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What to do if you're not getting a satellite signal on your Sky+HD box

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    sky-plus-hd-box-300

    This page contains information for our Sky+HD box(pictured). If you're using a different kind of box, please choose from the following options.

          

      

    There are a number of reasons why a "No satellite signal" message is shown on your screen.


    Extreme weather

    Gales, snowfall or heavy rain can affect your signal but your viewing should return to normal when the weather improves. Sometimes dishes can be pushed out of alignment by strong winds or a weight of snow sitting on the dish, and this may mean that even after the weather clears you are unable to watch some channels and see the "No Satellite Signal" message on your TV screen. Please note that we do not advise attempting to realign the Sky dish yourself, as this should be carried out by a professional engineer, and in high winds it can be dangerous to try and access a dish on a wall, rooftop or chimney..


    Obstructions around your Sky dish

    If there is scaffolding, for example, blocking your dish, this can prevent the signal reaching your Sky box. Your viewing should return to normal when the obstruction is removed. You will also need to visually check that your satellite dish is still firmly secured to your home. If it is not attached, please do not attempt to fix it yourself. You can arrange for a qualified engineer to come and fix it. Visit the Contact Us page and scroll to the bottom for email, telephone and live chat (when available) options.


    From time to time there may be temporary broadcasting problems with some channels, which means that you may not be able to view all the channels. Press 501 on your Sky remote control and you should see Sky News. If you can see Sky News, return to the channel you were previously having issues with and check to see if the problem has been resolved. If not try the steps outlined below.

     

    Reboot and check your cable connections

     

    Connect Satellite CablesSwitch off your Sky box and TV at the mains for three minutes. Check that all the wires are firmly inserted into your Sky box and television. The diagram shows you how the wires should be connected into the back of your Sky box. Please note that if you only have a single feed from the dish to your box you'll only have one satellite connection cable. For more information about single feeds read the Single Feed instructions further down this article.

      

       

      

    Satellite signal check

    Signal strength indicatorYou can check the strength of your signal using your Sky remote control:

     
    1. Press services on your Sky remote control and you will see the main menu with Options highlighted.
    2. Highlight the Settings menu using the right arrow button and press select.
    3. Use the left/right arrows to scroll to Signal and press select.
    4. The grey bars displayed will show you the strength of the signal to your Sky+HD box.

    If there are no bars displayed this would indicate there is a physical issue, for example, a cable has fallen out of the back of the box, or a dish related fault. If the bars on both strength and quality are shown, this would suggest that there is a broadcast issue.

     

    If the steps outlined above have not resolved your problem, please use the instructions below to carry out a LNB reset.

    • LNB Reset

      This process will reset the LNB (Low Noise Block convertor) on your satellite dish and re-establish the satellite reception and ensure the correct settings are in place.

       
      1. Press services on your Sky remote control and you will see the main menu with Options highlighted.
      2. Highlight the Settings menu using the right arrow button and press select.
      3. Press 0 (zero), 1 then select to access the Installer Setup menu (this menu is not listed on the Settings menu options).
      4. Press select to see the Setup menu displayed with Lo band Lo Frequency highlighted. 

        LNB_Reset

      The correct LNB Set Up values should read:

      • LNB Type: Standard
      • Low Band LO Frequency: 9.75
      • High Band LO Frequency: 10.60
      • LNB Power Supply: ON
      • 22 KHz Command: ON
       
      1. Highlight LNB power supply and toggle the setting to OFF using the left/right arrow buttons.
      2. Highlight 22 KHz command and toggle the setting to OFF using the left/right arrow buttons.
      3. Press the green button to save your settings.
      4. Press select to re-enter Setup menu. Lo band Lo Frequency is highlighted.
      5. Press the red button to reset the default settings - this will switch both settings back to ON.
      6. Press the green button to save settings.
      7. Confirm that the settings have been reset and saved successfully.
      8. Highlight TX' PONDER - it will become Default Trp when highlighted.
      9. Press select to highlight Frequency.  

        Default_Transponder

      The correct Default Transponder values should read:

      • Frequency: 11.778
      • Polarisation: V
      • Symbol Rate (Mbaud): 27.5
      • FEC: 2/3
       
      1. Press the red button to reset default settings (if they are already correct no change will be visible).
      2. Press the green button to save settings. Default Trp is highlighted on the middle menu bar.
      3. Confirm that the settings have been reset and saved successfully.
      4. Press sky to return to normal viewing.
       


      If the help in this article has not resolved your problem, you'll need to Contact Us for further assistance.

    • Single feed process

      If you only have one satellite connection from your satellite dish to your Sky+HD box, you will need to activate single feed mode. Please ensure the dish input cable is connected to Dish Input 1 at the back of your Sky+HD box and that no recordings are currently in progress before following the steps below.

      One satallite connection

      1. Press services on your Sky remote control and you will see the main menu with Options highlighted.
      2. Highlight the Settings menu using the right arrow button and press select.
      3. Press 0 (zero), 1 then select to access the Installer Setup menu (this menu is not listed on the Settings menu options).
      4. Press select to access the Setup menu. Low Band Lo Frequency will be highlighted.
      5. Highlight Single Feed Mode using the down arrow button.
      6. Toggle the setting to ON using the left/right arrows.
      7. Press the green button to save your changes.
      8. You will see a warning message "Single Feed Mode - Caution. This will take a few minutes to complete. Pressing select will reboot your Sky+, and current recordings will be stopped. It will then mean you can only record one programme at a time; and anytime will be unavailable. Press select to continue or back up to cancel."
      9. Press select to reboot your Sky+HD box.

      To regain full programme listings, keep the box on standby for a minimum of 2 minutes as full programme listings will not be visible immediately and may take some time to fully populate. Current recordings will be stopped, Anytime will be disabled and Auto standby will be enabled due to the reboot. With single feed enabled you will now be able to record when not at home, you will however still be unable to record one channel whilst watching another.


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