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Original poster

Help Sky box / dish really playing up

32 replies

gimmiegimmie · 04/06/2007 21:41

1/3 of my channels are ok
1/3 of my channels display 'there is a technical fault with this channel please try later'
1/3 of my channels display 'No satellite signal is being received'
I called sky and they have made me turn on turn off check leads etc - outcome - i need a engineer, and that'll cost me £65

Its mainly the channels i watch !! im sure they are doing this on purpose to make money out of me.......

Does any1 have any suggestions???
Any Sky engineers about???

OP posts:
divastrop · 04/06/2007 21:44

did you unplug as well?

Original poster
gimmiegimmie · 04/06/2007 21:45

yep that was the 1st thing she asked me to do

OP posts:
Frizbe · 04/06/2007 21:46

sorry but Sky are a bunch of tossers imo, get rid of them and get a free view box, virgin or bt vision instead.

Original poster
gimmiegimmie · 04/06/2007 21:48

Yeah thats the thing i live in a village and can only have Sky or 1 free view box but only a hadfull of channels.
Nothing else is here

OP posts:
nannyogg · 04/06/2007 21:49

Have you left it unplugged for a while? This happened to us a few weeks ago - we left it unplugged for about 1/2 hour before plugging in again and it has been fine since..

tortoise · 04/06/2007 21:50

Could the dish have moved slightly?
On the remote press services, system set up then signal strength. you can then see signal strength and quality. If the are less than half it could be that the dish is off line slightly and it could cause the probleams you are having.

foxinsocks · 04/06/2007 21:51

is it raining or is there a big storm where you are? that always buggers ours up

Frizbe · 04/06/2007 21:53

ah now you see I have sky freeview and they keep taking channels off me on purpose to get me to re sign up again, never says I!!! I can't even get chanel 4 or 5 downstairs now.......

Try this

Services on the top menu
go to 4, system set up
6 signal test
see what it says, if it shows a problem, take your sky card out, turn set off, stick card back in, set back on, see what it says then. Not sure what you do next if still buggered as ours just resets. hth's

divastrop · 04/06/2007 22:15

i have sky freeview but havent noticed random channel withdrawals.

gimmegimme-you are paying for sky and they expect you to pay for an engineer to come out?i take it you have been with them for longer than 12 months?if so ring them back and tell them you want to cancel your contract.they will probably send the engineer out for free then as they are desperate to keep customers(they installed a dish for free when i moved,which normally costs £40,because i said i just wanted to cancel the contract.i cancelled the contract a month later anyway)

Original poster
gimmiegimmie · 04/06/2007 22:18

nannyogg - yep been unpluging it. its been like this for about a week now but today its all day. also i unplug it every night.

tortoise - signal strength 2/3 and quality 1/2. been like that for ages and ages though, dad checked it oh i dont know prob about 6 or 7 mths ago and its was like that.Just put it down to living in a village.

foxinsocks - nope no funny weather

Frizbe - just tried that - nothing has changed - sill the same

OP posts:
Original poster
gimmiegimmie · 04/06/2007 22:29

divastrop - i have normal sky. yeah been with them for over a y. my luck though if i tried that would be that they would say 'ok bye'

OP posts:
divastrop · 05/06/2007 13:14

a friend of mine has been getting sky for £7.50 a month for the past 2 years cos every time she rings them to cancel it they offer her another 6 months for half price!really,you are paying for something youre not getting,im sure they must be in breach of contract somehow.

Original poster
gimmiegimmie · 05/06/2007 20:58

Its been terrible again today

divastrop - my dad said he will tweek the dish on thursday to see if that helps , if not i will try the pretend cancel. My mum has just canceled her telewest - they just said ok we will come round on xxxx to collect the box etc, didnt try to keep her at all

OP posts:
RubberDuck · 05/06/2007 21:02

I would give you good odds on it being a fault in the LNB at the end of the satellite dish. That's what happened to ours - we had exact same symptoms to yours but unfortunately we were with freesat at the time so the nice cheap £65 call out with 90 warranty and all parts included wasn't available to us and it cost a LOT MORE with an independent guy to get it fixed (call out + parts + vat).

divastrop · 05/06/2007 21:34

i have had sky and cancelled it twice over the years .the first time was before the end of the 12 months,but was in my xh's name.they didnt want the box back they just chased him for the cost of it.

i think you own the sky box once the 12 month contract is up.well,i still have mine and still get freeview channels.

RubberDuck · 05/06/2007 21:37

Technically if they notice they'll cut you off... you're supposed to get a freesat card for £20ish I think.

Original poster
gimmiegimmie · 06/06/2007 20:56

RubberDuck - sorry but whats 'LNB' ?
Its the same again today - so looks like this is how its going to be from now on then unless i get 1 of there engineers out.

Any sky engineers looking for some 'on the side' work CAT me, im in essex - well if you dont ask eh

OP posts:
RubberDuck · 06/06/2007 21:00

It's part of the blob on the front of the dish that receives the signal

proper techie explanation

RubberDuck · 06/06/2007 21:01

Seriously though, if it is the LNB it cost us around £150 to repair, so given the £65 call out includes parts, it's a bargain.

Original poster
gimmiegimmie · 06/06/2007 21:26

wow £150 to repair
should i try tweeking the dish 1st ? It kinda looks slightly off when i look at the other dishes by me.
Dont really have £65 pound

OP posts:
RubberDuck · 06/06/2007 21:31

I wouldn't if you don't know what you're doing, tbh

Original poster
gimmiegimmie · 12/06/2007 20:57

LOL guess what...........
I called sky to cancel as i have now had 3 days of nothing at all.
The lady asked me why i wanted to cancel and what channels i watched, so i said the below plus my channels. She offered a engineer but i said i could not afford it so she booked one for this week for free !!!!!!
Thanks guys

OP posts:
Original poster
gimmiegimmie · 12/06/2007 20:59

The thing is i really was calling to cancel

OP posts:
Original poster
gimmiegimmie · 13/06/2007 09:55

RubberDuck RubberDuck

Just wanted to let you know you was right it was the blob on the front of the dish lol

Thanks

OP posts:
oliveoil · 13/06/2007 09:59

oh I had this

I did all that unplugging, messing with Skart (??) nonsense

so I phoned up and they said ££££££ for engineer and maybe ££££££ for box and dish yadda yadda

so I said politely ok put me through to cancellations than

on hold with annoying music for 5 mins

then bright and breezy man came on, engineer booked for the followin day, no charge

DO NOT PAY FOR ANYTHING is my advice

there is so much competition, you threaten to cancel, they will sort it out