What can I do when my Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' or 'Technical fault'?
How to Reset a Sky Digibox when 'No Signal' appears.
Reset method 1 - Delete and Rescan
- Turn the power off at the mains socket. Either do this by pulling the plug from the socket, or using a power switch if there is one.
- Remove the viewing card from the machine. Using a dry cloth or kitchen roll, clean the gold connector on the reverse of the card. Do not use any cleaning products.
- Check cables and connectors are in good order.
- Wait for at least 30 seconds.
- With the card still out of the machine, plug the Digibox back into the mains.
- Ignore all the messages, and wait for around a minute.
- Try 101 for BBC One, 102 for BBC Two and 103 for ITV-1.
- Insert viewing card, wait a few seconds.
- Check 104 for Channel 4 and 105 for five.
Reset Method 2 - Reset the LNB
If the above method does not work, the LNB may have a fault.
- Press the [SERVICES] button and then press [4] [0] [1] then [SELECT]
On Sky HD, press the [SERVICES] button and then press [0] [0] [1] then [SELECT]
Press the buttons in the sequence above exactly - do not atttempt to use [UP] or [DOWN]. Note that when you press the second 0 and 1 nothing happens on the screen until you press the final [SELECT]. This is a "hidden menu".
- Then press [1] to go to the RF output menu.
- Press [DOWN] three times to highlight the line 22Khz Command and then press [RIGHT] to change the value to [OFF].
- Press [DOWN] and [SELECT] to select Save New Settings.
- Press [SKY].
- Again press [SERVICES], [4], [0], [1], [SELECT]; then [1] again for the LNB Menu. (SERVICES 0 0 1 SELECT for Sky HD).
- Now press the [RED] button (reset all settings), then [DOWN] until you can select Save New Settings again.
- Press [SKY].
Reset Method 3 - Upgrade the system software
If there are still problems:
- Turn the Digibox off at the mains again and remove the viewing card.
- Whilst holding down the BACKUP key on the Digibox - NOT ON THE REMOTE - turn the mains power on.
- Keep hold of BACKUP until the screen displays a "UPGRADING SYSTEM SOFTWARE" message – this will be white text on a black screen. On some boxes this can appear as a half screen.
- Wait 10 to 20 minutes for the software to download and install. The box will restart when the process is complete.
- Ignore all the messages, and wait for around a minute.
- Try 101 for BBC One, 102 for BBC Two and 103 for ITV-1.
- Insert viewing card, wait a few seconds.
- Check 104 for Channel 4 and 105 for five.
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jb38Monday 30 April 2012 7:40PM
Guy: Considering the age of the box its a wonder that its power unit is still working, or of course maybe its not! as the symptom you report is usually displayed when power supply to the tuner drops under a certain level.
That said, have you tried resetting the box? this achieved by removing the mains plug and leaving it about 30 seconds or so before reconnecting it to the mains supply again, then once it starts responding to the remote control letting it go through its lengthy "searching for listings" procedure.
If this procedure fails to resolve the issue then another thing it could also be is that your dish has been moved a fraction out of line by recent high wind, and with no-one no matter how experienced they may be being able to detect this without the aid of a meter as it only takes the slightest of movements to knock out the signal.
If you can access the dish try giving it a slight nudge (tap) one way or the other in its horizontal plane.Graham RichardsonWednesday 2 May 2012 10:36PM
For the past week I am unable to get BBC radio channels.
The first staion I can get is 350 and only up to 378. When I key in 0102 for radio 2 instead of 0 appearing I get a speaker icon.
Have called Sky but they say they have never heard of this one, they offered to send someone out but as I am in Europe I had to bluff them off.
any ideas please?
Mr SinghThursday 3 May 2012 11:42PM
Thanks, big help!Donna PesticcioFriday 4 May 2012 8:40AM
Cardiff I have built in freeview in my television, I have bought 3 different digital areials which say they are compatible for digital freeview, none of them have got a signal, i live next to a railway line would this effect it? also can uyou suggest an aerialDonna Pesticcio,Cardiff.(Caerdydd).
If you leave a full postcode preferably to ascertain the possibilities of freeview coverage in your locality,hopefully we should be of even more valued assistance to you ! Peter CorbettSaturday 12 May 2012 11:30AM
Helensburgh Living in Rhu, Helensburgh G84 8SY about 40 miles west of Glasgow. All signals disappeared at about 10.10 today and have not yet returned. Any info?KMJ,DerbySaturday 12 May 2012 11:55AM
Peter Corbett: If your problem is with Freeview the BBC reception report currently shows the Rosneath transmitter to be off the air from 10.05 this morning - 12th May 2012. Additionally BBC National DAB radio is shown as very weak signal from Rosneath from 10.06.MassimilianoMonday 14 May 2012 10:14PM
Hi
I tried all your processes to reset my lnb and still doesn't work still get no signal messages.
My Sky was working fine up until today and for the last 5years.
We had a huge wind storm here in Portugal and I think either has moved the dish or the lnb has broken down. I asked for a technician and they want €125 call out to look at it and then they will probably charge me the rest for a new lnb can not afford this at the moment. How easy is it to buy a new lnb and fit it myself or do I need a special signal machine? I just do not get any grey bars at the moment when making a signal test! Gutted!jb38Monday 14 May 2012 10:55PM
Massimiliano: Judging by what you have said I suspect that its much more likely that the dish has moved slightly rather than the LNB having developed a fault, as the dish only needs to move the mearest fraction to knock the signal out.
You should press "services" then 4-6 and check the signal strength / quality thats shown on the two indicator bars (if any shown) then if you know the direction that the wind was blowing give either the left or right hand side of the dish a knock checking the result on the TV screen, as with a bit of luck you might be able to knock it back into alignment again.
franky vaughanTuesday 15 May 2012 7:11PM
i have a booming signal on channel 1 of the test but channel two has dropped out completely. which means i can no longer record i have two free view boxes upstairs they are working fine. do you think my LNB is knackered?jb38Tuesday 15 May 2012 8:54PM
franky vaughan: Taking it that you are referring to a "Freesat" twin channel PVR recorder? if one of the feeds from the dish gives a good signal on LNB 1's input but the other gives no signal on the LNB 2 input then swap the two input feeds over and see if the fault changes positions, if it does then you should check that the "F" connector on the "no signal" input isn't shorting inside because a strand of wire is touching the inner core, if though its found not to be then couple it back into the box again as its time to move outside to check that the "F" connectors on the other end of the cable havent became waterlogged and is shorting out, if though nothing appears amiss then swap the "F" plugs over again but this time on the LNB and have a check on the recorder, if you see that the fault has reverted back to its original position then the block is faulty. feliciaWednesday 16 May 2012 9:18AM
hello,my digital is saying(no satellite signal)and have tried all d method to put it back on,taken d plug off d device put it back after 5 minutes still not working,tried ur other methods still showing no signal,pls what do i do next,as have not been able to watch tv for d past 2 days now. steveSaturday 19 May 2012 8:12AM
hi ive just gave my uncle a old sky box andit up to an old dish outside his flat it has been working fine but yesterday about15.00 it went off showing no sattelite signal. ive switched it off checked connectors and even tried a different box...still the same. he is only using the box and dish to receive freesat channels.also we couldnt get local news when it was working only granada(were in tyne and wear) JoshMonday 21 May 2012 10:16AM
Wow, that Sky box must be ancient then, as it says on the back "Manufactured in the UK"! Eamonn. DoyleMonday 4 June 2012 9:55PM
London My aerial is. In. Thel. LoftALEXANDERThursday 7 June 2012 6:19PM
WEDNESDAY 30 th MAY, MY SKY 103 1TV1 SIGNAL VANISHED... HOW DO I FIND IT AGAIN... LIVE IN EUROPEL SpinksMonday 11 June 2012 1:23PM
Clacton-on-sea My Postcode is CO16 8US
I have freeview only, one digibox and the other tv has freeview in built. All winter I have all channels, but every summer around May I tend to loose channels which include Film 4 Yesterday and all Music channels. I have had a new aerial installed about 3 years ago but thought this would not happen once the digital switchover happened. Can you help me?? I have re scanned etc which makes no differnce. L Spinks: The reason is because the Commercial multiplexes from Sudbury are on low power and have been since switchover. They will go up to full power on 27th of this month when a retune will be required to restore them.
The wait has been necessary in order for the perminant frequencies to become available as they are used by transmitters in Kent until they switch to digital on 27th. Adam BMonday 11 June 2012 1:56PM
Dunstable L Spinks:
The reason you get problems starting each year in May is possibly due to the large trees near you coming into leaf. If one of these trees is directly between you and the transmitter this could be the cause. However, as Dave Lindsay says, once the power is increased, this should be much less of an issue.
Hope this helps,
Adam. sheila artingstallTuesday 12 June 2012 11:09AM
Hi i have managed to tune my pace digibox manually and i now receive sky etc.how do i lock the signal so that my oystervision satellite dish locks on autoaticallyLes MorganSaturday 16 June 2012 5:30PM
Liverpool Hope you can help . Have Ross Satellite system S 5010. Temp install first & received some channels 60% strength 25% quality.Permanent install roof line dish have sat finder tweeked many times strength varies 50/60% but no quality. Have lat /long/lnb skew info etcLes NicolSaturday 16 June 2012 6:30PM
Les - This is very much a budget receiver/system from B&Q, Homebase etc. It's badly designed with inaccuracies in the dish assembly compoments, which can lead to setup and configuration issues if its a DIY install.
That I can remember the receiver itself has no SCART output - rather a composite video L.R. and audio outputs only, (with a SCART adapter for TV if needed). So no automatic switching of TV when the receiver is switched on.
Sorry to be so negative here, but I think you will have some difficulty in getting a satisfactory result with your system, unless you can draw on some others who have managed to overcome product design issues.
TazSaturday 23 June 2012 7:51PM
Sowerby Bridge Thank you so much for the information regarding the satellite signal, I tried all three and the third one, update your system worked. Fantastic really appreciate it, after months I now have tv back,Lesley DevlinThursday 28 June 2012 1:54PM
Every time we have rain we loose all channels . ThInking of moving to skyLesley Devlin.Unless you leave a full postcode,we cannot be of much help to you.
But if you want to take up Sky TV then go for it,or you could opt for Freesat and if you are wealthy enough Cable TV/Virgin Media if that is provided in your locality. Gloria VincentSunday 8 July 2012 9:42PM
Help...we can not access to the tv in sky....for some time we have experienced some problems...we can not get connected...we have tried to do all sorts...cleaning card, switching it off the mains. wait for few minutes...give a good tap to the main dish....but not avail....please somebody help us!!!!!!jb38Sunday 8 July 2012 11:14PM
Gloria Vincent: When you press "services - 4 - 6 what do you see indicated on the signal strength / quality bars? as both should be indicating about 3/4 of the way along the bar, if not then the dish is liable to be slightly out of alignment and has possibly been moved by either the wind or something having bumped against it.deviFriday 13 July 2012 9:04AM
hi I am at 26 nimbus road in epsom wehave got satelite but wehave got nosigal we phoned the sky people they are saying on wednesday they can come what happened in the mean time we cannot watch tv deviFriday 13 July 2012 9:07AM
the ariel is attached to the wall facing uprightTony SteedFriday 13 July 2012 5:21PM
Hi the picture on my TV is very good but it is sometimes freezing then no signal comes up
then picture returns for a few minutes again
then freezis again I have tried resetting my Sky box but it is still the same.jb38Friday 13 July 2012 8:22PM
Tony Steed: Press "services" on your remote control then 4 - 6 and check what the signal strength / quality indications are showing as being as both should be about 70% or so, if less than that or the quality is considerably lower than the strength then the dish is slightly out of alignment, this usually being in the horizontal plane and likely caused by the mounting clamp not being tight enough and allowing the wind to move the dish.
However if both indications are roughly the same but the signal strength or quality is seen to be fluctuating up and down, then that can indicate the presence of water having crept into the LNB's "F" connector and requiring it to be unscrewed and checked out.gordhanFriday 13 July 2012 8:25PM
We are not recieving starplus at the moment jb38Saturday 14 July 2012 7:45AM
Tony Steed: Just to add to that already said regarding signal fluctuations, being: provided that your dish is not close to any high trees as that type of situation can cause also cause erratic signal levels to be seen accompanied by intermittent picture freezing. Nasima ASunday 15 July 2012 12:30AM
Hiya,
I really need your help and advice.
I have a satelite dish out side my balcony (I live in a high rised flat on the 5th floor, with 4 other high rised flats surrounding it).
At the moment, my satelite dish does not recieve good signal, quite often the channels cuts out in the middle of me watching it. I have tried to re align many times, using the system signal test on screen, but after I move my hand or come back and sit down, the signal has gone down again.
Please could you give me some advice on how I could resolve this problem, so that I can watch the channels properly.
Les NicolSunday 15 July 2012 7:55AM
Nasima A: This is a job that should be for a qualified installer, particularly as you describe your dish as being located on the outside of the balcony on a "High Rise" flat. jb38Sunday 15 July 2012 8:12AM
Nasima A: If when you have aligned your dish you are seeing the "both" strength / quality sitting about 70% of the way along the bars then that's perfectly OK, but if the quality is lower then the alignment still requires some trimming.
If on the other hand the dish indicates the aforementioned levels (or very close to) then the only other thing that can cause these levels to change is either that the quality of the coax used between the dish and the box isn't of the best quality with some types have very poor screening, or that the coax braiding to "F" connectors justifies being checked out as the braiding might not have been doubled back sufficiently far over the outer casing to give a minimum resistance coupling whereby the actual cable will become susceptible to movements anywhere near to it.
I suspect though that your problem is caused by the coax quality, and should it be of a dubious manufacture then replace it with Webro brand WF100 as that type has top quality screening.
By the way, try not to have the coax running parallel with metallic objects at any point, crossing at right angles is OK though! leahWednesday 18 July 2012 4:12PM
it really workedandyFriday 20 July 2012 10:49AM
Sutton Coldfield hello,
my sky signal is great on all channels apart from bbc 1,2 itv 1 channel 4 and 5. tried out channel 970 etc but it is still really poor signal. i have tried resetting etc but still no better.
any ideas ?
live in b76 9hjdavidSunday 22 July 2012 5:56PM
im trying to move my sky box into a different room, i have a live virgin wire which i connected upto the 2way adaptor on the off chance that id get my signal but it doesnt happen! is there another way around this as my sky cable is short jb38Sunday 22 July 2012 11:47PM
david: Purely out of curiosity, when you say that your Sky cable is short exactly what cable are you referring to? the reason I ask is because you are bringing two different operating systems into the equation, Virgin and Sky.PeterThursday 26 July 2012 9:36PM
pace box sky free channels only in canaries.
Will a software upgrade work without a phone line and in spain?
is there any point or poss improvement?
could sky pick up and say illegal use and cut all signal?
Thanks PeterChantelleSaturday 28 July 2012 9:11PM
London hi i have an old sky box but was planning on moving to freesat in september. i had two old viewing card so was looking to get two more sky boxes in order to have freesat in multiple rooms. i got given a sky+ box and decided to try it out.However when i connected it, it said no sat signal received error code 29 so i connected my old box i received the same message. I researched online done numerous checks to no avail, i called sky went through more checks- still nothing. Sky ave said that error 29 relates to the weather so i have to sit and wait or call a engineer cost £69. please helpjb38Saturday 28 July 2012 9:29PM
Chantelle: Error 29 is just another indication of the box not receiving a signal, connect up your old box again and once its been on long enough to see searching for listings etc press "Services" then 4 - 6 and check if anything is showing in the strength / quality bars, as if not then it can indicate that the dish has been knocked out of alignment or that there is a fault in the "F" connector plugs, which should be unscrewed to check if a strand of braiding wire is touching the middle core, or that the LNB has failed.
On the latter though, if the dish was being used with a Sky+ box then there will be two leads coming in from it, so try the other one as well as they are totally independent of each other.
Finally, you do not require a card in the Sky box to be able to view the majority of free channels. ChantelleMonday 30 July 2012 12:49AM
London Hi all, just wanted to let you know i have my signal back. I brought a sat signal meter, changed the lnb from single to a four cable, realigned the dish, ran a sat cable over the roof and hooked it all up. I now have sky downstairs and the free channels from the old digibox with no card. I am calling sky tomorrow to cancel my subscription and over 3 viewing cards for freesat from sky @ £25 each after which i will be subscription free. : - )KaurMonday 30 July 2012 8:15PM
Hi there
Just purchased 2 digital tvs. One works fine in one room but the other only certain free view channels are working, some state poor quality signal, some state no signal however the bbc 1,2,3,4,5 no working at all.
Can you please help.
Thx Mrs kaurjb38Monday 30 July 2012 8:28PM
Chantelle: Quite a lot achieved in such a short space of time! but pleased to hear you now have everything sorted out to your satisfaction, especially the saving of £75.00 through cancelling the three Sky cards. jb38Monday 30 July 2012 8:33PM
Kaur: As you question involves a reception problem then no one can really advise without knowledge of your location, as you could be absolutely anywhere in the UK.
A post code or one from nearby would suffice, as that enables access to the reception predictor that would cover your location. Mrs KaurThursday 2 August 2012 11:37PM
Bourne Location is manthorpe, Bourne , Lincolnshire.
Thx mrs kaurKarenSunday 5 August 2012 10:09PM
Why has my sky gone to sleep.we did get new television today and I can not seem to start it againjb38Monday 6 August 2012 12:09AM
Karen: Have you tried disconnecting your Sky box from the mains by carefully removing the plug on the rear, then after about 1 minute or so reconnecting it again and allowing the box to go through its usual "seaching for listings" procedure. jb38Monday 6 August 2012 12:29AM
Mrs Kaur: Sorry for the delayed response to your update but I wasn't aware that you had replied, however this problem can only really be caused by the method you are using to split the signal between the two positions, and with this coupled to the likelihood that the tuners fitted in the two devices you are using are of different sensitivities, as most are!
A positive test is to connect the set with the minimum of channels into the aerial connection used by the TV thats OK and let it go through an auto tune, checking to see if its received a full compliment of channels, if it has then move it back to its original position and check if the channels are still viewable, if they are but are glitching now and again then you will require to use a two way powered splitter to ensure that the same level of signal is being fed to each device.
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