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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MickWednesday 23 January 2013 10:40AM
Hi,
I am an idiot.
During heavy snow on Monday we got the no signal message, could not reach with a brush but using a rather long stick managed to remove snow from dish and signal returned.
1 hour later got the same message, more snow had stuck to the dish, so this time I gently tapped the rear of the dish with said stick to dislodge the snow, this worked but for some reason the bracket which holds the LNB to the dish snapped(could have been the cold plus the trauma of dish being struck).
I went up ladder and replaced the bracket last night and cleaned the dish but still no signal.
All connections seem to be intact and tight, any advice for a stupid bloke who should not hit things with sticks?MickWednesday 23 January 2013 11:21AM
Thanks Dave,
I have no Strengh or quality at all, juast empty bars.
The dish is pretty tight so to go from 80% to zero seems strange.
Could moisture have affected the ports on LNB?Mick: I can't help you any more as I'm not a professional and have never even used a satellite receiver!
The only thing I will say is that if it was Bob's pole that moved, then the elevation would not have been altered because his dish was bolted to the pole. Therefore he only had to set the azimuth by gradually rotating the pole.
As you have taken the dish down then your task would appear to be far more complex.
I don't know whether something like this might help:
Sky Dish Alignment & Installation Guide, Aligning Sky Satellite Dish
One of the professionals will hopefully be along soon. MickWednesday 23 January 2013 11:37AM
I haven't taken the dish down, the snapped bracket was the one between the LNB and the steel arm, I replaced that in situ.
I honestly don't think the dish has moved much(if at all) thats why I think it could be something else.
Thanks for your your advice.William BeanSaturday 26 January 2013 10:49AM
having to switch off box regularly remove card wipe it and then restart set again does this mean i need the veiwing card renewed looks well worn nowBrenda LittleSunday 27 January 2013 5:26PM
No signal properly for 7 days.Fed up now cant get programs we like.Liz peacockMonday 28 January 2013 5:24PM
Plymouth Signal input 1and quality input 1 keep dropping out, going from locked to not locked, been like this for some time now, help pls. Lilian gillis Monday 4 February 2013 9:44AM
No signalYvonne Elliot Monday 4 February 2013 2:57PM
I've been with sky for 6months, since then I get messages saying no signal an I check everything which they tell me to do , such switch off tight everything which is not loose . I watch tv then it breaks up I don't no what else to do whether the weather I shouldn't be paying £32 month an that's just for basic package , no broadband can you help thanksYvonne Elliot Monday 4 February 2013 3:12PM
Glasgow The sky areal was set up in the house, as I have communal areal on it it says Sat 1 areal 2 which runs through my bedroom . Post code is G32 7LL Glasgow .michelle hillMonday 4 February 2013 4:42PM
every day i get no signal, does not record programs it supposed to, i can be watching a program change channel and get no signal on any channel very dissapointing right now no signal i wish for it to be sortrd out pleaseYvonne Elliot Monday 4 February 2013 8:59PM
Glasgow Can't watch tv No signal don't no what else to do G32 7LL. I've checked the wires an they are all tight an took out viewing card cleaned it any one help me can't go on like this please.jb38Monday 4 February 2013 9:07PM
Yvonne Elliot: By viewing card having been mentioned its assumed that you are referring to a Sky box? and so you should carry out a signal check to see if anything is being indicated, this done on a standard box by pressing "Services" then 4 - 6, or select "Signal" from the set up menu if a Sky+ HD box.
Is the dish yours or is it communal?
Yvonne Elliot Tuesday 5 February 2013 2:08AM
Jb38 Thanks yes it's communal , I live in a close 6 people in the block flats. Our housing installed areal for us so I assume we all share the same one as sky never put one up for me it's a sky +HD box.Yvonne Elliot Tuesday 5 February 2013 2:30AM
Has enyone heard , that Sky can give you a booster box to help you with signal don't no if its True if so can enyone let me no please as I can't take eny more its driving me crazy you pay every month not fair having this problem all the Time . I would be very grateful for help. Thankyou.jb38Tuesday 5 February 2013 8:36AM
Yvonne Elliot: If indeed your housing people installed an "aerial" as such then this was most likely for Freeview TV via a normal aerial and not connected to satellite reception, nor of course would the booster box be that you are referring to.
If though you are sharing a communal "dish" then check to find out if anyone else in the close with Sky (or Freesat) TV is also experiencing the same problem as yourself, and if they are then it depends on what arrangements were made with the landlord as far as repairing any faults are concerned as there really isnt anything you can do as far as within your house is concerned as the fault is either being caused by the dish or the distribution system amp / switcher box.
Yvonne Elliot Tuesday 5 February 2013 2:37PM
Jb38 thanks for your help , yes 3 of us have sky next door has had the same problem. When I got sky I wanted multi room for my bedroom but they said I couldn't get it as there was only 1 sat an he and he put cable attached to arieal box I got a a signal in the bedroom but tv was fuzzy so I went to BQ an got a magic eye an the kit so I have it in the room . The guy did say poor signal in our area so don't understand why he installed it . Friend mine fitted the magic eye an said the fittings were loose an tighted them you no should you see eny wires loose round the fittings jb38Tuesday 5 February 2013 8:39PM
Yvonne Elliot: I have a suspicion that we might just be talking at slightly cross purposes by the fact of you having mentioned that the person fitting the cable had said that you don't get a very good signal in the area, as he must have been referring to Freeview reception via the normal aerial and not anything connected to Sky, as Sky is received at virtually the same level everywhere in the UK from a dish that is properly aligned, although in your case Sky is the problem.
I fully appreciate what you are meaning with regards to Sky multi-room, as every additional box that's used for multi-room requires its own individual feed from the LNB block on the dish, because unlike in the case of Freeview or even the Sky boxes analogue output on RF1 or 2 which "can" be split and shared you cannot do this with a satellite feed.
However if your neighbours are also having problems with Sky then you will have to try and find out what's been arranged with the landlord regarding faults in the communal system.
The only thing that somewhat puzzles about your set up is, that its unusual (although not impossible!) for a landlord to fit a "proper" communal satellite distribution system into a block of only six flats, and this makes me wonder if some sort of Heath Robinson arrangement has been carried out? as with non-standard arrangements its possible for a problem that might develop with the connections in one flat to affect the others on the system, and so is your flat fitted with a proper wall plate that provides LNB1 and LNB2 outputs as well as a socket for a normal aerial that you would use for Freeview? and if it is then are you using this normal aerial connection to feed into your Sky boxes aerial socket so that the Freeview signal passes through the box, picking up the Sky RF output in the process, then both are fed via a coax to the bedroom or wherever? the TV receiving the Sky signal being set on "analogue" every time you want to view Sky then back again to DVB for Freeview, unless that is you are just using an old analogue only TV for viewing Sky.
On the subject of reception again, I would have thought that Freeview reception should have been quite good in the Shettleston area considering that side of the town is nearest to Blackhill @ 11 miles away.
Yvonne Elliot Wednesday 6 February 2013 2:05AM
jb38 no before I got sky I hadn't or Have never received no problems , that's what good as in my bedroom I just pull out the magic eye an put my communal in an go into source an change to freeveiw or I watch a DVD . I was looking at the communal box that they fitted sky has wired up were it says sat1 below it wired up also an says TV ,again sat 2 is tighted up also . An below it says radio, 4 is all wired up an tighted you will be fed up with me but can I say you have been great , although I'm still confused , do you think I should contact housing then get back to you a lot money I pay an that's just for TV entertainment package an HD , no broadband I get from O2 , I pay £32 for just sky TV so grateful for your help I would phone them but don't no what to do as I think that's to much money just for program's no broadband an phone as I all ready have it takecare hope I can give you good news next time thanks again jb38Wednesday 6 February 2013 8:03AM
Yvonne Elliot: Well although your arrangements might seem to be a bit complex I think that what's been provided is basically connected up using the method I described, however the one basic fact remains, being that if your neighbours flats use the same system as your own and they are also experiencing problems with Sky reception then the equipment used to feed the signal into the flats is faulty.
The main qualification to that said is that provided the "connection" facilities offered in the flat as far as Sky is concerned was part of the tenancy agreement when you moved in, and that neither your neighbours or yourself "privately" purchased anything "external" to the flat concerning the dish, because if the above applies then you should contact the housing people as its up to them to rectify the problem.
Yvonne Elliot Wednesday 6 February 2013 12:58PM
JB 38 A big thanks to yourself for your Time an helping me I will contact housing to find out what the problem is ,when I get a result , I will let you no again thank you . Yvonne .jb38Wednesday 6 February 2013 5:28PM
Yvonne Elliot: Yes! please do, as I will be interested in what they say. s j littleFriday 8 February 2013 12:26AM
The two lead in wires are supposed to fit into a female cap that fits over a male outlet from the rear of the box and should then be screwed tight.
But the straight wire has no grip in this fitting to hold it tight of stop it from slipping out. So the contractor who fitted Sky in for us has put a bit useless tape around the plastic coating on the wire and the female cap so stop the connection coming apart. Not a vert professional anwser.
Anyway cant see how the connecting pieces are supposed to be a proper connection without some facility to tighten on the wire. jb38Friday 8 February 2013 7:41AM
s j little: Although unsure as to whom your posting is aimed at, but if you are referring to the "F" type connectors used to couple the coax into a Sky boxes LNB inputs and have found that the coax slips out of the connector, then its simply because that the installer did not use the correct size of "F" connector to match the "outer" diameter of the coax, as these connectors can be obtained with different "internal" sizes.
The whole principle of these type of connectors is that they grip the coax as they are screwed over the outside of the coax on top of the braiding that has previously been pulled back over the outer cover of same, and the reason that nothing holds the straight centre core wire is because that the middle of Sky boxes "F" type input socket is like a spring loaded clamp that grips the wire when inserted. SlittleFriday 8 February 2013 3:18PM
Have no slot for card insertion?jb38Friday 8 February 2013 8:17PM
Slittle: If you are referring to a Sky+ HD box then the card slot is behind a drop down flap on the lower right hand side of the facia slightly under the silver line, its not easy to see as it doesnt have a pull down lip.
This said assuming that its the viewing card slot that you are referring to and not an interactive one? as only the older boxes have them. SlittleSaturday 9 February 2013 12:00AM
Still can't get back reception although the wires seem to have reasonable connection.all the stuff about taking card in and out and turning owner off and on. All to no avail?
SlittleSaturday 9 February 2013 12:00AM
Still can't get back reception although the wires seem to have reasonable connection.all the stuff about taking card in and out and turning owner off and on. All to no avail?
SlittleSaturday 9 February 2013 12:17AM
It is perfectively clear that the connection to the dish has no problem whatsoever.
It is the taped back of box connectors which were not securing the inlet wires. The contractor used tape instead of doing a proper job.
All my efforts at getting the signal back are to no avail even with powering off and on and carding in and out and all the other stuff!jb38Saturday 9 February 2013 7:51AM
Slittle: I only replied to what appeared to be a comment regarding the "F" connectors fitted by the engineer who installed your Sky box and not anything concerning your apparent failure to receive a signal, which of course you did not mention anything about.
However on the assumption that the aforementioned applies then you should carry out a proper signal check to see if anything is being indicated, but before doing so "if" you are using a Sky+ box try swapping the two LNB inputs over just in case LNB1 has developed a fault, because if it has the picture will return albeit any attempt to record will fail.
If though the signal test does not reveal any trace of a signal then either the dish has moved out of alignment or the box has developed a fault.
If using a Standard or Sky+ box.
Press: "Services" - 4 - 6 and this will take you onto the signal checking screen.
If using a Sky+ HD box. (latest menu system)
(1): Press "Services" and you will see the main menu with "Options" being highlighted.
(2): Press the right arrow once to change from Options to "Settings" and press on once highlighted.
(3): Finally, scroll to the right to select and press on "Signal", the grey bars now displayed will show you the strength / quality of the signal.
Should any signal be indicated then it has to around the 55% (or equivalent of) minimum level to resolve a picture and especially where the quality is concerned, because if the quality is observed to be under that of the signal strength then that generally indicates that the dish requires slight re-aligning.
If though nothing is being indicated, then the dish could be a bit too far out of alignment for the aforementioned to apply, or the box has developed a fault, this being irrespective of whether its new or not.
salMonday 11 February 2013 11:00AM
i have no signal on both my boxes .. sure its down to the snow .. was ok till this last lot of snow fell .. so annoying and i bet we dont get a refund for no use of box CarolineMonday 11 February 2013 2:10PM
No Signal in Northampton area. No snow on the dish either. Sky are saying it is due to snow clouds? Weather was worse a few weeks ago and it all worked perfectlyCarolineMonday 11 February 2013 3:11PM
Update..Mine is back on :)jb38Monday 11 February 2013 3:34PM
Caroline: If anyone's Sky reception has failed during a spell of wintery weather and yet no traces of snow can be seen on the dish, then the problem is invariably caused by the density of the clouds overhead, as although they may well look to be the same as before but in reality they arent! because so long as a dish has an unobstructed view of the S/SE skyline then nothing can block satellite reception except dense rain or snow clouds.
This of course is excluding dish or box related problems. SteveMonday 11 February 2013 9:43PM
My Sky No Satelite Signal started at 9.30pm Sun 10 Feb. I live in West Midlands. Had some signal this morning then lost Signal again. No snow left but heavy cloud cover. After spending 90 minutes and 4 telephone calls i finally got through to Sky. Apparently lots of people complaining. Sky say the situation will be fixed asap but they cannot say when. Sky are sending an engineer to check out my signal but it will take 6 days for him to get here. Lots of snow i guess. SteveMonday 11 February 2013 9:54PM
Leamington Spa My aerial is on the roof nest fixed to the chimney stackjb38Monday 11 February 2013 11:00PM
Steve: Carry out a proper signal check using the undermentioned procedure, because if the signal is coming and going then although your problem is most likely being caused by the weather this effect will also be made worse if your dish is somewhat less than perfectly aligned.
If using a Standard or Sky+ box:
(1) Press: "Services" - 4 - 6 and this will take you onto the signal checking screen.
If using a Sky+ HD box. (latest menu system)
(1): Press "Services" and you will see the main menu with "Options" being highlighted.
(2): Press the right arrow once to change from Options to "Settings" and press on once highlighted.
(3): Finally, scroll to the right to select and press on "Signal", the grey bars now displayed will show you the strength / quality of the signal.
Any signal level indicated has to around the 55% (or equivalent of) minimum level to resolve a picture and especially where the quality is concerned, because if the quality is observed to be under that of the signal strength then that generally indicates that the dish requires slight re-aligning, this usually (although not always!) being rectified by it being moved the very merest fraction either way in its horizontal (right to left) plane.
rachel urrryFriday 15 February 2013 9:48PM
What a shower of @@@@ i had sky for a day and i tried to record some thing then change channel and it says No Signal im so feed up ring me asap as im canceling my direct debt
jb38Friday 15 February 2013 11:26PM
rachel urrry: Apart from the fact that this website has no connection whatsoever with Sky television, however what you are complaining of suggests that one of the two inputs from the dish is defective, and so if you have just had this system installed then you should report this problem directly to Sky.GarySunday 17 February 2013 7:22PM
Live in a Block of flats in Netley Abbey, Southampton, SO31 5HY
No Signaljb38Sunday 17 February 2013 8:10PM
Gary: If you are referring to Freeview reception and you are using a communal aerial then its best to check with a neighbour to determine if others are having the same problem as yourself, if not then make sure that the jumper lead you are using is not defective, as when dealing with communal installations if your TV or box is known to be OK then the problem is in effect out with your control as far as the aerial is concerned.Paul KellySaturday 2 March 2013 10:43AM
No signal on my skybox=any reason for that from your point of view?
jb38Saturday 2 March 2013 11:14AM
Paul Kelly: This isnt really enough information to determine anything as there can be a multitude of different reasons for this, the info required being the type of Sky box are you using, e.g: a standard box / Sky + / or maybe a Sky+ HD box, and have you tried carrying out any checks such as mentioned in my posting of 11th Feb @ 11.00PM in reply to Steve, this being seen if you scroll up the screen above your own posting. HILARYTuesday 5 March 2013 6:19PM
My Sky is saying no signal?
Could it be that it is thick fog outside and interfering with the dish?jamieSunday 10 March 2013 9:43PM
Lost signal all of a sudden yesterday, hasnt come back on since. ive tried all the resetting options ive checked the connections all seems fine, checked the dish and from what i can see it seems fine. im getting 0 signal strength and NULL in the check boxes next to lock indicator and network ID, cant get any channels whatsoever not even bbd 1, so frustrating!!
Anyone got any suggestions????ANN SHORTALL.Tuesday 12 March 2013 8:29PM
Lost signal to day date 12th march. tryed all still not working cant get to speak to anyone very disapointed living in Dublin. Ireland. Ann.ANN SHORTALL.Tuesday 12 March 2013 8:31PM
No signal cannot get it to work.
tried everything.
very disapointed.
Ann.ANN SHORTALL.Tuesday 12 March 2013 8:33PM
No signal cannot get it to work. very disapointed. tried everything. Annjb38Wednesday 13 March 2013 12:07AM
ANN SHORTALL.: It would be of assistance to anyone that may offer advice if they knew exactly what you had lost the signal on? Mark AgiusWednesday 13 March 2013 8:52PM
Haywards Heath jamie and ANN SHORTALL snow on your dish will stop it from working.
If the signal dose not return when the snow has melted then the dish may have moved or water has got in the dish LNB socket.
What signal level do you have?
Press SERVICES then 4 then 6 for signal test.C coatesSaturday 16 March 2013 8:52PM
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