ok - ill Pm u!

cheers Russ D

Not really, attenuation in the freq actually used by the services is very controlled with all other freq getting negligable attenuation.
They do not filter out noise afaik they are there to control slope/tilt, simulate extra cable length to balance signal and lower signal by a set db. Somewhere if you search for attenuator you'll come across a full post on dot com explaining this in full.


[edit]look at the last post in this thread :)

I'm not sure if my problem is the same but it's certainly similar - though I wasn't blaming the STB.

Anyway, I came here to post a query and found this thread so, rather than start a new one, I'll just tack it on here.

I have experienced a dropped connection, several times a day, from day 1 of connection (actually, I can't really remember day 1 as I was too excited :D , but it was definitely around then).

I live in the POOLE (Dorset) area and have a 2000 STB (unattenuated, I believe) with a USB connection. AFAIAA the TV reception is unaffected. Noone uses interactive, so I don't know about that

The connection is reestablished by un/replugging the USB or rebooting the PC. Hence I figured it was either the PC, the USB driver, or the server - but not the box.

I have never noticed the connection re-establishing itself without intervention.

I have a packet sniffer but, as the disconnects are random, I have not yet managed to capture the connections dying words.

However once the connection is lost the PC sends a poll, once a second, as follows:

Source MAC : 00:00:00:00:00:00
Dest MAC : FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF (Broadcast)
Protocol : 0x0806 (ARP)
ARP Header
H/W Type : 0x001 (Ethernet)
Protocol Type : 0x0800 (IP)
Operation : 1 (Request)
Source Address : MY IP ADDR
Dest Address : 60.5.234.1 (NTL public pool 2)

I am not sure if this is significant, although it is interesting that my IP address is retained.

I wondered whether the server is sending some kind of handshake to me to which the reply is blocked by my firewall, so it eventually times out and kicks me off.

My questions for you knowledgable guys, therefore, are:

1. Is the handshake/no response theory a possibility?
2. Any ideas as to what is happening (or not) with the ARP poll?
3. Do you still reckon it could be the STB?
4. If so, can it be fixed or is it just another little pile of dog do on the path of life?

Thanks very much.

Dest Address in previous post should, of course, read 80.5.234.1 not 60.5.234.1.