Quad LNB issues?

[holmroad]

I currently have a quad lnb installed to my mini Sky dish, which has served fine for several years for my Sky+, Freesat and 'Other Satellite Channels' on my Pannie HD tv.

However, during this past week I have been finding that quite frequently - i.e. three or for times a day, ITV HD Yorkshire (Channel 178 11097V 23000) has been occasionally showing 'No Satellite Signal'
This can be very irritating as I record quite a few progs off ITV HD and whilst I also have both Freeview and my Technomate TM5402HD M3 to use, I obviously cannot anticipate when ITV HD is not going to be working!

I have checked all the satellite cables into my Skybox (two), which seem fine - as well as the two into my quad lnb - which I have re-fitted after cleaning them up & recutting ends of wires, etc - but am still frequently getting 'No Satellite Signal'!

All other channels I access seem fine - e.g. BBC!/2 HD, Channel 4 & 5 HD, Sky Sports, etc, so its ONLY ITV HD 178 which is playing up!

Can anyone help please - or should I maybe get a new qud lnb?:respect-050:

[maurice]

I find Quad LNB's are like Car Batteries, 4 years and that's your lot.

[Mobley2]

First thing I would do is change the cable to a different output on the Lnb, it will tell you if there is a problem on the particular output
also check along the cable for any cuts or damage, water ingress can cause this sort of problem. If this does not cure the problem then
maybe buy a new one,they are very cheap on a well known internet site.

regards mobley2

[johnhenry]

Have read on the net. that ITV HD updating is an on going programme, they just might be doing some servicing of their equipment on that frequency!

[holmroad]

Well it IS strange that its almost exclusively ITV HD?

[KARABANGA]

Hi . Check what signal quality you are getting...you may need to tweak the dish or LNB slightly. If its only ITV causing problems then its probably down to them doing some testing as already mentioned. In my honest opinion the sky minidish is not always good for signals. Regards.

[holmroad]

Well to be fair I also tried ITV HD Yorks on Freeview too, which seemed to be pixellating every now and then (but NOT all the time) - even via TV arial rather than dish obviously!
However it seemed totally fine via my TM5402HD M3 on separate 1.1M dish, so still a bit odd?

[digicon]

I am afraid you cannot compare ITV on Freeview to ITV on Freesat as they are 2 totally different systems although digital the broadcasting method and reception are different.

If your experiencing pixelation on Freeview then its a good chance there is something wrong with your aerial, But as stated above these are ongoing works so disruption could occur at anytime

[echelon]

try manually adding itv1 HD Granada on satellite and try a recording on that channel as well as your local Yorkshire offering, then compare the 2 if or when you get the error

also try the SD channel and the SD channel +1 too

[holmroad]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, much appreciated! ITV Yorks SD seems to be fine on 103 Sky, but will try what Ech suggests and add channel to Skybox to explore THAT route etc!
@digicon:- I didn't actually state 'Freesat' mate, but only compared 'Freeview' via arial and ITV HD Yorks via dish mate - but suppose maybe you are calling a 'free' channel on TM5402HD as 'Free-SAT' - which I also mentioned?

[digicon]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, much appreciated! ITV Yorks SD seems to be fine on 103 Sky, but will try what Ech suggests and add channel to Skybox to explore THAT route etc!
@digicon:- I didn't actually state 'Freesat' mate, but only compared 'Freeview' via arial and ITV HD Yorks via dish mate - but suppose maybe you are calling a 'free' channel on TM5402HD as 'Free-SAT' - which I also mentioned?

Errrm yes you did re-read your original post:

Well to be fair I also tried ITV HD Yorks on Freeview too

However it seemed totally fine via my TM5402HD M3 on separate 1.1M dish

[holmroad]

Yes, FREEVIEW (Well to be fair I also tried ITV HD Yorks on Freeview too ) and TM5402HD (Well to be fair I also tried ITV HD Yorks on Freeview too )- as WELL as on Sky 178!

I.e. no mention of 'Freesat' mate!

[digicon]

Yes, FREEVIEW (Well to be fair I also tried ITV HD Yorks on Freeview too ) and TM5402HD (Well to be fair I also tried ITV HD Yorks on Freeview too )- as WELL as on Sky 178!

I.e. no mention of 'Freesat' mate!

And who do you think supplys the EPG to the ITV HD regional channels on satellite FREESAT they are not owned by sky they are part of the FREESAT consortium as they are on FREEVIEW both the same company

[echelon]

as stated above, FREESAT administer the free channels on uk satellite as shown on this freesat site _http://www.freesat.co.uk/channels which includes ITV (all the channels)

ITV being one of the consortium and so if using a satellite box and a dish you are receiving FREESAT in the uk , even if its a technomate or an official sly box that is being used to access them (hence why you dont need a card in a sly box to receive them all)

Freesat is a free-to-air digital satellite television joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc, serving the United Kingdom. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008. Wikipedia

Parent organization: ITV plc
Headquarters: United Kingdom
Founded: May 16, 2007

by mentioning the use of a dish and satellite receiver, the implication is "Freesat" because that is what those channels actually are

I can receive the FREESAT channel itv and ITV-HD through my uk based dishes from 28.2e on a spiderbox , vu solo2 , vu duo1 , and of course through my sly UK HD pvr subscription box too

whereas I get the FREEVIEW versions of ITV through my tv aerial from Winter Hill main transmitter on all of my digital freeview TV`s and my sony hdd/dvd recorders

[holmroad]

Ok, I must admit I'd never thought of Freesat that way, as I also DO pick up Freesat via a feed from my quad lnb on my Sky dish directly into my Pannie tv - as WELL as having my 1.1M dish I use for my TM5402HD M3 reception - so thanks to Ech and digicon for explaining!:respect-055:

[holmroad]

Just one further point, as mentioned earlier too, it's very odd that ITV HD Yorks DOES occasionally pixelate on Freeview from terrestrial arial, even becoming unwatchable, whereas on Sky+ ITV HD Yorks both pixellates AND totally goes off AND ceases to display a signal at all on Sky+ feed input one (top one in Settings option)
YET, curiously on TM5402HD M3, using totally separate 1.1M dish, ITV HD Yorks seems to work perfectly and its my currently only safe device from which to record ITV HD Yorks progs without interruption!
NB:I did add ITV HD Granada to 'Extra Channels' section of Sky+ as suggested, but also found it was not possible to record from these 'extra' channels as they are not included on the 'regular' Sky+ EPG!
I have also enquired on net whether ITV HD Yorks has been reported as being playing up, but without success!

Conclusion, how do I eliminate one by one the possible causes for what it seems only I am experiencing - can't really see much point in blindly replacing lnb, Skybox, etc as I may still end up with the same issue?
Maybe my mini Sky dish could be slightly offset - but this still doesn't explain why ITV HD Yorks is also playing up on the Freeview terrestrial arial?

[KARABANGA]

Hi As your TM5402 box with the 1.1m dish is perfect why dont you swap boxes round and see what results you get. If same problem occurs on the TM5402 with the mini dish then you know its a problem with alignment/LNB or cables from mini dish. Regards

[holmroad]

I think I MAY have now answered my own question, as I discovered on closer examination last night that I was NOT actually on Freeview DVB input source (outside tv arial) as I'd thought, but on 'Other Sats' via one of my four inputs from my Sky dish - I have inputs 1 & 2 and Freesat in other three from my quad lnb - and so it WASN'T Freeview at all - so ok I will now test out 'real' Freeview via terrestrial arial anyway, but am now much more certain that my issue lies with EITHER my quad Sky lnb OR my Sky dish elevation etc - i.e. it may have drifted off slightly!

I WILL report back after further investigation, but feel this may well be where the answer lies!

Thanks again for all your help!