Sky Digital Woes

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mickyp

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Topic # 12863 10-Apr-2007 18:35

Hi all,

I moved house over the long weekend, and I was (initially) happy to find that it had not only a sky digital dish, but also that the house was wired for mulitroom (3x decoders). So good news thus far, but unfortunately when I plugged my decoders in, they displayed the rain fade signal.

So, after a wee bit of googling I figured that the Satellite/LNB settings may need to be changed to suit the new dish.

So, after messing around for awhile, I got picture on two of my decoders.

The settings:

Satellite: Optus B1-T5L
LNB Power Supply: On
22kHz Tone Use: None
Local Oscillator Freq: 11300 MHz Ku-Band

These settings were given to me/confirmed by Sky over the phone.

So, coming to my problem: One decoder works fine. The other however is an absolute nightmare. Channel 3 displays history channel, with fluctuating pixilation; 5 gives Sky Sport 1 also with pixilation at times; and quite a few of the (included i.e. UKTV and discovery) channels give the CA:4 message - subscribe to this channel.

Sky was really helpful over the phone, but we just couldn't figure it out. She said that in her 8 years experience she had never heard of something like this.

Maybe I managed to change something I shouldn't have at some point, but we couldn't nail it down.

They are sending a technician out (but earliest two weeks away) and its going to cost me $79.95. The phone operator was very nice and told me to negotiatewith the tech if they only change settings on the one box and don't have to do any outdoor work.

I was hoping that maybe someone had any thoughts on the matter, maybe help save me up to $80 and two weeks wait.

Cheers,

Michael

cyril7

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Reply # 66739 10-Apr-2007 19:43

You say the house was wired for three outlets, but from you post I suspect you have only 1 or 2 STBs connected. Whats on the other points. From what you describe you could have bad reflection within the cabling of the house due to untermintated cables about. This can cause frequency dependant problems, so that some transponders will work, other wont.

If you can locate the splitter (most likely in the roof space or under an eve) attempt to disconnect (at the splitter) any unused lines, even though there will be no termination on those unused outputs of the splitter due to no length of cable connected to those outlets it will reduce reflections from those lines.

If you only have two STB's in service and the splitter is a 3way one it may pay to get a 2way splitter and only feed the two lines with STBs on them.

This splitter will do.

Report back on the exact wiring and we can advise further.

Cyril

mickyp

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 66740 10-Apr-2007 20:02

Hi Cyril

Thanks for the reply. The splitter is easily accessible, and it is three-way. As you correctly suspected, there is nothing attached to the third wire - we have only the two STBs. I have now unplugged that unused line, but the problem still appears to be present.

Michael

cyril7

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Reply # 66741 10-Apr-2007 20:18

On the box that works ok, what signal strength and Quality fiqures do you get? check when tuned to the each of the following channels which are on different transponders.

SBO71
Fox News
Cartoon Network
Living Ch
Nat Geo
Sky1
TV3
Trackside(TAB)
MTV
SBO61

Thats 10 readings. each reading will be Sig Strength and Quality

Cyril

mickyp

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 66746 10-Apr-2007 20:56

Hi Cyril,

Sorry, but which channels are SB071 and SBO61?

Some of the readings for Signal Strength fluctuate dramatically (usually down to about 20)-

Fox        S:20-60   Q:40
Cartoon S:20-60   Q:70
Living     S:60        Q:80
Nat Geo S:20-60   Q:80-100
Sky 1     S:20-60   Q:60-70
TV3        S:60        Q:100
Trackside S:60       Q:80-100
MTV       S:20-60    Q:70

Hopefully this makes sense. Basically the ones that range down to 20 seem to stay at the high level most of the time, then briefly dip down to around 20 or so. I guess this means somethings wrong?

Thanks again,

Michael

cyril7

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Reply # 66749 10-Apr-2007 21:14

They actually look not too bad, the important ones are Cartoon and Living as these currently have cross pol test transmissions that would pick up a out of skew LNB. The lower transponder (Fox) is expected low as it has lower power being a NZ/AUs split beam favouring Aus.

I would now do the same meausr ments for the other box, then swap the box locations and reduo the measurements in both locations to see if the problem follows the box or is a cable fault.

Currently what I have seen I dont see an issue with the dish/LNB, so we could be looking at a problem with a box, a cable between the splitter and the box or a faulty splitter.

Oh SBO612 means Sky Box Office 61, ie PPV channels.

Cyril

mickyp

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 66750 10-Apr-2007 21:26

The readings on the messed up box, in its original location:

Fox        S:40        Q:40
Cartoon S:50       Q:80
Living     S:50        Q:70
Nat Geo S:60       Q:65 (No Picture)
Sky 1     S:50        Q:20-50 (Picture is actually Sky Sport 1)
TV3        S:60        Q:60 (Picture is History Channel)
Trackside S:40       Q:80-100
MTV       S:40        Q:70

Sorry - my box office channels start at 200+

Will let you know results when I swap boxes over. Thanks heaps for your input.

Michael

mickyp

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 66756 10-Apr-2007 21:53

The readings from the messed up box in the good location:

Fox        S:50        Q:40
Cartoon S:60       Q:70
Living     S:60        Q:80
Nat Geo S:60       Q:60 (No Picture)
Sky 1     S:60        Q:70 (No Picture - Rain fade message)
TV3        S:60        Q:70 (Picture is History Channel)
Trackside S:50       Q:90
MTV       S:50        Q:80

Sorry, can't pull the family away from Boston Legal - and since one box does do TV3, can't try the good box in the messed up location.

Michael

richms

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Reply # 66758 10-Apr-2007 21:59

Weird that you are getting wrong channels on one box, I recon the box is stuffed since there isnt really anyway that the signal could cause that to happen.

If they change your LNB then do not let them charge you since they do that anyway to peoples installations.

Richard rich.ms

cyril7

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Reply # 66772 11-Apr-2007 07:15

Sounds like there is either a fault with the 2nd box, or when you set the LNB parameters on the 2nd box you got somit wrong. When it asks for the 22kHz switching use, select none, then if it asks for a LO Low and Hi band setting (rather than just one LO setting) set the Lowband LO to 11300, and the Hiband LO to 11800. If it justs asks for the one freq then 11300 is it. Beyond that I cannot say what is wrong.

Also if you are only going to use two feeds then I recommend that you replace the 3way splitter (10dB loss) with a 2way one (5dB). But if the Sky tech makes a visit he will most likely do that anyway.

Cyril

mickyp

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 68558 26-Apr-2007 13:48

The sky tech came today. The first thing he did was 'upgrade' the satellite. It wasn't clear what was wrong, maybe it was damaged. But he put a new unit on the arm. This one is big, and looks like two of the old units strapped together. So I presume this is a dual LNB?

One question: do you need a dual LNB to have multiroom? I thought you did:

"A Dual LNB will enable you to connect two televisions to your satellite dish and tune into different channels on each television."

But my old one was small & round, i.e not dual LNB (Remember the house was already supposedly wired for multi room - the sky phone op said they had upto 3 decoders in there once.) Hmmm...

Maybe it was just that the old satellite unit was damaged.. But then why did the problem 'follow' the STB? I don't know... Oh well.

The long and the short of it is that Sky works everywhere now, and I got him to upgrade the non home theatre set top box to a new component one, just in case we get a better monitor for it at some stage.

Michael

cyril7

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Reply # 68562 26-Apr-2007 16:14

Glad to see your Astronaut arrived to upgade the satellite, most installers just update the LNB :).

The Dual throat LNB that you now have does not have dual outputs, only dual orbit location capability. These are essentially two LNBs strapped together, but the one to the side infact looks at Optus C1 at 156E. There is still only one output from the LNB. When the STB sends a 22kHz tone as well as DC up the cable it causes this new LNB to operate the side throat that gives you access to Optus C1. This feature has been provided to give Sky some security in the even that the satellite at 160E (OptusD1) should fail. As D1 is all shiney and new it hopefully is fine, however B1 that D1 replaced had several senior moments as some of you will remember.

Cyril

mickyp

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 68582 26-Apr-2007 19:10

Haha, sorry satellite dish..

That's interesting, why do you think that it sorted out my issues? Or is that too hard to say>

Anyway, thanks for all of your help!

Michael

mickyp

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 68583 26-Apr-2007 19:11

PS, was it legit that he charged $80?

richms

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Reply # 68588 26-Apr-2007 19:49

Were you told upfront that it was going to cost you? I would be calling to complain because it was a fault, so should be fixed for free.

Richard rich.ms

Americancars

223 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 68869 29-Apr-2007 21:55

Yea, if it was one of there faults then you should not pay.

BUT, and this is a big but, if you had him change the decoder, then they probably will try to charge you. We had a decoder changed and they charged us.

Can't beat the burble of that American V8. Ohh yea!