Satellite signal meter pain

MonsterCookie

Bought a combo box (4ife), Antenna and satellite dish this summer for the mobile home.

Managed to get saorview up and running very easily but not so straight forward getting freesat sorted.

I bought a fairly cheap signal meter from Argos (SLX) which is supposed to draw power from the lnb input on the combo box - but it doesn’t. The power light turns on only with a battery inserted but the instructions state very clearly that a battery isn’t required for satellite mode.

Anyone got any experience of this?

JMcL

MonsterCookie wrote: »

Bought a combo box (4ife), Antenna and satellite dish this summer for the mobile home.

Managed to get saorview up and running very easily but not so straight forward getting freesat sorted.

I bought a fairly cheap signal meter from Argos (SLX) which is supposed to draw power from the lnb input on the combo box - but it doesn’t. The power light turns on only with a battery inserted but the instructions state very clearly that a battery isn’t required for satellite mode.

Anyone got any experience of this?

Really silly question - the box is powered up I assume?

Silly question out of the way, I did have similar issues with that type of meter when I was putting up a dish which were I think were due to a short in the f-connector termination - reterminating the cables sorted it out. Check the connectors on both ends of the cable coming from the box, but also on the cable going out the other side of the meter to the LNB.

MonsterCookie

JMcL wrote: »

MonsterCookie wrote: »

Bought a combo box (4ife), Antenna and satellite dish this summer for the mobile home.

Managed to get saorview up and running very easily but not so straight forward getting freesat sorted.

I bought a fairly cheap signal meter from Argos (SLX) which is supposed to draw power from the lnb input on the combo box - but it doesn’t. The power light turns on only with a battery inserted but the instructions state very clearly that a battery isn’t required for satellite mode.

Anyone got any experience of this?

Really silly question - the box is powered up I assume?

Silly question out of the way, I did have similar issues with that type of meter when I was putting up a dish which were I think were due to a short in the f-connector termination - reterminating the cables sorted it out. Check the connectors on both ends of the cable coming from the box, but also on the cable going out the other side of the meter to the LNB.

Thanks for the response. It does feel like a cabling issue. I’ve tried a few cables but in all cases I’ve fitted the connectors to each end.

Yes; the Box is on. I assume I don’t need to be scanning for a satellite signal in order to provide power out to the meter? (I’ve replaced the combo box thinking it was a faulty lnb input not providing the required power but the 2nd box makes no difference.

JMcL

MonsterCookie wrote: »

Yes; the Box is on. I assume I don’t need to be scanning for a satellite signal in order to provide power out to the meter?

No, the signal should just come from the LNB to the meter (so long as the meter has power of course) One caveat though - to be on the safe side make sure the box is powered down while you connect the meter, then turn it on. If is powered up, you run the risk of a short (plus there's enough power to give a nice little tingle) and could risk damage to box, LNB or both

MonsterCookie

So I tried connecting the meter directly to the lnb port at the back of the combo box and rebooted the device with the meters turned off and then again with the meter turned on. Still no sign of power to the signal meter.

Does the power transmit via the central copper cable itself (as the signal does) or does it transmit via the finer copper strands in the outer layers of the cable?

Johnboy1951

MonsterCookie wrote: »

So I tried connecting the meter directly to the lnb port at the back of the combo box and rebooted the device with the meters turned off and then again with the meter turned on. Still no sign of power to the signal meter.

Does the power transmit via the central copper cable itself (as the signal does) or does it transmit via the finer copper strands in the outer layers of the cable?

Both .... you need two 'wires' to apply power to any device, to provide a return path for the current.