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Thread: No VAST signal, SatKing SK-3500 diagnostic available

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    Default No VAST signal, SatKing SK-3500 diagnostic available

    Frist time poster, hoping someone here can help.

    I've a known working VAST STB unable to tune to the satellite, reporting no signal. Fortunately I have a SatKing SK-3500, is anyone able to assist me with using it to identify the issue?



    Any assistance appreciated!



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    I'd say by the figures there on the 3500, you have 63% signal, just not enough to tune in fully, so your dish is out of alignment or your LNBf is out of scew or failing.
    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
    Last edited by Tiny; 17-09-18 at 03:11 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tiny View Post
    I'd say by the figures there on the 3500, you have 63% signal, just not enough to tune in fully, so your dish is out of alignment or your LNBf is out of scew or failing.
    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    or some insects have gotten into the feedhorn ass.

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    I expect wroth of the Gods here but here goes. Toss out the old LNBF & replace it with a known working one. LNB's do wear out! the LO will drift about & no lock occurrs. It will also be temperature affected (but not always). Just remember to get the skew right for the new LNb (check out your neighbours Fuxtel dish for a clue). They are now cheap & hassle free to install $50 or there abouts, with a rewarding stress free day watching the footy after.
    Hope this helps

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    Signal level but no signal quality is LNB related.

    The most common and likely issue is the skew is incorrectly set.

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    2 bobs worth lnb stuffed dro drifted outside specs 63% is noise good luck

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    Just a few things we should clarify since this is the newbie thread.

    To make sure we are all on the same page,

    Is the current installation the one that the known working Sat box was working on?

    If not what was on the current installation before?

    Is the satellite dish installation permanent/fixed, new or old?

    If all was good & working until this moment, what happened recently, strong winds, large animal or human bumped the dish or....?

    Any other information that could be handy will help us help you, like have you recently done some renovations, had builders or electricians on the property?

    EDIt; looking closely at the back ground of that pic in post #1, is it a commercial type installation in a hotel or something?
    Last edited by Tiny; 17-09-18 at 07:17 PM.
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    Correction
    Last edited by Thala Dan; 17-09-18 at 07:24 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Thala Dan View Post
    Why are you trying to receive 12647V on your Satking SK3500?
    It's the newbie sat thread & his sat finder has been pre programed for that channel, watch the video I posted if you need clarification.

    I was going to comment on the 22khz as well then realised it wont make a difference, as the video demo has it on as well.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tiny View Post
    It's the newbie sat thread & his sat finder has been pre programed for that channel, watch the video I posted if you need clarification.

    I was going to comment on the 22khz as well then realised it wont make a difference, as the video demo has it on as well.
    Yeah, thank Tiny.......you jumped in before I realised my mistake with the DVB-S.....my Strong box initially showed 12647V as DVB-S when i first switched on, then ten seconds later was showing DVB-S2.....my bad.

    Only reason I questioned the 22Khz was wondering if there was some kind of switching in the system.......particularly in view of your comment about possible commercial operation.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tiny View Post
    Just a few things we should clarify since this is the newbie thread.
    Yes definitely a newbie, installed my first VAST receiver in my house on Sunday.

    Is the current installation the one that the known working Sat box was working on?
    Yes, on the box mentioned above.

    Is the satellite dish installation permanent/fixed, new or old? …looking closely at the back ground of that pic in post #1, is it a commercial type installation in a hotel or something?
    Yes, on a media centre for a remote indigenous community at which I've just begun working.

    If all was good & working until this moment, what happened recently, strong winds, large animal or human bumped the dish or....?

    Any other information that could be handy will help us help you, like have you recently done some renovations, had builders or electricians on the property?
    To a certain extent your guess is as good as mine, it could have been this way for months. We've had several mains power incidents, but the STB is a new one that was offline during all of those and is known to be working on another dish. It's a windy, dusty environment where kids have been known to thrown rocks at targets on the roof

    Important note. I've replaced the LNB and have connected the SK-3500 directly to it and this works — i get a lock and the VAST test broadcast on channel 800. This leads me to hypethise it's either the coaxial lead between the LNB and where it terminates, or possibly the connectors (but I've visually inspected these and they both look fine). Does everyone concur?

    Thanks so much for the assistance, everyone.

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    Cool, now we no more, we can help.


    Quote Originally Posted by ngmedia View Post
    Important note. I've replaced the LNB and have connected the SK-3500 directly to it and this works — i get a lock and the VAST test broadcast on channel 800. This leads me to hypethise it's either the coaxial lead between the LNB and where it terminates, or possibly the connectors (but I've visually inspected these and they both look fine). Does everyone concur?
    I think you are heading in the right direction, yes.

    If the SK-3500 works at the new LNBf but not at the box connection end of the cabling then your answer is in there, try re-terminating both ends & see if you can get a lock with the SK-3500 at the sat box end, failing that you will have to trace the cabling for faults or replace it.

    What is the signal strength & quality at the LNB?

    Did you try tweaking the dish & LNB skew for higher S & Q as well as lower BER.

    How much difference in S & Q at the box end?

    Is there any splitters, multi-switches, cable wall plates or joiners in the cable run? All being good places to look for shorts or bad connection.
    Last edited by Tiny; 18-09-18 at 02:34 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by ngmedia View Post
    I've replaced the LNB and have connected the SK-3500 directly to it and this works — i get a lock and the VAST test broadcast on channel 800. This leads me to hypethise it's either the coaxial lead between the LNB and where it terminates, or possibly the connectors (but I've visually inspected these and they both look fine)
    If everything works when connected to the LNB directly but not at the connector into the decoder, then you have a connection issue somewhere.

    Given it's a commercial distribution system, the fault could be at any number of locations.

    You need to check each point in the distribution chain with your meter to locate the problem.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tiny View Post
    What is the signal strength & quality at the LNB?
    Here's the display from the SK-3500 when directly connected to the LNB:


    Did you try tweaking the dish & LNB skew for higher S & Q as well as lower BER.
    A bit beyond my level of experience, I'm afraid — I've never installed or tweaked the characteristics of a dish or LNB. If you can suggest a beginners' guide I'm happy to try.

    How much difference in S & Q at the box end?
    If I was using the SK-3500 correctly (as it's the first time I've used the equipment it's entirely possible I wasn't; see the photo earlier in thread) signal was 68% and quality was 0%.

    Is there any splitters, multi-switches, cable wall plates or joiners in the cable run? All being good places to look for shorts or bad connection.
    Agreed, the first thing I did was remove the distribution amplifier from the mix, so AFAICT it's just the coaxial directly connected to the LNB from which the S68/Q0 figure above was obtained. I'd estimate that's less than a 10 metre length of cable, and I've been advised it was a professional installation.

    Thanks again for your help and any further advice.

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    Quote Originally Posted by oneofthedamons View Post
    A bit beyond my level of experience, I'm afraid — I've never installed or tweaked the characteristics of a dish or LNB. If you can suggest a beginners' guide I'm happy to try.
    This is very basic, but you'll get the idea.

    Cheers, Tiny
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    how rusted are the bolts on the clamps if you can loosen them a little and have a move of the dish whilst watching the sig level you should be able to lift it up more . start at the dish get max sig then go to the next step of the coax , ten meters is not much for rg6 so the losses will be negligible then carry on from there change the f types they are cheap and easy to do even if you have to biff then later and carry on thru its system theres not any thing that cant be fixed if you do make a mistake so have a go !!!! cheers don

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