Total TV receiver problem

[Steve Stras]

Hello Everyone

Whilst in Serbia a couple of weeks ago I picked up a second subscription to total TV, this was for a friend of mine but the new receiver has a built in hard disk so I decided to keep the new one and give my old card and receiver to my friend.

When I collected the new receiver the installer did tell me that the dish needs to point at both eutelsat 16 and hotbird 13 as a couple of eurosport channels are now picked up from the latter. He also told me that if I connected the dish just to Eutelsat it would not work. He also gave a 3 degree monobloc (pic below) Indeed, I just connected it to Eutelsat only and I only receive half the channels, if I reboot the box then the other channels then work but the ones that worked before do not (also the europsort HB channels don't work of course)

I also have a dish pointing at hotbird so if I connect the box to both hotbird and eutelsat the result is the same. I understand that this happens, probably, because the box is expecting a monobloc LNB, which I assume must handle diseqc itself. I think the box software is somewhat basic, the lnb setting are set to universal and diseqc 1 and if I try to change them it actually changes the source sateliite ! Of course I can setup up a small transparent dish (I'm limited as to what I can install on my building) with the monobloc and I assume it will work but I'd prefer to use what I have setup at the moment. Also, the monobloc has written on the back 'for use with an 85cm dish' If I use a 65cm dish will this make any difference ?

For the receiver and LNB setup, am I missing something obvious ?

Thanks in advance.
Steve

 

[Steve Stras]

actually, I made an error explaining the diseqc settings, at the moment it's set to diseqc A (see attached) if I try to change the settings to '2' lnbs and store it then it tells me "same satellite is being set to two or more lnb settings, please change)

 

[wod]

the monoblock lnb will have a switch inside the lnb controlled by the receiver.

along time since I used one of these lnbs and remember you had to set both the satellite positions in the diseqc config screen on the receiver as A and B.

try set 16e as the main position and 13e as B ?

 

[Analoguesat]

If the lnb has been installed correctly then as wod says you will need to configure the internal switch settings on the receiver..

One head will be on port 1 or A, the other on 2 or B

Try it one way and then the other.

 

[rolfw]

Can't really tell from your post, but do the cables from the two outside dishes come into the house separately or on a single cable via a two way DiSEqC switch?

A 3 degree monobloc will not work on a 65cm dish for 3 degree satellites, but from the sound of things you may not need it, as a simple two way DiSEqC switch will suffice.

 

[Steve Stras]

Thanks for the replies.

In fact I'm not using the monobloc LNB at this point, I have two separate dishes pointing at Hotbird and Eutelsat so i have two cables going directly into the two LNB inputs at the back of the receiver. When I go through the setup I can see the a signal coming from Eutelsat but I don't get the opportunity to look for Hotbird. The software on the box seems very proprietary, there's very little opportnunity to change any of the settings.

When I was in Serbia the Total TV guy plugged the dish into an 85cm dish fitted with a 3 degree spaced monoblock pointing at Hotbird and Eutelsat so it seems the box is setup in someway to expect this type of LNB setup. When I look at my other Total TV box the setup appears to be exactly the same.

I think I may return it to factory settings and see if it gives me the opportunity to setup things from the beginning.
Thanks
Steve

 

[mariust5]

I think your problem lies in the 2 lnb inputs as they have to fed by the 2 sats each .
1 input 13 and 16 and second input the same .
There are 3 deg lnb's with 2 outputs that you can use .

 

[Steve Stras]

I think I may have to try with the 3 degree monoblock as the Total TV box will not allow me to alter any of the diseqc settings, even after a factory reset, the software seems to be specifcally installed for their chosen solution.

I do have an 85cm dish I can use as a test (if I put it up permanently the locals will shoot me as its a listed building) but will the 3 degree monoblock work with an 85 ? Rolf has already confirmed it can't be used with a 65. Also, I may have to postpone further tests until Monday as the monoblock I have will not fit a standard LNB bracket, its neck is much smaller, so I may need to buy an adapter (shops are closed in France on a Sunday) Additionally, my other half is complaining about the amount of time I'm spending 'playing' with satellite equipment....like it's anywhere near the amount of time I've spent being dragged round shopping centres looking at shoes which she adds to her ever expanding and pointless collection....good job she doesn't read this site

 

[Steve Stras]

Whilst my other half was out and about i had another look at this. I was intending to erect my 85cm dish and to attach the 3 degree monoblock for eutelsat 16 and hotbird 13 (I found a lnb holder adapter) However, by complete accident I inserted another eutelsat feed into the second LNB input in the receiver, meaning both LNB inputs were connected to my quad LNB on a selfsat pointing at eutelsat 16 and, hey presto, all the channels (except the 2 hotbird based channels which the monobloc is meant to catch) suddenly started working !

The LNB inputs appear to be a primary and a secondary, if I disconnect the the secondary LNB input then half the eutelsat 16 channels stop being received, if I reboot the receiver the ones which were not working start coming in but the ones which worked before cease to function, the process can be reveresed as many times a you like with a reboot. If I disconnect the primary LNB and leave the scondary plugged in then nothing works. Obviously, the two HB channels, for which the 3 degree monobloc is meant to pick up, don't work but I don't need them.

I've no understanding of this problem, of course I'm glad the box now works but I'd liked to have understood what was happening. I did return the box to factory settings but it basically changes nothing, it's impossible to change any of the important settings like diseqc, home sat, lnb type. The only thing you can change is the test transponder. Maybe it's just a case of a very proprietry box ?

 

[Analoguesat]

Looks like the explanation in post 7 is correct - you need both outputs connected to the receiver.

So to work on 13e/ 16E you will need a dual output monobloc.

 

[Steve Stras]

Ok, understood, and thanks to Mariust5 for his diagnosis as well.
Steve

 

[wod]

strange that it uses 13 east for Eurosport as I thought tring and digitalb both had Eurosport on 16east ?

 

[Steve Stras]

It's very strange, my Total TV box is still picking up SD Eurosport from 16 but not the HD versions. I have another Total TV box and subscription which only has a single LNB input and is just pointing at Eutelsat 16, this has now lost the Eurosport HD channels, they were there a few months ago. Total TV are still advertising Eurosport HD in their HD package but it appears you need to be pointing at Hotbird to receive it. I've no idea why...

 

[smoggy07]

Total TV are still advertising Eurosport HD in their HD package but it appears you need to be pointing at Hotbird to receive it. I've no idea why...

It may be a capacity thing, not enough room on 16 for the extra HD bandwidth (may have removed it to add other services in its place)

 

[mariust5]

Digitalb does have ES in HD on 16e , they could do a symulcrypt so both providers use it but that is for another topic ...

 

[Steve Stras]

Recent history has shown the Albanians and Serbs find it difficult to share