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Satellite help please

Satellite help please

Old Sep 27th 2010, 7:03 pm
  #1  
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Default Satellite help please

Hi,

I'm new to this forum.

I've recently moved to Spain (costa del sol), I've got sky installed along with my own dish, I don't know the exact size but its bloomin massive!!l

I've never had any problems before getting signal, however today I couldn't get anything, I did some searching and did the below:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=623674

I can now get some channels but not all of them, no bbc, itv, c4, no sky sports news etc.

i've never had any problems in the past but can't get these all of a sudden.

any ideas??

Thanks,
Danny
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Old Sep 27th 2010, 8:25 pm
  #2  
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Default Re: Satellite help please

Hi and welcome,
The BBCs ITVs and C4s are very sensitive to dish dise, dish alignment, and LNB alignment - even a few mm movement in the dish means the dish will be misaligned.

Sometimes a box reboot helps cure all known germs, erm problems.

But it sounds like you are missing all the weak channels -

First, (assuming you have a prime focus dish with an open LNB) check the LNB for signs of spiders and wasps - if they are in there they will be blocking the signal - remove them by using something nonmetallic, and flexiable, but be careful not to damage the pin inside the LNB - or use a compressed air spray.

IF you have a sky card - sounds like you have otherwise you would not be able to get SSNews (if you could!), then add ITV1 to your other channels list using services 4 4 11973 v, and add C4 by 12480 v - which are much stronger signals than alot of the other ITV1 and UK C4 regions.

Check cables - any connections that are not waterproofed can damage the cable and stop signals getting through - repaired one today, a connection with "normal" tape and not rubber tape to protect the connection - cowboys yeha!

Failing that, get a recommened installer out - dont pick the first name in the paper you see - contact a few neighbours and see who they use....

Normally, it helps people if you can provide some details about your set up - dish size (massive may be a 1m to you, but we have 2.4m, 3.1m, and 4m in some areas!), Sky bxo being used, if you have a sky card, and your location - some areas of CDS require different dish sizes to others.....

Hope this helps
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Old Sep 27th 2010, 8:45 pm
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Smile Re: Satellite help please

Originally Posted by The Guy
Hi and welcome,
The BBCs ITVs and C4s are very sensitive to dish dise, dish alignment, and LNB alignment - even a few mm movement in the dish means the dish will be misaligned.

Sometimes a box reboot helps cure all known germs, erm problems.

But it sounds like you are missing all the weak channels -

First, (assuming you have a prime focus dish with an open LNB) check the LNB for signs of spiders and wasps - if they are in there they will be blocking the signal - remove them by using something nonmetallic, and flexiable, but be careful not to damage the pin inside the LNB - or use a compressed air spray.

IF you have a sky card - sounds like you have otherwise you would not be able to get SSNews (if you could!), then add ITV1 to your other channels list using services 4 4 11973 v, and add C4 by 12480 v - which are much stronger signals than alot of the other ITV1 and UK C4 regions.

Check cables - any connections that are not waterproofed can damage the cable and stop signals getting through - repaired one today, a connection with "normal" tape and not rubber tape to protect the connection - cowboys yeha!

Failing that, get a recommened installer out - dont pick the first name in the paper you see - contact a few neighbours and see who they use....

Normally, it helps people if you can provide some details about your set up - dish size (massive may be a 1m to you, but we have 2.4m, 3.1m, and 4m in some areas!), Sky bxo being used, if you have a sky card, and your location - some areas of CDS require different dish sizes to others.....

Hope this helps
Hi the Guy can you tell me please why SSN which had been my test for whether or not it would b worth paying for the Spots package is very difficult to tune? Yesterday Sky gave all the sports channels for free and up popped SS 1 2 and 3 with no probs and yet no SSN SS 4 was not in the offer.

I buy the Knowledge pack and added SSN as a tester for £1/mth and thought that since it was intermittent it would not be worth adding the sports pack but I may have to review that in the light of your response!
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Old Sep 27th 2010, 9:03 pm
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Default Re: Satellite help please

UK TV comes from 4 satellites, each has different signal footprints and therefore different reception characteristics.

Astra 2a and Astra 2b have north and south beams - the north beams are tricky even on 2.4m dish in some areas, the south beams are easy to get on an 60cm dish!
Astra 2d is the one where the FTA BBC and ITV and C4 channels site - it has one beam, which is narrow / spot beam on the UK, and this is why BIG dishes are required in most areas.
Eurobird 1 has two beams, which tend to be OK over most of spain on an 80cm dish.

SS4 and SSN are on a different satellite beam to SS1,SS2,SS3.

SS4 and SSN (and Eurosport2, and some of the Sky Movie channels, Hallmark 130 and 11778 the Sky 7 day EPG), are on the north beams frequencies of the Astra 2a and Astra 2b satellites. These frequencies are weakest in Spain at around 5pm, so you may lose them around that time.

SS1,2,3 are on a more pan european and easier to receive beam, and should be easily available even on an 60cm dish!
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Old Sep 27th 2010, 9:08 pm
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Smile Re: Satellite help please

Originally Posted by The Guy
UK TV comes from 4 satellites, each has different signal footprints and therefore different reception characteristics.

Astra 2a and Astra 2b have north and south beams - the north beams are tricky even on 2.4m dish in some areas, the south beams are easy to get on an 60cm dish!
Astra 2d is the one where the FTA BBC and ITV and C4 channels site - it has one beam, which is narrow / spot beam on the UK, and this is why BIG dishes are required in most areas.
Eurobird 1 has two beams, which tend to be OK over most of spain on an 80cm dish.

SS4 and SSN are on a different satellite beam to SS1,SS2,SS3.

SS4 and SSN (and Eurosport2, and some of the Sky Movie channels, Hallmark 130 and 11778 the Sky 7 day EPG), are on the north beams frequencies of the Astra 2a and Astra 2b satellites. These frequencies are weakest in Spain at around 5pm, so you may lose them around that time.

SS1,2,3 are on a more pan european and easier to receive beam, and should be easily available even on an 60cm dish!
Thanks for that any tips for improving/holding SSN?
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Old Sep 27th 2010, 9:13 pm
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Default Re: Satellite help please

The north beams are very very LNB skew sensitive - a few very small turns of the LNB may help.
Some sky boxes (Pace2600, Pace3100, most HDs) like them better than other boxes.
Bigger dish (although weirdly, in some cases, I have found 2.4m dishes do not like them as much as a 1.8m dish - perhaps they are too big and getting similar stronger signals from neighbouring satellites?)
A signal attenuator on the cable near the receiver - but this can have an affect on other channels dropping out earlier

EDIT here is one that has a knob that allows you to fine tune it -

costs about 5-10euros..and connects with a small bit of cable before the receiver. Most good (and some not so good) installers should always have them in their van - so stop and buy one when you see one driving by - if they dont have one in their van at all times then they are not good installers! Like not having an LNB in the van when they go to see clients!!!). They help, but may not be able to keep it in all the time.

Go HD - SSNHD is on a south beam
Move - north towards Valencia

Last edited by The Guy; Sep 27th 2010 at 9:27 pm.
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