Sky Channel Problem

R

Robertb

Member
My Satellite Setup
Motorised Spiderbox 7000HD
Sky Box
My Location
Bristol England
Hi

I hope someone can help because Sky can't!

I have 3 Sky Receivers and I have the same problem on all of them - being that I cannot receive any channels on Transponder 11.390V.
There are about 8 channels on this transponder and I get the message 'No satellite signal being received' or, on a good day, I get a picture but badly broken up. This si the only transponder I have a problem with - I receive all other channels loud and clear.

My signal quality and strength is excellent on all channels except these, where I get no signal strength at all on Input 2. The Sky engineers (I have had 2 visit so far) both say that their meters show a signal coming in on both 1 and 2, and don't know what to try next.

The dish has been replaced, as has the LNB (the LNB was replaced with a 2nd hand one so I suppose there might be a question mark there).

The most strange thing here is, why just that one transponder? I think there should be enough clues for someone far cleverer than me to get to the bottom of this, but I haven't met them yet.

Any help would be hugely appreciated.
 
Do you have any DECT phone base stations, BT Home Hubs or other "noisy" electronic gubbins close to the cable runs?

Turn absolutely everything apart from the Sky boxes and Tellys off and see if the problem disappears. If so, reinstate things one by one until you find the culprit.

Then, either relocate it, or get rid of the lack of immunity (usually cable joints, especially wall faceplates).


PS Sky don't use Engineers, but barely trained relatively unskilled technicians who generally do things by rote (unless there is a shortcut .........) and are under great pressure of time.
 
Yes, not DECT frequencies but maybe another source of interference.

If all else fails, it could be an outside microwave issue where a dish re-site is the only cure [or locate the dish upside down to see].

If you get a pro in who has access to a spectrum analyser, he should be able to confirm.
 
Thanks guys -I never thought of that as I couldn't see the significance of only one transponder being affected.

I have all kinds of other electronic equipment close to the sky boxes, but as all 3 sky boxes are affected, I would guess that the interference must come from a common source ie dish/lnb? If it came from near a sky box, only that box would be affected wouldn't it? When the new dish was installed, it was relocated at the same time.

Perhaps the pro with the spectrum analyser might be the best action. Just need to find one now - does anyone know who/what to look for when trying to find someone?

Many thanks
 
Cabling and joints are the weak areas.

The boxes themselves are essentially Faraday cages and thus more or less immune.

As you've got all sorts of stuff close by, turn every last bit off and go from there.
 
Robertb said:
Perhaps the pro with the spectrum analyser might be the best action. Just need to find one now - does anyone know who/what to look for when trying to find someone?

Many thanks
Click to expand...


Look for an established local aerial/satellite installer or business and make sure they are a genuine local outfit. Ask questions on the phone first, and find out if they are able to check the system using a spectrum. I would of course try turning off any suspect equipment first to see.
 
hello, saw this ans was wondering you have a 4 output lnb and 3 seperate lines going to 3 sky boxes.
if this is the case i can see something close to one the box causing the problem on one box but not all 3 in seperate parts of the house.
there is something else causing the problem
ralph
 
hello again,
update, try twisting the lnb clockwise about 1/8 of an inch and see if this fixes the problem.
the scew may be off a tad causing the problem.
if the signal was braking up at a times interval and you live near a radar site it would brake up every 8 to 10 seconds.
the time for the radar dish to turn.
the chances are almost impossible that you have something in the house that is sending a signal up the line and it is causing problems in other parts of the house.
let us know
ralph
 
Thanks for your ideas, and I am sure that the problem must lie in the lnb/dish area for the reasons stated ie all 3 sky boxes suffer from the same problem.
I live in a very residential area nowhere near any radar sites etc. The dish was replaced and relocated when the problem first arose, and the lnb changed (although to an already used one - the only one that the Sky guy had with him!), all to no avail. The problem has very recently got much worse, as it used to be an intermittent fault, whilst it is now constant).
I don't know if this is red herring, but if I disconnect the Input 2 cable from the Sky box, I then receive the channels perfectly. If I reconnect the cable, I lose them again. If I leave it disconnected permanently, I naturally cannot record any programs, so not really an option!
The only external stuff located anywhere near the dish is a 1 metre movable dish connected to a Spiderbox (about 1- metres away though), but I have had that for ages, so cannot see why it could be that.
I will try rotating the lnb tonight and see if that makes a difference.
Thanks again for all your help - what did we do before the internet?

Rob
 
hello,
if you have a single output lnb and have a signal devider this will never work.
can you check to see if there is a 4 output lnb on the dish and 3 lines going to 3 boxes.
or is there a single lnb and a splitter spliting the signal to 3 boxes?
ralph
 
If you swap the two leads on the Sky + box is the fault exactly the same? I'm assuming that you have a Quad LNB (four output) by the way.
 
I have a quad LNB with 3 lines going to the 3 Sky boxes.
If I swap the two inputs around, the fault goes away for a while, but will come back later. If I swap them around again, it will go away again for a while.
If I disconnect Input 2 it is ok (apart from the obvious as stated earlier!)
 
I don't understand how you can only be using three lines to three receivers when one of them is a $ly + box which needs two lines just for itself to work properly.

Can you clear this up?

Robertb said:
I have 3 Sky Receivers and I have the same problem on all of them ...
... where I get no signal strength at all on Input 2. The Sky engineers (I have had 2 visit so far) both say that their meters show a signal coming in on both 1 and 2, and don't know what to try next.
Click to expand...
 
I will try...

I have 3 Sky boxes.
I have a quad LNB which has 4 x 2 cable outputs (8 in total).
Each Sky box has 2 inputs (6 in total)
2 of the LNB outputs are therefore not used.

I therefore have 6 cables coming out of the LNB, 2 to each of the Sky boxes.

I hope I have made this clearer?
 
Well yes, but that's an Octo LNB, calling it a quad is what's confusing people.
 
I hope you haven't got a Quad Bike in the shed!
 
So you have three Sky + boxes.

Is it one particular box on which disconnecting input 2, or swapping them round, rectifies the problem? Or does playing with any of the three temporarily cure the problem?
 
The problem is on all 3.
If I swap the inputs around (or disconnect input 2) it fixes the problem on the box I have just swapped. I have never tried going round the other 2 once I have done that, so I don't know if it fixes the problem on all 3 or not.
I would have to try that
 
Robertb said:
I have never tried going round the other 2 once I have done that, so I don't know if it fixes the problem on all 3 or not.
I would have to try that
Click to expand...
That might be interesting to see what happens.

However, I think that the evidence is stacking up against the LNB which seems unable to cope with so many inputs. Personally, I would like to put a meter on one of the unused outputs of the LNB when the fault is exhibiting itself to monitor the "missing" transponder.
 
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