Shared dish pixellation. Gradual signal strength and quality deterioration overnight.

[Nicw61]

Hi all

Shared dish. MDU (Multiple dwelling engineer) has installed. Now after few days being fine, experiencing consistent signal strength (100 to 70) and quality (90 to 70)  degradation overnight resulting in increasing pixellation. 

Only temp fix is power cycling twice to reset the LNB from wideband and then back to "SCR".  Everything is fine all day and evening, so at least 12-15 hours perfect. Next morning, same worsening pixellation.

It seems reading lots of entries on this am not the only sufferer amongst us scarce shared dish users. It seems to me my only recourse is calling out the rare MDU engineer again AFTER it degrades. 

Have seen comments about realigning dish, wifi interference et al  but honestly if all  is ok (indeed much better quality signal strength, quality than ever wity my previous own dish) for such an extended period this sounds to me like a gradual technical issue with the hardware / software deterioration / signal synch. 

Any thoughts, anyone before I demand an MDU engineer callout.... as it took 14 days to get one out last time as there are so few qualified now.

My only thought, leave box on and playing overnight to see if this avoids degradation... 

[Godfrey]

@Nicw61   Can you confirm whether this Sky Q installation required a Sky Multiple Development Unit (MDU) trained engineer to install a Unitron dCSS-422 Sky Q Plug-In adaptor in the central Integrated Reception System (IRS) distribution cabinet that serves your flat.

If this adaptor was required to be fitted, has a 'Power Inserter' been installed in your flat in order to remotely power this device, because power was not available in the central IRS distribution cabinet that serves your flat.  

Godfrey.

[Nicw61]

Hi,

This issue is, I believe, MDU (multiple dwelling unit - i.e. shared dish) specific.

In wondering what could cause everything to be fine throughout the day/evening then only deteriorate overnight, I remembered "ECO mode" now defaults to being set ON. I turned this OFF and everything now seems fine. So, the only downside of a SkyQ installation in MDU is the box cannot be set in ECO mode overnight (default is ON fom 2:30am after all recordings completed)

So, problem now solved. For Sky Q on MDU one needs:-

1. LCB type to be set to to SCR

2. ECO mode OFF

And a power recycle (aka "hard boot")

[Godfrey · Accepted solution]

@Nicw61  If your recent communal installation was correctly powering either the Unitron dCSS-422 Sky Q Plug-In adaptor / dSCR multiswitch that provides the SCR feed to your flat, you should be able to operate any Sky Q receiver in ECO mode.

I strongly suggest that instead of having to use a non ECO power mode to get around this problem you ask Sky to arrange for the attendance of a MDU trained engineer to analyse why this is happening and then rectify this specific installation problem.

Godfrey.

[Nicw61]

Hi all, and especially @Godfrey [thanks]

Turns out my "fix" above is only temporary. Following a visit by a specialist MDU engineer it turns out that the installed MDU equipment ("Whyte" boxes, NOT Sky Unitron) are providing "too much" power/signal strength. I copy/paste the engineers description (protecting names) below, in case this helps others. 

"The issue was visible pixelation across all channels, more so your HD channels. This also included intermittent No Satellite Signal on screen message appearing.

After testing the communal satellite system, I noticed the cause of the above issue was high power (dbuv) on the trunk lines into the Whyte satellite system.

With these systems we have noted that should the DbUV values on the polarities entering the system go above 83dbuv this causes pixelation and signal loss for Sky Q. 

I recorded values up to 89dbuv across all 4 polarities from the trunk lines.

As the equipment in your property is not Sky owned, my advice would be to contact your managing agent and have them provide a contractor that would be able to correct the values discussed above.

This will return your service to working order."

So one "solution" is apparently for the originating contractors to add some "bullet attenuators" to reduce the  dbuv value. This I am trying to arrange, and will report back if this fixes the problem. Ho hum 😞