No Satellite Signal

[howardg]

Hi all. I have a new problem - last one fixed thanks to your brilliance

Now this is what's occurred.

I have a standard (Thomson) Sky box which has been working perfectly. Also a Sky+ which also is fine.

I needed to unplug the regular box so I could get a new ceiling in the bedroom - long story, no point here.

When I come to plug the box back in, I get "No Satellite Signal is Being Received."

I tried plugging in to one of the Sky+ box feeds and no improvement.

I looked on these forums and saw things about Default Transponder, LNB and lots of other things I didn't understand. I even bought a new box on Ebay - Amstrad this time but otherwise the same - and still I get the same problems.

When I use "Services 401 Select" and "New Installation" Signal Strength and quality are both blank.

Default transponder is same as Sky+ box as well as other settings - can't remember .

Can you give me any advice?

What is and where is the LNB? Can I get it replaced or repaired?

I would be really pleased if you could help me get 'er indoors off my back - at least about this - so she can start beating me up about something else :-hammer

Thanks in advance.

Howard

 

[Analoguesat]

If the Sky+ box is fine it suggests the Thomson is faulty.

Thomsons are well known for capacitor failre in the power supply, (as are older Amstrads!)

Unplug the Thommo and pop the top off. Have a careful look at the tops of the capacitors in the area areound the power supply and see if any are bulging or leaking.

Keep you fingers well away from the circuit boards - some power supplies can give nasty shocks even after they have been disconnected!

 

[Mickha]

I assume you have a quad LNB, the LNB is at the end of the feed arm on the satellite dish, with all the cables coming from it.
I'm guessing that you have 2 cables going to your Sky+ receiver and a third cable going to another room, for your Thomson receiver.
It's quite easy to diagnose the fault, as you have already partly done, connect the Sky+ receiver to the third cable and if it works you know that the LNB and cable is fine and the problem is with your receiver.

 

[howardg]

Thanks for the pointers. I tried with the Sky+ in the other room and same problem as with the Sky box.

I guess that it is the LNB then. But how do I sort this short of calling an engineer?

Yours in desperation.....

Howard

 

[rolfw]

Could be dish alignment, have you had some wild weather up there?

 

[Topper]

Could be dish alignment, have you had some wild weather up there?

I cannot imagine the weather was that different in Southern Scotland to what it was here and well you've heard of flying carpets, well we had flying fences up here yesterday evening so it is not beyond the realms of possibility the dish has moved a tad

 

[woborny]

well you've heard of flying carpets, well we had flying fences up here

I remember The Flying Pickets....are they related......??

 

[Topper]

I remember The Flying Pickets....are they related......??

You would have to check that out with Mr Scargill O-zzz

 

[howardg]

Wouldn't the dish alignment affect the Sky+ box in the living room too? That is working perfectly.

If as Mickha says "I assume you have a quad LNB", and only 3 of the 4 connections are in use, would it be an idea to have the "faulty" feed led through the currently vacant LNB connection?

If this is worth trying, how do I do it?

Thanks again

Howard.

 

[Lazarus]

Just unscrew from the LNB the connector that is attached to the cable leading to the faulty position.

Then screw it onto the spare output.

You will have to retract the raincover first: Just grab the LNB body firmly in one hand and push the cover up until the connectors are exposed.

 

[Lazarus]

Also, I suggest you get a spare LNB eg from fleabay ........... As yours is failing, it won't hurt to have a spare to minimise downtime if if degrades further.

Don't spend more than a tenner!

 

[howardg]

Well I managed to get to the LNB and swap the cable to the spare port. No difference. I'll just need to pay some geezer to do it.

Hope he's better than the arsehole who fitted the dish in the first place. Broke several roof tiles and then denied that it was him.

I hate these people who put themselves out there as experts in their field and then balls things up.

 

[Lazarus]

I hate these people who put themselves out there as experts in their field and then balls things up.

We all do.

Fortunately the cowboy ladder-monkeys seldom show up in this Forum, presumably out of embarrassment!

 

[Lazarus]

Well I managed to get to the LNB and swap the cable to the spare port. No difference. I'll just need to pay some geezer to do it.

In which case it is possible that the related cable run is damaged (and this seems likely bearing in mind your other comments: No sane person throws a cable over a roof without providing some proper means of supporting it so it doesn't drag against tiles etc).

If it is the cable, you might be advised to get him to run a cable from the spare port as well while he is there, that you can then use if you get yet another box or swop an older box for a PVR.

Edit: Actually, I'm just guessing the cable goes over the roof: It's possible the tiles got broken anyway, just out of sheer clumsiness? (Incompetence is probably nearer the mark).

 

[howardg]

Yes it was simply the fact that he was a clumsy sod. The roof I'm talking about is the utility room roof which he was standing on to fix the dish to the side of the house. The cable goes through the wall to the loft.

He slipped down the roof - my wife heard him - a lot of swearing etc. and then denied everything.

I called Sky to complain about the broken tiles and then the so-called installer's boss came on the phone to tell me that he would send the same bloke back to replace the tiles 'cos he "was a roofer until a couple of months ago".

Anyway, that was two years ago, so we can now can't we:-Nooo

I'm expecting a guy this afternoon, so hopefully we'll be up and running by tonight.

Thanks for your help, guys. Much appreciated.

 

[Lazarus]

A sad but not uncommon tale of woe.

Let's hope all will be well later, though

 

[howardg]

Just to let you know, it is all ok now. The bloke came, looked, said he would come back and did. Traced the fault to - would you believe it - the flaming wall socket. Anyway he only charged 40 quid so not too bad, and I would use him again if I needed anything major.

Thanks again, guys for your input (and sympathy).

 

[Lazarus]

Well thanks for letting us know

Shame on us all for missing something as simple as a suggestion to check any sockets. Bad form 'O'-red