cerrillo

Hi The guy hope you can help me on this one. We had a power cut in the village some time last week - am in Villanueva Del Rosario which is Malaga province. [dont know if power cut affected this or not] My system which is the pace that used to cut out is working fine, my sister has a little house in the village and checking on her house afterwards I could not get any channels except sky news. I checked again today it had a good signal and even the background music but still can only get sky news - every other channel including BBc1 etc just says no satellite signal. I did the system healthcheck and went through the manual check and under tuner 1 strength, tuner 1 quality and TSID all that comes up are Zeros - I did this healthcheck on my system as a comparison and I got various numbers etc.

The sky box in my sisters is a Grundig its about 6 or so years old now.
I do hope you can help and that its nothing serious - I will keep my fingers crossed as she is due out on holiday in about 2 weeks and she bought this system off me when I moved - I have a feeling a new box may be needed. I dont post much but I read all your threads as I think a lot of us would be up sh-- creek without all your help -

snikpoh

Have you gone into the installers (secret ) menu and done a 'system reset'?

If not, select services, press 401 <select> and at the first option, change the frequency to 12129 or 11778 (ish) then save option and exit. This should start a new channel search and all should be OK. If not, do it again with the other frequency.

The Guy

Sounds like the Grundig as given up. They have a problem with their capacitors failing - the first indication is no BBC News on 503.

Seems strange you are getting hte background music, but nothing on the signal test screen - as if you are getting the music you are getting 11778 - and so you should be getting tat signal details on the strength screen.

Try this process when you know you can get the music playing:
First thing is make sure services, 401 select 2 is set to 11778 and save it.
Unplug the box from the power.
Repllay the power after say 5 minutes.
If the box is receiving the 11778 signal then the channels names and numbers should kick in.
And therefore the channels should kick in.

Second - you could try and test your box on their ystem to make sure the LNB has not gone...and try their box on your system...that will eliminate the possibility of eirth their systme or their box...gut feeling is the box...


the first option in the menus is the LNB settings - which have no need to be changed - they should always be standard, 9.75 10.60 on on.

The New Installation does nothing different to a "power off and power on" apart from activate a card if the box is connected to a UK phone line.

If you know you can get the background music at that time of day, then you are getting the main 11778 frequency, and so you do not have to change that frequency to any others to boot the box up.

cerrillo

Many thanks Snikpoh, yes I have tried the new installation set up bit , here the other signal is 12050 or theusuall 11778 - but doesnt make any difference.

Thanks every so much the Guy, havent been around to my sisters house yet today to try it, but when you switch on and go into all channels everything shows up as normal and looks perfect, but press 101 to watch bbc 1 or any other channel it just comes up no satellite even though whilst looking at the channel list you have the background music playing - also tried unplugging from power but still only get 501 sky news. I will try the box on my system and see what happens - will let you know.

I do appreciate your help

The Guy

Remember that changing the defaalt transponder is only done to help the sky boxes boot up.
once you have the channel list and can view channels the DT is ignored.
, the box overrides the default transponder frequency, for one of the 92 frequencies it needs to use for the channel you have selected.
I say either box or LNB has gone...
but first try your box on their and vice versa

cerrillo

Hi the guy, the readings 9.75 10.60 for the LNB were ok but it appears to be the box. As its no subscription tv just wondered whether you would recommend going for another Sky box or a change to a freesat box. I am not very clued up on these things but a lot of people seem to be changing to freesat - I am used to using sky but wondered how easy freesat was to use and I assume it works with a sky dish. your thoughts would be appreciated.

The Guy

Personally I would go for a sky box and a freesatfromsky card
This is a one off payment card, and currently unlocks 8 strong ITV1s, Irish C4s, Five, Fiver , Five USA, Viva TV, Sky 3, Liverpool FCTV.

THe free to air / freesat versions of C4, Five are weak and reception is similar to BBC2.
BUt, as above, the SKy card versions of C4 and Five as strong and can be receive across most of Spain on an 80cm-1m dish.

Freesat HD boxes get BBCHD, BBC1HD from October (they say), and ITV1HD
Sky HD and a freesatfromsky card will get BBCHD, BBC1HD from October (they say), ITV1HD, C4HD and Five HD. - the latter three can also be received on a small dish.

A Freesat+ has the advantage of being able to use the hard drive recording with no subscription, but on Sky+ and SkyHD the recording functions are part of the subscription.

Both systems have their ads and disads - personally I would go for Sky box and sky card - you get more channels with no monthly payment and they are available on a smaller dish. Freesat may be an option if you are in the northeast of Spain, where the UK TV signals are stronger that the rest of spain so you can receive all the uk channels on a smaller dish - but I dont rate freesat along the costas due to its limited channel availability...(Freesat in Costa Blanca - limited C4, limited Five)

Fred James

Not true if you live on the south coast - the signals on Freesat are very strong with a 1.3m dish.

I know you work mainly on the Costa Blanca but don't ignore those of us in the South who are lucky enough to get good coverage (for reasons not yet understood).

The Guy

Whoops. Keep forgetting you southern softies and your ickle dishes!

Reports suggest that it is due to the satellite being damaged during manufacturing. It is not normal - more and error that it is strangely stong in t'south.
Thats what is causing the strange side lobe for the south of spain in getting the astra 2d signals.
Nothing to do with Gibraltar needs UK TV!
So yes indeed you are very very lucky someone knobbled a satellite for you!

So yes in the southern areas of spain, due o this damage, the frequencies that carry the main freesat channels are stronger then areas to the north of you, like the CB and towards Madrid. Then towards the north east and barcelon / peniscola they get strong again.


What are the Astra 2a and 2b north beams like down there - ie channels like Eurosport 2, Sky Sports 4, SSNews - on the 1.25m dishes. the reception maps and reports suggest they should not be available.

(Is there actually a a 1.3m dish - i know there are 1.25m offset dishes but not heard of a 1.3m dish - dishes are normally (well in just about every other country - some spanish installers take the biggest measurement to make it seem like more dish for the money ! - hence the 1.9m dishes are actually 1.79m - even on the manufacturers spec sheets and invoice!) measured horizontally, and not taking into account the rim - ie just the dish face - the extra 10cms on the rim make the 1.79 (1.8m) dish the 1.9m dish!

Fred James

Our dish is 1.4m vertical and 1.2 horizontal - I guess that makes it 1.3m on average!

We now only have Freesat so I don't get any North beam channels. We have a lot of friends with full Sky setups and I have never heard anyone complain about reception on any of their normally viewed channels. We never had any problems when we did have Sky.

Are there any channels in non-Freesat mode that are on the North beams so I can check them?

The Guy

Sounds like the 1.25m off set dish.

Frequency 11778 - the main sky transponder that carries all the 7 day programme guide - is a FTA north beam frequency.
You should be able to get EPG background music - which is free and available on all FTA receiver...

Fred James

I never had a problem with that when I was using a Sky (Panasonic) receiver.

I very rarely had to change the default in bad weather but it always reverted to the default soon after.

I can understand that the 2D bird was faulty and that's why we are getting good reception but the North beams don't seem to be a problem either for those that have Sky.

I just hope that when they put up the 2D replacement in a couple of years that someone gives it a good bash with a hammer before it goes up otherwise we will all be having to use iPlayer on proxy servers!

The Guy

Very strange - even on big ,.4m dish around alicante and benidorm the norht ebamsdrop out - so its weird that even farther south they can be received all day on smaller dishes...perhaps all 3 astra birds are damaged in the same way by one peed off punter in the south of spain!!!!

cerrillo

Thanks for all your help, I emailed my sister and she thought she would go for Freesat but on reading Fred's post is there a likelihood that we wont be able to receive it in a couple of years when the 2D thingy is replaced - unless it gets a bashing first. She only wants basic tele - the tv is not HD or anything. If she goes for the freesat any recommendations as to what make of box. I have been looking on the internet and some get rubbish reviews. My dish is 1.3 and my freesat with sky [old blue card still stuck in it] and it is fine. The dish at my sisters is slightly smaller and is 1.1 and seemed to work fine till the box went. Mindue with the weather today I unplugged everything as the last time we had a lot of lightening it blew my new computer up. sun is out now though

The Guy

If you are going for Freesat then Freesat Humax HD or Freesat Humax HD+ are the ones to go for.
HD+ has hard drive recording functionality - idelaly your need two cables from dish to receiver.

Note your old blue and yellow house sky card is not unlocking ANY channels as they were all deactivated back in March 2010 - so your Sky receiver will be getting all the channels a basic SD Freesat receiver will be getting. I thnk all the card does is allocate a BBC1 and ITV1 region to 101 and 103...