FTA System Problems - Need Help

[larmbelastigung]

I wonder if anyone can help with my fta satellite system as I have tried so many things and still not fixed the problem.
I installed my metronic accessbox2 and dish from Maplins to receive fta channels about 6 years ago and regularly move the dish between Astra 28.2 and Astra 19.2 and it has worked fine until two months ago. First the pictures started breaking up and now I cant get any pictures but do occasionally get 99% signal level.
I have tried the following things which didnt appear to help:

• moving the dish to search for astra 28.2 and/or 19.2
• installing a new LNB which seemed to stop me getting any signal level though I may not have set the box up right for the new LNB
• rewired (ie cut 5cm off each end of the cable) the original LNB and receiver box in case the ends of the wire were not contacting properly.
• tested the voltage at each end of the cable and got a reading of 18V at both which I believe is what it should be

I am still getting the satellite menu on the TV so the box is connected to the TV. Since I rewired the original LNB and moved the dish to approx where it usually is I have had readings on the TV of 99% signal level and 43 - 49% signal quality on half the astra 28.2 channels and half the 19.2 channels. But still no picture.

Any advice/suggestions would be gratefully received as I am on the verge of buying and installing a whole new system just to solve the problem.

[kerrywez]

Hi and welcome to TW.

Your signal quality is the main one to look at and your is just not good enough for the satellites you are looking for, you should be getting at least 85% quality from those two. If your dish has moved up or down, on the horizontal plane then it will not matter if you have it pointing at the sat. It might be an idea to try to either raise the dish up or lower it down. But before you try that try turning the LNB in it's holder, it might just be what is what is wrong. Come to think on it you have changed the LNB so it might just need a wee bit of a tweak to get it right, it was most likely set to the right position till you changed it, so just turn it in it's holder and see how that does before doing anything else, it is called skew, I think you would be best to try turning the LNB to the right first and see what that does.

Regards Wez

[eurofan]

Having had similar problems which I documented here recently, I would like to bet that it is indeed the skew which you have upset.
As Wez sez, it needs about 12 degrees turn from upright to get the polarity correct,horizontal or vertical.
Although the website Satellite Finder / Dish Pointing Calculator with Google Maps | DishPointer.com advises skewing anticlockwise from behind the dish, I recommend you try turning it about 12 degrees left first then right ,to check new signal strength to get it correct.

[larmbelastigung]

Thanks for your help. I ended up taking the receiver box to a shop and they tested it on their set up and said it had had it. So I bought a B&Q kit and attached the lnb to my old cable and dish and attached the new receiver box and it works better than the older one.
Thanks