Just installed Freesat box, but not working right?

Matt_C · 20-11-2009, 6:42 PM

Bought a Freesat HD box (Bush BFSAT01HD) from a forum member, and just installed it, ran a new installation on it, entered post code etc, it scanned, found 162 services, and then populated the EPG.

However, on virtually every channel, when trying to view, it flashes up the channel name with the now & next on the screen, then that blanks and it just shows the channel name with "New service...Please wait" and the screen is blank with no audio.

However, the following channels do work;

BBC HD - perfectly
ITV3 (and +1) - perfectly
Talksport radio

Then nothing else works uptill;

953 BBC 1 East (E) - break up
954 BBC 1 East (W) - fine
955 BBC 1 North - break up
956 BBC 1 NE & C - little break up
958 BBC 1 Oxford - bad break up
959 BBC 1 South east - bad break up
961 BBC 1 South - just about
962 BBC 1 S West - fine
963 BBC 1 West Mids - bad break up

Any idea's? Is it likely to be dish alignment? On the channels that don't show anything (for example : 101, BBC 1 London) the signal strength and quality is nothing, on BBC-HD the signal strength and quality is over 50%, probably close to 60%?

*savvy249* · 20-11-2009, 6:45 PM

I don't have a Bush stb, but it does look like dish alignment.

You should be getting at least 80/90+% Signal Strength, but more importantly 100% Quality.

Can you borrow another box to check it's not the Bush, or take the Bush along to a friend with a known good satellite installation?

Rgds.

Les.

Matt_C · 20-11-2009, 10:47 PM

Sadly I don't know anyone with a box, or anyone with a dish I could try it on!

But also it's playing up in other ways. If I come in and turn the TV on and the box, the TV can't "find" the video signal (or sound) from the box, and displays blank. The amp also gets no audio. So the only way to solve it is to leave the TV on, pull the power from the box, leave it a second or three, and plug it back in again. Couple of seconds later it shows on the TV and the amp gets sound. Likewise, if I change channel, and then go back to BBC-HD, there is no picture : blank screen, but I do get the "PRESS RED" logo in the top right. The amp does get sound, but it's on/off/on/off. Only way to get it to work fine again is to pull the power from the box, and replug it.

It's not the TV, HDMI input or the HDMI cable as if I plug into my DVD player with the same cable, and same HDMI input, it's no problem...

Very strange indeed!

Also just noticed, after doing all the above to get it to work, the HDMI setting on the box, reverts to 1080i and not 720p, which I had set it to...

*savvy249* · 21-11-2009, 9:13 AM

Matt,

It's not looking that good, but without being able to test as per my last post it's almost impossible to tell, unless a forum member comes along that knows these boxes.

I know some stbs have an HDMI handshaking issue, but that wouldn't explain your sound issue, or the Red Button being there.

If you just connect it up to your TV via scart, do you get picture & sound through the TV?

Rgds.

Les.

Matt_C · 21-11-2009, 11:07 AM

Yep scart works fine, albeit in shocking quality (like composite!)

Ghostleader · 21-11-2009, 7:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt_C

Yep scart works fine, albeit in shocking quality (like composite!)

It is composite, no RGB on any of two scart's on these boxes I'm affraid, which is p*ss poor for DVD recorder recordings!

Matt_C · 22-11-2009, 5:01 PM

Well, now it refuses to work on any channel except BBCHD, which is showing like a scratched DVD - stop start picture and the the audio drops out (amp keeps saying "unlock" then it comes back, and then "Unlock" and so on)

It refuses point blank to scan in - initally it ran through the scan cycle and said 161 services, then yesterday I ran it again and it said 159, then after BBCHD kept locking up I ran it again, and it said 0 services, so I ran it AGAIN and it said "Please Wait While Scanning" for a long time, then said "2%" for a long time, the 5% for a long time, and after nearly 20mins I just turned it off. Now it simply won't scan - just says "please wait while scanning" indefinitely, no matter how long I leave it.

I've tried doing the "Bush reset proceedure" (remove all cables, hold power button for 30seconds, reconnect cables and turn back on, but nothing. Just refuses to scan in anything at all!

Was really hoping to try and see Top Gear in HD tonight

*savvy249* · 22-11-2009, 5:08 PM

See this thread over on DigSpy.

Your problems may be connected, but still can't rule out faulty box or dish/lnb/cables, although I appreciate you don't have any facilities to be able to test these.

Rgds.

Les.

Matt_C · 22-11-2009, 5:51 PM

That'sall about software updating tho - which doesn't help me as all mine does is sit on the "scanning for channels" list, and I can't access anything else - not the menu, not anything. If I press menu on the remote nothing happens at all.

Anyone know how I contact Harvard? Think I might have to send it to them to be reflashed or something as it just does nothing...

*savvy249* · 22-11-2009, 5:58 PM

Yes the thread is about an update, but to fix problems on the box that may, or may not, be related to yours.

From one of the posts on that thread :-

Quote:

I'm experiencing all the problems you'll be familiar with; fine for the first 10-20 minutes, then the constant re-boots, accompanied by the joy of freezing pictures, muting sound, occaisional complete lack of response to the remote contol, etc, etc.

But, I can't help any more.

Good luck with getting it sorted with Harvard, anyway.

Rgds.

Les.

Gammy leg · 22-11-2009, 6:06 PM

Matt,

If you have access to an old digibox, you could use that to check the signal strength and quality. Alternatively Satfinders are cheap as chips.

Tv & Satellite Signal Strength Finder

HTH

Gammy

Matt_C · 22-11-2009, 6:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by savvy249

Yes the thread is about an update, but to fix problems on the box that may, or may not, be related to yours.

From one of the posts on that thread :-

But, I can't help any more.

Good luck with getting it sorted with Harvard, anyway.

Rgds.

Les.

That's the ting - mine ISN'T doing any of that - I can't even get a picture as it won't scan in any channels! I have NO channels on the box at all, and doing the scan to replace/install the channels doesn't work.

Matt_C · 22-11-2009, 6:15 PM

I don't have access to a sat box at all - this is the only one I've got, or ever had, and I'm beginning to wish I hadn't bought it as it's a complete waste of £45, which will probably double or more as I'm gonna have to get someone out to see if it can be sorted (see if it's the box, the cabling, the dish allignment, the LNB, etc)

So much for plug n play

grahamlthompson · 22-11-2009, 6:18 PM

Has the dish been used before with any digital satellite reciever ?. If not it's more than likely its simply not aligned on Astra2/Eurobird 1.

Matt_C · 22-11-2009, 6:19 PM

It's from a Sky+ install as far as I know

Matt_C · 22-11-2009, 6:22 PM

And whilst I agree it may well be an alignment issue (or faulty LNB/cabling etc), it doesn't explain how it originally (Friday just gone) managed to scan in 161 channels, populate a full EPG with all programme infor, but then only show BBCHD and a handful of regional BBC news channels, while everything else just said "new service...please wait" and showed a blank screen, and also now won't find ANY channels, nor even appear to actually scan for them...

Matt_C · 26-11-2009, 7:15 PM

Well yesterday I too the box to my old office, that has a working Sky install set up, and plugged it into the coax and TV, and straightaway it showed 90% signal strength, and then ran through the channel scan flawlessly (found 153) and all the channels were working fine.

So tonight I plugged it into my set up (HDMI to TV, optical to amp, and coax from LNB) but didn't run the scan. Straightaway it was showing BBC-HD (cos that was the channel I was on when I turned it off yesterday I guess) perfectly (and has been for the past half hour), and although the EPG is populated for all other channels, none of them show a picture (or any sound), which is how it was last Friday when I first plugged it all in.

So I'm guessing it must be a signal problem, either from the dish being out of alignment, or an LNB problem...

pdoherty76 · 26-11-2009, 7:27 PM

Glad to hear you have found the root of the problem and the box is ok.

Why did you buy it second hand for £45? You can get them new for about £60.

Matt_C · 26-11-2009, 7:39 PM

Cheapest place locally is Arogs @ £67.39, but to be honest, it was a bit of an impulse buy from this forum!

rheumatoid · 26-11-2009, 8:16 PM

it is actually 59.99 in store from argos and you get a £5 voucher as well. Not bad for £55. got myself one for chrimbo and the footy including world cup next year. If I only get to watch that it will have paid for itself. Not a bad looking little boxd but not set it up yet.

pdoherty76 · 26-11-2009, 8:39 PM

I actually got mine for £50 brand new, a few days before empire direct closed down. Best bargain I ever got, and it was thanks to people reporting it on the forums.