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Janet Armstrong
Friday 27 July 2012 9:28PM
What's the point in resetting my sky+hd box when it says it isn't getting a signal when the thing is recording another channel quite happily and it's only about 2 channels it's got a problem with
jason dee
Friday 27 July 2012 10:47PM
i've done a software upgrade on my standard sky box & now have no sound & the picture on all channels has a greenish tint.very grateful for any help
jb38
Friday 27 July 2012 11:07PM
jason dee: Check to make sure that when you were holding the back up button in on the box waiting until all the LED's lit up before releasing same that you didn't move it slightly whereby the scart plug in the back became dislodged, as apart from that it doesn't look good along the lines that something possibly glitched during the upgrade.

If the scart plug is OK then try another software update, as thats about all you can do.
jb38
Friday 27 July 2012 11:57PM
Janet Armstrong: Your Sky+ box has two inputs that are totally independent of each other although the recorder side is connected to the No2 input and which must be OK if its recording OK, and so the "no signal" warning can indicate a fault on No1's input caused by a faulty lead / connector or even the port on the LNB thats used for No1's input being defective.

When the box isn't recording anything select BBC1 or ITV1 on the box and check if a picture is showing, if it isnt then swap No2 input over to No1 and see if that brings the picture back on again, if it does then that indicates either a faulty coax lead of "F" connector especially at the dish end, or maybe that port on the LNB has failed.
Steven Butten
Saturday 28 July 2012 9:55AM Margate
During the Olympics Opening Ceremony, I had to rescan my TV four times as the picture from Dover went and the scan brought up Sudbury. Then that picture would go and it would scan Dover back in again. Each time I would miss loads of the action. Why has the switchover not improved the reception in this area?
T Whitham
Saturday 28 July 2012 1:51PM
My son has just moved into rented accomodation, there is no terrestrial aerial on the roof or in the loft, no analogue aerial cable into the house. There is a sky dish with a double lead coming into the lounge. At the end of each lead is an aerial type connection. I have brought a satellite cable connector and can plug one of these cables into his TV (HD/freeview ready). I can go to menu and select auto tune but it does not find any pictures; picture remains snowy. Any ideas how to get a picture to his TV. As he rents the property he is not allowed to drill or run cables. As one of four students they do not want to subscribe to sky as on limited income.
jb38
Saturday 28 July 2012 3:50PM
T Whitham: You cannot use Satellite dish leads for anything other than Sky or Freesat as they are totally incompatible with terrestrial Freeview via a normal aerial.

If its twin input leads then the previous occupier has either had a Sky+ box which records, or alternatively a twin tuner Freesat PVR (recorder) as Freesat and Sky use exactly the same dish arrangements, so your son could either pick up an old standard Sky box which doesn't require a card to be able to view normal channels, or alternative purchase an ordinary Freesat receiver, both only using one of the dish leads and with the other not being connected to anything.
jb38
Saturday 28 July 2012 6:29PM
T Whitham: On reading your posting again something that you said caused me to wonder if you had made sure that you were scanning on DVB Freeview and not analogue? as its impossible for a picture to be snowy on Freeview, that being something confined to analogue reception.

Not of course that this makes any difference to the advice given, but though in some very high signal strength areas Freeview can be received on a set top aerial or even a short piece of wire connected into the aerial socket, but as you haven't given your son's post code (or one from nearby) whether this situation is liable to apply or not cannot be verified either way.
Janet Armstrong
Saturday 28 July 2012 6:33PM
Thanks but already tried that have a picture every time it always seems to just happen when I'm watching a film so I usually miss 15/30 minutes of the film. So go to + 1 to catch the bits I've missed if it's needed for plot line. Otherwise give up
jb38
Saturday 28 July 2012 8:23PM
Janet Armstrong: Carry out a signal strength check (via services - system set up) to find out at what level the strength / quality is sitting at as "both" should be at least about 75%, if though the quality is considerably lower than the strength then that can indicate that the dish is slightly out of alignment.

I would though like if you to check what model number of box you have just in case its an Amstrad DRX280, as these are prone to a power supply problem which results in reception cutting out on one of the tuners.

Janet Armstrong
Saturday 28 July 2012 11:26PM
My box is an Amstrad DRX890-C. I went into systems and the quality is a smidgin high than the signal. Both are above 75%
jb38
Sunday 29 July 2012 7:54AM
Janet Armstrong : Obviously these indications are perfectly OK so long as it applies to both inputs, as both could mean signal & quality, so the only thing left for you to try is disconnect the box from the mains supply and swap over the two "F" input connectors, then after reconnecting the mains supply give the box a test out by recording something, should however nothing have changed by having carried out this action its inclined to point to the box being faulty.

By the way if you have set the box for "auto-standby" when you were setting it up switch that back off again for purposes of testing.

On the other hand though if something else is found to have stopped working then the fault is connected to the LNB on the dish arm or the leads from including the "F" connectors.
jb38
Sunday 29 July 2012 8:06AM
Janet Armstrong: Just as after thought and purely out of curiosity, are the programme channels you have problems with +1's of anything? my only reason for asking being that timing errors can happen on some +1 channels for reasons not connected to the receiving equipment.
Janet Armstrong
Sunday 29 July 2012 2:42PM
The most times are on the normal start not +1s. I will try changing the F connectors. I have a Sony Bravia tv with build in digital. When weather is bad aswell as losing sky I have found that the other digital won't recieve either. So I use the analogue but since they are turning it off it means at these times no tv unless I have recorded somethin. Why can't they leave analogue on
dennis
Tuesday 31 July 2012 4:09PM Wirral
janet armstrong.There are 2 reasons why the
Analogue was switched off in favour of
Digital.One is to enable many more channels
to be transmitted all at once ("Freeview")
and the other is to enable the vacated
analogue channels to be sold off by the
govt to get some more money in.
colin.odoherty
Tuesday 31 July 2012 4:58PM
can you tune in other channels on a sky plus receiver with out a viewing card kind regards colin
edna watson
Wednesday 1 August 2012 9:54AM
why can i watch true movie channels some days and others it says no signal or i can be watching a film then half way through it comes up no signal
pete smithson
Wednesday 1 August 2012 10:29AM
hi my old box says no signal but if i put my new box on everything is ok so problem is with that box only any ideas
lawrence
Wednesday 1 August 2012 2:19PM
Is the italian channels free on air and can send the frequency and symbol rate
Graham
Thursday 2 August 2012 12:18PM East Grinstead
Since the recent upgrades to the Freeview service from Crystal Palace, I find I can no longer rely on the 8 day Freeview + channel guide and have had to revert to the 14 day version which means I lose the feature to record a program if its scheduled time changes.

This worked before the upgrade although we are at the edge of the Crystal Palace region.

I have re-scanned and carried out the procedure to clear all channels with the aerial removed, all to no avail.

Any suggestions?
Bob Ingram
Thursday 2 August 2012 5:04PM
we completely lose the sky signal off and on for about ten minutes every few days always the same time about 16.20 and 16.30 and also again some evenings always just after 21.00 hrs.
jb38
Thursday 2 August 2012 5:26PM
Bob Ingram: As virtually nothing can interfere with a satellite signal this problem could suggest that the signal being received is not quite what it should be, press "services" then 4 - 6 and check the strength / quality indications, both should be level pegging at the equivalent to about 60% "minimum" as 75% is the norm.

If you find that the quality is down on the strength, then the dish is slightly out of alignment.

ALAN PEACHEY
Friday 3 August 2012 2:59PM
Now that ITV ANGLIA WEST has moved to ASTRA 1N, when will it become unincyprted? As I thought that was the idea of moving to ASTRA 1N. Thanks.
Bob
Saturday 4 August 2012 8:42AM
HI there on my PVR twin tuner which feed on the satellite out (RF Out feed) which feed is used to go out the no 1 in or the no 2 in or is it split between the both of them to be pushed out?

The reason for the question is my tv has a satellite connection as well and I thought it would be nice to have this linked up as well? I have tried this but then it stops my PVR from working when connected?

jb38
Saturday 4 August 2012 9:59AM
Bob: You would use No1 out to go into the TV, but this only provides limited functionality and can restrict what you are able to view as this facility is really aimed at the user who only has one input feed from the dish, as they would connect a jumper between No1 out and No2 in which would then allow two channel recording provided both channels were on the same polarity, not really a satisfactory way of doing things.

You should change your LNB to a quad version as these can be obtained as a complete kit for around £10.00 or so from e-bay outlets and are simplicity to install, then all you require is an extra coax lead to be run from the block to your receiver.
Diana
Sunday 5 August 2012 10:36AM
Following my comment from 21st July. I tried returning my box without the aerial and then again with but the same thing keeps happening. I just wanted to do a factory reset but the only option close to that is the "format disk" option. Once I put in the pin it warns ne that all my recordings and timers will be deleted so I didn't go ahead with it. I really didn't want to lose everything :(
jb38
Sunday 5 August 2012 10:46AM
Diana: What brand / model number of box do you have?
Diana
Sunday 5 August 2012 6:23PM
Bush B320DTRTUTV
Shai
Sunday 5 August 2012 9:52PM Aldershot
quite simply do i need to upgrade my tv aerial, as before the change over my freeview tv worked perfectly, now I cant get anything on it at all & it's only a year old. I did have to retune it a couple of times but then it stopped working tried retunning again but still nothing.
~ Shai
jb38
Monday 6 August 2012 12:01AM
Diana: That model comes under a number of different brand names and looking at one of them it doesn't appear that this particular facility is an option on that chassis, the nearest thing to it being "first time installation" obtainable from pressing: menu - set up - installation - first time installation which you should carry out and checking the results of when complete.

If this doesn't rectify your problem then it could suggest that the box is defective, so "if" its still under guarantee I would be inclined to have them change it over as its possibly suffering from a software bug and which may, or may not be cured by an over air download, something that doesn't exactly take place all of the time anyway.
KMJ,Derby
Monday 6 August 2012 9:29AM
Shai: If your aerial was suitable for the frequencies in use before switchover, in your area it will also be suitable after switchover as the frequencies are still within the original aerial grouping. Did you do a factory reset to clear the channel list of old data before you scanned for the post switchover services? Also, if you have a booster on your aerial it is possible that the signal is now too strong. In this event you will need to connect the aerial direct to the tv without the booster, or insert an attenuator in the aerial feed to reduce the level of signal.
Diana
Monday 6 August 2012 6:50PM
It was asking me to do a first time installation every time I switched it on. I switched it off and overnight it switched itself on and asked for first time installation again. I didn't want to format the disk and lose everything and the warranty just ran out about a month ago. I tried doing the scan again without the aerial as you suggested the first time and this time it worked!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I could hug you right now!
peter
Monday 6 August 2012 8:25PM
hi i have tried all disconnecting etc but my sky box in the living room says no satelite signal, the one in the garden room works ok,,i have tried swapping the box but it still does not work
do a twin lnb work individually for each box.. could one side fail
thanks
Les Nicol
Monday 6 August 2012 9:17PM
peter: Yes, one side could fail, but check your connections. Make sure the the c-oax satellite cable is ok.If necessary re-assemble the termnation connector to the receiver in the living room making sure that none of the screening braid is in contact with the centre copper wire.
jb38
Monday 6 August 2012 9:27PM
peter: In addition to, but apart from that said by Les Nicol, if the garden room box which you know is OK stops working when tried in the living room then that's positive proof that a fault exists in that particular feed from the dish.

LNB ports are totally independent from each other and so one outlet can fail without it affecting the operation of the others, and yes! its certainly possible for this outlet to have failed, but though its also possible for the problem to have been caused by water having crept into the "F" connector plug causing a short circuit, so you should try unscrewing it from the block, then further unscrew the "F" plug from the coax for purposes of checking it out, if though all appears to be OK just screw the plug back onto the coax but swap the connection over with the other outlet that feeds the garden box, as this will verifying the cable as being OK if this action restores Sky in the living room. (garden box will be off though!)

Replacement LNB's of the quad variety can be obtained as a complete kit (as used by Sky) for around £10.00 or so from quite a number of e-bay outlets, and are simplicity to fit.


peter
Monday 6 August 2012 11:23PM
great, dont think its water as i am in spain.went away for the weekend came back turned on TV.no signal....will re check coaxil as it looks a bit fraid around the box but has worked .strange it stopped working for the weekend return as nothing has moved
what a great site for help

thanks all
jb38
Monday 6 August 2012 11:50PM
peter: I failed to notice your flag! but pleased to hear that you have found the problem.

Les Nicol: Just to say (in case you were wondering) that it wasnt my intention to gatecrash your posting, but I had already typed out a reply to peter that was sitting ready to post when I had to answer a phone call, then just before posting I noticed that you had replied and so I edited my own reply so as "not" to duplicate part of the advice already given by you. (poss braiding wire shorting).
Les Nicol
Tuesday 7 August 2012 7:32AM
jb38: No problem - Post's sometimes seem to overlap. - The main thing is Posters seeking advice get a response that helps with a problem(s).
peter
Tuesday 7 August 2012 4:51PM
sky man came moved dish about ...found that LNB was knackered.put a new one on ...signal over 200......great now i can watch all the rubbish again..hahahha

peter
Tuesday 7 August 2012 5:56PM
ps is there any way i can get uk gold on my free to view sky box and card as we cannot upgrade here without a uk address or expensive card fiddle
is there a way i can add the chanel......?
steve wardle
Friday 10 August 2012 9:41PM
I have a sky subscription in my front room on a HD box and another box upstairs with no card in it, the record function has stopped working and some general freeview channels like "dave" do not work, is there anyway round this without paying £120 a year for multiroom? cheers steve
Dave Lindsay
Friday 10 August 2012 9:57PM
steve wardle: Dave is not available free-to-air on satellite; it can only be received free on Freeview in most areas (about 90% of the population).

The recording function is something that Sky retains control of. Does it not state this in the terms and conditions?
steve wardle
Friday 10 August 2012 10:30PM
not sure on the T's and C's, is theere no way round this other than buying multiroom or another card subscription? it is connected to the same dish, cheers Steve
Dave Lindsay
Friday 10 August 2012 10:43PM
steve wardle: You will have to buy a subscription to watch it via Sky.

The only other possibility is if you are in an area served by a full Freeview transmitter; you could then watch Dave. A Freeview recorder is subscription-free.
steve wardle
Friday 10 August 2012 11:14PM
thank you so much for all your replies, appreciate it :) don't want to part with anymore money though, i have plenty of channels on sky downstairs my own sky box upstairs and I think its criminal for them to charge me to use my own equipment in my own house when I am already subscribed to them :/ recording and basic freeview through a skybox should not be a tenner a month :/
Linda Singh
Saturday 11 August 2012 3:45PM
Dave Lindsay: HI please can u help. I am not receiving any signal at all to my box checked the signal bars and theres no signal being received? Turned off put it back on even took the card out and put it back in still nothing happening ?
Dave Lindsay
Saturday 11 August 2012 6:24PM
Linda Singh: I don't know much about satellite receivers. Perhaps someone else can help you.
jb38
Saturday 11 August 2012 8:04PM
Linda Singh: If your box has been operating perfectly OK up until now then your problem can only be caused by one of two things, the first being that its something connected with your dish or the coax from, such as some object having knocked against the dish and moved it slightly out of alignment or that the coax cable from the dish has been damaged, or maybe even that the actual LNB on the dish arm has developed a fault, as although LNB's are amazingly reliable they "can" fail.

Secondly, should none of the mentioned apply, then it could be that the boxes internal power unit has developed a fault of the nature that causes a reduction in the voltage supplied to the tuner which will result in the tuner cutting out, (another known fault!) although the chances of this particular fault happening are much greater if the box is over three years old and is switched on 24/7 whilst in a confined environment such as a cabinet.

Needless to say, that the only way of finding out which one of the two scenarios is applying is by either trying the box on someone else's dish or trying their box on yours, but you should give the coax feed to / from the dish a visual inspection just to make sure that nothing has happened to it, you wont of course be able to tell if the dish has been moved as it only takes the merest fraction of movement to kill off the signal.

That said, it wouldn't go amiss to carry out an LNB check using the following procedure, as although its extremely uncommon for this type of thing to go wrong it cant be completely discounted.

1:- Press Sky followed by Services.
2:- Highlight System Setup (4) and press select.
3:- Press 0 then 1 then select.
4:- Press select again to access the LNB setup screen.
5:- Press the red button to re-set the default settings.
6:- Using the up/down arrows, highlight Save New Settings and press
select.
7:- Press select to confirm that the settings have been reset.

By the way, just for checking purposes, the correct settings for the LNB are /

Low frequency - 9.75
High Frequency - 10.60
The LNB power supply should always be set to on.
The 22KHz Command should always be set to on.




ian from notts
Tuesday 14 August 2012 11:34AM
steve wardle
an option for you is to run a cable from your downstairs skybox to your bedroom tv and watch all your subscribed channels plus use your record.
if done correct a "magic eye" can be fitted so to use the remote in the bedroom ?
John P
Tuesday 14 August 2012 11:36PM Brentwood
Hi Brian,
I've been looking into buying a dreambox but are struggling to find out what channels I can actualy receive from it and what it can do, most youtube videos etc are misleading.
Are you able to do an article on this subject and possibly a list of what channels are available as compared to freesat. I do appretiate that it may be a complex answer.
Thanks John P
Grace
Wednesday 15 August 2012 9:44AM
Waiting for Dating in the Dark on Pick tv there is an advert for up and coming programmes, who sings I think you'r delicious in the background? Does sound like Amy Winehouse, but love the song, anyone help please, driving me nuts!!
Love Pick tv, don't understand the complaints, keep it up, great viewing :) GRACE
David Reape
Wednesday 15 August 2012 11:34AM
Hi Brian,

I was wondering if you can help me out please I am Sky customer in the Republic of Ireland and I am looking to add via the Add/Other channels option - the following channels - Channel 5HD, 5USA HD and 5*HD.
Would you know the frequency details to achieve this for here in the Republic.
I have the normal/SD versions of these channels but would love to have the HD versions too.

yours sincerely

David



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