Sky Channel Problem

hello, sorry to ask again but there is what i understand.
you have 1 dish and you have an 8 output lnb.
you have a sky box and non of them are sky + they are regular sky boxes.
you are using 3 lines from this 8 output lnb and each is running the satellite receiver.

there is no signal splitters in the system at all, non by the dish and non close to the receiver at all.


now if you have any sky + boxes this is a different story.
each sky + box will need 2 lines to each box. running one line and spliting it to both inputs will not work. and this will cause your problem.
each sky + box will need a deticated line from the dish to each input.
so if you have 3 sky+ boxes there must be 6 lines run from your 8 output LNB.

hope this helps
ralph
 
Ralph, we've established (eventually!) that he has an Octo LNB providing two feeds each to 3 Sky+ boxes.

See Posts 15 & 16.
 
Hi again

If anyone is still interested in my problem, I have a bit more information.

Firstly, thanks Tivu for the last post - you have summarised it perfectly.

Anyway, last night I checked that none of my 3 Sky boxes were receiving these channels. I then disconnected Input 2 from the Sky+ (HD) box in my lounge, and the channels were cleared. I swapped Input 1 and 2 and the channels were blocked again. I then disconnected Input 2 and the channels cleared again. I then checked the other 2 Sky boxes:

The Sky+ box (not HD) in the 'other' lounge was perfect.
The Sky+ box (HD) in the bedroom was better, but with some picture break-up.

I then re-connected Input 2 to see what would happen to the other Sky boxes but, typically, the channels were now clear on my lounge box.
I then checked the 'other' lounge box and it was perfect.
The bedroom box still had some picture break-up though.

I will quite understand if you have all had enough of this, but I am very grateful for your time and thoughts.

Rob
 
Thanks for the thanks :)

Sometimes it takes a while to get all the necessary info, but that doesn't mean anybody loses interest!

On the contrary, the point is to have mutual exchange of info and to work towards a solution. Doesn't matter how long it takes (unless you have a better half beating your ears!).

Still sounds to me as PaulR is right and the LNB is not functioning correctly. It's an unusual set of circumstances you describe, yet the common link is the LNB/Dish end of things.

But I suggest you await a couple more yeah or nays before acting.
 
I think that time is drawing close where some ladders are going to have to leant against the wall to have a look at the dish and LNB.

Is it a $ly dish and octo installation? Who installed it? Was the dish aligned originally with a standard single output LNB and then upgraded later with the octo?

If yes to the last then the heavier octo could be causing dish droop (oo-err missus) and a small reduction in signal strength. Are the cable connections to the LNB properly protected from rain? I think there should be a pull down collar on the octo and if not in place water can start seeping in to the cable at the plug connection.
 
Thanks again Tivu.

One of the few things that hasn't been changed throughout this saga, are the cable end connections to the LNB. It is a different LNB, and a new relocated dish, so there isn't much else in that area other than the cables and connectors.

I will leave it for a couple of weeks now (mainly because I am going on holiday tomorrow), but may change the cable connectors to the LNB when I get back.

If anyone can think of anything else in the meantime, however (or fancy a cup of tea if they are anywhere near Bristol!), I would be pleased to hear from you.

Rob
 
Thanks too PaulR - our posts crossed but I agree with your prognosis.

I'm afraid I can't really recall the whole cycle, as it has been going on for many months, but the installer is a guy I have known for quite a long time, and he is pretty good, but maybe not great (not a $ly installer, although he does do that as well, but he mainly does motorised systems).

He installed the new dish, which is not a $ly dish (it is slightly bigger), after the octo (not quad!) was fitted. I should say the signal strength and quality (according to the $ly screen) are excellent - far better, for example, than I get when I take a box to my caravan in Devon, where I don't have the problem.

The cable connections are not protected, so I think it keeps coming back to that. As I said before, I think I will change them when I get back from hols.

Thanks again for your help - it has been enlightening.
 
Now then ...............

Not a Sky Dish


Hmm.


It is a Sky Octo LNB, though, isn't it?


If so, feedhorn shape may be mismatched to the Dish - I have a feeling in my water that that mismatch may affect some frequencies more than others, if it has any effect at all.



So the answer may be to revert to a Sky dish or to fit a different LNB (ie not a Sky one!): But that'll set you back around £40 for eg an Inverto.


Is it time to claim my free lollipop?
 
Curiouser and curiouser.....

I originally had the problem when I had a Sky dish, but when my guy thought it might be the dish, he fitted a different one. Whether that means it isn't the dish, I really don't know?

I "think" it is a Sky Octo LNB, but you have got me doubting myself now, so I can't be absolutely sure. When he replaced the LNB I never thought to ask, and we all know about 'assume'!

The question now, I suppose, is do I change the LNB, the dish or the cable connectors, or all three?

Back to the, almost, first post in this thread, when someone (can't remember who) suggested I get a pro with a spectrum analyser in (whatever one of those is).

What fun!

PS Lollipop is in the post
 
Drat!

I thought we were getting close there, but now there is even more doubt.

I shall go boil my head 'O'-red
 
Robertb said:
the signal strength and quality (according to the $ly screen) are excellent
Click to expand...
That is pretty meaningless as it is only showing the signal strength on the default transponder which is a powerful north beam signal. 11.390V on the other hand is a weak EB1 transponder (which has different skew and alignment requirements than Astra 2). What really needs to happen is the dish be aligned and skewed for this transponder (with a proper meter) before chasing a fault that may very well not exist.
 
Don't be hard on yourself - I think we are getting close.

Yes, changing the dish didn't work.
Relocating the dish didn't work.
Changing the LNB didn't work.

but....

the dish was changed to a non Sky one
the LNB was changed to a used one of dubious origin
the cable connectors have never been checked or changed

so....

if I get the whole dish/lnb/cable thing checked out by a pro with a spectrum analyser (!!), I think it will be sorted.

PS I knew this was always going to be a tricky one
 
Alignment on the effected transponder makes good sense.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk
 
Hello,
bad or floating ground.
can you run a copper line fron the lnb housing or the extrenal part of one of the lnb outputs to a good ground like copper pipe
or water line.
there may be some ground issues here that we never considered.
ralph
 
Strange question.....

Have you tried swapping the HD box and the + box round?

Dunno why but it`s something I`d try before getting another lnb

I was thinking water in the coax at 1st but that should cause problems all over not just on one transponder (i think)
 
I remember someone talking about a similar problem a while back and the only way they managed to solve it eventually was by installing a second minidish and running one of the receivers off that.
 
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