VAST box issues

[rt015]

Hi Group,
I have a curly problem I am hoping someone can help me with.
I have a two VAST box setup up on a common dish through a 4 port full bypass splitter.
This system worked well when I had the two Humaxes working on it and when I changed to the VAST boxes all was well for many months.
But now I have problems that confuse me.
On one of the boxes the sound will chop for no more than half a second every ten minutes or so on any channel, and on the other box all the SBS channels ONLY will pixilate and ultimately freeze with a banner giving an error code and "searching for signal" indication.
This search will last for anything up to 15 seconds and only occurs when you are really interested in what you are watching!! very annoying. Note this effects ALL SBS channels only, everything else is perfectly normal. I have checked signal strength when the box says it is "searching" and it reads OK.
I have tried..
Swapping box positions. Same problems STAY in the locations.. i.e. don't follow the the boxes.
Installed a brand new LNB. Set squew to deg. for the area.
Checked signal strength and dish position with a signal finder and on the VAST box.
Checked the RG6 wiring and F connectors including looking for moisture ingress or damage at the LNB end.
Reinstalling the Humaxes to each position in turn, mixing Humax and VAST.. All works perfectly.
If I channel hop when the SBS freeze is hapening all is well.. no problems on anything else.. but if I go back to or choose any other SBS channel the signal search banner is up.

The only thing I haven't tried is replacing the splitter. I have one on order due in a few days. However I cannot see that it will be the problem as all is well with the Humaxes.

has anyone got any clues?

Thanks in advance

Rob

[ant999999]

Hi.
What kind of LNB do you have, 10700/11300 single band, or universal (dual band)?

When all is working, what is the "signal quality" reading in the signal detection menu on the UEC boxes? It should be in the high 30s or even low 40s.

[rt015]

Hi,
I had a single band, but I have changed it for a universal. I have not input manualy dual band frequencies in the VAST boxes as all is working as before with the exception of the problems initialy listed.
Signal level is currently 43, but its overcast at present. I have seen signal levels at 47.

[gordon_s1942]

What VAST region are you in ?
You say it effects all of the SBS channels, do you mean if one STB is on NSW, another on SA, WA etc they all play up together?
Does this happen just randomly or around a particular time of day or night??
My first thoughts are that its their end as its so 'channel' specific but unless others have had similar occurances, we need the more qualified forum members to advise.

One thing I thought was the Humax do have a known power supply board problem but when mine died, it was dead.
If you turn a humax off with the remote, there is no power to the LNB unlike others (UEC VAST etc) so if you tried that and the problem is still there, we're back to the drawing board.
Basically, unplug each STB from the mains one at a time and see what happens.

[ant999999]

Are you saying signal LEVEL is 43 - 47, or signal QUALITY is 43 - 47? Big difference.

Note: If you are running the boxes thru a 4-port splitter (not a multiswitch), which is "all power pass" instead of "single power pass", you might have issues using a universal LNB.
The 22kHz sinewave signal output by the boxes (which tells the LNB's filter to switch to high band), will overlap and clash if using an "all power pass" splitter. This might cause the universal LNB to inadvertently oscillate back and forth between high and low bands, with resulting signal loss. Not the root cause of your issue since you originally had a single-band LNB, but just saying...

Do you have any other boxes (eg Foxtel) connected to that same splitter? You could try removing the splitter from the equation, by just directly connecting up the box that drops SBS, and see if it still has the issue.

[gordon_s1942]

If rt05 is running a simple 4 way splitter, he cant run an Austar/Foxtel stb with VAST as there is a polarity conflict between them.

[rt015]

Hi Gordon,
I am in eastern states region (Coolum).
Two boxes.. one in the bedroom and one in the lounge. The lounge box is the one that has sound chopping. The bedroom one is the box that looses the SBS signal. Swapping boxes does not alter the problem. The problem stays in the location. I initially expected I had a crook box and expected the problem to move with a box swap.. not so. This pointed to the splitter, so I swapped around the "out" conections.. no change.
I hadnt tried turning each box off in turn to see if that made a difference.. thats my next move.
Regarding when the problem will occur.. as I never turn the boxes off, I have been able to leave them on channel 3 and every time I pass by I would take note of what's on the display. When suposed signal loss occurs it will just go to 4 dots.. and 5 or 10 or 15 seconds later it recovers. I have observed this during the day and night. I did think my phone was having an influence on it at one stage, but dismissed that too.
Another thing i have found with these boxes.. it is very easy to lock them up and force a reboot. I just put this down to poor south african design or similar. The dear old Humaxes never locked up.
Thanks heaps for all the good help.

[gordon_s1942]

rt05, by region I am (on ch 3 SBS VAST) NSW (southern or South Easten)so I presume your shown as Qld?
The UEC can be 'locked Up' under certain Remote Control operations or on odd occasions when it just 'Feels Like it ' I have found.
With the 'sound chopping', this was experienced on one only of the 'commercials' suites recently and from memeory ABC24 had similar problems, both were mentioned in this forum I think.
With the 'dropout' happening more often on one location than another makes me wonder about the cable or the actual connector (Type F ?) as you said you swapped the connections over at the splitter which should eliminate that but I wouldnt say its not part of the problem.
Faulty wall plate termination, loose connection, water ingress, mice or rats chawing on the cable, the possiblities are endless and annoying.