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lose video after a while, still have audio

3K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  John_Hey 
#1 ·
I have a problem with my FTA (Galaxy 19).
since couple of weeks ago, while i am watching, the video pixelates and goes away and no signa/bad signal shows up.
i still have the audio. if i change the channel back and forth the video will come back again.
this is random and can happen anytime from 30 minutes plus when i turn on the receiver. what can be the issue? LNB or Receiver?
I have Pansat receiver and Universal KU LNB.
 
#2 ·
The question is do you have an extra receiver or LNB?

It would be easier to switch out a receiver. However, If you dont have extra equipment its cheaper to replace the LNB.

If you have a neighbour/Friend with FTA. I would ask them if you can use their receiver for testing. Or you can take your receiver to their house. And test it at their place.

Good Luck,
Al

PS. Are you using a solo Receiver setup vs multi receiver setup?
 
#3 ·
unfortunately i don't have extra ones to test it.
it is only one receiver and one LNB, no switch etc nothing.

it was fine for few months(installed in summer) and now i have this problem.
may be if there is someone more technical can help to isolate the issue.

if the LNB sends Audio/Video frequencies together to receiver, then the issue is receiver, but if they are sent separately it might be the LNB?

so here is the problem again, it is ok for a while but then the video goes off and blue screen with no/bad signal appears. but still audio exist in background.
if i channel up/down once it will fix it for a while....
 
#4 ·
A couple of questions come to mind.

What is your signal and quality levels on these channels typically?
Are there any obstructions in the way-trees, towers etc that could be interfering?
What size of dish are you using?
Is it new cabling or older coax wires?
what model of Pansat and what firmware are you using?
Did you install the dish yourself? Are all the bolts tight? Could it have moved a little in the wind?

Think we can start with those and go on from there.
 
#6 ·
agree could be antenna alignment issue.
But eliminate the obvious things first to avoid making unnecessary adjustments.
Could be water getting in to an improperly sealed connection, bad coax connector, so on... Disconnect the coax connection at the LNB, to inspect for water damage, corrosion. Assuming cable is exposed, not buried, Inspect the entire length of cable run also, rule out damaged insulation that may have allowed the outer shield to start corroding.

if ya can convince yourself the coax is fine, you can try realigning your antenna to improve the quality.

A quick test would be if ya can gently push up or down on the antenna and the quality improves ur elevation is off. If ya can rock it side to side gently and the quality improves the azimuth is off.

Also ya wanna make sure the mounting pipe the dish is on is perfectly plumb before making any adjustments.
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
What is your signal quality on these channels? is it all channels or certain ones (which transponders)? which model of Pansat are you using? What software version?

These answers will help us help you.

Sounds like a weak signal but could be any number of things from a bad coax connection,as mentioned above, to a tree occasionally swaying in the wind to a software glitch or a dish blown just a little off to an LNB skew issue.

No one can simply come up with an answer without more info from you.
 
#9 ·
What is your signal quality on these channels? is it all channels or certain ones (which transponders)? which model of Pansat are you using? What software version?
it is a clone 2500a, the signal quality is normal.
it happens in any channel. dish is aligned and there is nothing to block the signal.

ok let me tell you in detail.

consider i am watching a channel (any channel) for 2 hours. nothing happens, no rain wind tree... everything is same as 2 hours ago. all of a sudden the picture goes away. i still have the audio. i.e. i can hear the news but the picture is gone. now let's say i am watching channel 10, i use the remote go one channel up to 11, the picture comes back (audio was always there). go back to channel 10, everything is normal... and the problem happens in couple of hours again. the signal quality is exactly the same all the time.

also i have same setup for few months, this just start to happen.
 
#10 ·
What connection are you using from the STB to the TV or AVR? Please be specific about all your connections from the STB Try unplugging/replugging any of these connections. Here's a list of things to check:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=19694

Is the "no signal" as a result of the STB or the TV saying "no signal"? If from the STB, try undoing/redoing any/all connections upstream of the STB including the one to the STB. Sometimes connections go bad, have corrosion after a period of time and undoing/redoing them gives you a good electrical connection again.
 
#11 ·
in addition, after ruling out all the other obvious things pointed out thus far...
maybe unplug the stb's AC power, take the cover off and look inside at the power supply board.
Look carefully for electrolytic capacitors in the power supply that look like they are ready to explode.
ie - if any are bulging they are defective and need to be replaced by a qualified technician.
Bad caps in the power supply can cause various intermittent symptoms,
until they fail in a more catastrophic fashion.
Without clean DC power to all circuitry all bets are off.

here is an example from a different receiver mfr which may give you an idea what to look for.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=155983
 
#12 ·
It could be your receiver or the lnb. Each person will have different opinion but nobody knows. For the low price of new lnb it does not make sens to speculate. Check the cable and connectors, buy new lnb, exchange it and if this solves the problem fine if not the receiver is the problem. Pansat 2500a is very old (but good) receiver. You should be able to find it, or newer, on kijiji for around $5. So your new setup lnb - receiver should cost you around $14. Problem solved. If the signal would be obstructed in any way, by trees or voltage drop, you would loose both video and audio. Just for fun you could do a factory reset and do a blind scan on Galaxy 19, but I don't think this is your problem. I think good old Pansat finally reached its end of life cycle.
 
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