scrambled service question

[lauramagraham]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section I just had a general question. I've had 3 different subscriptions and all of them have had similar problems. All channels work okay, but all channels, free and otherwise freeze intermittently and then show "scrambled service" and I have to change channel to get it back. Does this seem like a problem with my box, my sub or my router? Box is connected to an 80/20 fibre connection via Ethernet Cable. Thanks in advance.

[dOOds]

Box? Legitimate sub? More info?

Regards

[Aldo]

Box? Legitimate sub? More info?

Regards

Yes there are several spiderbox models, and various subs available, so more info is definitely required before anyone can give an answer to this query.

[lauramagraham]

my apologies, spiderbox hd6000. Not so sure how to answer the sub question, it's a 12 month subscription bought from ****, CCCAm format. Three available sats according to the sat scan on the box. Hotbird is one, not sure of others. Patches are up to date, no channel lists in use, don't use IPTV. Broadband doesn't drop out on other devices in the home. What other info can I offer?

[Mickha]

Can you please confirm that FTA, Free to Air, channels are also freezing, as they have nothing to do with any subscription so must be down to hardware, receiver, dish, LNB, or cabling.

[lauramagraham]

yes, free to air channels also freeze, BbC UtV etc all freeze also

[Mickha]

Check your signal quality readings, if they're fine, with no fluctuations, then try re-loading the patch, along with a new channel list, and see if that solves the problem.
Also check if your receiver is over-heating.
You might have to try the Spiderbox 6000HD recovery tool, if nothing else works.

[mrdude]

Sounds to me like - your dish might need checking/lnb/cables etc - as it sounds like you're loosing your signal sometimes.

[echelon]

try the box on a known to be working sly dish feed, even if its at a friends house or relatives house, on bbc1 , bbc 2 , itv1 and c4 , including both SD and HD channels

if it still fails, there is a problem with the box

if its ok, there is a problem with the dish or lnb , or cables , or some or all of those items

forget about scrambled stuff until you fix the FTA stuff ( plus we dont allow server discussions on here )

[lauramagraham]

Sorry about the server stuff, on the checking the box on a known to be working connection, I have a tv in the kitchen which runs from a sky box in my house using the same connection from the same dish as the spiderbox and it works fine.

[echelon]

what works fine ?

the slybox or the spiderbox ?

to clarify

I want you to connect the spiderbox to a coaxial feed from a dish and lnb that does not have the same fault, even if its at another location

if the spiderbox works ok on this new coaxial sat cable feed , then the box isnt faulty and the cable or lnb is suspect back on the original feed

so if the spiderbox works ok somewhere else, then its the coax cable or f connectors or water damage or the lnb at fault, not the spiderbox

[lauramagraham]

Sorry, the slybox connection in my kitchen works fine, and it is on the same dish and lnb as the spiderbox on which i am having problems.

[echelon]

so , disconnect the slybox and connect the spiderbox in its place, then test the FTA channels for problems

ideally, take it to a relative or neighbours and try the spiderbox on FTA channels on their sly feed too

what you are trying to do is decide if its the box, or the coax feed from the dish , or the lnb that is causing your problems

so if it fails on your slybox feed, and fails at somebody elses house, then the box is at fault

I dont think I can make it any clearer as to what you need to try in order to narrow down where the fault lies

plus you still have not told us the signal and quality readings on the bbc and itv channels either

do this on the faulty feed

then on the slybox feed

then on the feed in somebody elses house

also check the system tools on the slybox and check and write down the signal and quality levels shown onscreen

compare them all

after 2 weeks we are no further forward because you have not done any basic checks, despite the advice given so far

[lauramagraham]

Apologies for the delay as I was away :) I'll do all of the above and check back. thank you for all your help so far

[timbo]

Silly question, but have you tried the usual suspects: re-boot box and reboot router?
Tim.

[lauramagraham]

Silly question, but have you tried the usual suspects: re-boot box and reboot router?
Tim.

Yea, tried that with no luck unfortunately :)

[lauramagraham]

Ok so, after doing what Echelon said, these are the results. I tried itv, bbc 1, ch4 and ch5 on my spiderbox feed, my slybox feed and my dad's slybox feed. firstly i'll list the results on my spiderbox feed, ITV, S: 77 Q: 72. BBC, S: 78 Q: 71. CH4, S:77 Q:74. CH5 S: 77 Q:77
Then on my working sly feed; ITV, S: 78 Q:73. BBC, S: 78 Q:72. CH4, S: 77, Q:75. CH5, S:77, Q: 78
Then on my Dad's working sly feed; ITV, S: 75 Q: 73. BBC, S: 76, Q: 75. CH4, S:74 Q: 75. CH5, S: 77, Q: 78

Don't know if I'm missing something but there are no numerical values showing on the actual sly box for signal and quality, but both bars were at the top.

As a comparison I've added the signal and quality reading from a "paid" channel used mostly in my house, which is Di$ney Junior and the readings from it were S: 77 and Q: 66

[jbvid]

Hi
There is nothing wrong with any of those feed strengths so I would be looking into re-installing the latest 6000hd firmware using the correct procedure, then loading a newly released channel list or doing a fresh scan yourself on 28e.
Just to recheck, I assume those channels are still freezing on the Spiderbox feed with those signal strengths?
jb

[echelon]

now that is what I call an excellent fault report , all bases covered and its obviously the box with the trouble because the signal strengths are good on all those feeds and the 2 slyboxes are also ok on them too

therefore, try the repair tool on the spiderbox using a proper pc and a null modem cable (no usb adapters), then the april 01 2015 patch from usb stick, with factory resets before and after each installation

then the new channel list or a rescan of 28e , then check fta channels again

[lauramagraham]

now that is what I call an excellent fault report , all bases covered and its obviously the box with the trouble because the signal strengths are good on all those feeds and the 2 slyboxes are also ok on them too

therefore, try the repair tool on the spiderbox using a proper pc and a null modem cable (no usb adapters), then the april 01 2015 patch from usb stick, with factory resets before and after each installation

then the new channel list or a rescan of 28e , then check fta channels again

Ok thanks again I'll get on that tonight when the tv's free and get back on here if there's still issues
Thanks again :)

[lauramagraham]

Yea they were still freezing even with those readings

[jbvid]

Hi
Ok then we can confirm its very likely a 6000HD software problem. You can now try a new software install or the Recovery tool option which echelon suggested.
jb

[lauramagraham]

OK, quick update. Did all of echelon's pointers, repair tool, latest patch and latest sly list, all working perfectly. Until about 10 minutes ago when it just stopped completely, however this did coincide with the start of a very heavy rain fall, so I'm guessing that's the reason for that? Anyway, thanks for all your help once again

[echelon]

glad it seems to be sorted out

this stormy weather will cause issues on reception , thats what heavy rain does !

check it when its less stormy and less or no rain , that is the time to test stuff

hopefully you are ok now

[lauramagraham]

Me again, sorry to revive an old boring thread but having problems again. Since the last update the box worked ok for a few days (after shutting down due to the rain) and then the freezing issues etc... started up again.

I did the steps Echelon offered last time a few times (factory reset/load patch/channel list) which sorted it for a while but the issue always returned (freezing on all channels leading to scrambled service and having to change channel to fix it). Then last sunday, trying to watch the football it was at it's worst, freezing once every 10-20 seconds or so, but it was different now, it was going blocky and the picture was slowing down and then it would cut out for a second then came back.

So I had an engineer check the LNB at the dish and he found a missing "BAND" in the signal, so replaced the LNB so I was hoping that would be it fixed. But it's not. Now I'm thinking it's something to do with the internet settings or something.

I have assigned the box a static IP address through my router and also placed it in the DMZ to bypass the firewall to see if it helped but it hasn't.

The only thing that helps for maybe 5-10 minutes is disconnecting the box from the internet and then reconnecting it. But then it goes back to freezing. I'm at a loss as to what to try next. Any further help would be appreciated, thank you

[Mickha]

Does this problem still affect FTA, Free To Air, channels?
Can you try your receiver on a different dish/LNB, even a friends Sky dish?
The Spiderbox is not a very expensive receiver, in fact a lot of the cost involves a "gift", so don't expect the same quality, build, as a more expensive receiver, it could just be over-heating, have you checked the temperature, of the receiver, when the problem occurs?
You can easily allow more airflow by placing blocks, under each corner, to allow air underneath.

[lauramagraham]

I tried the box on another dish/LNB when the problem first occurred and the quality/signal read outs were the same as on my own. The temperature of the box is barely warm to the touch, top and bottom. Yea, the problem still affects FTA channels also. Could you recommend a better receiver?

[jbvid]

Hi
Not certain if has anyone asked how many channels you have loaded into the 6000HD should be 6000 or less, try one of the new Blackdevil channel lists from the channel list section, worth a try (save your own list first)
jb

[stumpyj]

Post #26 by Mickha is a great call. I recent;y installed two spiderboxes for a mate and he called to say that the one used as his main one was slow and picture was laggy. The other one in his bedroom was perfect. When I checked the problem one, it was because he had moved it to a glass fronted cabinet with his other sat receiver and dvd player. The box wasnt overly warm but I swapped them over anyway. I removed the dvd player as it was like having under floor heating on his spiderbox and asked him to keep the glass front slightly ajar. No more problems. And when I moved the problem one upstairs it had cooled down and has worked perfectly since.

Not sure if it helps but a great shout from Mickha in my opinion.

Stumpyj

[echelon]

Hi
Not certain if has anyone asked how many channels you have loaded into the 6000HD should be 6000 or less, try one of the new Blackdevil channel lists from the channel list section, worth a try (save your own list first)
jb

good call

this one here with similar problems was simply too many channels

https://www.satpimps.co.uk/showthread.php?172186-Picture-glitch-on-vertical-channels

[lauramagraham]

good call

this one here with similar problems was simply too many channels

https://www.satpimps.co.uk/showthread.php?172186-Picture-glitch-on-vertical-channels

I'm not sure how many channels, how would I check? I did use the latest sly list from the site, not sure if it was blackdevil though. I'll give that a go, thanks

[lauramagraham]

Post #26 by Mickha is a great call. I recent;y installed two spiderboxes for a mate and he called to say that the one used as his main one was slow and picture was laggy. The other one in his bedroom was perfect. When I checked the problem one, it was because he had moved it to a glass fronted cabinet with his other sat receiver and dvd player. The box wasnt overly warm but I swapped them over anyway. I removed the dvd player as it was like having under floor heating on his spiderbox and asked him to keep the glass front slightly ajar. No more problems. And when I moved the problem one upstairs it had cooled down and has worked perfectly since.

Not sure if it helps but a great shout from Mickha in my opinion.

Stumpyj

Hi, my spiderbox is sitting on it's own, on top of a wooden cabinet with no other devices around it so airflow shouldn't be a problem, but I will raise it up slightly to see if it helps, thank you

[echelon]

I'm not sure how many channels, how would I check? I did use the latest sly list from the site, not sure if it was blackdevil though. I'll give that a go, thanks

go to ALL SATELLITE in the tv listing and at the top channel (channel one) go UP once and it will take you to the bottom of the full list

write down that channel number (the highest one) , lets us say it was 5700 for example

press the radio button and do the same again , writing down that channel number (the highest one) - lets say it was 412

add them together and you get 6142 , the limit on a spider 6000 is , 6000

if your 2 totals added together is below 6000 then you are under the limit

the point here is you should know how to delete old and dead transponders and channels, BEFORE adding new ones , you cannot keep filling the beer barrel when the beer barrel is full and overflowing , nor complain about the spillage :)

[lauramagraham]

go to ALL SATELLITE in the tv listing and at the top channel (channel one) go UP once and it will take you to the bottom of the full list

write down that channel number (the highest one) , lets us say it was 5700 for example

press the radio button and do the same again , writing down that channel number (the highest one) - lets say it was 412

add them together and you get 6142 , the limit on a spider 6000 is , 6000

if your 2 totals added together is below 6000 then you are under the limit

the point here is you should know how to delete old and dead transponders and channels, BEFORE adding new ones , you cannot keep filling the beer barrel when the beer barrel is full and overflowing , nor complain about the spillage :)

OK, I loaded the latest BlackDevil Astra list and now tv channels come to 843 and when I go to radio it says 0 channels. Does this sound right? I'll let it run for a while and monitor any freezing. Thanks again :)

[echelon]

ok, with that list is using less than one-sixth of the total available space, therefore it wont be an overloaded channel list issue

see how you get on, especially on FTA channels

yes that sounds ok if its only a 28 east list, clearly it hasnt got RADIO ONE etc in the radio channels, so is a tv list only

ps:- it will be an astra 2 list, not an astra list

astra is 19e , astra 2 is 28.2e

[lauramagraham]

ok, with that list is using less than one-sixth of the total available space, therefore it wont be an overloaded channel list issue

see how you get on, especially on FTA channels

yes that sounds ok if its only a 28 east list, clearly it hasnt got RADIO ONE etc in the radio channels, so is a tv list only

ps:- it will be an astra 2 list, not an astra list

astra is 19e , astra 2 is 28.2e

Hi, apologies, astra 2 is what I meant. Still having the freezing issue, just getting worse and more frequent now. Especially on a paid channel Di$ney Junior, freezing is still present but less frequent on fta channels, have tried BBC and ITV.

[blackdevil]

Hi, apologies, astra 2 is what I meant. Still having the freezing issue, just getting worse and more frequent now. Especially on a paid channel Di$ney Junior, freezing is still present but less frequent on fta channels, have tried BBC and ITV.

I think your problem are the $ channels ?
Menu-OSD style-Instant Delay Level = OFF --> Turn it to +2 if you use IKS patch, +1 if you use MsCam patch
Now,while you are watching channel, press yellow button

[lauramagraham]

I think your problem are the $ channels ?
Menu-OSD style-Instant Delay Level = OFF --> Turn it to +2 if you use IKS patch, +1 if you use MsCam patch
Now,while you are watching channel, press yellow button

Thanks blackdevil, the only OSD i see in the menu is OSD style, is this this same thing? In the OSD style menu there is an Instant Delay Level which is set at 2. Is this what you were talking about?

[blackdevil]

Thanks blackdevil, the only OSD i see in the menu is OSD style, is this this same thing? In the OSD style menu there is an Instant Delay Level which is set at 2. Is this what you were talking about?

Yes.
Now while you are watching a $ channel ,press yellow button in remote.

[lauramagraham]

Yes.
Now while you are watching a $ channel ,press yellow button in remote.

OK, I did that, screen went black for a second or two then came back on. Worked great for about 30 minutes and has just now started to freeze again on Di$ney Junior

[blackdevil]

Press yellow button again.
This is the only way these channels can work.
The problem is the encryption system.
It happens the same to italian channels using same encryption system.
Other channels can work without any problem like this and without using yellow button.