Advice Needed Anyone else in the UK just completely lost SKY?

[jeallen01]

Evening all

SWMBO was watching SKY+HD on our DRX895 but then completely lost all channels about 1/2 hr ago - I've had a look at the box interface, and:
- No programme thumbnails or vision/sound for any TV or radio channels in the TVGuide
- Signal strength on both tuners at normal (i.e. 80-90%) levels, & SQ also good
- Previously recorded programmes replay with both vision & sound.

Uplink failure - or something else?????

 

[ozumo]

No problems here, using the same box as you.

 

[jeallen01]

No problems here, using the same box as you.

Oh Dear! - anyone else have any ideas as to what might have happened because I don't ?

OTOH I do have a couple more DRX 895's (at least 1 of which worked OK last time I tried it several years ago!) , but can't try them until at least tomorrow.

 

[jeallen01]

This is very weird!

The box was supposed to be recording the 2nd episode of the Lucy Worsley series on Agatha Christie from 21.00-22.00 on BBC 2 HD, and, at one fleeting point, the screen showed a message that said it was doing that - BUT that message disappeared quickly and the TVGuide is/was not indicating that that programme was being recorded and that recording is also not showing in the Planner!!

So that seems to indicate there is a box failure, but I've never seen anything like this before!

Edited at around 22.00: the Planner now shows it to be recording BBC News at 10.00 on BBC ONE SD on channel 101 - and it does seem to be doing that as I am currently replaying the start of the recording (which is the end of the preceding programme, Master Chef).

So it does seem to be recording channels which were previously set to record, but won't display them "live", or show any other channels which were not already set to record!

 

[statalite]

I would power it off for a few mins and then press the power button on the top of the box for 60 seconds and then turn it back on.

 

[jeallen01]

I would power it off for a few mins and then press the power button on the top of the box for 60 seconds and then turn it back on.

Thanks but I'll leave it running "as is" for a half hour or so and then disconnect the power (for overnight) when we go to bed - and then power it up again tomorrow morning and do what you suggest. Hoping that works!!

 

[jeallen01]

Sat 14.00 update!

I switched the power back on at around 10am this morning and then we went out shopping without touching the box. Came back and switched the box on around 13.45 and didn't get around to pressing the buttons as suggested - but it now appears to be back to working "as normal"!

Therefore, I think the box processor may have overheated yesterday as it had been on for the best part of 15 hrs before the problem happened - could be that the ventilation fan is clogged up, so I'll give that a blast of compressed air later on today/tomorrow.

 

[jeallen01]

Now given the box as much of a compressed air blasting as can be done without removing the covers and it is currently working OK (for the moment?)

Thinking forward a bit, I've now got one of the other 895 2TB boxes (the "LIDL 895" if anyone remembers the saga of how I got that box and then got it to where it did work!) and so I can consider taking it apart - if I I do that and swap the HDD from the "problematic" box in the lounge AND put the subscription card in this "new " box then should that allow us to access & play existing recordings on that HDD?
NB: I do know that the "new" box already works with my subscription card because I got to that stage just after I acquired and reset it several years ago.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Better to put a good vacuum cleaner on the fan vents, blocking up any exposed/ open areas with your - wife's - hand.

 

[ozumo]

should that allow us to access & play existing recordings on that HDD?

When I got an old Pace box to use with my yellow house card I was able to play the existing recordings on the box but IIRC they were all from FTA channels.

 

[jeallen01]

Well, having been careful about too many channel changes with the R/C for the last few days, the box has been behaving itself and we've had np further problems - hoping it stays that way as I am really not in a position to do anything about fixing the box ATM (having had a lot of roofing repairs (now finally finished - hopefully!) done over the last few weeks

OTOH will definitely have to keep the issues in mind until I can actually do "something"!

PS: It's f*****g cold even with all the insulation here - and that itself inhibits my tendency to try to "fix things" that are not "critical" .