Some channels on Sky + box not picking up signal?

The Ayatolla

I have a Sky+ HD box and largely speaking everything is working fine.

When watching something like Sky Sports News or RTE 1 I have very good signal strength/quality when viewing the "Signal" page in settings.

When I change to TNT Sport, the signal of Input 1 drops to zero while Input 2 still shows strong. But the channel says "no satellite signal".

Is this an obvious case of dish mis-alignment?

Tony

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058368124/some-channels-on-sky-box-not-picking-up-signal

It could be dish alignment or a problem with the cable or LNB on the dish . It can be useful sometimes to see if the channels your are missing have anything in common, IE are they all H or V polarisation or perhaps they are in the higher frequencies . You can check this info on sites such as Lyngsat.com. You mentioned that its only on one input so this might point to a cable/connector issue. Try swapping the satellite cables around at the back of the box and then check the signal reading again.

The Ayatolla

Yeah the weird thing is on channels like RTE and Virgin I have good signal on both inputs. I can even record on RTE and watch Virgin without any issue.

I might also put my box in single-input mode maybe and see if this helps.

I have a cheap signal finder and ratchet set also so may give it a go later when I get a ladder… All failing that it may be a job for an engineer :D

Tony

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122596678#Comment_122596678

Cable or connector issues can sometimes cause problems with individual transponders. Can you receive CNN on 11.671 H ? This is one of the slightly weaker transponders.

The Ayatolla

CNN HD (506): Not working
TNTSports 1, 2 3 and 4 (HD) not working.
NDTV 24x7 (509) not working.
Bloomberg HD (501) not working.

All Sky Sports HD channels work (401-409).
Eurosport 1 and 2 (HD) work.
Premier Sport 1 HD works.

The Ayatolla

I just checked Bloomberg also on a Freesat box I have upstairs.
That also isn't working (and its fed from a separate cable from the same LNB).

I suppose that's a good sign - it shows it very likely isn't a cable issue with the Sky box.

dxhound2005

Bloomberg is also on 11671 with CNN, having moved there recently I think. GB News HD is also there. It is a weak transponder on my system. There seems to have been frequency changes for the TNT channels in mid August. They are also on a weak transponder on my system.

https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Q/Tnt-hd-channels-not-working-on-sky-q-box/td-p/4722611

"16 Aug 2024 04:28 PM

The TNT channels changed frequency recently but they are definitely working. If they're not the most likely cause is a dish alignment issue (this may only affect a couple of channels or a certain group like TNT). Any engineer should be able to solve that. "

The Ayatolla

sorted this. Got a ladder and tilted / adjusted the dish with a basic sat finder. TNT / Bloomberg working now perfectly after some trial and error. It’s blue skies today so will be interesting to see if any issues arise during cloudy / poor weather.

The Ayatolla

A general update for anyone interested or impacted by the same.

After a few days, I noticed the crackly signal again on TNT Sport etc. I called an engineer out who took a look.

Turned out it was the LNB. I had an Octo, 2x cables feeding Sky box and 4 other single cables to TVs in my house for Freesat. These were largely overkill and not really needed as my Sky box in attic has HDMI + Magic Eye ran to each TV anyway.

He swapped the Octo out for a Quad LNB and the signal strength for TNT Sport went up to 95%+. No issues now and all resolved.

Not sure if a new Octo would have fixed it, but we just went with the Quad as its all he had in his van and he mentioned the Octos can be finnicky after a while especially with so many cables connected in. Perhaps it lost strength over time or doesn't play nice with so many connections? 😶

The Cush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122650821#Comment_122650821

Nonsense, an octo is as good as a quad. I have one on my dish for years.

As you said it was all he had in the van.

The Ayatolla

I thought as much, a replacement Octo would have done the job I imagine. I'll swap it out if I ever feel the need to have the Freesat available in all TVs. It was handy seeing full TV guide etc for the channels only available via "Other" on the Sky box and saved the hassle of having to re-tune when ITV etc change frequency.