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Freesat problems
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Old 05-12-2020, 16:14   #1
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Freesat problems

Why does certain channels have a message ; Signal weak and there is no picture. Why does BBC Channel picture go distorted and disappear when the weather is bad, Really find this annoying. as far as i know my dish is fitted properly and firm. Any advice .
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Old 05-12-2020, 16:19   #2
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Re: Freesat problems

Probably because your signal isn't strong enough, the dish may not be in the best position or location.

Other people here with dishes should be able to give advice.
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Old 05-12-2020, 16:42   #3
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Re: Freesat problems

Trees or other foliage in the line of sight can cause this.

My sister has this problem with her Sky satellite dish and is going to get the tree that has grown in the way lopped.
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Old 05-12-2020, 16:50   #4
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Re: Freesat problems

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Originally Posted by SnoopZ View Post
Probably because your signal isn't strong enough, the dish may not be in the best position or location.

Other people here with dishes should be able to give advice.
My dish has been in the same position for years and all was well. Thanks for the reply Snoop, Waiting for more replies
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Old 05-12-2020, 17:16   #5
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Re: Freesat problems

Either your dish is misaligned, or the weather is getting in to either the LNB (the block on the end of the dish arm) or the cable.

The Scottish weather is not kind to satellite installations. Dishes can move a fraction at a time over a period of years when there are high winds. The plastic that the LNB is made of will eventually become brittle and crack, and water will get in. Or, repeated, gradual flexing of the cable will eventually expose the connectors and let water in.

The only solution is to get an aerial installer to come and check the dish. They will ensure it is correctly aligned, and they will check the LNB and cable for signs of weathering, and replace parts as required. There's no way around this, it is going to need professional attention and it is going to cost you money (in the region of £100 most likely).
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Old 05-12-2020, 17:32   #6
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Re: Freesat problems

The LNB (the bit on the end of the pole jutting out of the dish) and the cabling can be affected by weather over the years. You may need to replace one or the other, or both, or the connectors between them. They can get waterlogged or corroded over time, for example.

It could also still be the position, don't dismiss it too soon because it looks fine to the eye and isn't swaying in the breeze. Wind over the years may have slightly changed the alignment of the dish, or the LNB relative to the dish.

Some tuners have a different sensitivity to others, can you borrow another box to see if that has it any better? It could be the box, though less likely.

---------- Post added at 16:32 ---------- Previous post was at 16:30 ----------

I see I was beaten to it as I was composing.

Chris' explanation is better.
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Old 05-12-2020, 17:45   #7
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Re: Freesat problems

I think Nashville is waiting to see how many people say the same thing before she's ready to pay someone to come out ...
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Old 05-12-2020, 17:46   #8
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Re: Freesat problems

My box is not really old and i do not know anyone else with another box, I still have Virgin in another room with the basic channels that I do not use that I could change back too, but do did not want to do this as I like Freesat, But £100 is a lot of money to pay out. Thanks for your help .
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Old 05-12-2020, 18:02   #9
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Re: Freesat problems

Is it as simple as snow on the dish or LNB?
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Old 05-12-2020, 18:50   #10
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Re: Freesat problems

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Is it as simple as snow on the dish or LNB?
Probable be as you say but £100 is a lot of money for a call out ,
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Old 05-12-2020, 23:58   #11
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Re: Freesat problems

If some channels play fine and others do not I would not think it is water damage as this would in theory effect all the channels

You could get a digital sat finder and check alignment yourself or get a friend to . These devices can be got for a tenner
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Old 06-12-2020, 00:07   #12
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Re: Freesat problems

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaymoss View Post
If some channels play fine and others do not I would not think it is water damage as this would in theory effect all the channels

You could get a digital sat finder and check alignment yourself or get a friend to . These devices can be got for a tenner
Not really - the sats used to broadcast to the UK are not all in exactly the same place and correct dish alignment is a compromise between them rather than a precise alignment to any one. The dish will be better aligned to some than others (and to complicate things still further each sat beam’s footprint is different, which makes more of a difference closer to the edges, in Scotland for instance).

In short, a perfectly balanced system will be receiving signals from multiple sats at multiple strengths, and when it becomes imbalanced by anything that compromises signal strength at the set top box, some channels will be more significantly impacted than others.

(I have had a water damaged LNB, and it didn’t go from perfect to total failure overnight - it suffered degraded performance that affected some channels more than others as Nashville has described. Though in general I do agree a dish that has shifted slightly is the more likely explanation in her case).

Last edited by Chris; 06-12-2020 at 00:10.
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Old 06-12-2020, 14:31   #13
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Re: Freesat problems

Well put Chris.

Not that'll it'll make much difference, but I'm further north than user nashville and I get pretty great reception on everything, and my installation is as old as Switchover.

My current set-up was professionally installed, but my previous one I did myself and I can attest to how tiny differences in movement, and other things, can make a big difference to reception.

I've even had an indoor dish (!) , and glass can be all that's needed to make some channels either borderline or stop reception altogether.
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