No Signal Quality except on Astra 19 degrees East

[sat_man]

Hi again,

Since joining this ste I have been impressed by the rapid feedback from those will much more experience in satellite issues than I have. It is great to find support and advice when things do not go to plan.

I intend to try the coax test then the receiver test (I am beginning to feel that it is the receiver causing the problem.) Reference the previous contibuter. Thanks for your comments but I did check the pole for accuracy and last weekend I decided to give up on multi sat until I successfully got good signal strength on Hotbird (ie. trying to line up as a fixed dish on one satellite before trying the arc). What disappointed me was when I used the satellite meter to locate the satellite and it showed both on the scale and by beeping that I was locked on I still got absolutely no signal quality until I changed the LNB frequency manually away from Universal. I spent hours pointing the dish to various satellites at various position but no SQ until I changed the settings. I am not happy with the levels that I am currently getting on Hotbird so I intend to carry out the test that you suggest. (coax / receiver).

As I said previously I am thinking of purchasing the Technomate 7755 or the 1500 Super as they have USALs and my old Humax does not. Now that I have found a satellite USALS should make it easy to locate the others once I have overcome my current SQ issues. On Ebay there is a seller (Technomate distributer he states on his site) who is selling the 7755 for £98 + postage and the 1500+ super for £87 + postage. The 1500 has a great write-up on this site and What Sat. I have been trying to find reviews on the 7755 which has 2 x CIs and 2 X Viaccess inbuilt but with no success thus far. For the extra £10 it has a higher spec but the 1500 has the good reviews. Anyone got experience on the 7755 (especially picture quality)? Or should I forget the much higher spec (more cams etc) and invest in the well reviewed 1500. Is it a bad time to buy a new standard receiver with the new High Defs receivers coming out. Or is that likely to take some years before receiver purchase price becomes sensible and High Def take-up gets off the ground?

Thanks again for the assistance. I will let you know when I sort out what has been giving me the hard time.

[BGonaSTICK]

It seems a shame to buy a receiver just to prove a point, especially if it's not really what you want.

Here's the clincher re. the two receivers you mention AFAIC.

If you want 2 CI slots, but the 7755.

If you want 1 CI slot, buy the 1500 CI +

If you don't want a CI slot, buy the 1000 D

Combine the above decision with whether you want to have the very best support for patches for your receiver. If you do, go for one of the latter two.

£100 for a receiver isn't a lot of money after all, even if cash is tight. £10 either way isn't going to buy you a significant upgrade.

There's not much to choose between them other than that, unless by browsing the product specs you'll find at www.technomate.com you find a must-have feature. The 1xxx series are better supported because there's more of them in circulation, and because they're slightly newer.

HD on satellite?

I don't think it'll really take off in the next 12 months. Maybe the year after.

It won't push SD out of the frame in the next ten years either IMO.

If HD is important to you, then buy the Humax HDCI2000 right now. When you've paid a grand or more for a new telly, don't be worried about spending an extra £150 on an HD capable satellite receiver. Just do it.

HD receiver technology is immature for sure, but at least all the obvious bugs have been ironed out of the Humax.

If you don't have an HDTV yet, hang fire for as long as you can. Prices will continue to fall and screen technology will continue to improve in the next 12m.

I also do tea leaves and palm readings.

Madame STICK

[sat_man]

Thanks Stick, Lots of good advice there as usual.

Tonight I took a long length of new solid core satellite coax and ran it from my Humax direct to the LNB bypassing the Motek motor. With the via the Motek coax on Hotbird I got 57% signal strength and 58% signal quality. After bypassing the Motek (i.e. using the direct run from receiver to LNB) I got 64 % signal strength and 53% signal quality. That seems to rule out the coax as being the cause and as I have tried 5 different new universal LNBs they should be in the clear too. As the dish is brand new and appears to be undamaged and as last week I got 97% signal quality on Astra 19 degrees East using the dish that should be OK too.

That leaves the connectors or the receiver. I have tried to be careful when fitting the connectors making sure that the earth wires are well away from the end of the coax that enters the LNB. So the receiver appears to be favourite for causing my issue.

I called Technomate support today for advice on their receivers and they were very helpful. They suggested that I do not take the 7755 nor the 1500 super but instead go for the 1500 TMS (which apparently has an extra sensitive tuner). They felt that would be my best option. I then asked them about High Def receivers and they said that the first Technomate HD receivers would be out around January 2007. They have the specs and are working on the right solution. They could not, of course, give a price indication until they have something ready to market.

I will now make up my mind what to do as I have the option of taking the 1500 TMS now or waiting until January to buy a HD ready receiver. Or I could just go for the Humax now as you say. I will mull these options over and make my decision.

Thanks again

[BGonaSTICK]

I don't know anything about this TMS version. It's not on the website yet?

It may be that it won't support any patches. If you don't care about that, then it's not a problem.

Why did they say you need a sensitive tuner?

You're not outside many of the satellite footprints of interest. A very odd suggestion. :?

That really does sound like trying to compensate for the symptom, which will go away on its own when you identify the root cause.

STICK

[Mickha]

Hi sat_man,
Technomate released 2 versions of the Technomate 1500, the first was faster at blind scanning, but has a slightly weaker tuner, the second had a better tuner but is slower at blind scanning.
The one with the better tuner is usually recommended by dealers, as only the true enthusiasts require the fast blind scan option, and apparently the later software release, July 06, improved the blind scan facility.
Best wishes
Mickha

[sat_man]

Hi,

I was asked to report back once I had identified cause of my no signal quality issue. After renewing dish and LNBs and having tried another cable I managed to get mid 50s on both signal strength and quality. That left the receiver so I purchased a Technomate 7755 off Ebay. As soon as I connected it in place of my old Humax (without moving the dish) the signal strength and signal quality jumped up to the 90s. So all those hours / days I spent trying to get the dish to pick up signal quality was down to a faulty receiver. Also I would not have had to spend out on a new dish / multiple LNBs if I had realised that it was a receiver problem. Still it was a learning curve and I have picked up a few useful tips along the way.

Thanks again for you assistance in gradually trying out all the various bits of my system to identify the culprit.

Brian

[BGonaSTICK]

Hi Brian.

Thanks for updating us, and I'm very pleased that you've resolved it.

At least you changed all the components in the right order (i.e. left the expensive bit 'till last) and now have a brand new working system.

It's quite unusual for the tuner to die in a modern receiver, but it does happen occasionally. Always good to have a cheapo receiver as a spare if you can.

I guess you could sell your old dish and whatnot on eBay.

Well, enjoy your satellite TV!

STICK

[Mickha]

Well done Brian,
after working so hard I hope we get a good package for you to view !!!! There is probably a new patch, for your receiver, that includes the latest TPS keys, at least that will get you the football for the weekend, as well as a few films.
Best wishes
Mickha

[chavslav]

mickha,

thats the only problem with the 7000 series, there hasn't been any new patches for months.

i've sold my 7655 to a locol publican who is now broadcasting sat afternoon football....

[Mickha]

Hi chavslav,
there's a new patch on Alsat dated 29/09/06 for the Technomate 7655 and 7755 models, for TPS and Multivision.
Best wishes
Mickha