No Sky 1 and picture freezing

[AlpsShah]

Hi Everyone. I am hoping somebody can help me. I have the following set up...

I have the main VM line coming into the house this then goes into a yellow konig booster which has a return path. The line is then split 3 ways. 2 lines run into 2 different rooms for TVs and the other 1 runs about 25 meters into the garden room. here it is split into 2 more lines. 1 is for the TV which and the other for the broadband. all the TVs have the eurovox EX7000 hd boxes connected.

I have scanned all the boxes from the main feed and then connected them up. In the house i get all the channels and no freezing. Initially i didnt up then i bought the yellow konig booster and this fixed this problem after playing around with the booster.

The problem is i cant seem to get the sky 1 in the garden room and some of the channels are freezing like espn HD. Infact if i do a scan it wont even find the transponder for sky 1.

Can anyone help me?
Would i have to buy a another konig amp?
Does anyone know how to set them up properly?

All help really appreciated.

Thanks

[AlpsShah]

Anyone with any advise? Please..

[sytrix]

Which Konig amp are you using? Pro20, Pro30, Pro30A or Pro20M?


If you've scanned each box from the incomming cable and they all work ok, then that suggests there's nothing wrong with the boxes, so I would start with a process of elimination:

1. Disconnect all spurs after the amp and just leave the garden room connected, which sounds like it is on the longest run of cable.
2. Set it to Sky1 (or the next weakest channel if you've lost Sky1) and adjust the gain on the amp. Start low and keep turning it up until you get a good signal (use the STB strength meter) or you reach maximum gain.
3. Repeat for the slope trim (if fitted), again starting low.
4. If you can't get good reception then chances are you need a different amp. If you can, then reconnect the other spurs one at a time and monitor reception in the garden room.
5. Check reception on the other spurs.

Either you'll end up with a working system, or you'll end up back where you started. I suspect that the signal to the garden room is being degraded by the number of splitters in the system and possible cross-talk. I wouldn't like to split an amplified line more than once, personally.

If you can't get a satisfactory result, you may be well advised to change your current amp for a Konig Pro20M, which has four outlets, each with return, and therefore obviates the need for splitters. I wouldn't recommend putting another single channel amplifier in series with your existing one as it will most likely degrade the signal quality as well as increasing the strength.

Good luck - let us know how you get on.

[AlpsShah]

Hi Sytrix,
Many thanks for responding.
Yes the garden room is the longest run.

The amp i have is yellow with 1 in and 1 out. I think its the Pro 30a. Basically it works with my broadband. The amp has 3 knobs. 1 middle righ which states GC another 1 which is bottom left which states SC and the last which is bottom right which states GC.

Which of the GC shall i turn or do you know which one is for what?

Where can i get the PRO 20M from?

Cheers
Alps

[sytrix]

Hi Alps.

Well, in the absense of a 20M, the 30A is probably the next best choice so have a tweak around with it before replacing it.

Looking at the brick with the cable inlet/outlets at the bottom, the three adjusters should be laid out (from left to right) as SC (Slope Control), GC (Gain control - incoming signal) and, located slightly higher up the case than the other two, GC (Gain Control - return signal).

The GC on the far right (and slightly higher than the other two) is used for boosting the return signal for interactive TV and/or broadband, so if your broadband is working ok then I wouldn't touch that one.

The other GC is the one that boosts the TV signal, so adjust this one right down, then slowly increase it until you get an acceptable picture/signal in the garden room.

SC is used to adjust the amount of boost across the frequency spectrum, i.e. you can increase or decrease the boost to the higher frequencies. You may find that you have to turn the gain up so much for Sky1 that you overboost and distort some of the other channels. If this happens, you can use SC to equalise the boost between the higher and lower frequencies. I'm not sure where Sky1 fits in the VM spectrum, but if GC is turned up already then try adjusting SC.

Make a note of where the controls were before you started so that you can back track any changes!

Unfortunately, setting up the booster is a bit hit and miss unless you've got access to the kit the VM techs have, but if you check the effect on the signal strength on a low frequency channel, a high frequency one, and maybe one in between, you should get a good idea of what's going on and whether you're turning the knobs in the right direction!

If still no joy, or adjusting the Konig mucks up the TVs that are already getting good reception, then check the quality of the cable, joints and splitters to the garden room, just to be sure.

To be honest, I don't know of anyone who routinely stocks the 20M in the UK, but any of the Konig suppliers should be able to order one in for you. I think they were about 40 euros last time I looked in Germany.

[AlpsShah]

Hi Sytrix,

Many thanks for replying. I have just did what you said in the first reply but to no joy Its just the same. keeps stating 51% which is the max i can get it to with the gain right up. if i turn the gain down then it goes to 36%. I have checked the joints and the cable and its all good.

Not sure what to do.

Any ideas?

[AlpsShah]

sorry do want to add though that the EPG for sky 1 is up to date. So like now it states Simpsons.

I am not sure if this information may shed any more light...

[sytrix]

Hmm. Starting to run out of options, then. Ok, some more things to check:

1. What signal level are you getting for Sky1 on the other boxes? Are they all 51%?
2. If you remove your broadband splitter and connect the garden room box directly to the spur, does that improve the signal? If so, by how much, and is it comparable to the other TVs?
3. What signal level do you get on Sky1 if you disconnect everything and just connect the garden room box directly to the amp?
4. What signal level do you get if you connect the box directly to the incoming cable?

Hopefully by a process of elimination, we'll figure out what's wrong...

Good luck.

[AlpsShah]

Hi. Thanks for the reply.
So have checked and here are the answers.

1. I get 91% in the house on 107mhz. In the garden room i get 51%.
2. i need to check this by removing the braodband. will do tonight and update.
3.51% but this is with the broadband
4. If i connect direct to the VM feed then i get 93%. if i join the cable that runs to the garden room and then check i get 51% though this is with the broadband.

Cheers
Alps

[satsmo]

Sounds like a cable issue as suspected. How is the cable run to the garden room, i.e. above or below ground? And how is it fixed, i.e. clips or via a duct? And what type of cable is it?

For comparison, if you have a subbed VM box try that in place of the EX7000 in the garden room and report back your findings.

[AlpsShah]

Hi Satsmo..

The cable is run underground in ducting. The cable that is run is cable that was given to us by an VM engineer.

My question is if its the cable then why do i get other channels / transponders, frequencies?

Also would it not affect my broadband as well as this is run on the same cable?

Cheers
Alps

[satsmo]

Some Tps are weaker than others, BB will remain unaffected as the tuner on the STB is dealing with your TPs.

It looks increasing like the splitter between your BB and TV in the garden room as said above. Some splitters are straight through however some have attenuation built in on one or both channels. Try swapping the coax going to the BB side over to the TV side and see what the results are.

[AlpsShah]

i have just removed the BB and still no joy. i even tweaked the booster but still no joy. The freq that i have trouble with are 107, 139 and 227. all the remaining are ok. The last one which i cant remember I get 97 -96 % signal. its only when it gets below the 300 that it drops to around 90% and then when it gets below 250 I get around 85%.

Still confused. it must be the actual cable if anything...

[satsmo]

Looking like the cable but when you said you have removed the BB, did you also remove the splitter and plug the coax directly into the back of the EX7000?

The last TP that you have a problem with is very high at 96% to 97% so looks like an attenuation issue also. This can be caused by a faulty splitter, bad rf connector/termination, ground going to shield of the cable or even a kink in the cable.

The only way to rule out the cable you have done by bringing the box back to the main incoming cable. So it does not look like a box/tuner issue.

The cable distance is not too long by any means so you shouldnt see much of a Db loss. As said earlier if you put another box on the end of the cable run you will probably see that you have the same problem.

Running a test cable run of CT100 or RG6 with new f type connections out to your garden room will tell you that the distance is not your problem.

I would replace the splitter and F type connections and see if that helps. If the problem is still the same a new cable may be required.

[AlpsShah]

hi. yes i did remove the splitter.
several of the tp have 96% but the picture seems fine. is this still a problem?

you stated 'The only way to rule out the cable you have done by bringing the box back to the main incoming cable. So it does not look like a box/tuner issue'... what do you mean by this? i have already tried the box at the main feed.

yes i have tried another box and i have the same problem...