Found out recently that I cannot access BBC1 while recording More 4 and vice versa. When I try I get a 'no or bad signal' message. Not yet been able to work out if this follows other channel combinations.

Also noted if I move between certain channels (including those two) I get the same message up for a second before the channel appears.

This is what I expected might be encountered if running with single LNB but was installed with two connections (and further line into bedroom for an spare Sky box which seems to be working fine when I've set up today, including when the Humax was on).

Any ideas? Could the dish installation be at fault?

Diagnostic shows signal strength at 100% for both tuners but 'quality' at 0%. The read outs for both tuners seem to look identical including figures above.

Also get the 'this channel is scrambled or is currently unavailable' message on certain channels (such as some of the Zone channels and radio channels).

Thanks

Try a factory reset first.

Grahams right, at 1st glance it sounds as if its been set up with 1 cable plugged in instead of 2 (the box remembers even when the 2nd is plugged in), so a factory reset should cure that.

If not, then its probably alignment or could be a faulty LNB although alignment is the number 1 suspect. If properly set up you should have quality around 90% overall in the set up menu although some individual channels may show lower in programme displays (its all due to the relative gains at different frequencies). Anything below 85-90% in the set up menu and the dish has been set up poorly in my opinion.

Don't worry about signal strength with good quality you'll also have strength but the same can't be said the other way around. I have 100% quality in my set up menu but then again I have a large dish which helps.

Thanks for the responses.

Have tried factory reset as well as checking connections but this hasn't resolved the problem. Set up clearly stated dual tuner was the detected option.

I've noted quality being up in the 80-90% range now depending on what channel I'm on though still some zero readings.

If problem was alignment would this be noticable in other ways (e.g. poor picture, sound etc). I think only other reaccuring problem is not being able to pick up some channels (scrambled or unavaliable message) when I think they should be broadcasting.

This is looking more and more like a dish alignment problem.

Digital TV does not react like Analogue to a declining signal. It will continue to work as the signal declines without loss of quality until the signal quality reaches a threshold (Known as the digital cliff) close to this the picture will be heavily pixellated and as quality declines just disappears (Falls of the digital cliff). In good weather my signal quality is 100% on most channels falling to around 75% on a few channels (at the high frequency end). The fact that you have some with 0% shows that you have a problem with your signal. Most likely it's dish alignment but it could be cabling, a faulty lnb or even interference. If you have any rf radiating equipment, cordless phone wifi router etc try turning them off.

Good Luck

following the theme of dish setup, have you looked at the skew of your LNB? Depending where you are in the UK the LNB should be rotated about 13 degrees clockwise when looking at the surface of the dish. I understand that bad skew particularly causes problems with BBC. There are various sites that can calculate the correct skew setting for you depending on your location.

Thanks for posts. I think looking at alignment sounds like a good idea to resolve quality issues.

Is this likely to be the cause of the BBC1 / More4 conflicts? I can pick up both ok on their own but seem to have a problem picking up one while recording another.

In theory it should not as each tuner feed is independent. But I suppose it's possible that with a very marginal signal there might be some interaction internally in the foxsat.
E4 should be similarly affected (it's on the same transponder as more 4).


This might help if you are doing the alignment check yourself

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...05&postcount=4

As previously noted if recording BBC1 I can't obtain a More4 signal (or E4 or ITV2 etc). Have not yet resolved the signal problems but now observed related behaviour which seems to explain majority of recording failures I've experienced:

- if have BBC1 on prior to putting the box into standby the humax will wake up to record a More4/ E4 program but not start recording (I'm using 'on time') and I get a failed recording.
- if I take the box out of standby for some reason the recording does start but if I stay on BBC1 it seems nothing is recorded and I don't get any indication of a failed recording.
- if I move away from BBC1 the recording appears to work from that point. I end up with a recording of broadly the correct length but if I watch it starts midway through at the point I'd moved from BBC1.

I wonder if one of the OP's LNB outputs is stuck on one band (hi or low) or one polarisation (V or H). If so, there could be a fault with the LNB or with the HDR not outputting the right control to the LNB. If it's a quad LNB, there may be a spare output and moving the cable on to that would check this out.

The reason for thinking this might be the problem is that, if the LNB is stuck, it would still work on some channels and moving away from BBC1 may allow the HDR to use the other tuner which happens to be connected to the unstuck LNB. Just a theory, might be clutching at straws, might be worth trying.

Thanks - I think you've nailed this.

Tried with just one line in at a time and clear that with the signal I had in LNB1 input I can't pick up anything with V polarisation. Have tried a Sky box with the same line and got no signal at all so think this proves its the dish/LNB at fault not the Humax and my installer is due a call.

I'm not sure this alone explains recording failures when the box was in standby unless its also the case that the humax typically only used LNB1 in this state and so didn't access the healthy LNB2 signal. I've had no failures on test recordings since I switched the two inputs round so maybe this is the case.

Am I right also that the diagnostic seems to only pick up the signal from LNB1 even though two tuners are shown? If so I think this explains why this sometimes showed 0% quality yet actual pictures seemed fine.
Last edited by rich24 : 08-03-2009 at 14:36

Yes indeed this is correct. This shows that as you had it set up there was a fault on LNB1.

For completeness I've finally been able to get my dish installer out and they confirmed the suspected problem of a faulty LNB. I've had no recording problems since this was fixed and am very happy with the Humax product.

Thanks to those who helped.

Hi... I've just started getting this problem. If I'm recording one channel I can't always watch another one. Also, there's a delay with 'No or bad signal' when switching from one channel to another.

I was one of the first to get this box and had the satellite installed for it and it's worked perfectly up to now..

So, rich24, was yours a new installation? I'm guessing from this thread that my best bet is to get the installer out. Unless anyone has any other ideas?

eek.... I tried a factory reset, and now can't get any channels at all! I tried entering the transponder details manually, yet still can't find anything... I'm not popular in my house !

I take it you have checked the connections on your box. If not take them out and try them in the opposing slots. If already done sorry.

Wear a crash helmet to avoid objects lobbed at you

I hadn't tried that... But the satellite man was able to come out this morning and fixed the transponder so all is now well!

And body armour is normal attire with a teenage son I really should get ear muffs as well!

He must have a long ladder

Sorry, couldn't resist.


Les.

Good. Glad all is sorted. Ah teenagers, should all be sent to boarding school

I'm sure thats what he said oh well.... I'm a mere(sp) woman - what can I say!