Missing Sky channels...

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Could anyone help me with this? Wondering if there's anything simple I can do before admitting defeat and paying Sky to come and sort it out!

Ive lost BBC2, CH4 & 5, Sky 2 & 3, and various others...... Error message is '36, No satellite signal being recieved'. Digibox is a Pace, cant find a model number but its circa 4 years old. Ive read that the box switches voltage to the LNB depending on channel selected. I have checked with a multimeter, it is switching ok, seems all the channels affected are on the same voltage output.

Did think initially it may have been due to the low temperatures, it worked during the day, but stopped in the evening when the temperature dropped, but is now not working at all. Nothing has changed outside, dish is high up, not been disturbed, and nothing has been put in its line of sight.

The other issue, may or may not be related, is the box says its not connected to a telephone line. It is! Shares a socket splitter with Binatone cordless phone, has always done so. Wire from box to splitter been changed, still doesnt work so wire is not faulty.

Any help appreciated, many thanks!
 
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I am told not sure if true that it is not one satellite but a few and this is why we have oval not round dish so if not aimed spot on then you can lose programs on edge of dish. Seems engineers can check each one with their tester but our cheap ones don't so easy to get slightly out.
Sky boxes are not very good on receive and free to air boxes will often work where sky fails seems dish size right on edge so even snow on dish may be enough to stop some programs.
 
Have you tried re-booting the box? Turn power off from the plug socket, wait 10 secs then turn back on.

Is there snow on the dish / lnb?
 
Thanks to both. Its worked fine for last 4 or so years, to my knowlege the dish or LNB hasnt moved. Did work intermittently to start with, now not at all on affected channels. Those that work, the picture/sound is spot on. The others, nothing.....

Have tried the forced reboot as described on another thread. No result. Deffo no snow anywhere, we escaped lightly here, 40 miles in any direction had loads. Friends have upgraded to Sky HD, going to borrow their original Sky box later, see if that changes anything.
 
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This happened to my Sky over some time getting slowly worse and worse. I am sure the cable was damaged somewhere and it had some water in it. Seems it was stations on edge of dish which had problems and moving the dish would get channels back but then we found we had lost others. Renewing the cable improved matters but not A1 not best cable and Sky would not renew cable as it ran through my loft.
In the end we decided to get rid of Sky but when my wife phoned they got her to have Sky+ instead. This was complete mess up where they did things like use a cable which went through free to air box first.
Then they not only refused to enter loft but would not go on slopping roof to fit new cables even around outside of house.
In the end a new dish was fitted to front of house and all now works.
The old box was then set up in bed room. To original dish with shorter cable and it worked A1.
Even the old cable to living room still works with free to air box but not Sky box.
Seems sensitivity is better or worse box to box. So changing box with friend may give total wrong idea as to fault.
A guess of course but I would guess on cable got a little water in it.
 
Yes, definately seems to be an external fault. Borrowed 'box' is doing exactly the same so cant see it being my 'box' at fault. Imagine water has got in somewhere and frozen, causing damage. Going to have to bite the bullet and get Sky out I think.....
 
I had a similar last week, the dish only has to move one degree, not noitcable by eye but you will start to loose some programms on the horiziontal.

under system setup check your signal strength if its less than before, or under 3/4 its probably the dish that has mooved fractionally.

just a thought, theres no ice on your dish is there??

if you have had your dish/box for more than a year you are not obliged to go to sky for serviceing, an independant is much cheaper
unlike cable after a year the box, dish etc is yours to do with as you wish. cable you only rent the box.
 
Signal strength about 90%, signal quality approx 80%. I might look round the local independants then and see what sort of prices they're asking. Doubt there's ice on it, its been same for last week or so now, snow, ice then thaw, back to snow and still it dont work!

Only thing is with Sky, they'll take care of the lot for £69 a year. Remote is also playing up, sticking buttons, so by time i've replaced that @£20, new LNB @ £20 plus fitting, then Sky deal looking tempting! If anyone has any experience of the Sky care i'd be interested in your views, thanks.
 
had something similar earlier in the year.. the wind knocked the dish about a bit and it needed a gentle nudge to get it back into alignment..

as it only happens to you when cold it could be the brackets / bolts etc contracting in the cold and making the dish move a little.. or allowing it to slip a bit..
when it heats up again all the bits expand again and push everything back into alignment..
this may get progressively worse if the dish drops a little every time it's cold and doesn't get pushed all the way back up again the next day..
 
Its a permanent problem at the moment! Temperature has risen and dropped again, remained the same. Im reluctant to fiddle with it myself as i'll probably loose the lot..... :rolleyes:
 
Quick update.... Sky wanted £108 to put my equipment onto 'Sky protect', rang them back and threatened to cancel! Extremely helpful guy at tech support talked me through some tests I could run, result, its all working as it should again for the cost of a phone call.

Alan, from Sky technical, have a virtual pint on me, many thanks.
 

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