[halloweenbabe]

Thomson Sky Plus Box (NOT HD)

Snow started at about 5-6pm - currently maybe 8ins on car roof.

So about 8pm Sky Box thought it was recording two channels - it lied. Wasn't recording anything.

Deleted the progs it thought it was recording. It just thought it was recording two others. So I did what I usually do when it does this - switched off at the wall, waited little and switched back on

Seemed to reboot OK (made appropriate whirrings) and proceeded to the Searching For Listings message. Which didn't go. After a few minutes switched it off again. But it never gets passed this Searching message.

Read the code 28 thread which had some useful info.

Looked at dish - which I cannot reach without a ladder or hanging out of neighbours window.

Dish itself is clear but the gubbins (arm) that extends from the dish to the lumpy thing at the end are all covered with maybe 1-2 inches snow (sorry female talking - don't know what's called what).

How much snow does it take to kill the signal?

What do I do - nothing tonight obviously - and hope sun comes up in the morning (as dish gets the early sun)?

Oh checked the Services/Signal - no values listed for both which I kinda expected.

Any ideas...

BTW: I can't see why when there is no satellite signal it affects the ability to watch existing recordings. Apart from the fact that seems to be the unfriendly way the system works/is programmed.

[howard h]

A few peeps round my way have been posting that snow has covered the LNB of the dish and the signal's gone. The signal will come back when the snow's melted.

So, look on the bright side, no Sky TV for a few days! Enjoy. Get out, listen to some music, get some mates round.....

[halloweenbabe]

Originally Posted by howard h

A few peeps round my way have been posting that snow has covered the LNB of the dish and the signal's gone. The signal will come back when the snow's melted.

So, look on the bright side, no Sky TV for a few days! Enjoy. Get out, listen to some music, get some mates round.....

Thanks HH. 99% chance things will be OK in the morning - unless the cold has broke sommat out there.

So what makes you think I have a life outside of my house? I have spent most of the last three weeks living in twitterland, reading/posting forums and generally taking root on my chair. Quite like it really.

But I may go out and make a snowman in the morning. Haven't seen this much snow for a while (OK before Xmas but before then.... I think they said 30 years on the news...)

[MARTYM8]

My Sky signal is starting to die. It seems to have started off with s few channels - then I was down to ITV/ITV2 etc and C4. Now I am hardly getting anything - strangely I get a signal on C4+1 but not C4.

Here's hoping it will be back on tomorrow - thank heavens for analogue tv as I can still watch the 5 terrestrial channels. How will we cope when they are switched off and it snows post 2012?!

[halloweenbabe]

Not sure when it resolved itself as I was in another room on the PC.

But now getting signals.

thanks for comments

[MARTYM8]

All my channels are back too - strange how these things happen. The channels were all fine while it was snowing - as soon as it stopped they all went and now are fine again.

[woodbush]

Originally Posted by halloweenbabe

Thomson Sky Plus Box (NOT HD)

Snow started at about 5-6pm - currently maybe 8ins on car roof.

So about 8pm Sky Box thought it was recording two channels - it lied. Wasn't recording anything.

Deleted the progs it thought it was recording. It just thought it was recording two others. So I did what I usually do when it does this - switched off at the wall, waited little and switched back on

Seemed to reboot OK (made appropriate whirrings) and proceeded to the Searching For Listings message. Which didn't go. After a few minutes switched it off again. But it never gets passed this Searching message.

Read the code 28 thread which had some useful info.

Looked at dish - which I cannot reach without a ladder or hanging out of neighbours window.

Dish itself is clear but the gubbins (arm) that extends from the dish to the lumpy thing at the end are all covered with maybe 1-2 inches snow (sorry female talking - don't know what's called what).

How much snow does it take to kill the signal?

What do I do - nothing tonight obviously - and hope sun comes up in the morning (as dish gets the early sun)?

Oh checked the Services/Signal - no values listed for both which I kinda expected.

Any ideas...

BTW: I can't see why when there is no satellite signal it affects the ability to watch existing recordings. Apart from the fact that seems to be the unfriendly way the system works/is programmed.

That's the LNB, it picks up the signal from the dish. If it has snow on the end it wont pick up signals.

[infra001]

Just wipe the snow off the dish and your signal will return. A broom is quite useful.

[ftv]

Originally Posted by infra001

Just wipe the snow off the dish and your signal will return. A broom is quite useful.

All Sky channels gone at 0630, switched to Freeview which is OK

[acmold0]

Originally Posted by infra001

Just wipe the snow off the dish and your signal will return. A broom is quite useful.

Mine is a garden mounted dish, twice I have had to go out with a soft brush and clear the snow from the arm that leads to the LNB. I was amazed how deep the snow was before the signal was lost, the first time it almost covered upto the top of the LNB.

[SKYtvFREAK]

Now this is why I wished our dish wasn't mounted on a paving slab and placed on top of our extention flat roof

[RHQ]

10 inches of snow overnight in Surrey & no Sky News this morning but everything else OK. Dish mounted on the roof, so I got a long piece of light timber from the garage & gave it whack, all the snow fell off, thats all it needs!

[Young Turks]

Originally Posted by RHQ

10 inches of snow overnight in Surrey & no Sky News this morning but everything else OK. Dish mounted on the roof, so I got a long piece of light timber from the garage & gave it whack, all the snow fell off, thats all it needs!

Why don't you give LNB a whack as well and let us know what happens?

[wod1]

also a water pistol with some hot water does the trick as well. before the snow came i spray wd40 or rub some furniture polish on the lnb to stop any rain gatherting up on it

[adc82140]

Been out twice with the broom today- this particular snowfall seems to be very wet & is sticking to everything, including the dish face itself.

[FreddieP]

Originally Posted by infra001

Just wipe the snow off the dish and your signal will return. A broom is quite useful.

We've just done this and ours is working fine now!!

[SKYtvFREAK]

Originally Posted by infra001

Just wipe the snow off the dish and your signal will return. A broom is quite useful.

Originally Posted by FreddieP

We've just done this and ours is working fine now!!

Agreed! The perfect solution, although trouble is you have to be careful to not knock the dish and move it out of position and also its only a short time fix until the LNB and dish gets covered again

[The Skyman]

do remember that the (Sky minidish) lnb holder is plastic and it becomes more brittle with the cold so be VERY Careful when trying to dislodge snow with poles/brooms etc. so you dont damage it!!!
The Skyman

[geoff77]

Identical situation with me. The Sky dish is covered with snow, and I cannot receive any signals. I tried a reboot, but still no signal. My dish is too high to shake with a broom - which might be just as well if damage can be done. Shame it looks like I will miss the footie tonight though

[RHQ]

My dish was very solidly fitted by a private aerial company & will withstand the occasional whack! Of course you could always request a sky call out to fix the problem, but they probably won't be able to help on H&S grounds!! If yours is fitted very high up just tie a soft brush onto a long piece of timber. What a day it has been & still snowing outside!

[MartinPickering]

Originally Posted by halloweenbabe

How much snow does it take to kill the signal?

One flake. I wrote about this here:
http://www.satcure.co.uk/reviews/review136.htm#00

[Bossworld]

Originally Posted by The Skyman

do remember that the (Sky minidish) lnb holder is plastic and it becomes more brittle with the cold so be VERY Careful when trying to dislodge snow with poles/brooms etc. so you dont damage it!!!
The Skyman

Easy in hindsight, i was hitting ours to clear the snow, worked for a bit then went off again. Tried to clear it, accidentally moved the LNB.

Went out again with my satellite adjusting broom handle (don't own a ladder), and i pushed the dish too far up.

Went out last night, noticed that the dish was angled back forward again... but the LNB has fallen off.

Doh.

[Ragnarok]

Originally Posted by halloweenbabe

Dish itself is clear but the gubbins (arm) that extends from the dish to the lumpy thing at the end are all covered with maybe 1-2 inches snow (sorry female talking - don't know what's called what).

How much snow does it take to kill the signal?

look at the LNB face that points at the dish, if it's cleal you should get a signal, if it's partially covered or covered no matter how much it's covered it will seriously dent or completely block your signal.