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Sky reception problems? Updated June 10, 2012 Poor reception?   Where can I buy a Digibox User Manual? Sky Digibox User Guide to download --> This User Manual is the ideal solution if you've bought a Sky Digibox without one or if you simply want a PDF manual on your computer, iPad, Kindle etc. Explains all the features of a Standard Digibox including "secret" menus. http://www.the-cool-book-shop.co.uk/book.htm Troubleshooting Sky Digital FREE new eBook! Click Here to get it. sky some channels missing You have a fault with your Sky Digital system - some channels missing, "stuck in standby", intermittent problems, poor signal, won't light up or other symptoms? Before you read this, look at the label beneath, or at the rear of, your Digibox because you will need to know the model! Don't write to me for advice without reading this page AND stating your Digibox make/model. Getting Digibox Repaired Repairing it yourself Checks to carry out Testing the Digibox Digibox won't light up Digibox stuck in standby Intermittent symptoms Some channels missing Known faults on specific models No Satellite Signal No Satellite Signal at Night No Satellite Signal in Sunshine Getting Digibox Repaired Please read the NEXT PAGE for information about packing and contacts for this repair service (now offered by Michael Dranfield as SatCure no longer accepts repairs). Repairing it Yourself IMPORTANT NEVER disconnect or connect the mains power cable at the Digibox rear panel while the cable is live. Switch it off at the wall socket first. Failure to do this can put you at risk of electric shock and it can cause arcing in the socket which may damage the Digibox. ALWAYS switch the 230v mains power off at the wall first. If you need to switch the Digibox off frequently, you should plug it into a mains extension socket which has a switch. Alternatively, fit an in-line "flex switch" rated at 250v/5Amps such as that used for table lamps. If the Digibox has an earth wire (green-yellow) this must NOT be cut. Leave it intact when fitting the switch. 1. Before ASSUMING that your Digibox itself is faulty, PLEASE check it as follows: (I've tried to avoid technical jargon while, at the same time, giving you enough information to carry out the tests and make your own deductions). a) Firstly, look at the "secret" Installer Menu by pressing the following buttons quickly: [sky] [services] 401 [select] if you have the new EPG on a Sky HD Digibox use this sequence instead: [sky] [services] 001 [select] Now press [1] (LNB SETUP) and press the red button to reset everything. If something changes on the screen, press the [down] arrow to move the highlight bar down to "Save all settings" then press [select] and [backup] Repeat for the second menu settings: [2] DEFAULT TRANSPONDER b) If that didn't help, simply disconnect your receiver from the wall socket power for a minute then reconnect (use the wall socket switch if there is one and DON'T wiggle or pull out the little plug at the rear of the receiver as this can cause dangerous arcing!). Wait a minute for the receiver to "search for listings". If it now works, you probably had a typical "computer lock up" problem. If it's even worse, or won't turn on at all, you may have an internal power supply fault or a faulty I.C. inside. c) If it's still faulty, leave the 230v mains power OFF for several hours and let it cool down completely. Now reconnect power and let it warm up for a minute. If it now works OK, you have an overheating problem. Make sure it's installed on an open shelf in a cool room. If it goes wrong when warm, try letting it cool down with power off then leave the cover off (keep children and animals away!) If this helps then fitting a miniature fan might keep the problem away for a while. Otherwise it will need professional repair. See this page about fans. d) If the fault symptom remains but the Digibox can be turned ON (comes out of standby), unplug it again but this time HOLD the "backup" button on the front panel while you reconnect power (use the wall socket switch - NEVER the rear panel connector!). Release the "backup" button when all the front panel lights come on (about ten seconds). Now leave the receiver for 15 minutes while it downloads new software. NOTE: DO NOT DO THIS with a receiver that is showing poor signal quality because it can permanently corrupt the data in the internal memory chips! If the fault symptom remains, or it continues to 'load software' after the 15 minutes, read on:- 2. If there is any doubt, it is imperative that you determine whether you really have a faulty receiver: a) Take it to the house of a friend or relative and connect it, making sure that you disconnect 230 v before disconnecting anything else, and that you reconnect the power plug LAST, after reconnecting everything else. Also check the screw-on "F" plug to make sure that none of the outer strands of "shield" braid can touch the centre wire as a short-circuit here can damage the receiver. See this page about "F" connector fitting. b) If your receiver works OK and continues to work after an hour or two to warm up, then take it home and try again. If the fault symptoms are still there at home, then the receiver is probably OK but you have an installation fault with your cable, dish or LNB. Get a professional to test it if you can't do it yourself. c) Note that, occasionally, the receiver will show a fault only after it has warmed up but this can be confused with a faulty LNB which may also exhibit a fault only after it has warmed up. The only way you can check an LNB is with a substitute receiver. Even then, some receivers are "allergic" to certain LNBs! d) Some odd intermittent faults are caused by local interference, for example: Neighbour using a wireless remote extender the same as your own Thermostat causing interference Neighbour with "Snooper" type radar device in car Street light of the mercury or high-pressure sodium type Energy-saver or fluorescent light Dimmer switch Microwave transmitters used by local company Mobile telephone Portable "DECT" home telephone Computer wireless LAN system Microwave oven Coaxial cables too close to mains wiring or similar e) To check for the possibility of interference, test your receiver at a different house. If the fault remains then your Digibox is faulty. If the fault is gone, then the problem lies with your installation or with local interference. You can remove or reduce interference by mounting a dish temporarily at ground level. Make sure it's aligned accurately then connect your receiver to the LNB with a short length of double-screened coaxial cable. If the fault is gone then it could be caused by interference (or by a faulty LNB or cable - try a new LNB and cable on your existing dish to eliminate these possibilities). 3. Digibox won't light up a) Disconnect the LNB cable (in case it has a short-circuit) then plug the mains cable back in. If the Digibox now lights up then you might have a cable fault or the internal Power Supply Unit might be faulty. Testing your Digibox at a friend's house (see above) will prove it either way. Otherwise, check the mains plug wiring and replace the fuse with a good one. If that doesn't help then... b) Check the internal fuse. If the wire inside the glass tube has melted without leaving a black mark, the fuse may have failed simply because it was protecting the Digibox against a mains power surge. Replace the fuse with exactly the same type. If the fuse is blackened or if it melts again, the Digibox is definitely faulty. Replacing a blackened fuse can cause more damage. The power supply will need repair and, possibly, the mother board as well. If the fuse has NOT melted then you may simply need our RELKIT (see below). c) In all cases where the power supply is suspected, a workshop engineer would normally fit a known good PSU. Not only does this test the theory, it also ensures that the mother board has not also suffered damage. A home repairer obviously won't have a spare new PSU so you have a choice of either taking/sending the PSU and/or receiver for test or of guessing. Measurement of the DC output voltages will occasionally indicate whether the PSU is faulty but quite often the voltages will read OK with a meter. This is because, when a capacitor fails, the DC voltage has "noise spikes" superimposed on it. These affect the operation of the receiver but a voltmeter won't "see" them. (They might be visible on an oscilloscope). Send this page address - CLICK HERE - to a friend ! 4. Stuck in Standby EVEN WHEN COLD If unplugging the Digibox overnight and letting it cool down doesn't cure it, try a software download (but see warning note above). If it still won't come out of standby it's likely that a chip has failed permanently. (Grundig receivers are an exception. Read the extra section about Grundig Digiboxes, below). 5. Other Intermittent Symptoms Such as: Jumping to the information channel 998 Sticking in standby when hot Slow to respond These symptoms DO NOT OCCUR WHEN COLD? Unplug the Digibox and leave it overnight to cool down. If it is OK when you plug it back in then you have an overheating problem. If you can't cure this by making sure that your Digibox is on an open shelf in a cool place then you may be able to cure it by fitting a cooling fan kit or (if the CPU is getting too hot to touch) a CPU cooling kit. If symptoms occur ONLY WHEN COLD then you probably have a power supply fault which may be cured by a RELKIT. (Refer to the notes for your specific make/model below). 6. Some channels missing (+ other symptoms) Severe picture and sound breakup? Sky error code messages Error 12. Oh dear. Your box is b*ggered! Error 28 "no signal". This usually indicates a momentary or intermittent loss of signal. This could be a true loss of signal or a fault in the Digibox. Rebooting the Digibox may fix it for a wile but you should investigate to determine the cause. Error 29 "no signal". This is usually caused by a total loss of signal. If weather is the cause, the picture will return without any action from you, when the weather improves. The most common cause of "some channels missing" is local interference. Switch off all electrical equipment such as DECT telephone base station, wireless router, "Snooper" radar detector in the car. (Your neighbour's equipment might also interfere if it is very close). Even having your Digibox too close to a TV, DVD player etc. can make it susceptible to interference like this. Also ensure that ALL coaxial cable is double-screened and any wall sockets are fully shielded. If you are certain that interference is not the problem, read on... a) The first thing to check is the software version. Press [services] [4] [5]. Model: 5.1M Version: 050501 Operating System Version = 1.2S4FJ EPG Software Version = 3.7.6 Note: these details were correct for a Panasonic model TU-DSB40 on February 21, 2009. Note that the numbers may vary slightly from time to time, dependent on your Digibox make and model. DO state your make and model from the label when you ask other users what the current software version is. If your software is out of date then your Digibox may ignore the viewing card. Other strange symptoms may occur. Before you continue, please ensure that you have read the section 2d above! b) If "some channels are missing" please make yourself a comprehensive list of precisely which ones are missing. Then download the zipped channel list to determine whether these programmes have anything in common. You should note the frequency, the polarisation (H or V) and the band (22kHz is automatically on for high band or off for low band). (Please Don't send me the list and ask me to figure it out! I don't have the time.) c) So, for example, if all the affected channels are on low band, it may be that your Digibox is sending a 22kHz signal to the LNB when it shouldn't be or that the LNB is acting as if it is receiving a 22kHz tone and remaining on high band when it shouldn't. (If this makes no sense, please read about LNBs in the Technical section!) This still doesn't tell you whether your Digibox is faulty or your LNB is faulty or if they are mutually incompatible but at least it narrows down the cause. d) If the affected channels are on high band then you might have the opposite problem or the cable might be faulty* (not passing the highest frequencies) or likewise the Digibox internal tuner might be faulty. A badly aligned dish can easily lose some channels - for example, those which are broadcast be "Eurobird" or by Astra 2D. Look at the listings and check for this. *A cable may become faulty because it is kinked or has rubbed against something which has penetrated the outer sheath and let water in. Try to inspect the entire length. If in doubt, replace it - you can do this temporarily for testing purposes and reconnect the old cable if you are certain it's OK. e) If there's no obvious pattern then the Digibox internal tuner or cable or LNB might be faulty. I've also seen cases where a warped dish has caused "some channels missing". In such a case, make sure the Digibox is OK by testing it on a friend's dish. Then replace the cable with new double-screened coax, making sure it's a single run with one connector at each end and no kinks. Then replace the LNB. Then replace the dish and realign it. f) Grundig and Thomson receivers may have "channels missing" if the power supply is faulty. g) Sometimes it may be only Horizontal channels on low band (Astra 2D). The vertical ones may still work with only ITV1, Hallmark & Eurosport News missing. This type of symptom can be caused by dish or LNB misalignment. In this particular example, it can occur if a Quad-output LNB is fitted in place of a single-output LNB. The additional weight bends the arm and displaces the LNB a fraction low, causing it to "miss" one transponder! Read this page. h) Please DO NOT ask me to guess if the receiver is faulty. It could be the Dish, the LNB, the cable or the connections at fault. Please TEST IT on another dish. There are over four million households in the UK with a Sky Digital system so the "I don't know anybody with one" excuse is wasted on me, as are the "I'm disabled, I can't, I won't" and all the other other excuses that people use to try to force me to make a guess. i) Please DO NOT ask me to guess if the LNB, cable, connections, dish or alignment is faulty. There's no point. Your guess is as good as mine. Make sensible tests to find out the cause of your problem. If you can't/won't do this yourself, employ a professional. Try: The Association of Professional Satellite Installers j) ITV missing? If *only* CH4, C5, Sky3 channels are missing (used to be called "Free To View") then the cause is likely to be the smart card. Leave it in the Digibox for at least 24 hours after receiving a new card or after a period of non-use. The missing channels should then be restored. k) The Smart Card is a common cause of missing channels. If there is no obvious pattern to the missing channels, suspect the card. For more information about ITV/BBC problems read this page. "Installing Sky Digital TV" could solve your problems. Over 120 pages of hints and tips with full colour photos. You can download it immediately. I would like to extend a huge thank you to you for providing such valuable information to those who can be bothered to search you out. All that info, and at such a phenomenally reasonable price. Those who baulk at paying the price should really examine what £8 buys these days. A small round of drinks or a vast collection of knowledge probably spanning many years and lots of scenarios and systems. Therefore, we will whenever possible be recommending the site and the book to expats and holiday homers in our region of France. Hopefully you'll get a few more punters from this. Martin, Thank you again, and all the best to you and your family for the future. We're glad we bought the eBook! Regards and thanks again Paul D. Send this page address - CLICK HERE - to a friend ! 7. Another point which people usually omit to tell me is: a) When the fault symptom appeared. This is often a most valuable clue! If you think back, you can often link this with something else that occurred. For instance, you may have unplugged the equipment for an hour and allowed it to cool down. You may have disturbed some connections while cleaning round the back of the equipment. The cat may have peed in it; the baby might have sprinkled juice in it. You may have had decorators, baby sitter or Aunty Maud to stay. You may have made house alterations - one guy had a fancy floor covering laid. In theory, this could not have affected his satellite signal, and it wouldn't have - except for the nails through the coaxial cable that ran around the room! So think back and tell me the fault history! b) If you are suffering from interference on the TV picture, please click on this link. For "known faults" scroll down to find your Digibox make/model. More comprehensive notes are included in our "Repairing Sky Digital Receivers" book.   8. Getting It Repaired Please read the NEXT PAGE for information about packing and contacts for this repair service (now offered by Michael Dranfield as SatCure no longer accepts repairs). Do it yourself? A Beginner's Guide to Receiver Repair Based on the original "Screwdriver Expert's Guide to Satellite Receivers" this book describes the basic components and a typical power supply with diagrams and explanations. Shows how to solder and describes what to check and measure. It won't make you an expert but, if you are capable of soldering in components supplied as a kit, it will take you one step further so you understand why you are doing it and even help you figure out other possible fault causes and cures. If you buy a kit you'll need this book. I guarantee you'll be delighted with this amazing book full of information! Download it now for £7 Repairing Sky Digital Receivers Not just a repair book! In fact not even a repair book! Written in simple terms, this book gives valuable advice on how to prevent failure. Read it NOW and save money in the future. But, if the worst happens, read it anyway because it will still save you money. Common problems and cures listed - many of which you can fix yourself with only the remote control handset or a soldering iron. Plus lots of general repair information including how to recognize various components. Download it now for £7 Send this page address - CLICK HERE - to a friend ! HUMAX "When you apply the mains, you can see a flicker of LED on the front panel for a moment, then nothing." Humax 5200/5300/5400 RELKIT 35 power supply capacitor kit is available. See kit list in the Order Form page. Sorry, I know nothing about Humax models. This kit may also suit other Humax power supplies. SKY DIGIBOX MAKES If you have confirmed that your Dish, LNB and cable are OK, please click on the maker's name of your Sky Digibox for more specific repair information. AMSTRAD GRUNDIG PACE PANASONIC SONY Please DO NOT send SatCure your receiver for repair! Send this page address - CLICK HERE - to a friend !