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Partial Loss of some Sky Channels

RHQRHQ Posts: 21
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in Sky #1
I seem to have a strange issue. Around a fortnight ago, from around 2pm to around 7.30pm I lose some Sky Channels but not all. The ones I am interested in are Sky Sports 2, BT Sport 1&2, ESPN, Sky News, & Sky One. All other channels seem to be unaffected. I have an old Sky+ box & all that customer support can advise is changing to a new Sky+HD box. The thing is, if the channels come back in the evening & morning, how can it be a box problem?? Is this a 4G interference issue perhaps? Yes I've tried all the recommended fixes but nothing works. Seems very odd. Anyone had the same??? Any informed advice??

Comments

  • davemurgatroyddavemurgatroyd Posts: 13,328
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    #2
    RHQ wrote: »
    I seem to have a strange issue. Around a fortnight ago, from around 2pm to around 7.30pm I lose some Sky Channels but not all. The ones I am interested in are Sky Sports 2, BT Sport 1&2, ESPN, Sky News, & Sky One. All other channels seem to be unaffected. I have an old Sky+ box & all that customer support can advise is changing to a new Sky+HD box. The thing is, if the channels come back in the evening & morning, how can it be a box problem?? Is this a 4G interference issue perhaps? Yes I've tried all the recommended fixes but nothing works. Seems very odd. Anyone had the same??? Any informed advice??

    Your location would help - are you in a fringe area? Also manufacturer and model of box - on white printed label underneath OR manufacturer and Version Number from system details menu? Both essential info for any problem query as both can have problems specific to them.

    Symptoms of problem in early afternoon suggest overheating problems - heat building up in the morning and then cooling off in the evening. Is the box located in a hot sunny position/room or poorly ventilated with other equipment stacked below or above it?
  • RHQRHQ Posts: 21
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    #3
    I am in Redhill, Surrey, certainly not an out of the way area. The box is an original Pace model with the card slot on the left hand side, it has worked perfectly for years. It is located in probably the coolest place in the house. Would this be a dish problem? Things came back onstream at 4pm today when the sun went behind clouds.
  • RHQRHQ Posts: 21
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    #4
    Pace. 6.2.14. Version No 9F2103. Software version 5.08.6
  • gemmaovwales03gemmaovwales03 Posts: 7,183
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    #5
    Check your signal on the box. I had the same problem it was because the trees near our house had grown and blocked some of the signal. We had to have the dish moved.
  • jthspacejthspace Posts: 189
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    #6
    I had a similar problem years ago - in direct sunlight the reflected heat from the dish onto the LNB caused it to over-heat. In fact, the plastic cap on the front had deformed from the heat. If your kit is quite old (it sounds like it may be) then a new dish/LNB may be called for, they do not last forever. Have a look at it.

    Certainly do as was suggested - check the signal strength at various times of the day, if you can.

    Jeff
  • coopermanyorkscoopermanyorks Posts: 21,215
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    #7
    Your box is about 10 years old,personally I would be talking AGAIN to Sky about a deal to upgrade you SD to HD and a new Dish as part of the package with a 12 month warranty to cover you

    Or log into sky.com and enter the Mysky part of the site and look under offers
  • RHQRHQ Posts: 21
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    #8
    Appreciate the replies. Just getting some feedback is good before going back to Sky. It is very odd that some channels disappear but the majority are OK. Can anyone actually explain that?? |t probably points to a dish or LNB issue as that is where the signal is collected. HD is not something I need as I have a fantastic 32 inch plasma tv which gives a superb picture without HD & I am happy with it until the TV packs up.
  • MartinPickeringMartinPickering Posts: 3,711
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    #9
    Read this page: http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/no_signal_sunshine.htm

    Signal loss can also be caused by electronic equipment such as a "Snooper" radar device in a car nearby, a portable DECT phone, a wireless router and other equipment that transmits.
    See http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/no_satellite_signal.htm
  • RHQRHQ Posts: 21
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    #10
    Just thought I would update this. Had a nightmare trying to get a Sky service callout. I kept being put through to some idiot from the other side of the world who kept saying I had to take out an insurance policy. Complete Rubbish. Ended up getting an aerial company to take a look. They found straight away that the box was fine but only receiving limited signal from the LNB/Aerial. Then I finally got Sky to come round but they refused to change the aerial as it was fitted too high up! Give me strength. So called the aerial company again & they fitted a brand new aerial & LNB (at quite an expense) & things have been fine since. Customer service from Sky? One out of ten & that's being generous.
  • Mystic EddyMystic Eddy Posts: 3,987
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    #11
    They should have got their special heights team out to sort it for you. If I were you, I'd be asking Sky for some compensation for you having to pay over the odds for a service their callout should have covered.
  • MartinPickeringMartinPickering Posts: 3,711
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    #12
    They should have replaced the dish, not the aerial. However, the new LNB is probably all that was needed. And, in my experience, simply cleaning up the connections would probably have fixed it, since they are invariably installed with inadequate weatherproofing.
  • bobcarbobcar Posts: 19,424
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    #13
    MartinPickering wrote: »
    They should have replaced the dish, not the aerial.

    Is a dish not an aerial? I would have thought so - I'd have called it a parabolic aerial in full.
  • simon194simon194 Posts: 1,888
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    #14
    bobcar wrote: »
    Is a dish not an aerial? I would have thought so - I'd have called it a parabolic aerial in full.

    Actually "Parabolic Reflector Antenna" these days although the National Archives does have a paper from 1928 detailing an "Aerial parabolic reflector for short wave work".
  • bobcarbobcar Posts: 19,424
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    #15
    simon194 wrote: »
    Actually "Parabolic Reflector Antenna" these days although the National Archives does have a paper from 1928 detailing an "Aerial parabolic reflector for short wave work".

    I'd say that makes it an aerial.

    Also from the OED:
    Aerial: A rod, wire, or other structure by which signals are transmitted or received as part of a radio or television transmission or receiving system.

    That definition at least makes a dish an aerial.

    I'd say antenna and aerial were pretty much interchangeable, the OED agrees.
    Antenna: Another term for aerial.
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