Question Is my Foxsat HDR dying?

ActiveLad

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I've had no real problems with my Foxsat HDR for all the years I've had it (12 I think). However, a few weeks ago I noticed that I was getting the occasional picture breakup and pixellation that I'd never had before. A few days ago a whole bunch of recordings "Failed for Unknown Reason". So I thought maybe it was time for a complete reset and retune, so I used the factory reset option in the menu.

Going through the setup wizard OK, I came to the satellite search section, clicked to start searching for the satellite signal and it sat there. Searching...searching...searching until it finally told me that no signal was found (which was odd since there had been a signal before). Thinking that perhaps there might be dish or cable issue, I climbed up on the roof this morning to take a look. The satellite dish appeared OK, it hadn't moved and I couldn't see anything loose. I followed the cable to where it entered the house and all seemed well. I then got out the signal meter and it reported a decent strength signal. Plugged everything back together. Nothing. No signal found.

Does this sound like a dead or dying box?
 
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Is there anything else connected to the lnb

Did you test the signal in the house

It could be a psu fault on it or anything else howsoever connected (tv other stb etc)

Maybe an lnb fault

Interference?

It should look for a transponder for the Freesat data 1st so it's probably that that it can't see but some other channels might work if scanned in

Can you do a non freesat scan - the channels you do scan in might help point to the fault - 13v 18v 22kHz switching faults are very obvious
 
There's nothing else connected to the LNB. Both cables go straight into the house, which is where I did the signal strength test.

I did a manual scan and managed to pick up about 120-odd channels including the BBC regional channels amongst others. Nothing in HD.
 
I'm guessing the dish is off alignment, obstructed by a tree or similar, or even the LNB is failing or corrosion in the connection to lnb.

All the above are more likely than a box issue imho.

Big mistake to factory reset before asking here. If the freesat home transponder is not received then the whole freesat tune thing fails...

Use the manually tuned channels to report signal strength and quality readings from the Diagnostics menu.

NB Pedro's query for a list of the TV channels a manual scan finds (or the transponder frequencies/polarisations found) is a good diagnostic tool. Please do give that information!
 
Diagnostics reports 90% Strength and 100% quality.

Channel List (TV)
5001 - ITV
5002 - ITV2
5003 - CITV
5004 - ITV4
5005 - ITV4+1
5006 - ITVBe
5007 - ITV
5008 - ITV
5009 - ITV+1
5010 - ITV
5011 - ITV+1
5012 - BBC One W Mid
5013 - BBC One Yk&Li
5014 - BBC One E Mid
5015 - BBC One East E
5016 - BBC Parliament
5017 - BBC One Wales
5018 - BBC Two Wales
5019 - ETVS
5020 - CBBC
5021 - BBC One South
5022 - BBC One S West
5023 - BBC One Oxford
5024 - BBC NEWS
5025 - BBC One NI
5026 - BBC Two NI
5027 - ETV6
5028 - CBBC
5029 - BBC One NI
5030 - BBC Two NI
5031 - ITV
5032 - STV
5033 - STV
5034 - STV
5035 - STV
5036 - UTV
5037 - UTV+1
5038 - ITV
5039 - ITV+1
5040 - ITV3
5041 - ITV3+1
5042 - CBS Drama
5043 - CBS Justice
5044 - horror channel
5045 - AMC from BT
5046 - CBS Justice
5047 - Starz TV
5048 - CBS Reality
5049 - CBS Reality
5050 - CBS Reality+1
5051 - horror ch+1
5052 - YourTV
5053 - S4C
5054 - E4+1
5055 - Channel 4+1
5056 - Channel 4+1
5057 - Channel 4+1
5058 - Channel 4+1
5059 - Channel 4
5060 - More4
5061 - Film4+1
5062 - e4
5063 - PCNE Chinese
5064 - Islam Ch Urdu
5065 - mta-muslim tv
5066 - TBN UK
5067 - Smithsonian
5068 - revelation
5069 - Peace TV
5070 - EWTN Catholic
5071 - Peace TV Urdu
5072 - Sony Action
5073 - Sony Movies
5074 - Sony Classic
5075 - Sony Classic+1
5076 - Tiny Pop
5077 - POP
5078 - Tiny Pop+1
5079 - POP Max
5080 - Sony Movies+1
5081 - POP Max+1
5082 - Sony Action+1
5083 - POP+1
5084 - Sony Channel
5085 - Sony Channel+1
5086 - Sony Crime
5087 - Sky
5088 - Sky Intro
5089 - Sky Intro
5090 - Sky Intro
5091 - Challenge
5092 - ___4109
5093 - ___4110
5094 - (sub b +1000)
5095 - YESTERDAY
5096 - Dave
5097 - Drama
5098 - Drama
5099 - Drama+1
5100 - Sky News
5101 - Sky News
5102 - Pick
5103 - Together
5104 - Pick+1

Channel List (Radio)
5105 - BBC R3
5106 - BBC R4 FM
5107 - BBC R4 LW
5108 - BBC 6 Music
5109 - BBC R4 Ex
5110 - BBC WS
5111 - BBC R Scot
5112 - BBC R n Gael
5113 - BBC R Wales
5114 - BBC R Cymru
5115 - BBC R Ulster
5116 - BBC R Foyle
5117 - talkSPORT
5118 - EWTN Catholic
5119 - Chl Line-up
5120 - 1126
5121 - SNR
 
Thanks for posting the list - I've worked out what that means in terms of transponder frequencies and polarisation:

10758 V ITV
10788 V BBC W Mids (& BBC Radios)
10818 V BBC CBBC
10906 V STV (& TalkSport)
11345 V CBS - S4C
10936 V C4/E4
11266 V PCNE Chinese
11308 V Sony
11934 V Sky - Challenge (& Chl Line-up radio)
12129 V Yesterday - Drama+1
12207 V Sky News - Pick+1 (& SNR)
11266 V EWTN Catholic Radio

Spot the issue? All transponders tuned are Vertical polarisation. The LNB needs 13V for vertical and 18V for Horizontal transponders.
The 22 kHz switching seems to work for Hi frequencies from Lo.

It's possible for the box to not be sending the correct voltages but much more likely that the LNB is failing to switch. (Poor cable and connections might be another if it caused enough volt drop to mean 18V sent was under 15V at te LNB?)

Best would be to take the Humax to another known working dish (NB not a $ky Q install!!) and do a retune to prove you get a full line up with it. The freesat home transponder - needed to input a postcode during installation - is a Horizontal one (11425 MHz). {Don't then retune when you get back home).

New LNBs are cheap enough though, if you want to just try replacing it.
 
Thanks for the input. I was intending to take the box to a friend's house this morning anyway as another sanity check. Even though they have a single cable setup, the retune worked perfectly fine. When I plugged it back in at home the channels stored still worked but the signal strength was down to 80% and the quality fluctuated between 60-80% compared to the strength reported doing a manual tune. So, as you say, it seems that the LNB or cabling on the roof might be the issue.

Is it worth installing a Quad LNB in advance of the new Freesat Arris box that seems to be weeks away? Or would a straightforward dual LNB suffice? Screwfix seem to have a quad for under £15, but prepared to pay for a better quality one.
 
Great news: means the Foxsat-HDR works and it must be dish/cable related.

Note that the Signal strength and Quality numbers relate to the transponder being watched when you enter Diagnostics...
Back out, and change the TV channel watched then enter Diagnostics again to see different figures on other transponder frequencies and polarisations.

Assuming you have an offset oval $ky dish: a quad is the cheapest and most common one to obtain. Beware of 2 output $ky (Q) lnbs that won't work with your Foxsat... and no-one is 100% sure they will work with the Arris boxes (afaik ?) . Also be aware that sometimes adaptors are needed for LNBs to atach to older dishes' arms. Google should help to find out such things?

Having tuned in on a single cable mode at another home, you'll - eventually - need to factory reset to go back to two cable mode so that it checks there is a signal on both cables etc.,. Don't do that until you have checked the new LNB has fixed things, or that you have found and fixed an issue with your dish/cables.

Go over your cables again first to prove that they are fault free? Then see if a gentle dish flexing can improve those signal/quality readings (also the lnb 'skew' - rotational offset) in case it has moved off alignment with strong winds etc.,. Only when that all fails should you finally get a new LNB installed.

Best of luck.

PS I'd leave it until storm Ciara has blown herself out, if I were you.
 
Thanks again for all your input; it's been very helpful.

I looked at some of the channels and noticed various values depending on the channel chosen:

Channel - Frequency (Strength/Quality)
BBC One HD - 10847V (100/90)
ITV HD - 11097V (85/80)
S4C HD - 11426V (100/50)

It would appear, however, that I can't receive any horizontally-polarised channels. I checked a couple at random:

Channel - Frequency (Strength/Quality)
BBC Scotland HD - 11023H (0/0)
Smithsonian HD - 11170H (0/0)

Would this give any further clues on what might be the issue (cable vs LNB)? As it's a major pain to get to the dish (height and location), ideally I want to go up there (post Ciara!) armed with as much info as possible to get it fixed.

The LNB I was looking at was this one. None of my local Screwfixs stock it, so it's next day. I was also looking at this kit as I haven't worked on a satellite setup before so don't have the right tools.
 
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I'd not bother with compression F-plugs and tools. It probably tales a lot of practice to do them correctly and you need to use the exactly correct size for the cable. I don't think $ky "technicians" use compression ones, either!
Twist/screw-on connectors will suffice. (Satcure advises the use of silicon grease as well to aid water resistance).

What cable type do you have already? There are two sizes and you need the correct ones to fit:-

The thin twin shotgun WF65 cable uses these twist/screw-on connectors F Connector for Sky+ Cable Pack of 10 (4.7mm diameter cable).

The thicker PF100/WF100/CT100 is 6.4mm diameter and uses these Labgear Coaxial F-Plug Pack of 10

Labgear/Philex stuff isn't always the best quality but should be fine. I've used them and still have some for future use. Wiring up plugs, aerials and wall plates - A.T.V. Poles, Brackets, Clamps & Aerials shows how, and they also sell better quality screw F-plugs there if you want?

The "Labgear" LNB is in fact made by another company Visiblewave and is available from Amazon sellers as well. Check if you will need an adaptor for the existing dish SatCure LNB fitting instructions may help? (Satcure no longer trades but the information is often very helpful.)

EDIT: My money is on the LNB, but if you want to change the cables as well, use all-copper types. Webro WF100 or WF65. Philex PF100 etc.,. Avoid any copper clad steel - it's not worth saving a few pence per metre of cable.
After 12 years the dish and cables may have seen better days. But swapping the dish as well may be a step too far - unless you pay a professional to do it for you?
 
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Thank you for all the sound advice. Sadly the weather hasn't allowed me to get on the roof yet (safely at least) so I'm just waiting for some calm weather over a weekend to get up there and take a look. Hopefully soon!
 
I second the bet on faulty LNB, however also suggest that the quality readings suggest something elase in not spot on, either the disk or perhaps LNB skew.
 
Good news! With today's sunny and calm weather (in the east at least), I was able to finally get on the roof. On the face of it, the LNB didn't have any obvious faults but the plastics were very brittle. I swapped it out with the Labgear Quad LNB that I had bought (there was a "Sky" Quad already up there) and bingo 100% Signal Strength and 100% Signal Quality. Problem solved for £15. :)

Thanks to everyone for their input, particular Rodders53 in helping to identify the fault :clap:
 
I may have spoken to soon :(

I was rather overcome by the plethora of channels and signal strength and quality that I failed to notice something; I think the FoxSat still believes it only has a single feed from the dish.

Last night I had a recording set for BBC One HD and decided to record something else on C5HD at the same time (there was nothing else set to record other than the BBC One HD programme). I got a conflict warning, with an offer to resolve the conflict by recording the BBC One HD programme on BBC One Scotland HD instead.

After I'd replaced the LNB, I did retune the FoxSat just to be sure (with both cables connected), and assumed that it would realise it had two feeds (I connected the cables to the same two feeds on the Labgear LNB as had been connected to the "Sky" LNB that was there previously).

Have I mucked up the wiring at the LNB side, or is there something else that I need to do with the FoxSat to get it to recognise the two feeds again?
 
I may have spoken to soon :(

I was rather overcome by the plethora of channels and signal strength and quality that I failed to notice something; I think the FoxSat still believes it only has a single feed from the dish.

Last night I had a recording set for BBC One HD and decided to record something else on C5HD at the same time (there was nothing else set to record other than the BBC One HD programme). I got a conflict warning, with an offer to resolve the conflict by recording the BBC One HD programme on BBC One Scotland HD instead.

After I'd replaced the LNB, I did retune the FoxSat just to be sure (with both cables connected), and assumed that it would realise it had two feeds (I connected the cables to the same two feeds on the Labgear LNB as had been connected to the "Sky" LNB that was there previously).

Have I mucked up the wiring at the LNB side, or is there something else that I need to do with the FoxSat to get it to recognise the two feeds again?

Probably nothing wrong with your box. Nothing wrong with you box, It's likely down to down to way the BBC is now codeing the CRID's. On BBC channels this can generate duplicate recordings from the other nation-HD channels.

Any two lnb connections will work.

Assuming you have a English Postcode use edit channels to delete the following

973 BBC 1 Scot HD
976 BBC 1 Wales HD
978 BBC 1 NI HD
 
Probably nothing wrong with your box.
Except it is/was set in single-cable mode... my comment in post #8 said:
Having tuned in on a single cable mode at another home, you'll - eventually - need to factory reset to go back to two cable mode so that it checks there is a signal on both cables etc.,.

NB a 'factory reset' will erase any scheduled recordings list though - so make a note of them before you do that reset.

There is a hidden menu item that you can access to do the change.
<MENU> <down arrow> to highlight {Setup} item <right arrow> to display setup menu, then
<red> <green> <blue> <yellow> <green> <blue> <yellow> when a Manual Setup Menu appears with two items: Antenna Setup (highlighted) and Manual Tune
<right arrow> on {Antenna Setup}
Choose {Fixed Antenna} and then {Two Cable Same} from the options
Finally back out via the <Menu> button.
It is possible to set some items wrong via that hidden expert installer menu (which is why it's not easily accessed) so take it slow and steady.

It is easier (and safer) to do the Factory Reset.
 
Can I just double-check the menu sequence? Once I've moved down to the Setup Icon, the Setup Menu appears automatically (nothing selected). I then Right Arrow so that the first Setup Menu item is highlighted (Freesat Tune). This is where I press the RGBYGBY buttons in sequence? I ask because I just get the "Do Not Enter" icon in the top right of the screen when I press the Red Button , so presumably I'm doing something wrong.
 
Can I just double-check the menu sequence? Once I've moved down to the Setup Icon, the Setup Menu appears automatically (nothing selected). I then Right Arrow so that the first Setup Menu item is highlighted (Freesat Tune). This is where I press the RGBYGBY buttons in sequence? I ask because I just get the "Do Not Enter" icon in the top right of the screen when I press the Red Button , so presumably I'm doing something wrong.


ignore the no entry and complete the sequence
 
Except it is/was set in single-cable mode... my comment in post #8 said:

Being in single cable mode is not anything wrong with the box. The box is designed to operate in this way, having a feed to both tuners with some recording restrictions. Most likely the box was set up without a working cable on tuner 2 in or just a single cable and missing the tuner 1 out to tuner 2 in link cable.

If the latter the reset will simply re-create the problem unless the link cable is fitted regardless of which way is used to restore dual cable working
 
So I got to the bottom of the issue. The button sequence required for my machine to get the extra menu was different to that suggested. It popped up after <red><green><yellow><blue><green><yellow><blue>. I changed the settings to [Fixed Antenna} / {Two Cable Same} and the conflict disappears.

Thanks again Rodders53 for the advice. :thumbsup: I'm hopeful this time I'm fully back up and running! :clap:
 
Being in single cable mode is not anything wrong with the box.
You are usually extremely helpful and knowledgeable but in this thread the advice you gave was plain wrong in post #15.

You had missed the important bits from earlier:

The OP had a problem on his dual cable setup (as post#3 confirmed it).
OP took PVR to friend's single cable install and reset it (post#7)
OP replaced the faulty LNB.
Then:
OP simply forgot the advice to reset the PVR again as has subsequently been proved by the post #21.

The PVR, even if it had two active tuners connected to separate feeds on the LNB by the OP was limited by the Humax software that ensures that both tuners must be on the same polarisation (H or V) and band (Hi or Lo) in single cable mode.
Hence, the C5HD (H polarised) recording made the PVR suggest the later time-shifted programme on BBC Scotland as BBC One HD was V polarised. (I use BBC Scotland for Holby City often enough when I have a 3-recording clash).

No need to delete the Nations versions. Nor had the BBC messed anything up like you suggested.
 
You are usually extremely helpful and knowledgeable but in this thread the advice you gave was plain wrong in post #15.

You had missed the important bits from earlier:

The OP had a problem on his dual cable setup (as post#3 confirmed it).
OP took PVR to friend's single cable install and reset it (post#7)
OP replaced the faulty LNB.
Then:
OP simply forgot the advice to reset the PVR again as has subsequently been proved by the post #21.

The PVR, even if it had two active tuners connected to separate feeds on the LNB by the OP was limited by the Humax software that ensures that both tuners must be on the same polarisation (H or V) and band (Hi or Lo) in single cable mode.
Hence, the C5HD (H polarised) recording made the PVR suggest the later time-shifted programme on BBC Scotland as BBC One HD was V polarised. (I use BBC Scotland for Holby City often enough when I have a 3-recording clash).

No need to delete the Nations versions. Nor had the BBC messed anything up like you suggested.

I have had a long discussion with the BBC re this issue. They say they can't do anything about it. The only fix is to delete the offending channels. My Christmas special of Strictly Come dancing failed for just this reason. It attempted to record the same programme 3 times. All the previous live shows recorded without issue, the same CRID was carried over to Xmas day. There is thread on My Humax.

Basically they are using the same series CRID for all the nation channels. Previously the other Nation-HD channels had different series CRID's so the issue did not happen. The Humax software presumably has a bug as the BBC say it's only the Humax Freesat boxes that are affected.

This is a long standing issue. A few times the BBC have delayed a episode on say BBC 1 HD Scotland. This results in two recordings the following week. The Humax should recognise the Scottish transmission has already been recorded but does not. Apparently the spec should recognise this and not record it again.

Sorry but there is certainly a issue here.

I would try an find an example but having deleted the other nation-HD channels I woyuld have to re-instate them.

Perhaps you would like try setting a few to see how many recordings it generates.

The epg doesn't correctly show the issue. Failure is created when the programmes starts to to record. You either get the same content twice or a failure if another recording is scheduled in the same time slot.



 
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