No channels until 9pm - Low signal?

[COUGHCOUGH]

Have no idea what is happening with my pace box but what started as an occasional break up of sound and picture a few months back has now got worse to the effect that when I get home from work I have absolutely no channels at all.

All channels are blank and I get a "this channel is not available now" message after 30 seconds or so of blank screen. If I check channels 312 and 313 (mtv+1 and tmf) and also Virgin 1 and +1, I get broken up sound and a very very distorted picture which seems to flash a frame every 20 secs or so as if I have a very low signal.

Funny thing is, if I leave it like this after an hour or so the picture gets better and these 4 channels are watchable. Then all the other channels are still blank although distorted sound can be heard. If I leave it another hour or so (usually around 9pm) all the channels come back and it seems as good as normal again (albeit with an occasional break up of pic and sound). The tv is fine then until I check it again when I wake up.

Any idea what this can be? I put a post up previously listing my tech settings and someone said the signal was fine although didn't tell me which reading I should be checking for.

When I reboot my box I have to push the down button for it to come on otherwise I get tune showing. I have left it on this a few times to update (can take a few hours) but everytime its back to the same and doesn't seem to do anything.

Any ideas or am I screwed?

I can't borrow another box as none of my friends have virgin. I have even thought of signing up and a new virgin cust so that they will come and check my levels only for me to cancel within the 14 day cooling off period - if thats possible.

Please help!!

[idbeholdl]

What box you using?

Have a look in the Eng menu and see the signal strength etc going in. Quite possible that you have low signal coming in, the more people being added to the network in your area starts to degrade the signal and you may have to contact vermin (if you have something you can contact them with )to have them come round to boost the signal as I've had to do a couple of times and possibly again soon as well lol

[yusuf_gaz]

Hi

Its not a pace 1000 by any chance.

Regards

[COUGHCOUGH]

Hi, its a pace 4001 i think. Its the normal digibox that the majority of nthell people have. What value do I check in the engs menu and what should it be? SNR? Gain?

I suspect it is low signal but I have no official services with nthell unfortunately. Is there anything I can do about it.

Also, might be worth mentioning but my cable modem works fine. No issues at all. Also I have tried disconnecting the splitter and using another fm splitter thing on my in cable and that doesn't affect the picture at all, leading me to believe the problem is from nthell itself or my pace box.

thanks for any help!!

[yusuf_gaz]

Hi

These 4001 boxes are slow and problematic as far as Im aware, I think it can have issues with caps. Check in EM sig levels snr usually around 34 I think.

Regards

[kimigonzales]

Originally Posted by COUGHCOUGH

Have no idea what is happening with my pace box but what started as an occasional break up of sound and picture a few months back has now got worse to the effect that when I get home from work I have absolutely no channels at all.

All channels are blank and I get a "this channel is not available now" message after 30 seconds or so of blank screen. If I check channels 312 and 313 (mtv+1 and tmf) and also Virgin 1 and +1, I get broken up sound and a very very distorted picture which seems to flash a frame every 20 secs or so as if I have a very low signal.

Funny thing is, if I leave it like this after an hour or so the picture gets better and these 4 channels are watchable. Then all the other channels are still blank although distorted sound can be heard. If I leave it another hour or so (usually around 9pm) all the channels come back and it seems as good as normal again (albeit with an occasional break up of pic and sound). The tv is fine then until I check it again when I wake up.

Any idea what this can be? I put a post up previously listing my tech settings and someone said the signal was fine although didn't tell me which reading I should be checking for.

When I reboot my box I have to push the down button for it to come on otherwise I get tune showing. I have left it on this a few times to update (can take a few hours) but everytime its back to the same and doesn't seem to do anything.

Any ideas or am I screwed?

I can't borrow another box as none of my friends have virgin. I have even thought of signing up and a new virgin cust so that they will come and check my levels only for me to cancel within the 14 day cooling off period - if thats possible.

Please help!!

The exact same thing happened to me mate. My box eventually got stuck in tune and when I rebooted it by pressing the channel up and down buttons, I got the error AP:52 on the display with a blank screen on the TV.

I eventually decided to try fixing the 'stuck in tune' issue but with no success. When my bro was testing the voltage of one of the capacitors, the circuit board blew and gave him a pretty bad shock.

If you need the guide, let me know, although I can't confirm how useful it is as I didn't actually manage to fix my box! lol!

PS - My box was also a pace 4001.

[COUGHCOUGH]

That sounds very similar to my issue as to get my box working I have to reboot with the down button pressed and hold it down until AP:52 shows on the display. The picture is blank but if I leave it like that for 5-10 mins the box eventually starts to work (although with no channels!)

I have seen the stuck in tune guide before, but from memory it involves opening the box and doing a number of things - might give that a pass.

Did you check your SNR before it broke. I tried mine just now and it says 19.4db!

Also what are caps?

Thanks for all the help

[kimigonzales]

Originally Posted by COUGHCOUGH

That sounds very similar to my issue as to get my box working I have to reboot with the down button pressed and hold it down until AP:52 shows on the display. The picture is blank but if I leave it like that for 5-10 mins the box eventually starts to work (although with no channels!)

I have seen the stuck in tune guide before, but from memory it involves opening the box and doing a number of things - might give that a pass.

Did you check your SNR before it broke. I tried mine just now and it says 19.4db!

Also what are caps?

Thanks for all the help

It's exactly the same as mine mate. I figured it was a signal strength issue at first and so I connected my original legal box and set that up to see if that would work. However, the original box also remained stuck in tune and so I assumed it was a signal strength issue. The engineer came round, beefed up the cable and gave me a new box. I then plugged in my modded box hoping it would work but it still remained stuck in tune.

The guide does involve opening the box up and it does seem pretty straight forward - it's just that I fecked my box before getting the chance to fix it.

Re: caps - they're two small metal parts contained in the box which should have a certain voltage running through them (30-35V I believe). You will see these once you open the box.

If you can't be bothered doing that, then you could just buy a linux box (e.g dbox2) and set that up. They seem pretty daunting to deal with at the beginning but I now find them the easiest of all boxes to set up. Besides, there are plenty of top guys on this forum that will get you up and running I'm sure mate!

kimi.

[COUGHCOUGH]

Originally Posted by kimigonzales

It's exactly the same as mine mate. I figured it was a signal strength issue at first and so I connected my original legal box and set that up to see if that would work. However, the original box also remained stuck in tune and so I assumed it was a signal strength issue. The engineer came round, beefed up the cable and gave me a new box. I then plugged in my modded box hoping it would work but it still remained stuck in tune.

The guide does involve opening the box up and it does seem pretty straight forward - it's just that I fecked my box before getting the chance to fix it.

Re: caps - they're two small metal parts contained in the box which should have a certain voltage running through them (30-35V I believe). You will see these once you open the box.

If you can't be bothered doing that, then you could just buy a linux box (e.g dbox2) and set that up. They seem pretty daunting to deal with at the beginning but I now find them the easiest of all boxes to set up. Besides, there are plenty of top guys on this forum that will get you up and running I'm sure mate!

kimi.

Thanks mate, very helpful. I guess I'll have a stab at the stuck in tune guy and go from there. dbox2 etc and those types of boxes are definately my next option. Would have probably got one first if I hadn#t found this site until after I got my nthell one!

I take it the new orginal box worked ok after the engineer visit? Do you think the original subbed box that also had tune stuck on it must have had the same issue as the modded one? i.e both your modded and orginal subbed box had the same issue?

thanks again.

[kimigonzales]

Originally Posted by COUGHCOUGH

Thanks mate, very helpful. I guess I'll have a stab at the stuck in tune guy and go from there. dbox2 etc and those types of boxes are definately my next option. Would have probably got one first if I hadn#t found this site until after I got my nthell one!

I take it the new orginal box worked ok after the engineer visit? Do you think the original subbed box that also had tune stuck on it must have had the same issue as the modded one? i.e both your modded and orginal subbed box had the same issue?

thanks again.

I think it was the same issue mate. Although I never got the chance to check it out as the engineer took the original legal STB back with him, replacing it with a new Virmin pace 4010 box.

Anyway, good luck!