Advice Needed Replaced LNB, still no signal quality on Box.

[NickJD]

Hi, I hope someone can help me.
I had a cira 25 year old Grundig dish, LNB and motor. Now I have replaced the LNB with a cheap SKYSAT make. I have not used the unit for a long time and the motor is now broke (I think).
I have tested the cable with a multimeter just to see if there are any breaks in it. When I connect everything up my sat box shows ~45% signal for the Hot Bird 1-5 13E (The dish is also pointed in that direction and did work on that satallite in the past) and no quality. I replaced the old LNB becuase the rain cover was broke and when I tested it, it showed no quality just signal (I expect signal was noise).
Now with the new LNB I get exactly the same issue which is no qulity just 45% signal. It is strange because if I unplug and plug in the new LNB then there is no difference between what the sat box shows me, it is as if the LNB has no effect. I understand that I may have the skew and other settings slightly off but I should still get something appearing on the sat box like a signal/quality fluctuation .
Does anyone have any ideas for me to try? I have tried two other boxes as well. Also I have checked all the satallites and options on the box and 13E has the best signal (Some have non) and non still have no quality.

I have attatched a photo of the new LNB and its specification.

 

[sonnetpete]

I have not used the unit for a long time and the motor is now broke (I think).

It could be one of several problems. If you think the motor is defective, I'd take it out of the circuit and connect your STB directly to the dish. I'd also check the connectors for corrosion and water ingress into the cable. After a 'long time' of disuse, ideally I'd be replacing all the cable. It's also possible that your dish has moved, check the anchoring points and dish mounts for excess movement. If they look ok you may have to realign it. Lastly, check that your receiver is using a transponder that still exists to provide your signal readout. If possible do a scan of 13E to check other transponders. I assume you are getting strength readings but no quality readings?

 

[NickJD]

What I have got right now is, The coax cable directly connected to the LNB and other end to the sat box (Manhattan SKYLINE1000). I have redone all the connectors and even taken them off and tried putting the bare copper end into the recievers (I know its not good but for a test and the results were the same). I will be replacing the cable next week anyway but I have tested the current one for breaks and a current does run through it atleast. The dish is pretty rusted in and the bolts holding it in look pretty unmoved for a long time. I would have thought even if it was out of line slightly I should get some fluctuation of signal when connecting the LNB which I do not. The sat box I have seems to only let me switch between pre-selected satellites. I have chosen HotBIRD 1-5 (13.0E) TP35 RAI 11766MHz and no positioner or skew

 

[Analoguesat]

11766V on 13E switched to DVB-S2 a few days ago so an old (DVB-S only) receiver wont see any signal.

Try 10815H 27500 5/6 which has Thai TV on it

 

[NickJD]

Those settings still show me the same lack of signal quality and scan shows nothing. I have attatched two pictures with the settings I am using. I have tried changing the settings and these are the defaults, I have turned the skew up and down and to 0 and still the same. the settings seem to have no effect at all apart from when I change satellite some have no signal at all even with the LNB unplugged. How can the LNB and dish not give any jump of signal at all. It is like it is not even taking signal from it.

 

[a33]

I understand that I may have the skew and other settings slightly off but I should still get something appearing on the sat box like a signal/quality fluctuation .
Does anyone have any ideas for me to try? I have tried two other boxes as well. Also I have checked all the satallites and options on the box and 13E has the best signal (Some have non) and non still have no quality.

With no signal quality on all boxes, I guess your dish is not pointing to any satellite you tried.
- While checking the motor, did you notice the dish turning on changing satellites? Did the command 'Goto 0' have an effect on the motor?
- Did you try your box on other dish-setups, to test of your box is OK?
- Do you have a satellite finder/satellite beeper, to check if you are aimed at a satellite, and to be able to roughly aim your dish?

greetz,
A33

 

[Channel Hopper]

First question should be, as always - what do you want to watch ?
Second question - what language do you wish to hear it in ?

 

[NickJD]

To a33:
The dish is in the 'relative' location of the satellite - The motor itself is broke - I have tried the same with two other boxes - I have no system for finding satellites apart from the signal icon from the box

To Channel Hopper:
This is really for my grandmother which wants to watch Italian TV in Italian. Rai 1 etc. This setup did used to work a few years ago (I have replaced the LNB now).

Thanks

 

[Channel Hopper]

If you use the scan facility on the receiver, from a cold start, which channel are shown on the listings ?

When the scan completes, how many channels do you get ?

 

[NickJD]

I have a card (do not know if it works) and I think atleast a few of the rai channels are still free. I am not even picking up one channel from any country. It is as if LNB and dish ar enot even connected to the box because I have no signal or anything when I plug the cable into the box.

 

[Mickha]

Buy a cheap satellite meter.


You can get one from £6-£10.
When connected between your LNB, and receiver, the meter will light up.
You then turn the knob, until the meter reads about 5, which it will do even if your dish is no where near a satellite, You then gently move your dish, until the meter reads 10, adjust the knob, untli it reads 5 again, then adjust your dish again.
You do this East/West, Up/Down, until you get the strongest signal possible, then scan in channels and check which satellite you are on.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Take/post a couple of images of the outdoor equipment from front and rear.

Nobody has built an extension in front of the dish by chance ?

 

[Lazarus]

I have a card (do not know if it works) and I think atleast a few of the rai channels are still free. I am not even picking up one channel from any country. It is as if LNB and dish ar enot even connected to the box because I have no signal or anything when I plug the cable into the box.

Yes, the SD versions of the Rai Channels remain largely unencrypted still, apart from when Premium Content such as Formula 1 is on. Rai Uno, Due and Tre are very popular viewing in our house.

 

[sonnetpete]

If the motor is broken (i.e. it won't move) and your grandmother only wants to watch Italian TV, I'd be inclined to simplify everything. Do away with the motor and install a new fixed dish aligned to 13E.

 

[NickJD]

Hi all,
I will try to answer all questions:

• I do indeed only want Italian so I believe the motor can be taken completely out of the equation.
• I think the dish is aligned to 13E. It was working on that alignment a few years ago and checking again online it looks like it is in the correct direction.
• My nan only wants the basic SD Rai channnels nothing fancy, at the moment she has nothing so just one channnel is better than nothing.
• About the signal meter, I thought those cheap ones were useless but I suppose if I am not even picking up one Sat then it could just tell me it is getting something rather than just noise.
• I have attatched some photos of the setup - It is very old but the cable and LNB are new atleast. I know the dish is dirty but signal should pass right through that.

 

[rolfw]

Just looks and appears from your posts that the dish needs realigning, the jack motor can remain in place and ignored.

 

[NickJD]

Hi, I am getting 44 signal and no quality, Even with a cable not connected to any lnb and dish ( cable is in box then other end not plugged into anything. I am guessing that is all noise. And the dish is in the right direction of 13E and I move it back and forth and get no changes.

Could my new LNB be faulty? Also how would I check it without another dish?

 

[dankargo]

Might be totally wrong here but could it possibly be something to do with the Coax cable? About 10 years ago my parents lost Turksat completely and after eliminating everything, it turned out water had got into the coax cable and corroded it. A new run and everything was back.

 

[a33]

... the jack motor can remain in place and ignored.

Well yes, it can, but how to find aim for the dish then? The dish/jack motor is not at zero-position now, so aiming would be rather difficult.
I was going to suggest finding the azimuthangle for aiming the dish with help of the sun, but with such a polar mount not at the zero-position that doesn't work, alas.

@NickJD :
How was the jack-motor fed with power, when it used to work? Not over a coax cable, I guess, but with 12 or 36 volts or so?
I'm no expert on jack motors, though.
But if you're wanting to use this equipment in a fixed setup, I would try to set the jack motor (or a substitute part in place of the jack) in the zero-position, and then further align the dish at 13E.

A satellite finder/beeper is giving feedback to find the direction of a satellite. For that it is usefull; once found, it has little extra use, so you are right there.

BTW.
DVB-T is not an option in Italy? Receivers are not expensive, and if antenna signal is OK in her area, that could work too.

Greetz,
A33

Edit: New posts since I started...:

And the dish is in the right direction of 13E and I move it back and forth and get no changes.

How do you move it back and forth?

44 signal but no quality: some boxes indicate a signal just to indicate that LNB-power is given by the box, I believe. Relevant is the no quality: You are evidently receiving nothing more than noise.
I wouldn't assume beforehand from these numbers, that your LNB is faulty. But of course it could be.

Trying another cable is indeed a good test, assuming that the dish might still be aimed correctly at 13E.

 

[sonnetpete]

DVB-T is not an option in Italy? Receivers are not expensive, and if antenna signal is OK in her area, that could work too.

I'm pretty sure the OP and the dish are based in the UK, not Italy...