JnK

Does anybody else have this problem with their Sky+ box (free channels only). At least once or twice a week we get this message and eventually it comes back. Very frustrating and am wondering if it's our box (only 2yrs old) or commonplace here. I have to say, we're up a mountainside in the campo.

The Guy

Maybe your dish needs realigning or LNB checking or cable and connections checking.

JnK

Thanks satandpcguy ... I just went on your website and fixed the problem by "NO SATELLITE SIGNAL BEING RECEIVED / HOW TO CHANGE THE DEFAULT TRANSPONDER FREQUENCY SETTINGS FOR SPAIN" ... I can't thank you enough as this happens so often here it's really annoying. May all your dreams come true in the New Year

The Guy

It should not be happening that often, infact only at certain times of the day if there has been a powercut or your box has updated its software (about 3 times a year).

Maybe try swicthing the box to a strong signal channels (like Sky News) and then put it into Standy over night, as it maybe loosing the weaker signals of the channel you were last using.


Somehow I don't think Keira Knightly will be that pleased if my dreams came true, but thanks anyway!

JnK

.... I'll have a word I promise

JnK

Sorry, this got lost in your quote!!

Thanks again ... I'll definitely do that in future. Also, if I buy a Sky Freesat card which is £20 (I think), can I buy one from Sky whilst living in Spain? And if so, does that give me any more (semi-decent) channels than I have without a card? Sorry to pick your brains but ...

The Guy

A FSFS card will unlock - Five, Fiver Five USA, Sky, and the "alternate" ITV1s on 12408 and alternate / irish versions of C4 on 12480. (thes ITV1 and C4s can even be picked up on a small 80cm dish in may area, whereas for the nonsky card versions you need a big dish!)

If you have a Sky+ box then YOU MUSTpay Sky something per moneht to actiavte the record and playback features of the Sky+ box, assumin gyou want to use the FSFS card inthe Sky+ box and not another!

Best to get a freind or family member in the UK to order one on your behalf, at their address, post it to you, you pop it into your digibox, give your F&F the details (service, 4, 5) to call sky and get the card activated. It will cost you only £20 and a beer for your F&F and not the 100euros plus that you could be charged for them (preactiavted) in Spain.

JnK

Sorry but I'm now really confused not difficult for me really. We brought our Sky+ box with us from the UK and have only the old card with us and at the minute we get all the 5 channels, BBCs and ITVs. We do also record and playback although we can only do one channel at a time and can't watch one and record another. So what extra would a FSFS card give us?

The Guy

The same channels as you are getting at the moment!
A FSFS / Freesatfromsky / Sky Freesat card are the same thing....

but all the blue / yellow house cards are being replaced for new white ones....so you wil llose access to those channels htat the card allows you to watch - like Five, Fiver, Five USA, Sky 3, 6 ITV1 regions and Irish c4.

You will not lose access to BBC or ITV as you do not need a card for these - you have not needed a card for BBC channesl for the last 6 years.

So if you want to continue to watch Five Fiver etc, you will need a new FSFS / Freesatfromsky / Sky Freesat card, £20 in the Uk.

BUT:

Normally, you must pay Sky atleast £10 per month (either £10 per month or a TV pack from £17 per month) for the ability to use the playback and record functions.

However, some old blue yellow cards that were Sky+ cards and then had their subscription cancelled have been able to record and playback, for whatever reason. This is not normal, and it looks like you have been one of these lucky few....if you order a new FSFS / Freesatfromsky / Sky Freesat card for £20 in the UK, it will not be Sky+ activated and you will not be able to record or palyback on your sky+ box, as you will not be paying sky anything per month for the right to uses their record and playback software.

To watch one channel and record another at the same time, you need two cables from a (minimum) TWIN output LNB to the two inputs on the Sky+ box.

JnK

Thanks The Guy, very helpful and Keira says don't give up the dream

fionamw

It's me again! I'm wondering if I have two problems this time and/or sheer bad luck with a windy location for my dish..... no sat signal being received & I've been trying to re-set up my system by changing to 12129 but the 0 button's a bit dodgy on my remote so I don't seem to be able to access the right part. I can go into add channels, where I can change to 12129 but I reckon that's not enough? (will try to get oh to get a replacement remote in the UK)
Over about 18 hours we've gone from constant 29 message ref no signal to getting the bottom box with time & date on it but top box saying searching for listings & it always but always goes back to no satellite signal being received.
Does this mean the dish has moved? Yesterday we had a couple of power cuts but had been watching earlier in the day & ITV had totally disappeared & even BBC seemed to be pixellating.
If it's the box, I have got an older spare (not Sky) box - would that need mega understanding to install or simply plug & use?
ps I did try the Guy's website but couldn't get on the forum! Not my morning!

missile

Maybe that happens if you had the box switched off while they sent the cancellation signal. I believe they do this several times overnight?

JnK

Seems exactly like our signal ... if there's rain like there has been all channels except Sky news and BBC news are hopeless. We just have to watch DVDs until it stops raining Otherwise the 12129 approach works great when we lose signal altogether after power failure or power interruption of some sort. It seems that all programmes are repeated about 40 times anyway it doesn't bother us too much

The Guy

The best way to change the default transpoinder to help the sky box bnooot up is the 401 select method.

the other method (4,4) does not always work - as it tents to only load up a fe w of the channels.

If you have the date and time on the screen then the box is getting some signal - so the dish is not totally out of alignment.

so unplug the box form the power for a minute or so, and try the process again.

if it does not work then consider getting someone in to realign the dish - lots of dishes have been moved due tot he recent winds

My forum is up and running and there have been no srives issues today (according to the reports I just got)!

Even when the Sky box is in Standby mode it is receiving the signals form the satellite.

It is just an "bonus" for ex sub blue yellow house cards....until they deactivate early 2010

fionamw

Again, many thanks; having tried numerous times with sometimes several minutes downtime between them, I was gobsmacked when we returned home this afternoon to find it worked first time. No delay, nothing. Just fine. Why does it sometimes take such a long time to come back? Thoroughly confused me this time, after the best part of 24 hours I thought we were going to have to shin up to adjust the perishing thing!