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Weak SNR (7%) only on certain channels.......why?

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karltin

Newbie
Hi All,

I have a slight problem with an Openbox V5s and hope some of the experts could provide a solution.

Openbox V5s all set up with the most recent channel update and all appears to be in order but certain channels (Sky Sports 2 & 5, Boxnation & Movies Showcase as well as few others) have have an SNR of just 7% and are not available to view and simply say "No Signal".

Most of the channels work perfectly well and the SNR on these are 75% minimum but it is just the channels above with a weak 7% which are unable to view.

This is my sisters set-up and I am using the same server provider but a different N-Line and mine works perfectly.

Have checked the channel list countless times, checked the satellite and its 28.2 and I find it strange that all other channels seem fine and signal SNR is good but it drops to just 7% for Sky Sports 2 & 5, Boxnation & Movies Showcase as well as few others which are not available.

I have been told by my server that there is no problem at his end and I do not doubt this because so far the service has been very good. Just find it very strange some channels are great at SNR of 75% minimum and then "No Signal" with SNR of 7%.

I would have though it would have been all or nothing.

Can anyone help please?

Many thanks in advance and I welcome all replies.
 
Thanks for the reply.

I thought the possibility of the dish shifting a touch could cause this problem. Wind could have nudged it over time but how would I know the perfect position should I decide to fiddle with it?

Also, all indications suggest most channels are fine and the ones that concern me are Sky Sports 2 & 5 and Boxnation really so if I fiddle with the dish would that effect the other channels which are perfectly watchable with 74% SNR?
 
I have a friend with the same issue.
He lives in a block so its a shared dish... He upgraded to fibre and we cleaned up the wiring and still had these issues...
He is in the process of getting the dish checked (as its communal its a little tricky) so I can't honestly say 100% if this will fixed your issue, but in his case it's all thats left to check without calling a hardware issue on the box?!
There are apps for smart phones or even handheld devices you can get for cheap to help you check allignment, I guess as a starter you can check at least it's aiming the same way as your neighbours if thats possible?
I personally don't know what an inch of so could make to a dish but if you can try it without killing yourself if might be worth a go.. take a photo so you can move it back or mark it some how!!

Let me know how you get on and I'll pass on any info I get from my mate once his has been done... Sorry I don't have a PROPER solution for you.

PS.. His was always SKYSP1 that went... Right in the middle of the footie!!
 
Thanks for the reply crazyjim.

It's a tricky and frustrating one isn't it :willy nilly::willy nilly:

It's not the server, not the channel list and it because of the low SNR, all indications seem to suggest the satellite alignment BUT why are most channels perfect with 74% or more SNR.

As I said, this happens only on my sisters set-up and I am using the same server but different line and ALL my channels are perfect.

Just so disappointing it is not replicated on her set-up.

Next time I am round there I might give the dish a nudge and see what happens but I really would have thought if it was out of line all, if not most channels, would be effected but this is not the case. After all, all Sky channels feed off the same 28.2 satellite and all appears fine but in my instance some channels have a watchable 74% SNR whilst SS2, SS5 & Boxnation have "No Signal" at just 7% SNR.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!
 
I have sat for hours trying to explain why to my mate and just came to the conclusion I was talking out of my ass because I too couldnt find the logic, also I'm an technical analyst by trade as well!!

I guess we need someone who understands satallite signal to tells us to shut up and provide a solution because in his setup all thats left is the dish....
Even went from 4mb broadband to 70mb fibre in case it was that, only £5 extra a month so he was happy to do that anyway!

Drove me crackers and I forot about it until I saw your post... lol
 
As the channels not working are all on v channel you could need signal fix as horizontal and vertical polarity work at different voltage look on ebay for no signal fix for openbox
 
Cheers newman... Thx for your knowledge!

From amaz0n... BIFFSTICK THE BEST NO SIGNAL FIX FOR SKYBOX F3 F4 F5 F3S F5S LIBERTVIEW F5 F5S OPENBOX V3S V5S S9 S10 S11 Do I Need A BIFFSTICK If your box is saying NO SIGNAL on some channels and other channels are ok Then you probably have a quad LNB or a universal one,Which is causing these problems These LNB's use 18v for horizontal frequency's and 13v for vertical frequency's A few satellite receivers use a higher voltage and they cant switch between horizontal and vertical Then you can get a Blue No Signal picture on some channels You will need a BIFFSTICK to fix the voltage problem This will not work if all your channels say NO SIGNAL Some channels that may be affected. sky1 skyaltantic watch alibi gold lifetime drama mtv sky2 pick really home goodfood skyshowcase film4HD skysports2 skysports5 eurosport chelseatv boxnation skynews eden yesterday cartoonnetwork mtvbase mtvhits mtvdance mtvrocks vh1 viva thebox kiss smashhits and lots more HOW TO FIT Just connect the Male end to the Skybox and the female end to your satellite dish cable if you have any questions don't hesitate to contact us
 
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Thanks very much for the reply newman52 and I must say that this item seems the perfect fix as most of the "No Signal" channels that are missing with just 7% SNR are listed in the eBay listings of those selling the "BIFFSTICK".

I'll order one and see how it goes.

Many thanks again.
 
karltin said:
Thanks very much for the reply newman52 and I must say that this item seems the perfect fix as most of the "No Signal" channels that are missing with just 7% SNR are listed in the eBay listings of those selling the "BIFFSTICK".

I'll order one and see how it goes.

Many thanks again.
Click to expand...

Do you use the loop out connection or a Sly box off the same LNB? i had similar issues, used the no signal fix, but the loop connection into the sly box meant if it was doing any on demand recordings etc even though it was in standby it would drop the signal strength on the channels you mention.
 
Do you use the loop out connection or a Sly box off the same LNB? i had similar issues, used the no signal fix, but the loop connection into the sly box meant if it was doing any on demand recordings etc even though it was in standby it would drop the signal strength on the channels you mention.[/QUOTE]

Only have 1 cable going in the OpenBox which is LNB IN without the LOOP connected. Have tried it with the LOOP connected and still the same issues with the weak SNR only on certain channels.
 
karltin said:
Do you use the loop out connection or a Sly box off the same LNB? i had similar issues, used the no signal fix, but the loop connection into the sly box meant if it was doing any on demand recordings etc even though it was in standby it would drop the signal strength on the channels you mention.
Click to expand...

Only have 1 cable going in the OpenBox which is LNB IN without the LOOP connected. Have tried it with the LOOP connected and still the same issues with the weak SNR only on certain channels.[/QUOTE]

the no signal fix should do the trick for you in that case
 
This normally only affects boxes which have another box connected to the same LNB.

karltin...does your Sister have another box connected to the same LNB (A Sky+ box for example?). If so, try unplugging the LNB connections on the Sky+ box & see if the missing channels reappear.

As crazyjim mentions, his friend uses a communal dish, so it's shared with others.
 
Kremmen said:
karltin...does your Sister have another box connected to the same LNB (A Sky+ box for example?). If so, try unplugging the LNB connections on the Sky+ box & see if the missing channels reappear.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply Kremmen but there is no other box connected to the same LNB. The only thing connected is the new Openbox V5s and I am faced with the issues stated.
 
Crazyjim I think is on the right track. My V5S box started playing up and giving the same symptoms. Firstly I upgraded to a newer V8S box and all is well however, moving the old box into another room I decided to have a play. This is the result....a FIX!! Well it works for me.
I think it has to do with the older boxes having voltage issues, unable to move between the scale of frequencies H & V so what I did was to go to the channel I couldn't receive, e.g. Sky Premier, 'No Signal!' on the screen, then I navigated the menu until I got the page and third line down to LNB Settings. When in this screen you will see that your strength & quality bars are grey'd out. What I did was to change the frequency one at a time until they eventually changed to strong green n blue bars. Then exit and check if channel has appeared. Slow process until it kicks in.
Normally I have it set to Universal 9750-10750 where I get nearly everything but I couldn't get any of the movie channels set in the programme list. By moving the frequency of the LNB to 9750 I get all the movie channels. I lose a lot of the rest but now it's an easy fix if I want movies then change it back for normal viewing.
 
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I installed a brand new v8s yesterday afternoon, and was also suffereing poor snr signals on certain channels, in particular HD channels, checked all connections, checked dish was secure / LNB was not damaged, antenna setup in menu was stating the box was receiving 90%/85%, so I suspected poor reception due to the weather conditions yesterday afternoon
Turned the box on this morning and have no poor signal reception on any of the channels that were poor yesterday. I can only assume it was down to the weather. just a thought for others suffereing from poor signals = possible poor weather?

just updated the channels list ok, which has solved channel five not being available as well.

looking forward to playing with its other features, over the christmas holiday period
 
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