Input 1 quality varying wildly

[Scramble]

I've had problems in the past with a neighbour's large tree blocking my Sky signal, esp. in summer when it has lots of leaves. So last year I had the dish put up higher on the house by a Sky engineer who reckoned that was the problem, and it did work much better for a year. But now the tree has grown taller, and the problems have returned again this summer.

But I wondered about something else -- when I get this problem I notice that there is a big difference between the signal quality on the two inputs. Input 2 usually has signal quality between 50-60%, but on input 1 it varies wildly from moment to moment between 0 and 40%. That seems to be the trouble. (Sometimes it stays around 40% for a minute or so, but then it starts moving around again.)

The signal strength on both inputs seems okay, usually pretty stable at 50-65%.

So what I want to know is whether this problem on Input 1 is likely to be caused entirely by the tree, or whether it might also be indicative of a problem with the dish or connectors or cabling or alignment.

It must be at least *partly* due to the tree, as it gets worse in summer, but I wondered whether it might be made that much worse by a fault or sub-optimal performance somewhere else? In other words, is this typical behaviour for a system that has a large tree in the way? (The tree is not that close, but it is very tall and fairly wide.)

I've looked at the dish and the cabling and it looks okay, but I'm not an expert, and a faulty component isn't always visible to to the eye anyway.

(I have a Pace Sky+ box. I don't have any friends with Sky that I can test the Digibox out on at their place. And anyway, if it isn't just the tree it would be an interactive effect with the tree, so that wouldn't show up at someone else's place.)

[Brian69]

The answer seems obvious, loob a bit off the tree or move the dish again

[The Realist]

Call Sky again and they will move it higher and if needs be on the chimney (the highest point).

If thats not high enough, call out an independent ariel installer and get them to install a longer pole so the dish is up in the air, this is charged at your expense.

Regards

[Scramble]

>The answer seems obvious, loob a bit off the tree or move the dish again

It isn't my tree to cut. The neighbour is not cooperative. And obviously I can pay to get it put up higher, but that's not what I'm asking. I'm asking whether the variations in the Input 1 quality indicate whether anything else is going on that I should be looking into. Clearly I will be having to get a Sky callout at some stage soon, but the point is whether I need to be asking them to do anything else in addition to moving it.

[Brian69]

In that case dont use Sky to move the dish but employ a local indepedant installer. They are likely to do a better job and it may be possible to relocate the dish so that this problem does not occure again.

[The Realist]

I resent that comment. Sky engineers work hard and put a lot of dedication and quality of work into every job they do and that cannot be said for a large percentage of sub contractors.

The only difference between Sky engineers and Sub contractors is subbies can install larger/longer poles where Sky carry a maximum lenth of 1.6 meters.

Call a sub contractor, explain and they will relocate the dish using a longer pole but its at your expence.

Regards

In that case dont use Sky to move the dish but employ a local indepedant installer. They are likely to do a better job and it may be possible to relocate the dish so that this problem does not occure again.

[Brian69]

I dont doubt that Sky Installers do work hard, but a local installer is likely to be able to spend more time on a dificult installation like this. Having seen a number of Sky installed dishes, their F connectors exposed to the weather unprotected, I would never have them near my home.

[Smithy99]

I resent that comment. Sky engineers work hard and put a lot of dedication and quality of work into every job they do and that cannot be said for a large percentage of sub contractors.

There are good and bad in all jobs, I have seen some shocking things by Skys own installers and also from some subbies, I have also seen some very good ones, nobody's perfect!

[The Realist]

Yes no one is perfect and hence the end of my comment.