No satellite signal? Check your dish for snow!
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV Normally, if you get 'No Signal' or 'Technical fault' on your Sky or Freesat box there is a solution: What can I do when my Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' or 'Technical fault'?
However, if it has snowed you will also find the same message. And there is nothing wrong with your box, or viewing card. This time it is the simple matter of there being snow on the dish or LNB.
(Image from Snow in Manchester! « davesull's Blog).
The satellite signal will be scattered by the snowflakes, so you may wish to clear the snow from the dish. Remember to take care not to move the dish if you do this, and only remove it if you can do this safely.
See Freesat reception - all about dishes - Free satellite - general - ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice for more.
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Sunday, 20 January 2013
J
jb389:44 PM
Bob: These indications are perfectly OK! and indeed can even be classed as being at the higher end of the norm for an average installation and so you don't really have anything to be concerned about, but as far as satellite signal levels are concerned the general rule is that the quality level of the signal being indicated should never at any time be under that of the strength when tested under normal reception conditions, e.g: neither snowing nor thundery rain clouds being overhead, because if the quality is lagging the strength then that's when picture glitches or intermittent audio squeaks are liable to be experienced during even a light rain shower, the lag generally indicating that the dish alignment requires some fine tuning to correct the problem.
That said though, I have tested out quite a number of satellite installations that were installed by Sky engineers a couple of months or so earlier and found them to be somewhat less than perfect, and they were using professional (although not top range) equipment to install them, there in again there are engineers "and" engineers if you get my drift!
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Monday, 21 January 2013
R
Richard12:12 PM
Sky suscribers who lose service because of adverse weather conditions are entitled to receive credit for loss of same.Contact Sky and demand credit,the met office can prove that certain areas had heavy snowfalls.
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Friday, 25 January 2013
J
jb3811:40 PM
IAN: Well although it wouldn't do any harm and indeed can actually be beneficial insomuch that there is no danger of the dish being knocked out of alignment, but results can be obtained far quicker by carefully dusting the bowl of the dish + the face of the LNB with a soft brush.
The other point being that anti-freeze only works at the time and doesn't have any lasting effect.
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K
KMJ,Derby11:43 PM
IAN: I wouldn't recommend it as antifreeze is poisonous, especially to dogs and cats who might be tempted to drink any pool of liquid that might form on the ground.
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Saturday, 26 January 2013
M
moatway4:03 PM
For those are good at bowling, try throwing some snowballs at the LNB arm.
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T
Tony Hill7:21 PM
Dorchester
I assume nobody knows what happens in snowy countries like Norway, Canada etc: heated dishes?
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Tony's: mapT's Freeview map terrainT's terrain plot wavesT's frequency data T's Freeview Detailed Coverage
J
jb388:52 PM
Tony Hill: The answer is basically that exactly the same situation applies as in the UK insomuch that viewers have to go out every day to brush the snow off their dish, although there is more of a trend for people to spray their dishes with products that are really designed to disperse water from car electrics or they might even use other types of sprays intended for windscreens, although there are (or used to be) so called self adhesive electric heating elements of a somewhat iffy design as far as safety is concerned that were designed to be attached to the dish.
The reason I know this is because I have a son who resides in Canada and repeatedly asks me exactly the same question hoping that some magic remedy has came into being since the last time he asked, as clearing the snow from the dish is a "first thing in the morning" and likewise the evening daily routine for not only him but everyone else around him, its just a way of life across there!
Heating the dish is relatively easy to arrange by custom making the necessary to do the job, but the difficulty is when it comes to the surface of the LNB, this not only because of the critical nature of the device but by its vulnerability to damage.
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Sunday, 27 January 2013
T
Tony Hill7:58 PM
Dorchester
jb38: Thanks for that. I have to say that I am very surprised that nobody has developed a solution to the problem. A profitable niche . . . ?
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Tony's: mapT's Freeview map terrainT's terrain plot wavesT's frequency data T's Freeview Detailed Coverage
J
jb388:48 PM
Tony Hill: Yes, but I suppose that as soon as a heating element comes into the equation that automatically involves power of a somewhat higher magnitude that the low current maximum of 18 volts or so DC thats used in an LNB and that could be an issue for the non technical.
Although this type of thing is not outwith the realms of an enthusiast who could weave some low voltage heating wire of the type used in some 24 volt heating pads around the rear of the dish and also a loop of same around the outer rim of the LNB, the supply transformer being inside the property.
Of course for satisfactory results the transformer would require to left powered up all of the time, and so possibly a 12 / 15 volts type would be best for this purpose as by the element being underpowered it would provide only background level heat.
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