Sky Q question - SCR vs Wideband

Hi all

I've Sky Q installed in my house, it mostly works but as there was an issue with dead coaxial cables installed behind the walls, we had to go with an SCR option into the Sky Q box. This was handy as it used internal coaxial cables and less messing etc.

My question now is occasionally there's a signal issue where it totally disappears for a few hours at a time randomly but usually during the day, sky "engineer" said it could be because it's an SCR cable and not wideband as that was a beta or something.

Anyway, I suppose my question is if I needed someone to replace the coaxial cables behind the wall or probably it would be easier to install new cables neatly from upstairs down to living room downstairs...do you know who can do this or what the best solution would be? Losing patience with the signal dropping. Signal strength is always at 80 and signal quality would always be 90 when it's working.

The Cush

How old is the cabling in the wall? It's possible it may not be satellite grade and possibly susceptible to local interference.

Are the existing cables buried behind plastered walls or in a partition wall? Never easy to run new cabling in such cases.

Without knowing your setup would it be possible to run the new cable using conduit or run new cabling from the dish?

Regarding the dSCR feed, how is this setup? dSCR multiswitch or direct to the dish?

Cabling in wall is less than five years old, I think part of the cable got damaged during attic conversion so only have one coaxial cable working into my living room, not two as I used to hence the scr cable sky gave me.

As far as I know it's direct from satellite into attic, then loops down to coaxial cable area in utility room behind the walls and then into living room.

I also did a sky Q reset on the box to try fix the inconsistent signal issues but doing so, I think I accidentally reset the transponder settings and frequency etc. Oops. Any idea where I can get the original values ?

ethernet

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I also did a sky Q reset on the box to try fix the inconsistent signal issues but doing so, I think I accidentally reset the transponder settings and frequency etc. Oops. Any idea where I can get the original values ?

Just checked my box. Here you go:

Frequency: 11.778
Polarisation: V
Symbol rate: 27.5
FEC: 2/3
Standard: DVB-S
Modulation scheme: QPSK

The Cush

Deleted User wrote: »

As far as I know it's direct from satellite into attic, then loops down to coaxial cable area in utility room behind the walls and then into living room.

I also did a sky Q reset on the box to try fix the inconsistent signal issues but doing so, I think I accidentally reset the transponder settings and frequency etc. Oops. Any idea where I can get the original values ?

When you reset the box did it default to wideband LNB in the settings?

Normally in a SkyQ setup a 2 cable wideband LNB is default, when in dSCR mode the signal is supplied from a dSCR multiswitch located internally which in turn is fed by a wideband or quattro LNB on the dish. I have not come across them fitting a dSCR compatible LNB on a dish.

These would be commercial dSCR LNBs - https://www.satshop.co.uk/global-invacom-d000362/p/2266 & https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/satellite-and-terrestrial/universal-and-unicable-lnb/gt-sat-unicable-lnb
The mounting collar size would be 40mm and so not compatible with a Sky Mk4 dish's 37.5/38mm collar.

Can you by any chance post a pic of the LNB on the dish?

ethernet

ethernet wrote: »

Just checked my box. Here you go:

Frequency: 11.778
Polarisation: V
Symbol rate: 27.5
FEC: 2/3
Standard: DVB-S
Modulation scheme: QPSK

Good man, thanks a lot!

The Cush

The Cush wrote: »

When you reset the box did it default to wideband LNB in the settings?

Normally in a SkyQ setup a 2 cable wideband LNB is default, when in dSCR mode the signal is supplied from a dSCR multiswitch located internally which in turn is fed by a wideband or quattro LNB on the dish. I have not come across them fitting a dSCR compatible LNB on a dish.

These would be commercial dSCR LNBs - https://www.satshop.co.uk/global-invacom-d000362/p/2266 & https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/satellite-and-terrestrial/universal-and-unicable-lnb/gt-sat-unicable-lnb
The mounting collar size would be 40mm and so not compatible with a Sky Mk4 dish's 37.5/38mm collar.

Can you by any chance post a pic of the LNB on the dish?

Thanks, I'll take a photo of dish for you tomorrow and what it's like going into my Sky Box also

And yeah it reset to wideband but I changed it to SCR. I think Sky said my dish setup is a beta but I'll show you it tomorrow. More than happy to!

The Cush

Deleted User wrote: »

I think Sky said my dish setup is a beta but I'll show you it tomorrow. More than happy to!

Interesting, Sky's LNBs are normally grey/black in colour with model no. starting with ELxxx. If this is a Sky LNB could you maybe get a pic of its ID tag?

The Cush

This from the most recent SkyQ spec sheet

• Support wideband and dCSS Unicable LNB
• Power source available for LNB of 600mA @12V DC available from either port

The previous spec didn't mention Unicable LNBs and power available was 300mA

•Power source available for LNB of 300mA @12V DC

The Cush

I found this interesting unit in a search from Unitron - Johansson 9725 SFU dCSS Switch

It takes 2 feeds from a wideband LNB and converts them to 2 dSCR feeds or 2 legacy feeds or 1 of each feed as required and can be combined with a terrestrial TV/radio feed.

Suitable for use with standard quad modules or quad wallplates

dubrov

Here is another multiswitch option for 58GBP.

The full specs are here.

You give it a quattro LNB feed (4 cables) and a single aerial feed.
It has four outputs which auto-detect whether you want to send a SCR or legacy satellite signal.
It can output up to 16 SCR feeds, 4 of which are compatible with SkyQ and can be easily split.
The aerial feed will likely need to be split back out again at the receiver.

Couldn't get any closer but here's how the satellite is set up.

After this, the cable is connected into the attic and then there's a master coaxial point in the utility room downstairs as all cables run through the walls and then into my living room. If you need other pictures, let me know.

I'm not technical about this sort of stuff at all so if I was looking for someone to sort out my connection and get me back on to wideband etc and a totally consistent signal as opposed to 90% consistent with Scr mode, who would I look to get out? Electrician or who?

dubrov

I can't tell what the LNB is but I'd be putting it back on Sky.
Did you sign up for a beta? If not, then they need to provide the service you are paying for?

Did Sky actually send someone out to test the signal?
They should be able to tell you if the cable is bad which would then be your problem.

If you are getting a good service most of the time, it sounds like a borderline signal rather than a problem with the technology.

The Cush

Deleted User wrote: »

Couldn't get any closer but here's how the satellite is set up.

The LNB looks like the Global Invacom D000362 Universal dCSS I linked to above. The only thing is any place I've seen it advertised they mention a standard 40mm mounting collar but the Sky dish collar diameter is smaller at 37.5/38 mm. Legacy 40mm adapter maybe?

This UK trade site mentions the requirement for a power inserter for this LNB. The newer SkyQ boxes are capable of supplying more than enough power for the LNB, 600mA vs. the previous 300mA, not sure if this was done via firmware update or hardware update. Also not sure if this is the issue with your installation.

https://www.alltrade.co.uk/shop/global-universal-dcss-lnb-new

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm not technical about this sort of stuff at all so if I was looking for someone to sort out my connection and get me back on to wideband etc and a totally consistent signal as opposed to 90% consistent with Scr mode, who would I look to get out? Electrician or who?

An aerial/satellite installer is probably your best bet if you can't do it yourself. The problem is they will want to get in and out as quickly as possible. They may simply want to run 2 cables externally and drill in close to your TV point.

I did a job like this for my sister a few years ago and it took me a week to run the all cabling behind plasterboard/insulation, under floors etc. to various points. A time consuming and expensive job if you have to pay for it.

Every job is different and you'll have to get someone to look at it.

Thanks for the replies.

My signal is always like this when it's working. Very strong I think?

One eyed Jack

[Deleted User] wrote: »

My question now is occasionally there's a signal issue where it totally disappears for a few hours at a time randomly but usually during the day.

Immediately when I read this, I figured it may well be the same issue I experienced when I first got in Sky Q.

I have the main box connected to a tv point in my living room, fed from a communal dish. I have a tv point in the bedroom and what seemed to happen is the signal was coming down both cables and as a result was dropping out at regular intervals - it would be 100 signal / 90 Quality, and then would drop out and the channels would be lost, or some channels couldn’t be got at all (CNN for example).

The Sky engineers resolved it by putting something like a powered ‘terminator’ on the cable coming into the tv point in the bedroom (I didn’t need it anyway as I have a mini box in there now), and the signal coming to the box is flawless, never cuts out - 100 Signal / 90 Quality, always Locked.

The ‘terminator’ adapter looks something like a laptop charger.

The Cush

Deleted User wrote: »

My signal is always like this when it's working. Very strong I think?

I've seen better and worse, naturally the higher the numbers the better. Even though the cabling is less than 5 years old what spec cabling was installed? I've seen electricians running basic RG6 satellite cable here during builds, ok for most domestic installs but CT100 spec is better especially when the LNB is stacking up to 12 user bands down to the SkyQ box.

The Cush

One eyed Jack wrote: »

The Sky engineers resolved it by putting something like a powered ‘terminator’ on the cable coming into the tv point in the bedroom (I didn’t need it anyway as I have a mini box in there now), and the signal coming to the box is flawless, never cuts out - 100 Signal / 90 Quality, always Locked.

The ‘terminator’ adapter looks something like a laptop charger.

Sound like the power inserter i mentioned earlier - https://www.alltrade.co.uk/shop/global-power-inserter-for-dcss-lnb, https://www.jwhardy.co.uk/D000429

The newer SkyQ receivers should be well capable of powering that LNB with 600mA available now, depends on the receiver maybe?

One eyed Jack

The Cush wrote: »

Sound like the power inserter i mentioned earlier - https://www.alltrade.co.uk/shop/global-power-inserter-for-dcss-lnb, https://www.jwhardy.co.uk/D000429

The newer SkyQ receivers should be well capable of powering that LNB with 600mA available now, depends on the receiver maybe?

Bang on Cush, that’s exactly what it is (your description helped me with a google image search) -


https://www.rantex.com/1766-thickbox_default/inverto-unicable-ii-idlu-adpt03-19342-opp-65w-power-supply-adapter.jpg

(3-pin plug, not 2-pin)

I just attached a photo of the label on the back of the adapter I have.

dubrov

If this is the issue, then surely it is up to Sky to fix it?
No point in the OP paying for their own installer.

The Cush

One eyed Jack wrote: »

The Sky engineers resolved it by putting something like a powered ‘terminator’ on the cable coming into the tv point in the bedroom (I didn’t need it anyway as I have a mini box in there now), and the signal coming to the box is flawless, never cuts out - 100 Signal / 90 Quality, always Locked.

Is this still connected? Did it just screw onto the socket F-connector?

The Cush

dubrov wrote: »

If this is the issue, then surely it is up to Sky to fix it?
No point in the OP paying for their own installer.

Sounds right, I wonder if the box is the one with the lower power spec?

One eyed Jack

The Cush wrote: »

Is this still connected? Did it just screw onto the socket F-connector?

Attached a better quality picture just now to my previous post.

Still attached, they bypassed the wall-plate altogether and screwed it with an F-connector directly onto the cable itself, that's why I got the impression it was some sort of terminator.

The Cush

One eyed Jack wrote: »

Attached a better quality picture just now to my previous post.

Still attached, they bypassed the wall-plate altogether and screwed it with an F-connector directly onto the cable itself, that's why I got the impression it was some sort of terminator.

That sounds right, bypass the socket in case there would be any restriction back to The multiswitch or LNB.

From what I remember, it's all cat5 cabling...or cat6

Should I get a satellite installer out?

The Cush

Deleted User wrote: »

From what I remember, it's all cat5 cabling...

Certainly not to the LNB on the dish, RG6 or CT100 or similar co-axial cable.
Cat5, Cat6 is ethernet data cable.

The Cush

Deleted User wrote: »

Should I get a satellite installer out?

As mentioned in the recent posts above it could be a power issue to the LNB which should be investigated by Sky.

See One eyed Jack's initial post above.

As a first step contact Sky regarding the intermittent loss of signal, the receiver may not be able to supply sufficient power to the LNB and may have to upgrade the box or fit a power inserter on the cable.

You've been really helpful, thanks

The Cush

Deleted User wrote: »

You've been really helpful, thanks

Just a few more questions

Which SkyQ box do you have, the 1Tb or 2 Tb box, internal or external power supply?
Model no., from the rear side of the box., e.g. ES240?
Have a look at the power supply, what is the mA rating of the power supply?

SKY and dSCR powering

• Sky Q Gen 1 1TB and 2TB could only deliver 12V 275mA which is not enough to power a dSCR switch
• For Gen 1 SKY Q boxes a free power adapter was supplied
• 1TB box discontinued

• SKY 2TB Gen 2 has the external 3.75A 12.25V PSU providing 400mA via LNB 1
• All VISION dSCR ‘S’ versions multiswitches are powered by SKY Gen 2 directly Subscribers port

The Cush

The Cush wrote: »

Just a few more questions

Which SkyQ box do you have, the 1Tb or 2 Tb box, internal or external power supply?
Model no., from the rear side of the box., e.g. ES240?
Have a look at the power supply, what is the mA rating of the power supply?

I've got the Sky Q 1TB UHD and a mini box for another room. It's the ES340D8 model number.

Power supply is 230V going into the box direct from the plug. Is that what you mean? So I presume it's internal power supply, right?

Thanks for help

One eyed Jack

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I've got the Sky Q 1TB UHD and a mini box for another room. It's the ES340D8 model number.

Power supply is 230V going into the box direct from the plug. Is that what you mean? So I presume it's internal power supply, right?

Thanks for help

Looks like it’s only a single feed, same as mine, so that’s why they put a power inserter in - there’s not enough power going to the LNB from just the one feed in my living room. They put the inserter on the second tv point in the bedroom which also would be feeding back to the dish. It seems it’s common enough in a communal dish setup.

(I’ve just copped that’s what SCR is - Single Cable Router )

The Cush

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Power supply is 230V going into the box direct from the plug. Is that what you mean? So I presume it's internal power supply, right?

It was the power output to the LNB I was looking for, 700mA. That's more than enough for the dSCR LNB, no requirement for a power inserter there.

Can you swap over the input cable to LNB input 1 to see if it makes any difference?

If not you may be looking at a cable or dish alignment issue.

The Cush

One eyed Jack wrote: »

They put the inserter on the second tv point in the bedroom which also would be feeding back to the dish. It seems it’s common enough in a communal dish setup.

With a communal setup each TV point could be fed via a dSCR multiswitch also which will have its own power supply. The setup will depend on the number of connections to be made I guess.