Some channels not getting a satellite signal

[THX1138]

Hello All

Is anyone aware of Sky having any broadcast issues yesterday and today regards to certain satellite channels?

As of today, I currently have a high number of satellite channels that the Sky+HD box reports the following message:

“Your Sky+HD box isn’t getting a satellite signal. Your recordings in the planner and the On Demand service may still be available.”

Below are listed just some of the channels that are affected:

• 5 HD
• Sky Witness HD
• Sky Atlantic HD
• U&Dave HD
• Sky Max HD
• Sky Comedy HD
• ITV2 HD
• ITV3 HD
• Discovery HD
• Nat Geo HD
• E4 HD
• HGTV
• D Max

To potentially fix the issue I have so far: I have cleared down the planner storge space, done a planner-rebuild and done a forced software update, checked the coax connections into the box.

Observations:

• Other HD channels and non-HD channels are working perfectly fine
• About 3 days ago I noticed that one of the now affected channels began to pixelate with the picture breaking up (Discovery HD)
• A few weeks ago I renegotiated the price of my Sky Signature and Sky Cinema packages

Any insights or suggested next steps would be most appreciated.

KR

[Annie+UK]

See question Q23 in my Sky Plus F⋅A⋅Q for No Satellite Signal

"No Satellite Signal" is an error generated by your Sky box, it has nothing to do with broadband (Internet connectivity) and usually indicates an issue with one or more of the following:

• The Dish is misaligned (not all transponders are getting through, thus some channels may be affected and others not)
• The Tuners in the sky box
• The input sockets on the Sky box
• The plugs on the cables
• The cables themselves
• The Sockets on the dishes LNB
• The dishes LNB has gone faulty for the connections the box is using
• You have plugged your Sky+ box into a dish that is only compatible with Sky Q

Please Note: Sky+ is now a legacy/obsolete service that Sky are replacing with their newer services: Sky Q (all issues will be fixed during a Sky Q install), Sky Glass and Sky Stream

You may have to call out a local satellite installer ( at your own expense ), unless you already have Sky Protect insurance, to check/fix your system, another option is to move to Sky Q, as during the move all issues will be resolved as part of the install, there is also the option of Sky Glass or Sky Stream, if you want to move away from satellite TV and use the Internet

[THX1138]

@Annie+UK  thanks for your reply.

I have now also checked those affected channels using my Manhattan SX Freesat box instead of the Sky+HD box.

Result being that the Freesat box will display some of the affected channels, albeit with a pixelated breaking up picture and then losing the picture entirely.

The issue seems to be pointing further upstream from both boxes e.g., the LNB or its associated connections. The dish itself (Zone 2: 60cm) does not look to have moved.

A site visit will now probably be in order…

KR

[Annie+UK]

The dish only has to move a fraction to lose signal, it would not be noticeable via a visual inspection

The freesat box sounds like it has more tolerance but is still struggling to get the signal

[THX1138]

@Annie+UK 

This event may be the turning point when I must jump ship away from my Sky+HD box and move over to the Sky Q box.

My Sky Sat install was originally done by a specialist 3rd party company due to its required location and my requirement for a Zone 2 dish.

When I call them out to look at the current issue, it may make more sense to instruct them to just replace all current old equipment with:

• New Zone 2 Sky Dish
• New Hybrid LNB (need this to feed the Sky Q box and still feed the Freesat box)
• New coax cable runs and connections

While I’m paying them for a repair and callout, I might as well just do the whole thing. One key reason for also doing this is if my current Sky+HD box does go bang, I will no longer be able to use my other backup Sky+HD box, as Sky has stopped you being able to pair your Sky card to another Sky+HD box.

Maybe the end is nigh for us Sky+HD users…

KR

[Daniel0210]

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@THX1138 wrote:

My Sky Sat install was originally done by a specialist 3rd party company due to its required location …

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@THX1138 

If that's the case it may mean Sky won't change you to Sky Q if the dish location is somewhere awkward for future maintenance. 

[Mark39]

@THX1138 I'd recommend caution, for the reason posted by @Daniel0210 . There have been instances where Sky has refused a Sky Q installation (there's no self-install option) if an existing dish location presents difficulties with Sky engineer maintenance. It might be better simply to allow Sky to install the dish for you.

[THX1138]

@Daniel0210 @Mark39  Thanks both for the words of warning.

The dish location is not exactly crazy, it’s just up high at the top of a two-story gable end – easily accessible by a long ladder. From my past experiences with Sky, they were very selective (even lazy), in where they were prepared to install a dish e.g. it must be within a few meters of the Sky box, no higher than a short ladder.

The other limiting factors with Sky installers are that they will not fit a Zone 2 dish in a non-zone 2 area, and they will no longer fit a hybrid LNB so that we can still use our Freesat boxes at the same time as a Sky Q box.

In the past – including my current Sky+HD installation, were all done by specialist 3rd parties, with no issues from Sky. Obviously, Sky would not support the bits installed by the 3rd party and would only cover the Sky+HD box. And from feedback from others, a good specialist 3rd party installer is leaps and bounds above a typical Sky installer.

So why the obstinate behaviour by Sky regards their precious Sky Q boxes? Or is it simply a tactic to move people over to FTTP TV services…

KR

[Mark39]

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@THX1138 wrote:

So why the obstinate behaviour by Sky regards their precious Sky Q boxes? Or is it simply a tactic to move people over to FTTP TV services…

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I don't think it has anything to do with Sky Stream/Glass - it has been this way since Sky Q was first launched, long before streaming..

I suspect the reasons are two-fold: one, they have stringent health and safety requirements (for example, no installation above 2nd floor window height) which are rigourously applied -reportedly engineers lose their job if they breach the rules. And secondly, something to do with additional maintenance responsiblities as Sky Q boxes always remain Sky's property and are never owned by a customer. Engineers will fit a customer obtained hybrid LNB.

But you never know, their stance may have softened so it's worth a call. 

[nigea99]

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@THX1138 wrote:

@Annie+UK 

This event may be the turning point when I must jump ship away from my Sky+HD box and move over to the Sky Q box.

My Sky Sat install was originally done by a specialist 3rd party company due to its required location and my requirement for a Zone 2 dish.

When I call them out to look at the current issue, it may make more sense to instruct them to just replace all current old equipment with:

• New Zone 2 Sky Dish
• SK
• New coax cable runs and connections

While I’m paying them for a repair and callout, I might as well just do the whole thing. One key reason for also doing this is if my current Sky+HD box does go bang, I will no longer be able to use my other backup Sky+HD box, as Sky has stopped you being able to pair your Sky card to another Sky+HD box.

Maybe the end is nigh for us Sky+HD users…

KR

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hi @THX1138 

SKY no longer supply Hybrid LNBs and even if you get an independent installer to fit one, SKY may not connect you - official policy is not to fit Q to any 3rd installed LNBs (although some Engineer's have been known to be flexible)

You may, also, wish to read some notes I have made for people considering switching from SKY +/HD to SKY Q

SKY +/HD to SKY Q 

Although note this was written before SKY's change in policy not to fit Hybrid LNBs 

[nigea99]

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@THX1138 wrote:

@Daniel0210 @Mark39  Thanks both for the words of warning.

The dish location is not exactly crazy, it’s just up high at the top of a two-story gable end – easily accessible by a long ladder. From my past experiences with Sky, they were very selective (even lazy), in where they were prepared to install a dish e.g. it must be within a few meters of the Sky box, no higher than a short ladder.

The other limiting factors with Sky installers are that they will not fit a Zone 2 dish in a non-zone 2 area, and they will no longer fit a hybrid LNB so that we can still use our Freesat boxes at the same time as a Sky Q box.

In the past – including my current Sky+HD installation, were all done by specialist 3rd parties, with no issues from Sky. Obviously, Sky would not support the bits installed by the 3rd party and would only cover the Sky+HD box. And from feedback from others, a good specialist 3rd party installer is leaps and bounds above a typical Sky installer.

So why the obstinate behaviour by Sky regards their precious Sky Q boxes? Or is it simply a tactic to move people over to FTTP TV services…

KR

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Sorry @THX1138  I had not read this reply before posting my other post.

I beleive the policy not to fit SKY Q with 3rd party installs (for those with their own dish)  was all to do with responsibility in case of failure - although we did point out this is really no different to Communal Systems.

[THX1138]

Sky is, bit by bit, closing down people’s options in order to force people over to FTTP TV.

What Sky forgets is that they have no control over the infrastructure on which their FTTP Broadband/TV services are provided to their Sky customers. Sky are completely dependent and at the mercy of Openreach in order to provide their FTTP services.

Openreach work in a different dimension of space and time having no real care in their services and have a number of convenient get-outs in their favour:

• Minimum Broadband Speed that Openreach will provide for a given Sky package
• Minuscule compensation payout per/day when their services are down after 2 days and then only pay pay Mon-Fri - not including weekends

My Sky broadband was recently down for 27 consecutive days with an Openreach issue, which was bad enough, but at least I could still watch TV though my Sky satellite.

I would be very happy to continue down the Sky+HD route if I could always move my viewing card over to one of my spare Sky+HD boxes, as and when they fail. Sky has now taken this option away from Oct 2024!

Sky wants to force you to have all ‘Your’ eggs in one basket, all being provided over FTTP, which it does not really control.

KR

[Mark39]

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@THX1138 wrote:

Sky wants to force you to have all ‘Your’ eggs in one basket, all being provided over FTTP, which it does not really control.

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As the orbiting satellite are expected to be decommissioned by the end of the decade and not replaced, and Freeview transmitters are expected to follow suit in similar timescales, IPTV will by necessity become the default. 

[THX1138]

@Mark39 

I know, it will all ultimately come to an end…

But hopefully by that time Openreach will have gone 💀 and their little monopoly closed down.  And I’ll be too old to care anymore! 😜

KR

[THX1138]

There must be more going on than Sky is letting on.

All the channels that were breaking up and then displaying the message - “Your Sky+HD box isn’t getting a satellite signal”, are all now working again as normal.

There has been:

• No changes in weather – clear weather & no winds
• No changes to equipment
• No changes in satellite dish position

Was there a transmission problem yet to be stated by Sky or is Sky resorting to more underhanded behaviour by purposely throttling down the transmission power to seed doubt into people’s minds to move over to Sky Stream?

Very curious...