Reply With QuoteStupid question...
Do you have, or can you get a Multimeter?
It's a two path circuit.
The braid/foil has to be in firm contact with the outer shell of the connector,
with no short between inner conductor and outer shield.
Stupid question...
Do you have, or can you get a Multimeter?
Reality is an invention of my imagination.
ಠ_ಠ
The foil bonded to the dielectric (eg, the foam surrounding the centre conductor) shouldn't be stripped back, like in the pics.
Doing that can make minor differences to the cable impedance, but it won't prevent it from working.
It's more difficult to remove that foil anyway.
As mentioned, you may have a short or open circuit. eg. inner and outer touching each other... like a single wire of the outer braid touching the centre conductor... or, if a connector isn't connecting to the braid, which is much-less likely.
This will be why Fernbay has asked if you have a multimeter... to test your cables for shorts/opens.
Yeah might be a better idea to get it up there before I start ripping cables apart - just not sure about dragging a tele onto the roof....
Time to go sleep on it....
Originally Posted by 8DashP
Nah, to be quite frank, methinks you need the services of Professional Installer.
As fernbay and others have said, if you have access to a multimeter, it could save you a great deal of time with testing for open and closed circuits on your cable pathway.
Regarding lugging around a tv, do you by any chance have a laptop with a USB tuner card. If so, you could use that instead of having a tv on the roof.
Much lighter and only require the one power lead for your stb. Laptop on batteries.
I would tune in the usb tv tuner to receive the stb prior to getting up there. That way your tv tuner already has the stb channel saved.
But of course, the usb tv tuner will need to receive analogue channels. If digital only, then scrap that idea; unless your tuner has optional inputs to include RCA leads, then your back in again.
Good luck, let us know how you get on.
8DashP (07-05-11)
This sounds like you are talking about terrestrial TV..... not satellite, which this thread is about.
A satfinder will only detect a signal, but can't tell which satellite it is, so you need to be able to see a screen with the signal levels displayed whilst making fine adjustments to the dish and LNB.
The problem with the VAST box is it won't show you anything until it has a very good signal.
This is where Aurora (or other signals) are better, as other decoders will retain memory, but the VAST box has to search each time after it's had the power turned off and it needs the dish/LNB aligned correctly first, before it can tune/display anything.
Stupid question from me too ( i have not read all the comments here)
On your sat receiver, check your settings, is LNB power on?
If power off is selected in the settings, you wont get any LNB power and therefore no analog sat finder light or sound.
No, I'm talking about satellite. Done this plenty of times. Very easy and less cumbersome than taking a TV on the roof.
All you need is a USB TV Tuner in your laptop, connected via coax to "RF Out" on Satellite STB. Turn on Sat STB, then start your USB TV Tuner software and scan in channels to receive Sat STB RF signal.
Obviously the pic will not be the same as you would Rx via HDMI. It's not as if you're going to camp on the roof watching tv. All you want to view is the Sat STB menu system to access and view settings whilst you align the dish for peak reception.
This will only work if you have a dual Digital/Analogue USB TV Tuner (i.e. "RF Out" on Sat STB is analogue, hence the requirement to have a USB TV Tuner that receives analogue signals).
I have the FusionHDTV DVB-T Nano Plus, which is for both digital and analogue. Some newer USB TV Tuners allow other inputs including RCA cables.
Much much easier than carrying a TV on the roof. Exactly the same procedure can be performed when setting up a terestrial antenna.
Sorry, should have explained it better in previous post.
Last edited by Xplorer; 07-05-11 at 12:55 AM. Reason: spelling errors
Hi. Did one last week. Used the sat finder ...beep until your ears are ringing. Optus C1 was the only one that, when tuned in, was beeping when on the lowest setting. Still no signal on VAST! Turned the LNB. Signal went from zero to 42. Check website for 'skew' i.e how much you turn the LNB from left to right as you face the dish.
Others have suggested that you check whether you have voltage at the other end of your cable. Good move. Try turning the knob fully clockwise. Move the dish. It is hard not to get a ringing noise. But beware, if you point it an obstruction you will get a tone. Good luck.
Last edited by Tasman; 07-05-11 at 02:26 AM. Reason: Thoughts!
Thanks guys,
Up early waiting for the fog to clear and the sun to come up.
Yes, power to the LNB is on.
No, don't have a laptop with a tuner. Was trying to think of alternatives wi an iPad/laptop etc, but nothing comes to mind.
Multimeter no more use than the sat finder at this stage, as the cables through the wall & roofbare the last thing to try, and I can't get both ends together to test for a continuous circuit.
As for a professional installer, are you saying I shouldn't give up my day job?
A few ways of checking this....
To test with a multimeter.... Put meter to ohms, diode, or beep.
Option A
1.Test the RG6 inside the house from the signal cable to the shielding (from the wire in the centre of the F connector to the outside case of the F connector.
It *SHOULD* read as being open circuit.
2. Get a small ball of scrunched up aluminium foil. Go and shove it in one end of the cable, at the F connector, so that the signal calbe and the outside of the F connector now touch each other.
At the other end of the cable, measuring between signal and shield, you should now see a short circuit. If so, the cable and connectors are good.
is good.
Option B.
Hook up STB on the tuning menu, with LNB set to ON.
Go to the other end of the cable & with the meter on DC Volts, you should see either 13v or 18v on the meter. If so, the cable and connectors are OK.
Option C.
Hook up STB on the tuning screen, with LNB set to ON.
Go to the other end of the cable & hook it up your sat finder on the REC connector.
You should see the light come on, and with the senitivity adjustment turned up fully clockwise the little fella ought to be screaming it's head off.
If so, there's a fair bet the cable and connectors are OK.
Reality is an invention of my imagination.
ಠ_ಠ
OSIRUS (07-05-11)
I dont care who dood it or me, new or old connections, I ALWAYS run the multi meter over it to ensure there is continuity in the braid and the center core and NO shorts accross the two in the coax.
Dopey has been caught out with a fine wire or bit of foil I missed and subsequently wasted time and energy so I check it before and after putting any connectors on.
Many years ago I was given a length of cable that water had ingressed apparently and the braid 'rusted' and went high resitance, wouldnt even pass 12V.
This is what is laughing called the 'Learning Curve', its been bloody near vertical for this thickhead.
Last edited by gordon_s1942; 07-05-11 at 10:33 AM.
I stand unequivicably behind everything I say, I just dont ever remember saying it !!
It might be a bit much to get your head around, but I use the cccam web interface on my dreambox as a sat finder.
Simply install the correct satellites.xml file for the sat you are chasing, connect your dreambox to your network and then connect wirelessly via your laptop on your roof.
But before you do that, measure the voltage (like others have said) at your LNB out on your STB, if there is 18 or so volts plug in your coax and measure at the other end of the cable (ie on the roof).
If you don't have a multimeter, perhap a 12v auto test light (I don't think an extra 6volts will blow the lamp) or you could use your tongue!
Edit - Sorry, I have just re-read the thread and you don't have a Dream or a multimeter....apologies
Last edited by CoopsOz; 07-05-11 at 11:48 AM.
OK well I got the Visionnet & TV out in the yard, and lucky my cable that works is about 6m long, so hooked that up and the sat finder, while the wife gave me readings from below.
As soon as it powered, teh sat finder was working and the STB had Strength 70/quality 60. So my alignment was at least pretty close. We managed to get the readings to Str 80-87/Qual 98. So I locked everything in place at that setting.
No luck with the real cables thoughTime to go troubleshoot those connections. Now where did I leave that Multimeter?
Russell.
Hey 8DashP
as coops said - use your laptop
try this - get your dream onto Satfinder (assuming you have Jade, menu, setup, satellites and transponders, satfind) make sure you have a correct transponder (something on the eg Optus sat if that is the one you want)- get the ip address of your dreambox, using the internet - type in the address
now you should find you have an internet interface - pli has a nice user friendly look - you will see there is a tab called Box control - in there is Screenshot
that should show the satfinder on your laptop, be aware it is not a stream - it is a picture, so you will need to refresh your page each time you do something
goodluck
f
有段者
ummmmm...he has no dream fellas...top of the posts states a visionnet and a vast receiver
So did the visionnet get the C1 tuning bars channel?
If so, now peak your dish up/down, left / right for best signal
Then, go to lnb, and skew ( turn it ) until the signal is the highest.
If all ok, bolt / tighten everything up.
Try work out what is wrong with connectors on your cable run.
When you plug in the vast box ( make sure you set your lnb to match in it's menu) it will automatically scan and go to the info page for vast.
Once that happens, it's time to go through the authorisation stage, which is well documented on other posts here.
Keep us informed.
SUCCESS!!!!!!!
As I mentioned somewhere previous, I did suspect I may have trimmed the central wire too short in one place. Well, it seems I trimmed it short in 2 places! I took the wall plate off both sockets, pulled on the central wire with a pair of pliers and tried both connections again, and now they are both working!
Amazing what difference 1/2mm of wire makes! The question now is, do you reckon that will continue to work, or is at risk of drawing back in and disconnecting again?
Also, does the small connection here mean worse signal quality than a longer one? The S/Q on the Visionet box is the same as when I had it outside. The VAST box is showing a Strength of 83, but quality is only about 38. It's currently downloading the firmware update.
Would you recommended I redo the connectors on these with longer wires, or should I be right from here, so do I wing it & see for a week?
I have no card in the Visionet, so the viewable channels are very limited. All I've found so far that work seem to be Foxtel promo channels. I thought I could get at least ABC & SBC without a card, which is all we wanted in the bedroom for now.
Anyway, at least I can start tidying up all the loose ends everywhere now I know where the trouble spot was. Dunno how I'd have made it without the help of everyone here, so big thumbs up to all of you
Russell.
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