Magic eye problems

[Chris+r+d]

I have 4 magic eyes around my house and the same problem effects all of them sometimes the picture is fine but that's not very often I get a cracking sound on the picture that only get worse it becomes totally unwatchable the cable runs from the sky+ box up into the loft and into a splitter then feeds the 4 magic eyes the terrestrial channels that also come from the sky+ box are all unaffected and work well 

any help would be appreciated 

[Mark39]

@Chris+r+d which RF Output Channel is your Sky box set to? If it's the default 68, or any channel above 50, they're now used for cell phones, so it may be cell phone interference you're seeing. Try a lower RF Output Channel setting.

The less fixable possibility, is that the RF modulator in your Sky box is failing. When that happens, picture and sound are OK when you initially switch on, but gradually deteriorate to white noise and a distorted picture. When you switch off for a while it recovers, then the cycle repeats when you switch on again.

[Chris+r+d]

Thanks for your reply mark

to be honest I'm not sure exactly how to change the rf on the sky+ box Ive had a look and I'm unable to find what it's set on so if you could give me a few pointers that would be really helpful 

thanks again 

chris

[Mark39]

Sure - the setting is in the hidden Installer Menu, which you can access by keying Services,0,0,1,Select on your remote.

Make each key press without pausing, and don't wait for the screen to change. After Select you'll be in the Installer Menu, where you'll find the RF Ouput Channel setting.

After changing it press Green to save your setting.  You'll then need to retune all the TVs, I'm afraid, to pick up the new setting (so I'd suggest checking on one TV first that the problem has gone, before retuning the others)

.

[Chris+r+d]

Anyone know how I with limited means can test the RF 2 output on my sky h d box

[Mark39]

What issue in particular are you trying to test for?

[Chris+r+d]

I have tried most everything else I’ve looked on the installer menu and the channel is ste on 39  all the other channels are working through the same cable buy thay are digital the only thing that is not working is the analog and I also looked at the R F output in the installers menu and there is only a small amount of white showing on the right of the slide bar the rest is empty I am assuming that the white slide bar moves from right to left and while it says rf on I don't think I have much output on that side I'm just running out of things I can think off to find out what is wrong 

thank for your help mark

chris

[Mark39]

@Chris+r+d channel 39 is within your TV's tuning range, so that's ok. It might, however, conflict with one of the channels used by your local Freeview transmitter, so it could still be worth trying a different RF Output Channel, if you haven't already.

The RF Output Power setting relates only to the 12v power output provided by the RF2 socket. It doesn't make any difference to the video/audio output from the socket.

I assume it's an amplified splitter you have in the loft, as it supplies 4 TVs, which means it has a power supply, either from the mains, or from the RF2 socket. It's possible that the splitter or its power supply has failed, though I would expect that would affect your terrestrial Freeview channels as well.

If the symptoms are as I described in my first post - the picture and sound deteriorate the longer your Sky box is turned on, but recover if you turn the box off for a while - it's most likely a failing RF2 modulator within the box. It's a known issue with Sky+HD boxes. 

[Chris+r+d]

Hi mark

thank for your message I will have a go at changing the channel settings and see we're that takes me but if it is the modulator what's the best way forward or is it terminal or it there a way to fix it after all it is that time of the year that magic happens could it be that my magic eyes receive a bit of magic.      Or will it be like some football teams as they slide down the table with the trap door staring to waiting to devour them please tell me my poor little black box is not heading down that way 

sorry about that it's been a long time without sleep worrying about the little black box

onc again thank you for your help and support

take care 

chris

[Mark39]

@Chris+r+d if it's RF modulator failure, it's the slippery slope, I'm afraid. It won't get any better - unless you can find a repairer who can test and replace it, as necessary. Digirepairs used to be excellent with Sky box repairs (I have no connection with them) though I don't know about their recent history.

Don't be tempted to buy a replacement Sky+HD box as you won't be able to pair it with your Viewing Card.

There's a potential workaround but it would involve a bit of investment that you might consider not worth the expense. Upgrading to Sky Q with 4 Mini boxes might be a cheaper option.