SatCure Technical Help for Sky Digibox

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Before you send your e-mail, please read the following...

Sir, I don't have time for this. I just want to ask a simple question. OK. CLICK HERE

For many "simple questions", there's no such thing as a "simple answer". To help you to help yourself, I've written a number of books which you can download and read at your leisure:
http://www.The-Cool-Book-Shop.co.uk

Of course you can e-mail your question anyway but please don't be surprised or offended if my reply is "read this web page" or "read that book". Please tell me as MUCH information as possible including that requested on my e-mail page.
If you receive NO reply, your return email address was incorrect or you annoyed me (see below.)

TO GET HELP

01. I want you to tell me a little about yourself. This makes life more interesting for me and also allows me to decide whether you will understand a highly technical answer or whether I should tell you to "take it to your dealer" or if your knowledge lies somewhere inbetween, in which case I'll keep it simple. Please tell me your name, your location and any other relevant facts about yourself, your level of expertise and the equipment you have available.

02. Please tell me how you found this web page? - (which search engine/what key words). This information allows me to see how well my "advertising" is going and which "search engines", News Groups, "E-zines" or other publications are giving me a mention.

03. Tell me which model of Sky Digibox or Freeview receiver you have (read the label). I may not be able to answer questions about any other type of digital receiver at this time but you can ask (if you do ask, be sure to tell me if it's analogue or digital). If you have a question about an analogue receiver, please go to my analogue web site at http://www.your-book.co.uk

04. Tell me the history of the fault (when/how did it begin?). This helps me to make an accurate diagnosis instead of a guess. Mention anything you noticed previously that might be a clue to the present fault. I need to know if the symptoms came gradually or suddenly. Did anyone alter anything that might have triggered the fault.

05. Describe the fault symptoms accurately.
If it is completely dead, please make sure before telling me a lie. (Dead = no lights, no noises, no picture, no low voltages from the power supply). If you have no meter or don't know what to measure, please say so. If the fault is intermittent, how often does it happen (2 minutes - 2 days??) After how long a warm-up time does the fault happen (let it cool down).

06. If you are unsure whether the fault is caused by your satellite receiver, LNB, cable or connections then you must carry out some checks as follows:

• Make sure 22kHz tone is "ON".
• Make sure LNB power is "ON" unless you use a limited channel communal system.
• Use another Sky Digibox to test LNB, cable and dish alignment.
• Test your Sky Digibox on another dish system.

For a Freeview receiver, check the aerial is the right type, the cable is double-shielded (as used for satellite) and there are no joints or wall plates that might affect the signal. See page 8 of our catalogue for cable information.

07. Before you refer to a picture or sound fault, please check it via both RF out and Scart.

Please be sure to send ALL relevant details including those from any previous message which I will have forgotten!
Please read other files on this web site which refer to your receiver or problem.
Please don't be offended if, after all this, my reply is "I don't know."
I can't be expected to diagnose *every* fault by e-mail!

Feedback is nice. If I help to solve your problem I'd like to know. If I save you lots of money, why not buy one of my "eBooks"? http://www.satcure.co.uk/book.htm

Ask a question
Include your return e-mail address in the message!

Read what NOT to do, below!

Do NOT send me picture files!

Do NOT send me attachments!
I don't want your HTML garbage or pictures of your pet, so send just TEXT.
I definitely don't want any Microsoft WORD or EXCEL files as these can carry viruses.

Type a sensible "subject" line - the receiver make/model, for instance.
I hate to receive ten messages a day, all entitled "please help!" - It doesn't help my filing system and I won't be able to refer to it later when you ask another question.

BTW I reserve the right to take the piss. It's the only amusement I get! So, if you have no sense of humour, please ask somebody else ;o)

PHONE CALLS

In general I don't want phone calls but, if you insist, click here.

I do NOT supply Pirate cards, Pirate software, CAMs, cracks or hacks and I don't know anything about these things so please don't ask.

I will NOT send you circuit diagrams by post or by e-mail.

I answer typically 30 - 50 e-mail questions each day after (during) a hard day's work. Frequently I am tired and short-tempered and I tend to treat everybody like an idiot.

You can help me to give a quick, simple, polite reply by supplying the right information. Check your spelling, punctuation and grammar. If you don't, you'll simply waste time as I'll have to ask what you mean. "Newbies" please note that TYPING EVERY SENTENCE IN CAPITALS is considered rude.

Feedback is nice. If I help to solve your problem I'd like to know. Unfortunately. my memory is really poor so you'll have to remind me what the equipment is and what the original problem was. There's no point in simply writing: "I fixed it. The LNB was faulty".

AERIAL: (this is how we spell it in the UK) that bunch of metal sticks on the roof.
ARIAL: A sans-serif computer font.
ARIEL: A biological washing powder.
ANTENNA: little pointy things on a bug (insect). Pl: antennae.

(It never ceases to amaze me how many people have trouble getting good pictures from their biological detergent!)

DEAD: Please note that "dead" is defined as "no measurable secondary voltages from the power supply". A "dead" receiver will not light up or make a noise! I get a lot of people wasting my time with false descriptions of "dead" when they actually mean "no picture", "poor picture", "scrambled picture", "no sound" or "ticking" or "working perfectly but no front panel display" etc. (I also have people write: "My receiver is not dead because it keeps blowing fuses"! If it blew the main protection fuse, it is dead, believe me!)

Q. Should I replace the fuse?

DO NOT REPLACE THE INTERNAL FUSE! It is there to protect YOU and the receiver. If you replace it you can make the damage worse and put yourself at risk! Ask me before you touch it.

DECODER: The box or internal circuit that unscrambles the pictures on some analogue channels.
DISC: a flat circular object like a penny.
DISH: That oval shaped thing that you point at the satellite.
LNB: The signal collector on the dish arm. Low Noise Block-downconverter.
MARTIN: my name. Amazing how many people type "Mark" or "Keith" (?) or "Martyn".
PSU: Power supply unit which may be part of the main circuit board or may be a separate unit.
PCB: The Printed Circuit Board on which components are mounted.
RECEIVER: The box that receives and selects the satellite TV transmissions from the LNB.
RF Modulator: The module that you connect the TV aerial into and picture signal out.
SATELLITE: the correct spelling for those transmitters in the sky, 22,000 miles away.
TRANSPONDER: think of it as a transmitter and dish, bolted to the satellite in the sky.
TUNER: The internal module that you connect the LNB cable to - usually with a screw "F" plug.

There. I feel much better now.

Ask a question NOW
Include your correct return e-mail address in the message!

Martin

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