Help: My Sky box has a "no signal message" - what do I do?
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My Sky box has a "no signal message" - what do I do?


My Sky box has a  no signal message  - what do I do?

If you are getting the message "no signal" this would indicate that there is a problem with the signal from your dish into your box. Even without a card inserted into a Sky Digibox, if there is a signal, you will always get Sky Guide and the free channels.

Try powering off your box, remove the card, check carefully the cables, especially the connection to the dish, reapply the power and then when asked to insert your card you should then be able to see (for example) Sky News on 501 and the BBC News channel on 503.

Once you can see any channel, reinsert your card. This should, after about one minute, give you the channels you expect, such as 103, 104 and 105.

There are three ways you can attempt to reset your box. Please see What can my do when my Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' ?.

If you continue to get "No signal", you dish may have been misaligned, or there may be a fault with the cables and connectors, or a problem with the Digibox. You can see the signal strength by pressing SERVICES, then 4-SYSTEM SETUP and 6-SIGNAL STRENGTH.



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Your comments are always welcome. Please use the form below to add your thoughts or questions to this page. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

Dave B
Thursday 3 February 2011 6:16PM
Thanks for the quick response. I have just followed procedure 2, BBC 1 is now on but very blocky / signal breaking up. As mentioned all other channels seems fine still. Any other thoughts, someone mentioned to me it could be the LNB on it's way out ?
Briantist
Thursday 3 February 2011 6:53PM
Dave B: Yes, if method (2) has only resulted in that, then you probably need a new LNB, or if you had a quad LNB, you need to use another of the outputs.
Dave B
Thursday 3 February 2011 8:13PM
Perfect, will try this tomorrow and let you know how it goes!
MASUD
Monday 14 February 2011 12:36AM Luton
when its raining my picture been broken .why
Briantist
Monday 14 February 2011 6:32AM
MASUD: If you have analogue or Freeview, this will be because rain is getting into your aerial cable.

If this is the case, you will need to have the cable replaced. You may wish to use satellite-grade cable as a replacement.

If you have satellite, you will occasionally find that very heavy rain will, for a few minutes, scatter the satellite signal, causing loss of picture.
mo
Monday 14 February 2011 11:54PM
hi i am getting a few channels but bbc 1 or 2 a few others i dont not get any help would be great thank you
Briantist
Tuesday 15 February 2011 7:15AM
mo: Is this on satellite or Freeview? Where about are you?
chopper
Wednesday 16 February 2011 7:12PM
installed my dish and put a signal meter on turned on sky box my meter lit up and i tuned in for a good signal turned on signal test on tv and nothing it keeps searching but nothing happens.
Briantist
Wednesday 16 February 2011 7:13PM
chopper: You are sure you are lined up for 23.5 degrees east?
Mark Aberfan Aerials
Wednesday 16 February 2011 10:16PM
Hi,

Think that should be 28.2e / 28.5e for uk sky

Mark Aberfan Aerials
Briantist
Thursday 17 February 2011 6:01AM
Mark Aberfan Aerials: Yes, sorry, I was very tired last night.
Steadybloke
Monday 21 February 2011 6:27PM
'No satellite signal is being received'

Is the message displayed on my TV. I am using an ex SKY box as freeview (basic channels) This morning everything was fine then noticed pic break up. Now nothing.

When I go to the services options, then system setup, I check the signal test and I have no signal or quality barometer. I've checked the cables this end, all fine. Please don't tell me I have to get up on the roof......
stu
Friday 25 February 2011 10:48AM
getting most channels but not channel 5 and sky sports news hd any ideas please mate?
Briantist
Friday 25 February 2011 12:25PM
stu: Have you done "Method (2)"?
Trevor Chenery
Saturday 5 March 2011 9:51PM
My two Freesat boxes with a size 1 dish - Humax receivers - frequently give a "No Signal" message. I have 8 LNB cables feeding four, wall mounted outputs. Would it be better if I have a larger FreeSat dish. I live in south east England in the Chilterns
Briantist
Sunday 6 March 2011 6:11AM
Trevor Chenery: How big is the dish to start with? You don't need a larger dish for a oct-LNB package.
Jackie Masterson
Sunday 17 April 2011 4:19PM
I've just moved into a property that has SKY, but I'm not using it.When I plugged in my tv with the normal ariel I got the message "No signal". But my housemate who is using SKY has no problems, why?
Briantist
Monday 18 April 2011 5:53AM
Jackie Masterson: Much as you would expect. You can't connect a normal TV to a satellite dish, you need a Freesat box.
ray
Sunday 1 May 2011 6:46PM
hi, I have a problem with no signal, we have followed all the steps, checked the signal from the dish it was very very strong, checked the cable signal again v v strong but when we put the cable into the box the signal comes in and out and now it has no signal at all, the guy said that it might be the connector the cable fits into, but said nothing more, can you help with what he means, how do we sort out the connector, sometimes when I jiggle the cable (i.e push it further in or move it a get a signal, I have had this box for ages the problem has only juts surfaced in the last couple of months.
thanks
ray
Briantist
Wednesday 4 May 2011 7:52AM
ray: It might just be that you have "no signal", that the LNB has failed or the cable to it is damaged.
Briantist
Wednesday 4 May 2011 8:12PM
drdred: Yes, no problem doing that.
Briantist
Wednesday 4 May 2011 9:11PM
Darrell: It most likely a cable problem. Remove and reconnect each of your signal cables.
Peter
Tuesday 10 May 2011 9:18AM
On my Sky HD box. I left it recording a program went to bed, the following day I can hear the recorder still running but no signal is being received. I have disconnected the whole system and when re-installed the disc starts running immediately, but it displays no time and no signal. It is obviously the box. How do I stop the disc running?
Briantist
Wednesday 11 May 2011 6:11PM
Peter: It sounds like there is a serious fault with the box, I would think you will need to speak to a Sky engineer.
Sammy
Saturday 14 May 2011 11:10AM
No signal on my box at caravan in scotland slab mounted phoned sky they reset box should the dish be pointing 28 o north east please help save my sole
Briantist
Saturday 14 May 2011 1:56PM
Sammy: Please see www.lyngsat.com link icon Astra 2D at 28.2°E - LyngSat SatTracker to find out where to point the dish. The satellite is over the equator, so is somewhat to the south...
wayne
Monday 16 May 2011 2:09PM
Hi had sky installed last saturday, engineer wasnt the most enthusiastic, warned me if there were any problems to ring an independant arial specialist if i had any problems, the sky showed no signal on Tues, i followed step one and it returned, yesterday again no signal tried all 3 steps to no avail. Is he correct to tell me this just because the dish has been located on "my arial" pole?
Les Nicol
Monday 16 May 2011 4:39PM
Wayne - I suspect your problem is in you having the dish mounted to your TV Aerial pole. It's likely the TV aerial pole is unsuitable in diameter and in the fixings and allowing the dish to fractionally move with any wind load at all-thus your signal loss.
Mark Aberfan Aerials
Monday 16 May 2011 7:18PM
Hi Wayne,

Do not pay any attention to what the idiot installer told you, call sky & insist they put it right. They installer was only trying to keep his bad work from sky & to stop his employer from withholding payment which is what will happen if they issue a service call on a faulty install.
This is the price that sometimes has to be paid for ultra cheap (free)installs & free boxes etc

Mark Aberfan Aerials
Steve
Monday 16 May 2011 9:56PM
Hi there..strange problem, this. I was receiving all freeveiw channels with my cheap £15 box from Argos, and replaced it today with a Humax recorder won on ebay. After setup and installing all channels(it said it had found them all) as soon as I press 1 for BBC 1 or any number for any channel, it says bad or no signal. The aerial and scart leads are the same ones I used before, and are plugged in properly. I've phoned the guy I bought it off, no problem with me returning it for full refund(really understanding bloke, one of the good'uns)but I would really prefer to get to the bottom of this problem, sort it , and keep the recorder. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Hassan
Monday 16 May 2011 10:07PM
Hi,
I have Pace Skydigibox (old) and new Sky HD Box. Both are connected to the same dish. They were working fine when I went to bed. Next morning I switched it Pace Skydigibox on and greeted by "No Signals being received" message. I checked all the cables and one joint. Everything looks fine. Tried all three reset steps. But no avail. What can be the problem? The dish is installed very high and I am unable to reach there without very very tall ladder.
Les Nicol
Tuesday 17 May 2011 7:43AM
Hassan - I would first switch the receiver end connections from the dish this will allow you to eliminate any problem with the older Pace box. If it's working on the feed you had your newer reciver connected to then you've established where the problem lies. If all is well with both receivers when connected to a working feed from the dish then the problem is either (a) the LNB itself (B) water ingress to the cable feed and or a bad cable feed connection at the LNB end.
Briantist
Tuesday 17 May 2011 8:38AM
Steve: I would probably take advantage of the ability to have a refund.
Danielle
Wednesday 18 May 2011 9:13AM Northolt
Hiya guys,please bare with me! Cause even I'm confused!
Right I moved into my new flat a year ago, the reception was just non existent in every room, (2bed plus living room) I brought an ariel booster from argos, and it worked a treat! Sometimes in bad weather it would play up,I do not have sky so was just using a freeview box. In April we had some scaffolding but up to paint our balcony, (scaffolding was no where near the outdoor ariel) but even so, no signal started to appeal on most of the channels, or they would just break up. I asked my neighbours they had same problem. Anyway now the builders have gone and I rescanned my box, now out of all the channels on freeview I only manage to get bbc1, film 4, itv+1 and 5*. it's driving me insane! I dunno if I need a new booster, ariel or sky!!!! I've tried to get idvive from everywhere, scruples blamed the scaffolders but they were no way near my ariel, which is on a poll on my balcony, even I can't reach it. Do u think if I had sky installed this problem would be sorted? I'm missing desperate housewives! :-( lol
Sorry also forgot to mention my postcode it
Ub5 6qg, I live on the old ruislip road, west London. Northolt.
Many thanks to anyone that can help
Danielle
Briantist
Wednesday 18 May 2011 10:43AM
Danielle: Freeview reception requires a rooftop aerial, so either you will need to fit one of these, or you can use satellite (including Freesat).

Indoor aerials will not provide a reliable Freeview service.
Danielle
Wednesday 18 May 2011 2:26PM
Thanks so much for your help! So I'm thinking of ringing sky or virgin and having it installed will that work?
Sorry I'm a woman without a clue on anything technical
Danielle
Wednesday 18 May 2011 3:50PM
Just rang and spine to freesat, sooo helpful! So hopefully this time 2mora I will b watching tv again! Thanks for your help! Xxxx
Anthony
Friday 20 May 2011 2:14PM
hi guys just after some opinion, i am a sky customer and have just moved house into a area where sky recption is extremely poor due to dense tree's in front of my home. The other neighbours nearby have reception due to there homes being further down the street and their dishes being mounted onto a large mast on the roof which gives them clear LOS over trees. However my problem is can you work around this issue where i currently am at the moment i.e is there such thing as a high gain dish or do sky have to find a solution even if it means installing your dish onto another property down the road?
Briantist
Friday 20 May 2011 2:31PM
Anthony: The larger the dish, the more the gain. However, you do need a clear view of the sky where the satellite is, so mounting the dish up as high as possible is the usual solution. Sky will charge you slightly more for a non-standard installation.

You would not normally expect to install a dish on someone else's property.
Sonya
Saturday 21 May 2011 10:16PM
My sky hd has been going funny for the last couple of weeks (blocky picture). Today my son paused something and ever since then has gone in and out of satellite signal being received. First error came up with number 30 which sky asked me to reset the software which I did. Seemed fine for a while at least and has been going blocky ever since. Even had a blue screen at some point. Cables into the box are fine and have switched off and back on again to no avail. I'm so fed up with it, I just want to throw it out of the window! Someone please advise. Thank you
LORRAINE
Sunday 22 May 2011 7:52PM
Hi my sky works fine most of the time but recentley its been cutting out and saying no signal is being recieved, when i change channel some of the other channels work then when i go back to the channel i was watching and its fine. it works for a short while then the same thing happens again. im so fed up having to change channel`s then by the time i get back to what i was watching iv missed the best part. please any advice as the TV is all i have.
Briantist
Sunday 22 May 2011 10:05PM
Sonya: It could be that your dish has become misaligned, or that the Sky box has developed a fault, or that the LNB on the dish has failed.
jo
Thursday 26 May 2011 6:09PM
hi i only have the free channels on my sky box at the moment. have cancelled my subscription for some time but now every single channel is showing no satellite signal. and then it is fine yet looks like might happen again due to half the channels still not working. is this due to the free sat thing from sky or is it a fault?
maryjane
Saturday 28 May 2011 6:21PM
hi i have had multi room fitted yesarday it worked fine but today i have got up and i can not change any channel in my frount room and in other rooms it says no signal wat is going on
Briantist
Monday 30 May 2011 12:58PM
maryjane: Sounds like some form of fault - try www.ukfree.tv link icon What can I do when my Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' or 'Technical fault'? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice please, but you should probably just call the Sky engineer back to be honest.
Teresa Ward
Tuesday 31 May 2011 10:25AM
I have a sky box which I only receive the free channels from. I've moved address which has a sky dish for everyone to use. I've plugged in my box yet it's saying no signal. Can you please help me sort out this problem.
Thank you
Briantist
Wednesday 1 June 2011 8:56AM
Teresa Ward: You will probably need to speak to whoever manages the communal system to ensure that your satellite connection to your address is working.
drew
Friday 3 June 2011 10:49PM
My sky hd box showing no signal how do i see box signal strengh with sky hd , it is not on services as sky sd is?



Please post a question, answer or commentIf you have Freeview reception problems before posting a question your must first do this Freeview reset procedure then see: Freeview reception has changed, Single frequency interference, and Freeview intermittent interference.

If you have no satellite signal, see Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' or 'Technical fault'

If you have other problems, please provide a full (not partial) postcode (or preferably enter it in box at the top right) and indicate where if aerial is on the roof, in the loft or elsewhere.

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