Sky TV troubleshooting, Sky digital fault finding tips and digibox repair guide.
 
 
Technical Solutions

You are here: home  Sky TV troubleshooting guide

Solving Sky TV & Digibox Problems

This Sky TV self help guide provides technical advice for troubleshooting Sky Digital reception problems, such as Sky TV picture break up (or freezing) and the causes of common faults which result in a no satellite signal is being received message.

A faulty Sky Digibox, misaligned dish or LNB problems often lead to poor reception with frequent TV picture breakup into squares or pixels, commonly known as pixilation (pixelation) or artefacts.

An index of self help topics is provided below, so that you can quickly find solutions to common Sky problems:

Index of Contents

Poor Picture, Interference & Intermittent Breakup

Total Signal Loss

Digibox Faults & Firmware Update Procedure

Diagnosing Minidish & LNB Faults

Weather Related Problems

Sky TV Installation & Self Help

Sky Digital Channels

Sky Dish Installation Tips

A Sky TV reception problem can occur during bad weather even if the elevation or azimuth of the Sky dish is only 1 degree out of alignment. Even a Zone 1 43cm dish requires careful alignment with a decent signal meter and satellite finder.

Satellite meters for accurate dish alignment are available from Satcure - click here to get a discount voucher.

If you wish to undertake DIY installation or realignment of a Sky TV dish you will need to buy this kit.

During any Sky Digital installation, mount the supplied minidish bracket onto a solid wall, as any dish movement may cause Sky reception problems. Where your Sky minidish needs to be mounted on a long pole to achieve clearance or an unobstructed view of the Astra 28.2E satellite, mast guying may be required to reduce dish movement. Poor Sky TV installation, dish misalignment or excessive pole movement will cause poor signal quality and lead to the Sky TV picture breaking up during bad weather.

A common cause of low Sky Digibox signal quality readings is the dish being knocked out of alignment by ladders or moved by high winds. In some cases a Sky minidish may just have been badly installed from day one, or installation made in an inappropriate location. For more troubleshooting tips see poor Sky Installation.

Back to top

Causes of Poor Sky Digital Picture

  • Improving Picture Quality - To improve your Sky picture always connect your main TV directly to the Sky box using a quality scart lead not the one supplied. Cheap Scart cables often cause crosstalk interference problems and introduce signal loss. Buying an individually screened Scart cable will improve Sky picture quality compared to using a cheap Scart lead and give huge improvements if you're still using the UHF loop through aerial connection to connect your TV to your Skybox via coaxial cable. Your Sky digital TV picture will be sharper with more detail, better edge definition and less background picture noise (snow).

    Generally, the Sky Digibox Video Output should be set to RGB for the best picture quality, rather than using PAL. The Picture Settings menu can be accessed by pressing Services then 4, 1 from your Sky handset. The RGB Video Output setting all but eliminates shimmering of colour transitions and sharpens up edges, both of which are common problems with the PAL TV system. Read our Scart lead interference article for more troubleshooting advice for improving your Sky picture, even when using cheap Scart cables.

  • Sky Distribution Amplifier - Using passive splitters without a proper distribution amplifier to feed the Sky Digibox UHF signal around your home will lead to poor Sky picture. If you want to watch Sky TV on more than one television and would like to be able to change channels on your Digibox, then you will need the right Sky Distribution amplifier and remote extender system.  You can buy a high quality Sky TV distribution amplifier with remote extender and all accessories from Satcure. For help with solving interference to an existing UHF Sky distribution amplifier system click here.

  • Snowy Sky Picture - If you have problems with picture noise (snow) via your existing Sky TV distribution system, the UHF channel used may be suffering interference from a weak Freeview digital transmission. This causes 'picture snow' and poor picture quality on the UHF output of the Digibox. Try re-tuning your Sky box UHF modulator to fix this problem.

    Another common cause of a poor quality, snowy Sky picture is fitting a signal booster to your TV aerial. In these cases, try disconnecting the coaxial cable 'AERIAL IN' lead to back of your Sky box to see if this improves the Sky TV picture to TV's connected via the loft distribution amplifier. If this is the problem then fit a high gain digital aerial on your roof and remove the signal booster wherever possible.

  • Sky UHF Interference - In some cases Sky distribution amplifiers can suffer interference from nearby Tetra masts and the like. Try reading our TVI filters page for help with these problems.

Back to top

Missing Sky Channels, Error Messages & Receiver Lock-Up

Common problems with early Sky Digibox models include frequent receiver lock up. The Microprocessor used in early Digibox models was sensitive to mains borne electrical noise pickup. To reduce Sky Digibox lock up problems always connect your Digibox directly to a 240V wall socket, not an extension lead feeding your TV and other DTT peripherals!

Common faults like missing Sky channels and on screen error messages warning that Sky TV channels are not available can often be cured by just disconnecting the Digibox power cable (240V mains lead) for 20 seconds and then replacing the power. In extreme cases the receiver will become totally non-responsive and the picture may freeze altogether with no response to Sky handset commands. In most cases rebooting the Sky Digibox usually cures the problem.

If a frequent Grundig Sky Digibox lock up problem occurs on early model GDS200 or GDS300 Digiboxes, it is wise to service the Digibox power supply. The power supply capacitors in Grundig Digiboxes often fail causing erratic behaviour. Capacitor kits and replacement power supplies for early Grundig GDS200 and GDS300 Digiboxes are available from Satcure to fix this common problem.

Back to top

Sky TV Link Problems / Faults

Sky TV Link - Infra Red Remote Extender

Sky TV link faults are common. If you have a noisy Sky TV picture on one of your TV's and the TV link remote eye (which changes channels in that room) has stopped working, first check that the red light (LED) is illuminated on the Sky TV Link hardware (plugged into the affected TV's aerial socket).

If the red light isn't illuminated, this indicates that 12V power isn't reaching the TV Link down the coaxial cable. If the Sky TV link fault occurred recently, check for bad connections in the coaxial cables feeding that particular TV Link and at the Sky TV distribution amplifier (maybe in your loft).

Also check for a faulty TV aerial socket in the affected room - usually at the skirting or wall mounted TV face plate. Poor solder joints and faults at a TV aerial face plate caused by cable movement are particularly common. To check for a fault, move the TV coaxial plug slightly when it's plugged into the face plate and at the same time check whether the LED on the Sky TV Link flashes intermittently. If a problem is found, the TV aerial face plate should be replaced. When purchasing a new TV face plate for use with Sky TV Link distribution, make sure that it doesn't block the 12V power from the Digibox - specifically that it doesn't have isolation capacitors fitted. Isolation in the TV face plate will prevent the Sky TV Link from operating. Face plates with F connectors offer lower signal loss and are more sturdy.

If problems with Sky TV Link control affect more than one room and the Sky picture is poor (noisy), check for coaxial cable faults and poor connections from the Sky Digibox RF Output 2 (rear panel) to your loft distribution amplifier. Also check all coaxial cable connections at the Sky distribution amplifier itself and that the Sky Digibox "RF Outlet Power Supply" is turned "on" if your distribution amplifier requires it. This involves accessing the Sky Digibox service menu and ensuring that the "RF Outlet Power Supply" is "On" - screenshot here.

Sky TV link accessories and loft boxes for Sky TV distribution around your home are available from Satcure. Click here for a Satcure discount voucher before you buy.

Back to top

Checking Sky TV Signal Quality

Check Sky TV signal quality by pressing "Services" on the Skybox handset, then press "4" for "System Setup" and "6" for "Signal Test". Typical readings off a Sky box in dry weather under clear skies in the south of the UK are about 70 - 80% signal strength and 60 - 70% signal quality.

Even with a correctly installed Sky TV box and dish, the signal quality may drop to around 45% during heavy rain and lower still during severe thunderstorms. Click here for an example Sky Digibox signal quality screen. The example picture was taken under good weather conditions in central southern England using a 43cm Zone 1 dish and Cambridge 0.7dB LNB connected to a Pace Digibox.

No Satellite Signal is being Received

If you see a Sky Digital "no satellite signal is being received" message try the following to identify the source of the problem:-

  • Check Digibox signal quality - Your Sky TV dish may have been moved or knocked out of alignment. First check the signal quality is above 40% and the receiver is locked. The signal strength reading is less important, but should generally be above 50%. If Sky signal quality is low, try re-aligning the dish with a Satellite Meter assuming it hasn't been vandalised. Sky dish vandalism is a problem in some areas of the UK, especially if the minidish is mounted near to the ground. If any damage is evident to the dish reflector or LNB arm, then you'll need to buy a new Sky dish and install it out of reach. Ebay is a good source of cheap Sky dishes and LNB's.

  • Exchange your Sky Digibox - If you suspect problems with your Sky box, try to borrow a Digibox (including viewing card) from a friend or neighbour and try it on your dish. Always power down the Digibox before disconnecting the LNB cable. If the borrowed Sky box works perfectly and the signal quality is OK, then you may have a faulty Digibox.

  • Dish and cable faults - If the borrowed Sky Digibox doesn't work, check the Sky minidish alignment and coaxial cable for kinks and damage. Also make sure the F-type connector is tightly screwed onto the LNB and the joint was adequately waterproofed during installation with self amalgamating tape. If not, check for water ingression into the coaxial cable. If any signs of water or corrosion are present in the LNB connector or cable itself, replace the coaxial cable with satellite grade FT100 and fit a new F-type plug. Cheap coaxial cable accessories and plugs are available from Satcure.

  • Minidish LNB faults - If the replacement Sky box didn't work and the dish hasn't moved out of alignment and no coaxial cable damage or water ingression is evident, there may be an LNB fault. For symptoms of LNB faults click here. If a faulty LNB is the problem, you can buy a cheap replacement LNB for your Sky minidish on eBay.co.uk.

Sky TV - Poor Reception During Bad Weather

  • Sky Digital signal loss during thunderstorms - Even a correctly installed Sky Digibox may suffer reception problems during extreme weather, torrential rain or severe thunderstorms. When this occurs a "no satellite signal is being received" message is usually displayed on the screen. Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to solve signal loss during thunderstorms as the problem still occurs even when using a much larger 80cm dish to receive Sky TV.
  • Poor Sky signal quality in rain - If frequent Sky TV picture break up or signal loss is experienced during heavy rain the problem is often caused by the Sky minidish being out of alignment (or moved by high winds) or by a faulty LNB. Pole mounted Sky dishes are particularly susceptible to storm damage. Even a slight movement of the pole may cause sufficient dish misalignment to cause a "no satellite signal is being received" message and total Sky TV reception loss. High winds can also bend or move the pole permanently in the mounting brackets, leading to reception problems even when the winds abate. The solution is to re-site the Sky dish onto a shorter more sturdy pole or better still, find an alternative installation location where the supplied minidish mounting bracket can be used to achieve good line of sight with the Sky satellite at Astra 28.2E.
  • Improving Sky reception in bad weather - New Sky minidish LNB like the Sky+ Quad LNB, have a lower noise figure (typically 0.6dB), giving better reception than the ones fitted a few years ago which had a higher noise figure of ~0.9dB. If upgrading or replacing your Sky dish LNB, make sure you buy the correct replacement LNB for the manufacturer of your minidish or (alternatively) check that the universal LNB arm adaptors are supplied to fit all Sky dish types.
  • Buy a New Digibox - It's also worth noting that new Sky Digibox models like the Pace BSKYB2600, DS430N and DS440 Skybox may improve Sky TV reception during bad weather in the UK compared to old Digiboxes. These Sky boxes have amongst the best tuner sensitivity and selectivity for reception of Sky TV in Europe. Cheap deals on a new Digibox can be found on eBay.co.uk.

Back to top

Skybox - Picture Break Up During High Winds

If your Sky TV picture shows signs of breaking up, pixelation or picture freezing during high winds or stormy weather check the following:-

  • The Sky minidish mounting is secure. If the dish is mounted on your TV aerial pole and the pole moves even by a small amount in high winds, this can be enough to cause Sky pixilation problems, freezing and breaking up of picture. Low signal quality will result if the Sky dish is moving too much, sometimes leading to total signal loss or picture breakup.
  • If the minidish is mounted on wall T and K type wall brackets, ensure that the pole used is not too long, giving excessive movement during high winds. Guy the pole if needed!
  • The LNB F-type connection at the Sky dish is correctly made, physically tight and fully waterproofed with self amalgamating tape.

For more troubleshooting advice and technical help, see LNB fault diagnosis.

Back to top

Poor Sky Installation

A poor Sky TV installation can lead to problems. In rare circumstances, a Sky minidish may have been badly installed in a location where it does not have full, unobstructed view of the satellite leading to poor signal quality on your Sky Digibox. This can result in picture loss or break up during bad weather. A poor Sky TV installation might comprise:-

  • Poor installation behind pitched roof - Behind A Sky minidish that is badly installed behind a pitched roof, where the roof partially obstructs full dish illumination from the satellite. If signal quality is always below 50% in good weather and your dish is mounted behind a pitched roof, then it is either out of alignment or mounted too low down for all of the minidish surface to "see" the Astra 28.2E satellite.

  • Partial signal obstruction by roof eaves - Sky dishes that are mounted right underneath a roof overhang or house eaves. Sometimes large roof overhangs just above a minidish can partially obscure the dish surface giving reduced signal quality. To solve this, move the dish further down the wall, away from the roof overhang.

  • Dish not horizontal - It's important that the LNB arm of any Sky minidish is absolutely horizontal as the LNB has a fixed offset angle (LNB skew). Check the minidish LNB arm is horizontal with a spirit level. Adjust the dish mounting and re-align if necessary to correct the problem using a Satellite Alignment Meter & Finder Kit. Satellite meters for dish alignment are available from Satcure (click here for a discount voucher). In some cases a low signal quality reading can result from a Sky dish which is mounted at a slight tilt (angle), even if the dish is correctly aligned.

  • Warped Sky minidish - Installation of a warped or damaged second hand Sky dish. Check the minidish surface for dents, signs of warping or damage. An out of shape or damaged dish will give very poor reception.

Back to top

Sky Digibox Faults

Faulty Sky TV digibox troubleshooting

If you have Sky Digibox problems or an intermittent fault, it is always worthwhile borrowing a neighbour's Skybox and viewing card and temporarily installing it at your property to see if that too suffers from the same problem. If you're not technical, make a note of all cabling before you disconnect your Sky Digibox, particularly the Scart cable connections.

Where to Buy a Cheap Sky Digibox

If your Sky Digibox has become faulty, you can find good quality exchange, second hand Sky boxes or a reconditioned / refurbished Sky Digibox on eBay.co.uk. You'll also find the cheapest deals on a new Sky Digibox - for example you can buy the Pace DS440 for around £90. Through E-bay it's easy to buy a cheap Skybox for under £30 as a replacement for a faulty unit which is simply uneconomical to repair.

Common Causes of a Faulty Digibox

Sky Digibox problems and faults are often caused by inadequate ventilation. Never put a DVD player or other peripheral on top of a Skybox as it obscures the ventilation holes and causes the Digibox to overheat reducing the life of electronic components. Satcure provide Digibox fan kits to prevent these problems.

Back to top

Amstrad Digibox Faults

Early Amstrad Digibox models suffered from frequent tuner problems. This was the most common Amstrad Skybox fault, resulting in a "No satellite signal is being received" message on the screen. To fix the problem replace the Amstrad Digibox tuner or buy a refurbished, exchange or new Digibox. The new Pace BSKYB2600 and DS430N have a fast processor and give excellent results under weak signal conditions - recommended for Spain.

Grundig Digibox Faults

Many Grundig Digibox problems are caused by the failure of the power supply capacitors. The problem is made worse by Digibox overheating due to lack of ventilation. Symptoms of Grundig Digibox power supply problems include receiver lockups and picture break up. Repair kits and further advice is available at Satcure for GDS200, GDS300, GDS310, GDS2000 and GDS3000 models.

Back to top

Coaxial Cable Downlead Problems

Only double screened CT100 or FT100 satellite cable should be used for Sky TV installation, so if you find standard TV coaxial cable (without a foil screen) has been fitted as part of a DIY installation, it will need changing for double screened FT100 cable. For help with coaxial cable types click here. Any join in the satellite coaxial cable should be done professionally, for an example click here. Due to signal loss, a maximum of one coaxial cable joint per downlead is sensible on any Sky TV installation. Avoid joining the Sky Digibox downlead altogether for best results.

A badly joined, damaged or kinked coaxial cable down lead often causes poor Sky signal quality.

Problems with F-Type Connectors

Fitting an F-type connector

The F-type plugs at the Skybox and LNB should also be checked to see if they are correctly fitted and tight. The centre core of the double screened coaxial cable should protrude by about 5mm from the end of the F-type plug when the plug is fully screwed onto the cable. If the centre core of the coaxial cable doesn't protrude from the end of the plug, then this will lead to a poor or intermittent connection with the LNB or Sky Digibox. Help for fitting F-type plugs is available in how to fit an F type plug.

Back to top

Troubleshooting Sky Minidish LNB Faults

An LNB fault can occur at any time and symptoms can include:-

  • Loss of some or all Sky TV channels depending on the nature of the LNB fault. This problem can also be caused by a faulty Digibox, so try another Skybox on your dish first!
  • Loss of horizontal or vertical polarised Sky channels - By Horizontal or vertical, I am referring to the polarization of the transponder signal from the Astra 28.2 satellite. Around half of the Sky Digital channels are transmitted in horizontal polarization and the other half in vertical. Polarization switching on a Sky LNB is carried out by the receiver switching the DC voltage applied to the LNB, down the coaxial cable feeder. 13 volts DC from the Skybox to the LNB gives vertical polarization whilst 17V DC gives horizontal polarization. A fault in the voltage switching either in the Sky Digibox or the LNB can cause half of the Sky channels to fail with a "no satellite signal is being received" message. Intermittent faults can also occur, which can cause picture freezing, pixelation or signal break up on one polarization or the other. If you lose either vertical or horizontal polarization channels, check that your Skybox is switching the LNB voltage correctly by using a DC volt meter. Connect the volt meter to the LNB socket, between the inner pin and the socket chassis, taking care not to short circuit the cable. On the Sky Digibox, change between vertical and horizontal channels to check that the voltage switches between 13 and 17 volts as required to voltage switch the LNB polarity.
    A list of vertical and horizontal channels on Astra 28.2E is provided at the SES website. If the Sky Digibox is found to be at fault (not switching the LNB voltages correctly), you will need to buy a cheap new or second hand Digibox - we suggest you try eBay.co.uk
  • Loss of low or high band LNB Sky channels - Low band satellite channels are transmitted between 10.7GHZ - 11.8GHz (22KHz LNB switching tone "off") and High band channels between 11.6GHz - 12.7GHz (22KHz LNB switching tone "on"). Switching between low and high bands on the LNB is done using a 22KHz tone at around 0.5V amplitude sent down the coaxial cable. This 22KHz switching tone is generated by the Sky Digibox. You will need to connect an oscilloscope or a satellite test set to the LNB coaxial cable to check whether the Skybox is correctly generating and switching the 22KHz signal. If it is, and the LNB isn't correctly responding to the 22KHz tone by selecting low and high bands, then the LNB is faulty and must be replaced.

Replacing a Sky dish LNB is the last resort. Troubleshooting LNB faults which are intermittent in nature can be awkward, but if your Sky Digibox works well on a neighbour's dish and you've checked your own cable and connections, then a faulty LNB may be the problem and replacement is straightforward and should not require dish realignment. However, it never hurts to check dish alignment after replacing an Sky minidish LNB.

To replace the LNB, first turn off the 240V power supply to your Sky Digibox. Then remove the small retaining pin under the LNB arm and slide out the minidish LNB. Then carefully remove the amalgamating tape around the F connector and unscrew it, disconnecting the coaxial cable from the LNB. There are several different types of Sky minidish LNB, so make sure you purchase a replacement LNB compatible with the manufacturer of your dish.

Satcure supply universal LNB arm adaptors with their replacement LNB's which fit all Sky dish types - click here for a discount voucher before you buy.

Fitting the new LNB is the reverse of this process. Don't forget to waterproof the F connector by wrapping the joint with some new self amalgamating tape.

Back to top

Sky LNB Cold Weather Reception Problems

We recently experienced a Sky reception problem caused by a faulty Grundig LNB, which failed whenever the outside air temperature were very cold or freezing. This may have been caused by LNB local oscillator drift during cold weather or moisture build up and corrosion inside the LNB. Replacing the Sky minidish LNB with a compatible type cured the problem. Of course, if the dish face is covered in ice or snow then reception may be lost even with the best Sky dish LNB!

Sky Digibox Firmware Upgrade

The latest operating system version is 1.2S4FI and EPG software version is 3.6.4.18 (May 2008). This firmware version is for a Pace Digibox, (non Sky +) after the latest Digibox software update. A screenshot is shown here. If your Skybox has an older version of firmware, you can force a Digibox software upgrade (UK addresses only) by following the instructions below:-

  • First check Sky Digibox signal quality is 50% or more before attempting any software upgrade
  • Remove the Sky viewing card from your box
  • Ensure that a phone line is connected to your Digibox
  • Turn on your TV. Ensure that your Skybox is connected to your TV using a Scart cable
  • Disconnect or turn off the 240V mains supply from the Sky Digibox
  • Switch on the mains supply whilst holding the "Backup" button pressed on the Digibox front panel for 10 seconds, or until all front panel LED's (lights) illuminate and the "Updating System Software" message is displayed on your TV
  • Do not attempt use of your phone line during the firmware upgrade!
  • Wait for around 15 minutes for the software upgrade to complete, at which time the receiver will re-boot automatically. If it doesn't, wait at least an hour before disconnecting the mains supply.
  • Do not unplug your Skybox from the mains supply or satellite dish during the software upgrade or permanent damage could be done and your box rendered unusable
  • Do not attempt a firmware upgrade if your Sky Digibox already has the latest firmware version

Back to top

Second Location Picture Format

With the latest Sky Digibox software, it is possible to set up a different picture aspect ratio for TV's fed by a TV Link (remote eye) from the second RF outlet in the "Picture settings" menu under "Services". This is referred to as second location picture format. Settings include 16:9, 4:3 or 4:3L (letterbox mode).

Picture format switching is performed by using a TV Link remote eye. The Sky Digibox software detects whether the remote signal came from the TV link or the Infrared sensor on the Digibox front panel itself. If the remote command came from the TV Link, it changes all of the outputs to the second location picture format.

For example, if you have main TV picture aspect ratio set to 16:9 and second location set to 4:3 LB then when you press a button on a TV link remote, all outputs change to 4:3 LB, but when you press a button on the remote directly controlling the Sky Digibox front panel infra red sensor, it resets the aspect ratio back to 16:9.  This means that if you are viewing both your main 16:9 TV and your 4:3 TV's fed by TV links, then one TV will show the wrong aspect ratio, depending on which Sky remote was used last.

Back to top

Zone 2 Dish Minidish Regions

The UK footprint of the Astra 28.2E Satellite which transmits Sky Digital, means that the signal strength is weaker in northern parts of England and Scotland than in the south. The Scottish Borders (areas north of Carlisle) should use a larger 60cm Zone 2 dish to improve Sky reception and minimise picture break up or pixelation during bad weather. If you are using a Zone 1 43cm dish in the north of Scotland to receive Sky, it is likely that you will suffer reception problems during heavy rain. Upgrade to a larger 60cm Zone 2 minidish for improved reception.

Sky TV Radar Interference

Sky Digibox interference problems (picture break up and pixelation) can be the result or nearby airport radar or by some police radar detectors and jammers inside cars which radiate at microwave frequencies. Radiating police radar detectors are illegal under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949.

If Skybox interference is experienced, re-position your Sky minidish low down behind a brick wall, to screen it from the interference source. You'll need to choose a new location which has a clear view of the Astra satellite (which is about 18 - 25 degrees above the south east horizon). A Sky dish works just as well when ground mounted as long as the dish has a clear view of the Astra 28.2E satellite. Ground mounting the dish does have disadvantages as the dish is more prone to vandalism and theft. The location for Sky TV dish installation must be chosen to avoid anywhere where vehicle or people movement can occur in front of the dish or where it could be knocked.

Back to top

UK Sky Digital Channel Guide

An up to date channel list of all UK Sky TV channels listing frequencies and polarization, plus Sky Digital satellite footprint information is available at the Astra 28.2 website. The Sky Digital EPG channel numbers are useful if you are viewing with a Sky Digibox. An up to date list of Sky free to air channels may also help if you are considering cancelling your Sky subscription, as will our article on Sky Freesat which will help you to save money.

Sky FAQ

Saving Energy - Switch Off Sky Digibox Power

Firstly, a Sky Digibox which is on standby (red light on front panel) uses around half the power than a box which is left on (green light on front panel). So, if you are not using your Sky box at least place it in standby.

We frequently get asked whether it is recommended to turn off the 240V mains power to a Sky Digibox at night or when it is not in use to save energy. Generally, switching off Digibox mains power is OK, but it may reduce the life of your Skybox and LNB. When the Digibox is in standby, power is still supplied to the dish LNB to prevent the build up of internal condensation, so when the Digibox power is disconnected for long periods of time, condensation may form inside the LNB, particularly during times of high humidity.

In addition, earlier Grundig digiboxes (GDS200 and GDS300) suffer from power supply problems with the capacitors. Turning off the mains power to these Sky boxes may make the power supply problem much worse and lead to total failure. If you have an old Grundig Sky box, it may be worth checking the power supply first, before turning off the mains power for extended periods. Detailed information about Grundig Digibox faults is on http://www.satcure.co.uk/gds200.htm

Back to top

Help Us Improve

If you found our Sky TV Digibox troubleshooting information useful, please link to us from your own web site or blog. If you couldn't find what you were looking for, please complete the comments form on our homepage with suggestions on how we can improve this page.

Please note that due to personal time constraints, I cannot provide individual troubleshooting advice concerning Sky Digibox faults, any intermittent Skybox fault or dish problems, so please don't ask technical questions using this contact form.

 
Satcure voucher
 
arrow Back to top

KSL Technical Portal - Free Digital TV Problem Solving Tips, Help and Advice
Technical Support |