Sky Sports : "No Satellite Signal Is Being received"

[Phaedra]

Can anyone help?

i'm visiting my mother in Tenerife.

She has a massive dish - 3m I'd guess.
She can receive most channels - BBC 1, 2 ITVs etc
She has a subscription to Sky Sports (loves tennis).
Yet all of the Sky Sports channels give the error : No Satellite Signal is being received.

Now I know that Sky has been changing or already has changed satellites but I don't know if we have to do anything to change to the new satellite frequencies - or is it done automatically?

Or is it that she'll no longer be able to receive those channels. If so, I'll recommend that she cancels her Sky Sports subscription.

Can anyone help? - (before people start on  about internet TV - she has no internet)

[potash]

I think I am right on this you need a hd box and pay for sky hd then you get sky sports 1/2 and 4 and euro sport you should get channel  four on other channels the tennis is on itv4 hd at present as well

ps don't get paying silly money for a  hd box look on your local face book selling site .

the best person to ask is denby on this site (ZappaRocks ) with a 3 meter dish you should be able to receive all sky programs

[Phaedra]

I should say she used to be able to receive Sky Sports.

If anyone can confirm that by upgrading to HD she will be able to receive the sports channels I'll happily pay the the 5.25 pm extra.

.....this sounds like a stupid question even as I write it but here goes ....

Can you watch the HD channels (if you've subscribed to HD) with a standard box?
I realise it won't be high definition but will she be able to see the HD channels in SD (just until she gets a HD Box)?

[potash]

pm satandpcguy he is well  up on these matters if you can get bbc  ect on the dish sky should be no problem.

  http://www.satandpcguy.com/

[satandpcguy]

Normally I would have said that if you are receiving BBC channels, then you should also be receiving the Sky Sports channels.

BBC Channels are on 1Ns so called "UK beam", and most of the Sky sports are on 1N Eurobeam, the latters supposable more "expat friendly" than the former. But not too sure about this where you are, but would expect it to be so.

So before upgrading to HD, check the system out. You may have an LNB issue, a dodgy cable connection, or a box problem, affecting a group of frequencies.

Of, if you are using a "non Sky box" perform a channel scan, as they may have moved frequencies, and the box may not be up to date.

"Can you watch the HD channels (if you've subscribed to HD) with a standard box? "
No. To watch the HD channels you need a HD box. They will not be able to be viewed in a SD box

[Phaedra]

Of, if you are using a "non Sky box" perform a channel scan, as they may have moved frequencies, and the box may not be up to date.

That could be it. It's an old Amstrad DV3.
I'll see if she knows where the manual is so I can find out how to channel scan.

[Phaedra]

Nope - couldn't find the manual.

Would method 2 on this page do the job?
http://www.ukfree.tv/helpme.php?faqid=1107051203

I'm concerned that that might wipe all her channels.

[potash]

 I thought I was right


satandpcguys reply


Can you watch the HD channels (if you've subscribed to HD) with a standard box? "

answer
No. To watch the HD channels you need a HD box. They will not be able to be viewed in a SD box

[satandpcguy]

Of, if you are using a "non Sky box" perform a channel scan, as they may have moved frequencies, and the box may not be up to date.

That could be it. It's an old Amstrad DV3.
I'll see if she knows where the manual is so I can find out how to channel scan.

The Amstrad DV3 is a sky box, so it should automatically up date frequencies. No need for a channel scan.

Would method 2 on this page do the job?
http://www.ukfree.tv/helpme.php?faqid=1107051203

I'm concerned that that might wipe all her channels.

If your LNB settings are not:
LO : 9.75
Hi : 10.60
Power : On
22khz: On

then yes your box will perform strangely. These LNB settings should never be changed, there is no reason to.

If you do change them then, for example, if the sky box is looking for a channel on frequency 12345, it will actually look for a frequency 12567. So the box will look for channel on the wrong frequency - and no signal.

[Phaedra]

You're all being so helpful - much appreciated.

The LNB settings are as they should be.
It's odd. On her online account it says she has subscribed to both Sky Sports 1 and 2 packages but for each of the sports channels she should get, she has that  "No Satellite Signal is being received." error message.

I've tried Method 1 - no help.

Would the method 3 on that page "Reset Method 3 - Upgrade the system software" be worth trying - or should that be automatic too?

I've just checked the Signal Strength and Quality and they are both low - I'd say about 10% - does this mean the Dish needs realigned or could it just be down to her location - she's in Los Gigantes. There are cliffs behind her house obscuring about 45° of the sky in the direction the satellite is aimed.

[potash]

Los Gigantes we have had some really good holidays there big Ron used to have a place on crab island I don't know if he still has. If your sky worked ok in the past it should be ok now I think you need a HD box I use a none sky hd box and it only  picks up  HD channels. Good luck

[admin]

I think you need a HD box I use a non sky hd box....

I'm not good about these things but surely there's more information in an HD signal and if her signal strength is low then - in my mind - she'd get even worse reception. .....no?

.....and it only  picks up  HD channels.

Does that mean she won't get SD BBC 1 etc?

[potash]

With a none hd box there is no signal perhaps its best to see if any of the people living near have sky hd and that it is working ok.

sorry fta channels should work ok

[satandpcguy]

The LNB settings are as they should be.

That's one problem out of the way.

It's odd. On her online account it says she has subscribed to both Sky Sports 1 and 2 packages but for each of the sports channels she should get, she has that  "No Satellite Signal is being received." error message.

You can still get "no signal messages" whether or not you subscribe to the channel.
The two are unrelated.

I think you can try Sky Atlantic also, as I think that is on the same frequency as some of the Sky Sports 1,2 and 3 channels.

Also note that if you are using an Irish Sky card, then the irish variations of some sky channels will have much different reception to some of the UK sky channels - there are irish versions for sky one, sky sport1, sky sport2, sky atlantic to name a few....



UPDATE:
However, I have recently read that others in your area have had issues with SSports in your area - as the beam they are on (1N Pan European) is hard to receive. This happened sometime in Jan / Feb. Going HD should get you back some of the channels, although I belive SSports3HD may also be hard to receive.

as mentioned: http://www.fuerteventura-forum.com/index.php?topic=13917.30

Would the method 3 on that page "Reset Method 3 - Upgrade the system software" be worth trying - or should that be automatic too?

New updates are rolled out to Sky boxes automatically.

I've just checked the Signal Strength and Quality and they are both low - I'd say about 10% - does this mean the Dish needs realigned or could it just be down to her location - she's in Los Gigantes.

The signal test screen on a sky box can be misleading.
It generally only checks the signal for the default transponder frequency - not the channel you want.
That is one frequency out of the 100 or so that are used for UK TV.
And some of the signals can vary during the say anyway.

It may simply be they are now on a frequency that is unavailable in your area - I cannot be more specific as channels chop and change frequencies all the time, and I am not based in the area. But even then upgrading to HD may not get you all the channels.

Does that mean she won't get SD BBC 1 etc?

A HD box gets both SD and HD channels.

[Phaedra]

I phoned a local recommended Sat company and explained my problem.

The guy at Menny Fix told me that the Sky Sports channels were no longer available in SD (outside the UK) but were available in HD.

He cautioned against getting HD however as he said Sky were going to change things yet again in 4 to 6 weeks and that no-one knew what the outcome of that would be.

Just have to wait I suppose.

[satandpcguy]

He cautioned against getting HD however as he said Sky were going to change things yet again in 4 to 6 weeks and that no-one knew what the outcome of that would be.
Just have to wait I suppose.

Not too sure about changes 4-6 weeks... maybe he is getting confused with the launch date of the 19th July for the new satellite, when it is actually scheduled for operations late August / Early September.  But as to what those changes due to the new satellite will be and how they will affect reception in Tenerife and mainland Spain, like you say, wait and see.

[woe10]

I cancelled my Sky Subscription. It's a complete waste of money now, you hardly get anything.

I can watch all I need to on my laptop via the internet with an HDMI cable into my HD tv. Cricfree and filmon have everything between them. ITV, BBC, Sky Sports etc... Happy days 

[Phaedra]

Can anyone help? - (before people start on  about internet TV - she has no internet)

Yup - internet for TV - I use it myself-

My mother on the other hand could not cope with it. She'd have trouble using a doorbell.
At least she can get Eurosport, ITV4, BBC 1 & 2 - between them she got the French Open . and will get Queens and Wimbledon.