Sky+, communal dish and signal not picking up all channels – please help

Claire2831

Hello, I wondered if anyone may be able to help me before I combust of frustration!

I had a Sky+ box installed about two months ago and for the last six weeks I have been unable to watch about 30 odd channels (I have full sky package). The screen on these channels say error 25, no signal is available. I’ve had three Sky engineers out within this time, the first two times they just gave me a new box and the third time they tested the signal from our communal dish and advised that three of the signals were fine but the fourth was really low and that’s why I was unable to view all the channels.

I called my factor but they said as they hadn’t had any other complaints it was probably an issue just with my reception and therefore if they were to call someone out to look at it then they would just charge me rather than splitting it across the properties as they do with everything else. In my stairwell there are six flats, one neighbour had an issue with one of there channels several months ago but that’s working now and there others don’t have sky. The other two blocks of flats that share the dish I haven’t seen any of them to be able to ask.

I feel really silly that I don’t know enough about how it works to be able to say if it’s the dish or the sky+ box that isn’t working properly. I’m sure that it’s the dish but I really can’t afford to be landed with the whole bill if it turns out it’s a problem just with my property.

Has anyone else had this problem that could assist? My factors are being really unhelpful and any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Many thanks.

PS: I had one of the old boxes before getting the Sky+ box and we could receive all the channels with that one. Only got the sky+ box when the old one gave up after five years

spike7451

Most the signal your box is recieving is'nt strong enough when it reaches your box,this can be caused by loads of things,damaged cable,faulty connections,even the dism misaligned,Faulty PSU on the box or faulty LNB.
Now your feed will go from the dish to a multi port splitter then to you.One of the feeds may be faulty,cable damaged.
I'd try another port on the splitter to see if that helps.The splitter should be in one of the hall cupboards.
BTW,how many feeds do you have to your Sky+? Should be 2.
On the remote,press Services-4-6. How much Signal Quality do you have?

Claire2831

Hello, thanks for taking the time to reply

We only have one feed, our flat is fairly new but when they were built the builders didn’t put in a bit for the second one. Sky advised us that we could still receive all channels, the only thing we couldn’t do was record one programme while watching something else.

Our Input 1 signal quality is high but the Input 1 signal strength is low

Hope that may help and thanks again for any help or advice

Pokerlad

The communial dish as a special type of LNB with 4 outputs (not a normal quad that Sky fit). It has an output for Horizontal, Vertical, High Band and Low Band and these feed a multiplex before being distributed round the building. As an engineer has presumably tested the signals he appears to have identified a fault with the LNB not giving you one of the bands so looks like its will need an engineer to fix it. What channels are missing we could then see if on the same bands and maybe tell which one is faulty? The signal test is not reliable in this instance as it is only looking at the default transponder which may or may not be on a frequancy at fault.

If it is a fault at the dish all users should be affected. Have you asked them to try the channels you cant get just in case it's ones they dont normally watch?

Claire2831

Hi there,

Channels that aren’t working include 118 (ITV2), 120 (ITV 4), 135 (channel 4 +1), 136 (E4), 137 (E4+1), 138 (More4), 995, 993 (ITV1 London). There are other’s but I wanted to reply to your post quickly. Channel 3 (ITV) works sometimes but other times will go off half way through a programme.

Yes I checked with the neighbours across the hall but their channels are working

spike7451

Try changing it to input 2,that's the one that records first iirc.I'd say your cablings damaged.

Claire2831

Hi - just tried that but can't get signal for any channel that way and the error is number 29.

So if you think that the cabling is damaged, does that refer to the dish or my sky box? Thanks again for helping me

Pokerlad

Can you borrow your neighbours known working box for 10 mins to plug in and see if problem persists. If still a problem I think we can point to the cable as the culprit (ruling out dish and LNB if nobody else suffers same problems). I suppose the fault may be at the multiswitch but I dont know enough about them to give any advice on that.

Claire2831

Yes I could certainly ask them tomorrow if that would be possible. The sky engineer that came on Thursday put in a brand new box (third new box in two months) and it was the very same channels that would not work so I have a feeling it's not the box. I'm just unsure, if not Sky engineer or Factors, who I can call to come out to have a look.

spike7451

OK,I'd say it's your cabling.are the connections screw on or push on,they should both be screw on F type.
Look down the into the connection,make sure you cant see any copper wire touching the middle core.

spike7451

It'd be the factors not Sky as they did'nt install the system.