Tuning problem?

Hi,

I live in Lyttelton where satellite reception & a separate Freeview box are necessary if you dont want SKY.

I have a Sony 40 EX 720 TV which is HD capable, and a DishTVS7090pvr, which have worked satisfactorily together with (ex-Sky) satellite dish for non-HD reception (due to satellite), for years.

(Relocated due to earthquake issues I found the inbuilt Freeview in the TV works fine with terrestrial aerial to give HD reception. Repeat: UHF's not possible at my location.)

CURRENT PROBLEM - NO RECEPTION appears to be tuning-related. I don't know what exact route to take to fix it.

It's gone from a frequent intermittent issue to constant: now, I almost always get the "No Reception. Check your cable/satellite dish" message, for any selected channel. Cold reboot does not help. I have done the blind scan for Optus D1 which didn't help at all.

Present status was preceded by a time where reception was fine if I turned the TV on at any time during the day, then I got 'no reception', every day from 5-6 pm (news time); however reception returned later (several hours later)! Weird. Do Freeview 'do' some action around 6 pm daily?

Exception: I can receive Prime (=ch 10) if I wait out the 'no reception' message; after a few seconds my DishTV set seems to 'lock onto' the signal. It's strange because from my online searches, I see that many had issues receiving Prime (over other channels) whilst I have the exact opposite. (I've wondered if that's because Prime is owned by Sky TV & my aerial is ex-Sky. Maybe there is an inbuilt preference for tuning sky channels?)

Sometimes, but mostly not, I can select other channels by going very slowly 1 at a time, down from CH10. CH 9 is most likely to succeed - close in frquency to 10 I guess?

If I then leave a painfully-gained channel in place (by not turning off the TV, just muting the sound and allowing 'time out' to kill the screen), I can still receive it (say Ch1) the next morning by turning the Tv power back on.

So it's not the HDMI cable or the TV at fault.

I don't know whether the satellite dish or the DishTV box is the issue. I can't go on the roof to check the satellite dish or LNB box, but I'm suspicious of that due to changes across time. HOW do I find an aerial specialist who is also expert with Dish TV? Can anybody help please?

I live alone, am female, not young, and I have a brain injury so I take time to process new info. These can be evident when people meet me & vulnerability often leads to people trying to 'con' me during appliance callout situations. Shouldn't happen, but does.

I've downloaded your list of Freeview installers in Canterbury. But I know from prior experience (reinstallation after EQ repairs 'disturbed' the dish alignment) that not many techs are even familiar with our Inability to get Sky terrestrial in Lyttelton & treat every location the same.. So they faff about trying to sell me the incorrect (UHF) aerial. I don't want to waste time (& therefore $) on THAT again.

The last installer also heavily criticised the first installer's 'settings' and changed everything without writing down the new instructions, so I haven't been able to record etc since then.

I need somebody who is good at troubleshooting - one who is not dismissive of clients and can 'think outside the square'. Need help finding that somebody.

Really hoping for a reply so I can get the correct actions in place; Thanks for any help you can offer :)

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Permalink Reply by Biggles on January 24, 2016 at 14:00

Sounds very much like the LNB on the Dish is failing and needs replacing. It will be drifting off freq during sunlight hours due to heating and will start working again when it all cools down in the evening.

Possible temp fix. Go into menu and increase/decrease the LNB freq by 5 - 10mhz. It quite often works for a while til it fails completely.

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Permalink Reply by Su on January 24, 2016 at 15:23

I have no signal problems on all channels except on prime but its slow to come on usually on week ends maybe they doing maintenance and not telling us not good.

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Permalink Reply by Biggles on January 24, 2016 at 16:18

Normally they notify any major maintenance and rarely do they go off-air.

Any loss of signal is almost always a LNB or antenna/cabling problem.

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Permalink Reply by Beth Kempen on January 24, 2016 at 19:27

Thanks tor replying & for not treating me like an idiot :)

However that has backfired somewhat because I cant find WHERE to change the LNB freq.

I went Menu>Installation>System setting(where options only seem to be : digital video/HD resolution/HDMI output mode/ HDCP/aspect ratio/LPM in standby/4AM S/W upgrade/Hearing impaired.

Am I in the wrong place?

Thanks, Biggles

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Permalink Reply by Beth Kempen on January 24, 2016 at 20:47

Also, how do I actually go about getting the LNB replaced/assessed?

Do I need a special LNB for the dual tuner receiver (S7090PVR) that I need to mention? Want to avoid 2 callout fees whilst 'getting the right part'.

Most companies' ads that I've checked seem to be focused on selling you & installing a whole new setup!

So do I just call some random aerial company & hope for the best or are there particular things I should say?

Thanks again

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Permalink Reply by Biggles on January 24, 2016 at 23:19

No special LNB. just match the frequency of the one there now. There are many brands and sizes so you need one that fits your bracket or get a new bracket as well. Freeview Shop is a good source but their website seems to be broken at the moment.

LNB freq (usually 10750) is under Menu, Tuning Wizard, Blind Scan. Pg 11 of the S7090 Manual. Check all your parameters and write them down before changing anything.

Any reputable installer should be able to sort it out but advise them precisely of the problems and what you want done. Make sure they tell you what they are going to do to fix it before they start.

They should be able to identify the problem first and then come up with a solution acceptable to you (the customer).

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Permalink Reply by Beth Kempen on March 8, 2016 at 10:37

By googling 'satellite dish repairs' thus avoiding the sales pitch, I got 2 comparative quotes and chose according to time and cost. Warren attended the next day & installed a new LNB (and adapted existing bracket to fit properly) repositioned the dish; retuned & even supplied a longer HDMI cable, all for $130. Reception has been great ever since.

@Biggles, Thank you for your good advice, I really appreciate it :)