Troubleshooting Advice Part 1

by Sammy Satellite. – Staff Writer for n2news

Here are some common problems that users run into while installing and using FTA equipment.    The forums contain additional answers to common questions and I’ve written specific articles on some of these points.

I have no signal:

Adjust the location of your dish.   The number one reason you have no signal is the way your dish is pointed.  I’ve written many articles on dish pointing so double check your dish using the tools I’ve talked about before.

Check your wiring to make sure you have no kinks or bends or breaks along the way.

Your DISeQc may be dead so try connecting the dish lnb directly the receiver to see if that fixes the problem.  If so, replace the switch.

An aging or weathered LNB may produce bad signals off and on and generally works great for a while and then suddenly the quality drops out.   Different times of the day may yield better results.   If your LNB is older you may want to consider upgrading and solving this problem.

Double check all connections.   Make sure you tighten the connectors but only with your hands.  Don’t use tools and never use a powertool.

If you clearly get some stations but not others you may be one satellite LNB connections working and not another.  Check the connection to your different LNBs and then check to make sure you have blind-scanned both sats.

Channels that once worked don’t anymore because they frequently move from one transponder to another.   Try to blind scan again.   You may need to do this every few months.   Some receivers are better at tracking changes automatically using “hints” within the EPG data and some receivers are “dumb” and require you to scan as often as monthly.

I have the message “Bad or scrambled channel” or “Waiting for Picture”, or another similar message.

Try re-scanning or checking an online guide to see if the specific station has been moved to another sat.

Bad weather can sometimes affect signal quality.

Check the forum for your receiver to make sure you are running with the correct bin.

The moderator for your receiver forum may have sent a message to enable or disable the “EMU” or Emulation function within your receiver.  Not all receivers support emulation but those that do sometimes need the settings changed.

You may need to manually enter the latest N2 keys into the receiver.   Check with the instructions or guides posted on this site on how you can enter the latest keys manually.

My EPG won’t display or displays empty information.

Make sure you have the date, time, and timezone set correct.   Many receivers will fail to display or upgrade EPG information if the clock within the device is wrong.

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