one and not on the other. If you can get a portable TV and long cable and then use the manual tuning facility in the installer's menu, you should be able to accurately tweak both polarities.

 

[bigrandydavid]

im still having trouble with this chaps. signal strength seems to be OK, connections seem to be OK, it almost always happens when changing channel.
i did have some trouble now i think about it when we moved house. there was a few weeks when the signal would go completely. i had to bend the dish wire at a peculiar angle to make it work but after a while it started behaving. are there any easily changeable parts around the cable input area i could try and change?

 

[iceman]

Originally posted by bigrandydavid
i had to bend the dish wire at a peculiar angle to make it work but after a while it started behaving. are there any easily changeable parts around the cable input area i could try and change?

Your problem could be a "dry joint" in the LNB input area on the back of the box.
OR......this has happened to me with two NEW Panasonic DSB30's..>>>>>>
These boxes started making loads of white dotts all over the screen..The fault was on the main board...when i twisted the F-connector the dotts would go away for a while..but then again re appear.
I opened the box,looking for a dry joint but it turned out to be a problem with the main board on the processor area..
The dotts would go away when i tapped around the processor area.Not much to do,cos the board is several layers of printed circiut..!!!
I had both units replaced cos they were still under guarantee..

iceman

 

[rolfw]

When you say that the signal strength seems to be OK BRD, what's the quality like? Also bear in mind that the displayed Strength and quality only refer to the default transponder, to make an accurate check on both polarities, go to Lyngsat and pick foru different transponders, then go into the installers menu, manual tuning, you cna type in the required transponder settings and do an accurate check.

It could also be a problem with software, so may be worth doing a forced download, but check with the manual tuning utility first.

 

[bigrandydavid]

ok thanks for responses so far. i have a little more information.
if i flick the signal display on when the picture disappears the signal strength is still showing 2/3rd but the signal quality drops right down to approx 1/4. after about 5 seconds it recovers to 2/3rds and the picture comes back on. maybe just dish alignment?

rolf, what do you class as a `dry joint`?

 

[rolfw]

Not my suggestion BRD, was Iceman who had had the problem, but it isn't uncommon for a bad solder joint (dry joint) to occur in a digibox.

From what you say in your last post though, it definitely sounds like alignment, or tree interference may be the culprit.