TV not switching on again

That’s a bit weird. The scale should be either on the collar, or on the LNB itself. If the LNB is pointing vertically, that’s wrong. It should be approximately 17 degrees west (anticlockwise) from vertical. If it isn’t pointing west, then that’s going to be a problem.

Just been out with the torch in the dark, and there is a scale but, white on white in relief and barely legible. Probably only noticed it now as the torch shadowed and picked out the raised lines. Impossible to read though, I’ll have another look in daylight tomorrow.

The LNB isn’t vertical though, it is slightly, perhaps 5 degrees, to the right as I look at the dish. Humax working fine at the moment on Channel 5 HD, but other HD channels no good.

Bit of a rush because Eddie and I, mainly Eddie, have been wrestling with the problems for an hour or more.
Details later but the upshot is that the 3-way switcher from which I choose Manhattan, Humax or Fransat is knackered,. He got both Manhattan and Humax to work on big telly but only by plugging one of them directly.

Fransat LNB is probably out of line, that will be the next job. :wink:

Thanks for all the help and advice. :smiley:

You hadn’t mentioned the 3-way switcher. Those things are notoriously troublesome…

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Sorry, I’m wondering how you thought I could switch between the 3. :rofl:
I have still got the 2-way one that it replaced so may dig that out if I can get the Fransat lined up properly, I don’t like the Humax and it is only about twice a year when I want to record something, so just the 2 will do me with the Humax in reserve if the Manhattan should really go belly up on me. :smiley:

1 Use separate inputs on the TV
2 Physically connect/reconnect as required

Oh I see, not an option for me though, the bright spark who designed the tv chose to hide the HDMI input inside a depression with a downward facing, and out of sight, socket. I need to swing the tv almost back to front and then place a torch strategically without casting a shadow with my hand to then poke about till I make the connection. Unless done on a regular basis, and therefore remembered, it isn’t even possible to know which way round the shaped socket is.

I will in the fulness of time replace the 3-way, after all the one that has failed has been in use for several years and cost very little. In fact the shortest life of it might be an advantage because the next time I might remember and investigate it first without all the 3 day trauma of this time. :wink: :joy:

But I might give the Humax a miss anyway, it was trying to record after hours with it and turning off the tv that caused all this problem in the first place. As I said, I think I still have the 2-way switch and, if so will just use it with Manhattan and Fransat. :thinking:

Whatever you were trying to record, most “terrestrial” channels these days have a catch up option - BBCi-player, All4 etc, with a VPN you could watch it anyway.

Whatever you do, do make sure that the ‘skew’ is correct on you’re LNB. You said it was about 5 degrees clockwise whereas it should be 17 degrees anti clockwise. That 22 degree difference can make a huge difference to you’re signal.
BTW, why do you switch between the Manhatten and Humax boxes as they’re both Freesat boxes. They should both get the same channels. Why not use just one of them. If it’s because of signal issues on the Humax, correcting the skew could make all the difference there.

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Not worth it Sue, I have no need of catchup and therefore no desire for something that is not completely legal and therefore liable to curtailment at any time. My switch to Humax simply to record something on late is a very rare event, that was only the 2nd time in a year and not important enough to risk again.

@hairbear I dare not fiddle with the apparently erroneous skew on the LNB. The way it is at the moment I have crisp and high quality pictures with both Manhattan and Humax, so no need to 'fix what ain’t broke. ’

The reason I switch to Humax, on very rare occasions (see above), is purely to record something, and I don’t really need that facility and certainly won’t be doing it again. The reason I intend to stay with the Manhattan is I don’t like the Humax. It is much more fussy to use, for instance, setting up as I do several bookmarks for an evening’s viewing it is really straightforward on Manhattan, one click and it’s saved. On Humax it asks if you prefer SD or HD, then if you want to record, then if you want to record the series and only at that point is the offer to merely flag up and change when a desired programme is about to start. On top of that the EPG grid is very difficult to read, white print on a light grey background in contrast to Manhattan which has, well, more contrast and easy to read even without specs.

The only drawback with Manhattan is that it seems to have deleted channel 102 (BBC 2) and now I see channel 101 (BBC 1 E.Mids), so I have to go to 966 (Yorks) and 968 respectively.

I am more interested in regaining Fransat though and will therefore get that dish sorted out, at the moment its LNB is held in place buy duct tape, :rofl: I am surprised it has held in place for so long. At the same time I will re-instate the old 2-way switcher, or buy a new one.

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Well more mystery. :roll_eyes:
After catching up here and elsewhere this morning I decided to make my various reminders on the Manhattan EPG for the rest of the day. All done and dusted, but then I thought I would see if Radio 4 had reappeared after its absence (no signal available) of the last few days.
No longer the usual signal loss, even more alarming, ‘Locked Channel please enter PIN’ :astonished: What’s all that about? I have had this for a hundred years, how the hell am I supposed to remember that? :rofl:
No matter, still have it on the computer and at this very moment listening to Rita Tushingham on Desert Island Discs. I really fancied her in 1961 (Taste of Honey) and couldn’t understand why she was considered ugly. :smiley:

If you go into ‘settings’ on the Humax box you can change the contrast/background transparency which should make it easier to read :slight_smile:

Thanks Brian, I’ll remember that tip if/when I use it again. :grinning:

OK, after all the problerms encountered above have been solved, or at least explained, or at least most of them, there is one puzzle that remains. It is regarding the Fransat box.

When Eddie left the other day having got back pictures on the big tv with both Manhattan and Humax, there was one that remained unsolved, why can I not get back pictures on the Fransat box too?

He said it was probably a fault with the dish/LNB/connctions, but it can’t be. The Fransat info channel, which takes its signal from the same dish, works perfectly. As you would expect when the signal strength on both lines is well into the 90s. But when I go to any other channel France 1, BFM etc, it only shows the channel details banner at the bottom of the screen, not the picture, and now a panel appears which says ‘The smartcard has been invalidated by the operator, please contact your operator.’

Now and again in the past, perhaps if I have disconnected for some reason, it has asked me to insert the card and I have withdrawn it and re-inserted it and after that all has been well. But not this time.

I am off now to the Fransat site to see if I can get an answer there and will come back to report or see if anyone has come up with an explanation. :grinning:

Don’t forget that each decoder needs the whole LNB circuit to be duplicated, the dish is shared but very little else is.

To say I’m not sure what you mean would be a massive understatement. The LNB and the dish are obviously fine, just can’t get any channels other than Fransat info, which is useless.

Just been led a merry dance on their website which on the one hand says that a PC6 card does not need renewing but my PC6 card with its number does. Went through the whole charade of ordering a new card for €15 and then it says

Carte incompatible
Carte invalidée Invalidation le 22 juin 2022

So I go to the help service which isn’t a human and after answering everything faithfully and following all instructions to take card out completely disconnect, reconnect and re-insert card. No change. At which point the machine tells me to talk to a human.

Just had a check to see where and when I bought this box, my 2nd one. It was from Amazon FR on the 8 Jul 2018 and cost €92.
That rings a bit of a bell, while rummaging through the website it said somewhere that these cards have to be renewed every 4 years. Well this one still has 8 days to go according to that.
Not sure where I go from here, Fransat says I don’t have an account but also says I can’t have one. :roll_eyes:

You have what appears to be a 4-output LNB - each “output” needs almost all of the electronics duplicating so it is entirely possible to have one output not working.

That said it is odd that you can get Fransat info - though the SD channel seems to be in a multiplex with very little else.

Remind me what satellite you think the dish is pointng at - Astra on 28.2°E or something else

I think we have a confusion here. The dish is pointed at Eutelsat and and has just one feed to my Fransat box. This then feeds either directly or via a double switch (shared with Manhattan via the other dish) to the TV.

I have now it appears confirmation that the card needs changing after all that was said about it not being so and by omitting part of my address (they jumped the gun and changed it otherwise before) I now have a new card on the way by post. Cost €15.

After 3 tries and falsifying an unimportant part of my address they had the cheek to ask for my opinion of the ease of the process. My reply was short and scathing. :smiley:

Undoubtedly.

The pics you posted seem to show a multi-output LNB

Fingers crossed that sorts the issue.

They were of the other dish, the one I was more concerned with at the time because at that point the Fransat was working perfectly. The problem seemed to be with the Manhattan and Humax. Coincidence or otherwise, the Fransat starting playing up later.