problem with satelite receiver?

[Yvonne]

Hi [:)]

We seem to have lost our satelite signal [:(]. There were bad storms in the area on sunday, although not directly above our house and the tv has not been the same since! We can pick up french channels fine.

The satelite receiver shows us our channel options and listings but then when we select a channel we get one of 2 messages

'No satelite signal is being received' or 'there is a technical fault with this channel please try later'.

Our box is the basic one with the blue 'house' card. We'vre tried switching it off overnight, removing the card, changing the batteries in the remote......

Can anyone throw any light onto our problem please?

Thanks a million,

abi

 

[dogwood]

Hi Abi

 

If you have not already done so try this..

Remove card from machine. Remove power lead from back of machine.( dont just switch it off that wont work)

 leave it for about 30 minuits then plug it back in. Wait for insert skycard message, then hopefully all will be OK  [geek]

If that does not work there is something else you can do, but I cannot remember it off hand, I will check my notes and let you know.

 

Dogwood

 

[Fiona]

This happens to us frequently as I switch everything off when I leave the house for weeks at a time etc.  When I phoned the satellite guy the first time it happened, he told me that it can take a few hours after switching back on to adjust.

Like Dogwood, I also take card out and wait for the "insert card" message.  Thankfully this has always worked for us.

Good Luck

Fiona

 

[Pierre ZFP]

Did the dish move in the storm? It only has to be off by .5 degree or so.  Also, water in the electrical joints will stop it in it's tracks.  Try the suggestions above before getting the ladder out though.

[Martin963]

If you go into Services -> system set up -> signal test  what indications do you get  (particularly network stream,  lock,  and signal quality)?

The obvious - if it's possible - is to borrow someone else's box and try it on your dish,  and to try your box on someone else's Astra 2 dish.

[Nich1 (nichthewood, howittgites.com)]

Hi

Sorry to high-jack your post, but something you wrote got me a wondering. I have a sky box with blue house card (free channel's only) but cant pick up any French channel's. Can this be changed as we would like French channels as well?

 

[Pierre ZFP]

Unless you want channels 4 and 5 why would you want a card at all??

My el-cheapo brico box gets a humungus amount of (free) channels in all sorts of languages including ITV 1 - 3 and BBC 1 - 4 but mostly I use it for Radio 4 and BBC 7 [:)]

[Yvonne]

Hi,

thanks everyone for your advise. I am in the process of switching back on. Please can you tell me where the insert card message appears....on the TV screen or on the box?

Thanks,

Abi

[dogwood]

on the TV screen

 

You have had the power lead unpluged haven't you?

[Yvonne]

that's what I thought but I've had the sky digital promotion programme for about 30 minutes now...is this correct?

[dogwood]

press backup on your remote

or try changing cannels

[Clair]

That shows the satellite signal is being received.

Have you tried changing channels?

Time to insert the card too...

[dogwood]

Hi Abi

 

How you doing? got it working yet?

[Anton Redman]

To answer the open questions in the order they were asked :

Nich1 - The SKY digibox is an expensive and ackward way of picking up French channels. Probably the bets option is an analogue rather than a digital reciever and a dish aimed at 5 degres west.

Pierre ZFP --- The advantages of a digibox and card versus el-cheapo digital receiver are : You do not have to search scan and programme all the channels you want. The Electronic Program Guide is far better with a  SKY digibox. When channels move frequency or transponder you do have to search again and rescan. Having said that we use a cheap digital for recording programmes which clash and radio.

abim - as stated press back up and or select a channel like 105

 

 

[Yvonne]

Hi,

 

Yes - all is back up and running again. Thanks everyone for your help. I had a slight panic when it asked for a PIN which I dont have but I switched off and on again and it seemed to do the trick.

Thanks, abi

[dogwood]

well done Abi

If it happens again just unplug it for a while. It gets a build up of static and needs to discharge itself..

 

[Yvonne]

oops - spoke too soon, its gone again!

The problem starts with crackling / static on the channel so the sound and picture break up. If  I then try to change channels the whole thing freezes and I can't do anything......any more ideas please?

Thanks

abi - hoping to watch 'the apprentice' tomorrow night!

[Clair]

[quote user="martinwatkins"]

If you go into Services -> system set up -> signal test, what

indications do you get (particularly network stream, lock and

signal quality)?[/quote]

[Yvonne]

Hi,

Signal strength is about 75%, signal quality is fluctucating from about 25 - 33%, transport stream '07d4', lock is 'ok'.

Does that give you any idea's? Is there anything we can do to improve signal quality?

Thanks,

abi

[Clair]

the signal quality on mine is 75-80%

it could be the dish is slightly out of alignment as previously suggested.

see following advice until the specialists reply!

signal quality

no signal

testing the satellite signals

[Martin963]

Certainly the signal quality you quote is borderline.   In our part of France the recent very overcast rain laden skies have knocked reception out at times on all but the most well installed dishes;  of course now that BBC radio is back on 2A it tends to keep going where the TV on 2D fades out. 

I really would try and test your box on someone else's dish,  and if it's fine then your dish needs a little revision.

[Chancer]

The dish certainly needs realigning, the signal quality on a digital receiver is far more important than signal strength, anything less than 50% results in a loss of picture.

You really need to have at least 80% quality (on a clear day) to avoid losing reception when it is cloudy or raining/snowing.

Dependant on where you are you may not acheive the 80% but in any case you should align for the best possible signal quality, for all intents and purposes the signal strength can be ignored as as it falls so does the quality; you can also be fooled by a good signal strength but from the wrong sattelite or transponder.