Which Skybox for low-fringe Lefkosia,Cyprus?

[Lefteris]

Hi friends,

I live in Lefkosia, Cyprus, a low-fringe area.

Having read the various comments about Panasonic TU-DSB30, which served fine for the last 6 years, I realised that the problems with red light on, freezing, loosing the transponder, etc., may be due to the lack of software.

I checked the software menu and it says that it has the version 3.5. Still the problems persist, especially after some zapping.

A local technician told me to replace the box with a Pace.

I checked throughout the internet for individual reviews and it seems that some people are saying that the Pace DS430N is not as good as the 2600, whereas on other sites the opposite is quoted.

I want a box which will last at least another 5 years without any problems.

All suggestions welcomed.

 

[rolfw]

Have a look in this sticky thread, there are loads of comments from our members in Cyprus.

 

[jin6x]

I started out with Pansonic 30 some years ago, but with the freezing etc, I changed to Pace 2600. For another room in the house I got a Pace 430n, and I find the 2600 is significantly better than the 430n. I live in Peyia with a 2.4mtr Famaval dish and an Ivacom 0.3 LNB

 

[iceman]

DSB30 has an excellent tuner for fringe reception...
The freezing problem ONLY HAPPENS ON SYSTEMS THAT CAN NOT RECEIVE DEFAULT TRANSPONDER 11778V.
If your dish is good enough for 11778V DSB30 still works OK..(NO FREEZING)

 

[Lefteris]

Thank you all so far. The dish is 2.7 metres.
When the DSB30 crashes, I switch off the box and after a while I switch it on. When I go to the menu, the default transponder has been changed to 11778V, which does not work. Then I change the default transponder to 12270 and through manual tuning I can see a 40-50% signal and manage to get some channels which do not exhibit PIXELATION or FREEZE.
I pay subscription for the movies package, not sports, but I never manage to watch movies in Sky Movies 1-5 without crashing.
Someone said that even minor zapping may cause a crash. After a crash (i.e. green and red lights are on together) I have to start all over again, since the default transponder is back to 11778.
I do not understand why zapping can cause such problems, but even without zapping I still do not manage to see all the music channels.
When I first came to Cyprus 18 months ago the system was working fine, but later on after a few months it started to have such crashes, which started to become frequent. Now I pay for subscription and I do not have access to the channels which I used to see.
A technician told me over the phone to change the box, but a search in the internet gave conflicting views. Some suggest the Pace 2600. Some the Pace DS430N. Some the Pace minibox javellin. I am no expert and I hope to hear from more people who live in Lefkosia.

 

[iceman]

*Lefteris
You shouldnt have any freezing problems with DSB30 on a 2.7m dish..
Your dish might need realigning..
I overcome freezing problems on DSB30 using a 1.8m offset and Sharp 0.3dB LNB.
One way of telling if you have reception on 11778v is the background audio (music on the menu)
When you go into menu..do you hear the background audio?
Background audio is transmitted on the same transponder (11778)

 

[dxsat]

The freezing problem ONLY HAPPENS ON SYSTEMS THAT CAN NOT RECEIVE DEFAULT TRANSPONDER 11778V.

Not true. Mine crashed on weaker 2D channels even though the default transponder was received well.
I gave my Panasonic 30 to my dad in the UK. It is living out the rest of its life in retirement receiving a perfect signal in southern England.. and it never crashes...
I concluded that the software problem is where the box is getting a too-weak signal, in these situations the box is supposed to display a "there is technical fault..etc' message, instead it freezes. When there is really no signal it correctly displays the 'no satellite signal' message.

 

[maniacop32]

File lefteri pare an mporeis pace 2600c1 .to kalytero gia kypro me diafora.dokimase sto ebay uk.60 me 80 second hand.
filika christos.

 

[bignick]

DSB30 has an excellent tuner for fringe reception...
The freezing problem ONLY HAPPENS ON SYSTEMS THAT CAN NOT RECEIVE DEFAULT TRANSPONDER 11778V.
If your dish is good enough for 11778V DSB30 still works OK..(NO FREEZING)

I'm afraid I've got to disagree with that comment too.

The DSB30 freezes when it can't quite make the signal. For you this may not be quite so apparent as the the dish sizes between astra 2d and the others is massive. (4.2m as opposed to 2.4m for example) However in this part of the world a 2.4m dish will happily get about 10-14hrs of BBC/ITV if the setup is good - and sometimes even to the detriment of other channels such as Paramount 2, eurosport etc.......You would NEVER fine tune a 2.4m dish for astra 2d in Kyrenia - it would be folly...but we can do it here. A fine tune for 2d is different than for 2b on these dishes.

So, it is when channels are particularly weak at certain times that the problems occur - and as you can see from the above this is more likely to happen in the Phaphos to Limmasol areas because we are more likely to have channels comming in and out.

Hope that helps

Cheers

Nick

 

[bignick]

Totally forgot my input into the original Question......

So for I have never found an equal for the Pace 2600 and I've tried MANY. It is the best by far.

Cannot comment on the Sky HD stuff though I have heard good reports.

Cheers

Nick

PS PM me if you need one.

 

[iceman]

nick
I have no reaon to give false information...whatever i write here is from my personal experiences...I have on many occasions cured the freezing problem just by upgrading the dish size...
In my opinion it is the absence of 11778V that causes the box to freeze..
With a DSB30 when you are flicking through the channels and you come to a channel the signal is not available,the box will freeze,BUT if 11778V is present it will display NO SIGNAL IS RECEIVED and you can carry on flicking through the channels.
If ever you visit your friend in my area,please bring any DSB30 with you and i will prove this for you..

Lefteris
I can arrange to have a look at your system next time i am in Nicosia (if that's OK with you)

 

[bignick]

If ever you visit your friend in my area,please bring any DSB30 with you and i will prove this for you..

Why do they still freeze when you change the default transponder to a stronger frequency then?

I try and get over to Kyrenia 2-3 times a year..I love it there!!..If I loose I buy you a Keo, if you loose you buy me an Efees ;) (do I hear a gauntlet dropping )

Nick

 

[iceman]

Why do they still freeze when you change the default transponder to a stronger frequency then?

Its not a matter of changing the default transponder to a stronger one...
DSB30 needs THE default transponder 11778V itself,NOT an alternative default transponder...as i pointed out earlier background audio is an easy way of checking this..
Go to installer setup menu > manual tunning...you should hear the background audio music...do a "find channels" search on 11778V...If you get a lock on Transport Stream 07d4,skybox will find EPG BACKGROUND AUDIO as a channel..........DSB30 will not freeze on that system;)

You are on for the Efes...BUT make sure you bring my KEO tho

 

[dxsat]

...If you get a lock on Transport Stream 07d4,skybox will find EPG BACKGROUND AUDIO as a channel..........DSB30 will not freeze on that system;)

Completely untrue on the DSB 30 that I had. The default transponder is strong here in Spain in the evenings, which was the Panasonic's favourite time to crash on a 2D channel.

 

[Lefteris]

nick
I have no reaon to give false information...whatever i write here is from my personal experiences...I have on many occasions cured the freezing problem just by upgrading the dish size...
In my opinion it is the absence of 11778V that causes the box to freeze..
With a DSB30 when you are flicking through the channels and you come to a channel the signal is not available,the box will freeze,BUT if 11778V is present it will display NO SIGNAL IS RECEIVED and you can carry on flicking through the channels.
If ever you visit your friend in my area,please bring any DSB30 with you and i will prove this for you..

Lefteris
I can arrange to have a look at your system next time i am in Nicosia (if that's OK with you)

Thank you all for the stimulating discussion.

Iceman, I carried out the check. At 11778, I get no signal transmission, let alone the background music. You are welcome to come around. When could you check the alignment? I live near GSP Stadium.

 

[iceman]

Lefteris
Send me your phone number either by mail or PM...I will try to come today.

iceman

 

[PoloMint]

I don't think the receive default transponder = no crashes theory can be correct either. Again in the south of Spain, with a 1.2m dish and DSB30 the default transponder is available with reasonable strength/quality. However when flicking past a channel that has a poor signal (such as channel 5) the box will still invariably freeze. The boxes have very little value there now (they used to be seen as the Rolls Royce's of digiboxes) and are useless for channel surfers, unless you have a good enough memory to remember every weak channel, before you jump to it.

 

[iceman]

I don't think the receive default transponder = no crashes theory can be correct either.

Well....Maybe Rolfw should make this thread a sticky for future reference..
I have just got back from visiting Lefteris...He has a 2.4m (NOT 2.7m) prime focus dish with a twin C120 0.3dB invacom LNB+adjustable feed...
Checked the reception on DSB30...It was barely enough to lock on 12207V and naturally kept locking on channel changes...NO channel four...NO SKY Two or Three...NO SKY Movies 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8 and most important of all NO signal on 11778V hence NO background audio on menu.

On my first inspection of the dish ,i discovered the signal on one of the LNB outputs was almost nil and the second was very poor..

I was prepared to tackle an offset dish not a prime focus,so i did not have a suitable LNB...A quick run down to the locla sat store MP Sat we bought a quad invacom and a new adjustable feed (shorter neck & larger scalar rings)
The improvement of the signal after the LNB/feed change and a bit of dish tweaking was great..
He now has a lock on 11778V hence background audio on menu (tho it crackles now & again) but he has Channel Four/SKY Two & Three/SKY Movies 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8 and most important of all his DSB30 DOES NOT LOCK UP or FREEZE on channel changes any more..;)

 

[PoloMint]

Just to confirm, if there is a channel that has a very poor signal (just about no picture) but not so poor that it displays the "no signal" message, if you go to the previous channel (assuming it is OK) and press channel up, will the box freeze? In Spain, do that 10 times and it will freeze 5 of them.

That is the most common symptom of the problem is spain (with good default transponder), and it would be very interesting/curious if things are different where you are.

 

[Lefteris]

Iceman vs BigNick --- The Challenge

I felt obliged to undertake this challenge as accepted by both Iceman and BigNick. So earlier today Iceman came around and here is what happened.

My dish is a 2.4m prime focus with a twin invacom 0,3. At the time, the default frequency 11778 would not lock, let alone to play background music.

Iceman used his instruments and some tools and adjusted the dish for its best possible gain. Then I could hear the background music with a lot of crackling but the box would not block-out (green and red lights) as before.

The iceman and myself went to a nearby electronics warehouse and bought a quad invacom 0,3. According to Iceman's experience, this had better performance. Iceman then replaced the LNB and the signal was improved further. With a few minor adjustments, the background music could be heard with less crackle than before.

I tested and zapped about and tried all the channels I could not see (Ch4, Ch5, Movies, Music, etc.). The Panasonic DSB30 perfomed great and quick.

The final test was followed. Iceman brought a brand new Pace DS430N still in the box. We tried it in order to find any differences. No further improvement could be noticed and then we replaced the good old Panasonic DSB30 which as it appears still has one of the best tuners.

If the missus and the kids are happy, then I am happy.

I was ready to buy another box, simply because many people advised so. But Iceman proved his point and saved me a bit ofmoney. Thank you Iceman.

Thank you BigNick too for stimulating the topic. Next time BigNick is in Cyprus, the drinks are on me.

If I had to turn the clock back 18 months, this is what I would have done:
1. Become a member of the Satellites.co.uk
2. Seek help and probably end-up with an offset high gain type dish and a good LNB.

Goodbye.