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What can I do when my Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' or 'Technical fau

What can I do when my Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' or 'Technical fault'?

What can I do when my Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' or &
published on UK Free TV

How to Reset a Sky Digibox when 'No Signal' appears.

Reset method 1 - Delete and Rescan

  1. Turn the power off at the mains socket. Either do this by pulling the plug from the socket, or using a power switch if there is one.

  2. Remove the viewing card from the machine. Using a dry cloth or kitchen roll, clean the gold connector on the reverse of the card. Do not use any cleaning products.

  3. Check cables and connectors are in good order.
  4. Wait for at least 30 seconds.
  5. With the card still out of the machine, plug the Digibox back into the mains.
  6. Ignore all the messages, and wait for around a minute.
  7. Try 101 for BBC One, 102 for BBC Two and 103 for ITV-1.
  8. Insert viewing card, wait a few seconds.
  9. Check 104 for Channel 4 and 105 for five.


Reset Method 2 - Reset the LNB

If the above method does not work, the LNB may have a fault.
  1. Press the [SERVICES] button and then press [4] [0] [1] then [SELECT]

    On Sky HD, press the [SERVICES] button and then press [0] [0] [1] then [SELECT]

    Press the buttons in the sequence above exactly - do not atttempt to use [UP] or [DOWN]. Note that when you press the second 0 and 1 nothing happens on the screen until you press the final [SELECT]. This is a "hidden menu".



  2. Then press [1] to go to the RF output menu.
  3. Press [DOWN] three times to highlight the line 22Khz Command and then press [RIGHT] to change the value to [OFF].
  4. Press [DOWN] and [SELECT] to select Save New Settings.
  5. Press [SKY].
  6. Again press [SERVICES], [4], [0], [1], [SELECT]; then [1] again for the LNB Menu. (SERVICES 0 0 1 SELECT for Sky HD).
  7. Now press the [RED] button (reset all settings), then [DOWN] until you can select Save New Settings again.
  8. Press [SKY].


Reset Method 3 - Upgrade the system software

If there are still problems:

  1. Turn the Digibox off at the mains again and remove the viewing card.
  2. Whilst holding down the BACKUP key on the Digibox - NOT ON THE REMOTE - turn the mains power on.
  3. Keep hold of BACKUP until the screen displays a "UPGRADING SYSTEM SOFTWARE" message – this will be white text on a black screen. On some boxes this can appear as a half screen.

  4. Wait 10 to 20 minutes for the software to download and install. The box will restart when the process is complete.
  5. Ignore all the messages, and wait for around a minute.
  6. Try 101 for BBC One, 102 for BBC Two and 103 for ITV-1.
  7. Insert viewing card, wait a few seconds.
  8. Check 104 for Channel 4 and 105 for five.


All questions
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Comments
Sunday, 19 February 2012
S
Stu
12:49 AM

Hi guys. Had sky hd put in and moved old box upstairs, found an old white sky card to put in but says I need to link the card with the box ? Also I've add the freq for Rte1 but just says programme not available , can and one help please

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Stu's 2 posts GB flag
A
amanda
12:37 PM

I rang sky this morning as i had lost a lot of my channels, they got me to try the lnb reset which did not work and told me i would have to pay £65 for an engineer to come out. Luckily for me i found this site and after doing the step 3 reset all off my channels are working. Thank you so much for saving me £65 and shame on sky for not telling people to do the resest

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amanda's 1 post GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

4:36 PM

amanda: Thats pleasing to hear. I dont know why Sky persists in telling people to reset the LNB as its very seldom ever the case of it actually being at fault, as in 99% of the cases its always the box requiring the reset.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Monday, 20 February 2012
H
Heather
4:02 PM

Hi Guys. Amstrad Sky Plus box (about 5 years old) which has recently been intermittently failing recordings with "no signal" as the reason. I find I can make it record the channel manually when it won't do so if set to record in the planner. I read somewhere this was likely to be a failure of the signal on the second input?

Looking at the signal strength bar for Input 1 it's fine, but the bar for Input 2 is varying between fine and zero (not locked) as I watch it.

Switching the two input cables at the back of the box gives me no signal on either input.

I have looked at the termination of the cables at the box end and there doesn't seem to be anything to cause a short. I've tried the "power off" reset (Method 1). Is it worth me trying the others or totally resetting the box or does this sound like a cabling problem / faulty box and it's time to call Sky?

Great site by the way - thanks in advance for any answers.

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Heather's 4 posts GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

6:20 PM

Heather: Your problem is inclined to suggest that two faults exist, one of possibly having caused the other, although to clarify the issue I would remove both input feeds from the box then using only the boxes No1 input connect each of the feeds in turn marking the cable of the one that does not give any indication as that's definitely defective, so take it out again straight away as there could be a short circuit on it which could damage the box if left connected. (if not already having done so!)

The second test is simply by trying the feed you know is OK into the boxes No2 input, as if all is OK with the box then the strength bar should indicate about 75% or so, if it doesn't or nothing is seen at all then give the box another "mains lead out" type of reset and see what happens, but do not at any time connect the faulty feed back into the box, because if as aforementioned a short circuit has developed on that line it "may" have already damaged the No2 input and that's the reason why the previously verified as OK feed doesn't work, as there is no other reason for it not doing.

I know this is a tall order, but "if" your household has access to a small voltmeter set it on low voltage DC and connect it across the No2 aerial socket, if it doesn't read anything more than a couple of volts (or nothing at all) then the box has been damaged.


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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
H
Heather
8:39 PM

Thanks jb. I've fiddled about with both cables and tried plugging and unplugging as you suggest and most frustratingly it seems that sometimes the number 2 input is OK and sometimes not (no matter which cable is plugged in). I don't seem to be able to reliably reproduce any results except that the recordings all failed again this evening!

I'm still thinking faulty cable / connection / box input though so time to call Sky I guess!

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Heather's 4 posts GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:15 PM

Heather: If No2 input proves as being erratic no matter what cable is connected into it then its the box at fault, so if you have a contract with Sky then they should replace it, Amstrads of the age you have mentioned not exactly unknown for developing problems albeit is usually in the power unit.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Z
Zoe Chedoy
9:32 PM

I live in a new build with communal dish. I have aerial plugs in both lounge and bedroom. Recently tv I'm bed room was having signal issues and then started interfering with sky in living room. Now I have to unplug aerial in bedroom to use my sky in living room otherwise I have no signal to my sky box. I have tried changing the face plate which has not worked. Management company say I have to fix it.

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Zoe Chedoy's 1 post GB flag
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
H
Heather
11:14 PM

Thanks jb - I called Sky and they are sending an Engineer (couldn't get an appointment till Saturday though which is a bit rubbish). I'll let you know what happens but thanks for your help!

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Heather's 4 posts GB flag
Saturday, 25 February 2012
H
Heather
12:33 PM

Just to let you know Sky Engineer came today and replaced both input cables as he said there was no signal on one of them. He was not impressed to see joints in the cables near the dish and replaced the whole thing with one piece of twin cable, also giving me more cable at the box end (so I can now pull it right out of the unit!)and making a much tidier job of hiding the cable than before. All seems good now so a very satisfactory outcome all round.

Thanks for the good advice though. This is a most helpful site.

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Heather's 4 posts GB flag
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