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The importance of getting
the LNB skew angle correct.
Skew refers to the angle of the LNB relative to the rest of the dish.
All geostationary satellite systems have to be located above the
equator. If they were anywhere else they would not be able to match
the rotation of the earth and would wander across the sky, making it
impossible for a domestic dish to track them. The various systems are
scattered in a line all around the equator, and Astra 2 which carries
the UK channels is located at longitude 28.2ºE (hence the 28.2
reference - isn't science wonderful!)
Now think about the curvature of the earth. Because
Astra 2 is to the east of us, and therefore further round the earth,
it appears to be tilted as viewed by us (or at least it would if we
had a big enough telescope!) That means the LNB has to be tilted to a
similar angle so that it matches the geometry of the satellite. The
degree of tilt varies depending on whereabouts you are. In Britain, it
varies from about 15º in the north of Scotland to around 22º
in Cornwall, in each case clockwise as viewed facing the front of the
dish. As you travel east, the amount of skew will get less until when
you reach longitude 28, it is zero. Further east still and the skew
increases again but anticlockwise. All UK domestic dishes have a
certain amount of skew built in and you will see this if you look at a
dish - the LNB will appear to be lobsided. In strong signal areas,
skew isn't all that important but as you approach the fringes of the
signal footprint it becomes ever more crucial to getting good
reception. The LNB is locked in place by either a screw or a nut.
Loosen it and the LNB will rotate in its housing. Rotate it one way or
the other until the signal quality on the Signal Test screen is
maximised.
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Reloading your digibox
software.
If your digibox begins to behave erratically or not at all, it might
need its software reloading in order to work properly again. This can
be arranged by ringing your viewing card help line, but you can do it
yourself. [However, do please read this warning
before going ahead. Manual software downloads seem to have become the
latest flavour of the month, partly as a result of ill-judged advice
on online forums. Just occasionally, it might be necessary but you
should treat it as a last resort. Consider this - if it were such a
panacea, your digibox instruction manual would tell you how to do it.
It doesn't and for a very good reason - you could seriously screw up
the digibox. Sky digiboxes are designed to be left powered up
continuously and will automatically download any software upgrade as
and when it comes available. Only if the digibox has been without
power for some time and isn't working properly should you consider it.
If you still think you need to force a manual download, go ahead but
do make sure it's your only option before doing so. Even then, you
should exercise caution. Some older Panasonic digiboxes (especially
the 30/31 series models) are now running out of memory space for
today's larger downloads and seem to have particular difficulty coping
with manual downloads. I accept no responsibility for problems
arising!]
First make sure the digibox is connected to a dish
and the signal quality is adequate (at least 40%). Power the digibox
off at the wall for 10-15 seconds. Then press the Back Up button on
the facia of the digibox (not the remote) and keeping it pressed,
switch the mains back on and keep the button pressed for about 15 secs
until all the indicator lights come on. The download takes about 10
minutes after which the box will go into standby. If after say half an
hour, the digibox still hasn't gone into standby it probably means the
download hasn't worked. That's not normally a problem - if a download
fails, the existing software is simply reinstated so you end up as you
were before. However, there's every chance that a second attempt will
be just as fruitless - try it and keep your fingers crossed!
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Resetting the LNB if it
loses power.
If you get the message 'No satellite signal is being received' and it
is persistent even in reasonable weather conditions, try this.
On the remote control, press Services and select System set-up. Enter
"01" and then press Select. This accesses a hidden
installer's menu (the same procedure as for changing the default
transponder in southern Europe). Scroll to LNB Power Supply use the
right arrow key to move it to "OFF". Scroll to 22KHz Command
and do the same. Go to Save New Settings and press Select which will
return you to the Installer Setup screen. Press 1 to return to the LNB
Power Supply screen and press the red button to reset everything. The
2 options will return to ON. go to Save New Settings and press Select
again, and finally press the Sky button to leave the menu screens.
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Is it possible to get
foreign-language stations using a Sky digibox?
This is a bit outside the remit of my site but some people might find
it of interest so I'm including it for now. If the site continues to
grow, I might have to rethink it!
(Meanwhile, thanks to Patrick Martin for this
information.)
The Astra 1 system (which used to carry Sky's analogue service) now
transmits digital stations to Europe. Most of the main European
languages are available together with several more obscure ones such
as Basque and Arabic. Many of the stations on Astra 1 are transmitted
unencrypted and don't need a viewing card. Patrick says :
Look up the information you need on
http://www.ses-astra.com/tv-radio/guide/lineup/markets/ALL192_all.htm.
RAI Uno for example is 10.788 Ghz, V, 22.0, 5/6. Point your dish at
19.2°E and find the satellite. You will not get anything on the
'Signal Quality' bar and 'Lock Indicator' says 'Not Locked'. 'Network
ID' and 'Transport Stream' will remain at '0000'. You should get
plenty of 'Signal Strength'. I get about 80% in Ramsey. Now choose
'Add Channels'. For 'Frequency (GHz)' type '10788', for 'Polarisation'
select 'V', for 'Symbol Rate (mbaud)' select '22.0' and for 'FEC'
select '5/6'. Now select 'Find Channels' and a list will pop up. Move
cursor to 'RAI1' and press the yellow button then 'Select'. Back out
and select 'Other Channels'. Select RAI1 and enjoy!
You might also like
to see Diane London's more extensive article on the subject -
click here. Diane has done a
lot of practical research into finding foreign channels on satellite
and her article will be of interest to anyone looking for the same
kind of thing.
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Storing the digibox out
of sight.
It might be a matter of convenience, it might be one of security, but
many people will prefer not to have the digibox in plain view in their
caravan. All you need is a TV-link gadget, made by Global. If you put
'global tv link' into Google, it'll give you a number of suppliers and
the unit will cost you less than £10. It plugs into the RF2
socket at the back of the receiver and has a small neat infrared eye
that can be placed on or velcroed to any suitable surface. Your Sky
remote control will then work the digibox even while it's out of
sight. There are also wireless versions, rather more expensive of
course, that will remove the need to have a co-ax cable running from
the digibox to the TV. One such gadget is called the Digi-Eye. Again
Google will point you in the right direction. Just one word of warning
though - Sky digiboxes need to be ventilated so make sure there's
plenty of space around it and it's not crammed up against sleeping
bags or duvets.
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Programming the Sky
remote control to operate the TV.
Switch on the digibox and press Interactive on the remote control.
(It is not necessary to have the digibox connected to a phone line.)
There will be a pause and you will then get a list of options. Select
5 Sky Customer Service;
Tab down to 'Customer Support' and press Select.
Select 'Technical support'.
On the next screen, select 'Why doesn't my Sky remote control my
TV?', then press 1 and simply follow the step-by-step instructions.
You will be asked to select your make and model of TV. If your
specific model is not listed, try the various codes provided for other
models. If they don't work, you will need to call your broadcaster's
help line.
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Can I preset the digibox
to record future programmes on different channels?
Yes. Press the "TV Guide" button on the remote to bring up
the 7-day TV guide. If you highlight the required future programme and
press "Select" another screen will appear that lists
programmes that have been added to the timer. Press the red button to
make the programme "Autoview" - the box should then change
to that channel automatically as the programme starts. Provided your
VCR is connected via a scart lead, some VCRs will automatically start
recording when the digibox switches on an autoview programme. You'll
need to experiment to see whether yours will. Failing that, you can
programme it to start recording off the digibox at the requisite
times, knowing that the digibox will switch itself to the right
channel each time. Don't forget that PDC (Programme Delivery Control)
does not work with digital transmissions.
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How to get the BBC
interactive pages in southern Europe.
I have known for some time that the BBCi pages (the 'red button'
stuff) are transmitted on the south beam, and that they are directly
accessible by non-Sky receivers. However you can't do that with a Sky
digibox but there's a trick which I had no idea about until now. A
Steve Clarke recently pointed me in the direction of an MMM forum post
by Derek Padley. Through Steve, I contacted Derek and got his
permission to include his tip here. My thanks to both of them.
Just a little tip on getting BBCi
interactive services if you are out of the UK and out of range of the
Astra 2d transponders. If you are using a Sky Digibox, go to BBC
Parliament on 504. This channel is broadcast on the south beam so you
can receive it with a very small dish all over Europe. From that
channel, via the red button you can get BBC News 24, along with
Showbiz, Sports and Business feeds etc.
If you have an FTA non-Sky box you can get the 'red button' BBC1/BBC2
services directly. These include loads of sports that aren't covered
on the main networks plus entertainment/concerts etc. To get these
'streams' you need to either do a full channel scan on Astra 28º
or the easier way to find them is to do it manually. Enter the
frequency:- 12441 Polarity: V SR: 27500 FEC 2/3 When you search you
will find on this transponder Radio 2 Radio 4 and the seven different
BBCi 'Streams'. If there is no broadcast using them there is a voice
over and a blue graphic.
Sometimes changing the default transponder to the
south beam means that Sky digiboxes won't pick up the EPG and
therefore won't give you any channels. This is described in my main
page, Section 5. If that happens, you should be able to add BBC
Parliament to Other Channels and access it that way. The tuning
details are 11.954, H, 27.5, 2/3.
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