Problems with signal in Finland

R

robw

Member
My Satellite Setup
SKY HD Box
1.5m dish
My Location
Oulu, Finland
Hi all,

I live in the north of Finland (Oulu), and have a 1.5m dish and Sky HD box with an Irish card and full Sky package (sport and movies etc)...

I have had this setup for over three years and everything has worked ok for the north beam, so I have been able to watch most sports and movie channels, Channel 4's etc...

But the past four weeks the number of channels loosing signal seems to have increased by the day and the last couple of days has got really bad so I can no longer watch movies, sport the channel four's, in fact I can only get 4-5 HD channels such as Universal HD on 220 and nothing else!!

Please help me as Finland is really boring!!!
 
Which make/model of Sky box is it? Thomson, by any chance?
 
Tivù said:
Which make/model of Sky box is it? Thomson, by any chance?
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Hi,

Yes it's a Thompson, not sure the model, it is the HD box says sky+ DVB on the front...
 
Thompsons are well known for their poorly built capacitors in the power supply area, and loss of channels is absolutely typical of the problems the duff caps used in them

Switch it off, carefully unplug everything and take the top off. Check the caps around where the power cable enters the box. Chances are one or more will have a bulging top, or will be leaking.

Keep your fingers well clear of the electronics - caps can hold a nasty charge long after the device has been unplugged

The capacitors are the things with a Y- or T-shape etched into the top of the can.
 
Hi,

Thanks for the info...

If the caps are gone I assume I will need a new box... Can you recommend a box that would be better in my location?
 
Just repair it yourself if handy with a soldering iron, or get someone who is savvy with same to do it for you. Replacement components cost only small change and all the info is freely available on the Interweb thingy.
 
Or look on eBay. You will find experts offering a repair service by post. Costs around £15.00.
 
Thanks for the answers guys... Yep I'm not too good at these things so maybe a repair service is best :-)

I also have an issue with some channels only working for a few hours a day, but I assume that is due to the signal strength (currently only around 25%, with signal quality around 50%), rather than the box issue?
 
robw said:
Thanks for the answers guys... Yep I'm not too good at these things so maybe a repair service is best :-)

I also have an issue with some channels only working for a few hours a day, but I assume that is due to the signal strength (currently only around 25%, with signal quality around 50%), rather than the box issue?
Click to expand...

Probably yes, especially if its the sma etime every day.
 
Analoguesat said:
Probably yes, especially if its the sma etime every day.
Click to expand...


Yes, the sma etime is a real bu**er.
 
Tivù said:
Yes, the sma etime is a real bu**er.
Click to expand...

Is that the Finnish equivalent of BST?
 
When I had a thompson box go down on me I used Jtags4All found here _http://www.the-fox.org.uk/Shop/Jtags4All/page3.html
 
Have you got another receiver to test the dish with? Just to eliminate dish/LNB/cable problems.
 
Hi All,

I think my main issue could be weak signal... When we go out the house we unplug the TV and Sky box (as we have dogs) and the last few evenings when I plug it back in and turn on after it has booted up I get a message "no satellite signal" where I would usually get the message about needing a phone line before pressing backup to go to the info page and select a channel..

We have some large trees around 100 m from our satellite receiver dish that are in the line of sight, so I may need to get my chain saw out... And see if this fixes the weak signal...

But it does seem in the past 6 months that some channels may have changed to the south feed which we can not get here...
 
Do the Dogs not like Sky, then? :-rofl2
 
Normally when the capacitors fail the silver cover bulges outwards, i.e. goes convex, but not bulging doesn't prove the capacitor is good. When the capacitors fail the power supply cannot maintain a steady voltage to control the LNB, or even power it at all, hence the no signal message.
 
Tivù said:
Do the Dogs not like Sky, then? :-rofl2
Click to expand...

:)

Well let's just say the wife worries about leaving them in the house with any electrical item plugged in...

But they do like the Dog Wisperer
 
Huevos said:
Normally when the capacitors fail the silver cover bulges outwards, i.e. goes convex, but not bulging doesn't prove the capacitor is good. When the capacitors fail the power supply cannot maintain a steady voltage to control the LNB, or even power it at all, hence the no signal message.
Click to expand...

Yes that makes sense... But do you think this issue is also why I have the weak signal and some channels working for just a few hours or could I have two problems working against my TV watching??

I notice on UK EBay I can buy a new box for not much more than sending it for repair, any recommendations on a better quality than the Thompson?
 
robw said:
I can buy a new box for not much more than sending it for repair
Click to expand...
The tuner in the Thomson is pretty good but a new Thomson is going to have the same problem at some point. On the other hand if it is repaired with quality capacitors, it will probably last a long time. The most important thing is to make sure it has plenty of air flow to keep it cool once it is repaired to stop it happening again.

One alternative is Vu+ Duo, which has a very sensitive tuner and runs a lot cooler. It has a decent EPG, can read a Sky card (once configured), and with the addition of a USB tuner can be used for terrestrial signals as well.
 
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