Put the BBQ in the garage & watch the rain. Winter 2016 chat

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Done well here, although we had no power for nearly 12 hours yesterday, but all dishes still spot on, nothing blown off or failed..
 
I'm having possible second thoughts about that "failed" Quad.

To put things somewhat in perspective - yesterday, after the heavy winds had subsided, the Sky+ HD box consistently displayed a message that it was trying to update "something" (right through to this morning) and was showing no signal on either tuner - even after I tried to realign the dish. Unfortunately, as a result of what happened yesterday, I slept very badly because of thinking that I was in for a potentially big bill for a new box and some work to fix the problems, and so, this morning, I was still very blearly-eyed and not working things out clearly - and so I may well actually "realigned" the dish slightly in the wrong direction!

I also had a LOT of issues with the Onkyo NR609 AV amp, which resolutely refused to pass signals from any of the connected stuff, including the Sky box and BD player, to the TV (which it should do when the Amp is switched to standby). Only after a lot of trial & error, and various changes to various cables, did everything appear to return to "normal" and with no apparent explanation except that it might have a been a faulty cable between the Amp - but, OTOH, I seem to remember having a similar issue several years or so ago, and, again, I can't remember the earlier issues having had an obvious solution but they suddenly just "disappeared" (but it did develop a well-known problem 2 years ago in that the whole HDMI input board just suddenly failed due to ball-gate array issues with the ICs, and that was repaired under an extended warrantee from Onkyo - and I seriously wondered if the same thing had happened again and I would be in for a new AV amp as well and thus an even bigger bill coming!).

It was only when I finally got the Sky box to work (on one tuner at least) on the Triax, and confirmed that all the TV HDMI inputs were working correctly, that I found the box might actually be OK - so tomorrow after a decent night's sleep (hopefully!) I'm going to have another go at realigning the Zone 2 dish in the hope that this might just solve the issues.

BTW to st1: I don't have a spare Quad but I do have an unused Octo and a spare Twin (as well as a few singles) - so the "cupboard" is not quite "bare" :D.

PS to VS: how have your various dishes actually fared with all that wind as you appeared to have potentially far greater problems than I ?
 
Staff Note

I've moved a whole bunch of Off Topic, but nevertheless interesting, Posts about AV Amps to a new Topic

AV Amp Chat
 
The storm never got seriously bad here in t'Repooblic, but I nevertheless checked out my motorised dish when the wind died down.

Absolutely no errors at all, unusually: I generally have to climb on the Boiler House roof to correct something or another after gales, as the dish is very exposed ... but the wind direction was both unusual and favourable this time.
 
PPS: after a good night's sleep, I took another look at the Zone 2 dish ( had to ask the neighbours first as the only real access is via their garden) and, with a signal strength meter and help from my wife watching the signal/quality bars on the screen, it was fairly easy to see that I had indeed moved the dish even more in the wrong direction. Why? - because, feeling NVG yesterday I tried to point it in the same direction as the other 2/3 dishes along the same wall, and, you know what, I think none of them are correctly aligned anyway as they all look to be pointing slightly too far to the West! Then to get it peaked up in the right one was a quick job, and so the new Quad goes straight back to Amazon ("does not fit my dish" - well, I never tried and, as there have been various dish/LNB suppliers, it is quite "feasible" that it won't because that dish is pretty old!)

Nett overall cost = virtually nothing in money terms but probably a temporary increase in my blood pressure :-lol
 
jeallen01 said:
PPS: after a good night's sleep, I took another look at the Zone 2 dish ( had to ask the neighbours first as the only real access is via their garden) and, with a signal strength meter and help from my wife watching the signal/quality bars on the screen, it was fairly easy to see that I had indeed moved the dish even more in the wrong direction. Why? - because, feeling NVG yesterday I tried to point it in the same direction as the other 2/3 dishes along the same wall, and, you know what, I think none of them are correctly aligned anyway as they all look to be pointing slightly too far to the West! Then to get it peaked up in the right one was a quick job, and so the new Quad goes straight back to Amazon ("does not fit my dish" - well, I never tried and, as there have been various dish/LNB suppliers, it is quite "feasible" that it won't because that dish is pretty old!)

Nett overall cost = virtually nothing in money terms but probably a temporary increase in my blood pressure :-lol
Click to expand...
...wait - maybe you want to hang on to that quad as a spare? :)
 
st1 said:
...wait - maybe you want to hang on to that quad as a spare? :)
Click to expand...
Not a chance! Although only £15, it's another expense I don't need ATM - and I can always buy another one PDQ if I really need it (only ordered this one yesterday) :D
 
I think JE is a closet Yorkshireman ..... :D

Tha does reet, lad.
 
As may be remembered, I spent my Uni time in Leeds - and some of that time must have rubbed off (and I had this thing for tatty pies for years - and I never tasted fish & chips like those there before)!:-rofl2

OTOH, I can't say I regret leaving some of that Winter weather behind after I came back South :D
 
1. So did I

2. So did I

:-jumbo
 
Heads up (or should it be DOWN?) in the North & West - looks like you're in for more high winds, rain and SNOW over the next couple of days!
(quite calm but grey down here).
 
Winds already started here ..though as yet only gusts ..
Guess Id better go secure Carl AGAIN...
grrrr
 
Been snowing on and off since about 9:0AM ...though not sticking ..
What I will say is ..
I'm FFing cold ..
got thermal socks on ..and 3 layers and a scarf..
I certainly feel the cold much more in the last 10 years or so ..
not going soft ..but the MS coupled with ageing taking its toll..
 
No Global Warming in Swinton, eh? ;)
 
Snowed here yesterday evening, but melted cos it was too warm to settle, then everything froze over during the night and there was a dusting of snow on top of that ice, was quite fun to walk to expensiveco in... o_O
 
Okay, who's the joker who set up a thunderstorm for round here? :rolleyes:
 
Maybe put this thread to bed now that spring is here?

Our bbq is out!
 
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