Paying for Sky Mexico in SF Bay Area

[markofca]

I am posting because I've been trying to solve this for 6 months, and I am out of ideas. There seem to be many people with good ideas here. Here's my situation:

I run a company that does sports video analysis. We have a major client in Mexico. They are affiliated with the broadcasters though my relationship is not such that I can ask for their help.

I've installed half a dozen different satellites on our roof (Dish, DirecTV, and FTA) in the past so have a good bit of experience though am by no means an expert. Most recently, I added a 6 foot dish to hit PanSat 9 at 58W to try to pick up Sky Mexico. We have purchased and are paying monthly fees to Sky with a Sky box and legitimate active smart card. We do NOT want to hack anything or steal signal. I have a high quality Invacom LNB.

The problem: Using two different FTA receivers, I have tuned the heck out of the dish, skew, focal point, etc to get 45-50% Quality. In fact, on the FTA, I can watch Sky Mexico's few unencrypted information channels perfectly (they broadcast premium channel previews free) and can blind scan and get 200+ other channels, though of course they are unwatchable on the FTA because they are encrypted.

So you'd think I could now just plug in the actual Sky receivers and would be set, but no...

When I plug in the Sky receiver (and I've now tried two different models and 3 different Sky receivers), I get nothing. Using their installation utility, I can't even get to 1% Quality. The receiver reports a BER of 2x10^-2 and can show the name of the satellite some of the time (it is getting some data since the BER moves when I'm on the satellite). I've set the LNB frequency, transponder, data rate, etc to exactly match the FTA, and it just reports a much, much lower quality. The two FTA receivers (different makes) both report nearly identical Q, but the Sky receiver has Q = 0 no matter what I do.

Most recently, and much to my annoyance, I noticed that the receiver user-interface had suddenly upgraded to a nice blue color background after months of black and red. I believe the receiver actually downloaded a software update (!) despite being unable to display a channel.

I'm baffled. Any ideas? It's driving me crazy that the dish is pointed well enough to receive channels but I can't get the actual Sky Mexico receivers to work. The easiest step has somehow become the hardest.

I appreciate any ideas or possible explanations.

Thanks.

 

[Ftoutloff]

If your FTA receiver can see channels then you are on the right sat - must be between the lnb and the receiver. Don't know much about those receivers, but I would suspect that either you have a setting wrong, or the sky receiver won't talk to your lnb. Those invacom lnbs have multiple ports one for linear one for circular I think - does your lnb go through a switch?

 

[markofca]

Thanks for the idea, but I've tried just about every combination of settings possible. I would love it if that were the problem, but I'm pretty sure it's not.

The Invacoms have linear and circular feeds. I'm using the linear (tried circular in desperation, but linear is what's working with the FTA's, and circular gives no signal).

I also considered the possibility that the receiver wasn't powering the LNB but after some testing don't think that's it either.

 

[wicked]

If they are the new receivers like DirecTV D12's you have to connect the master to the LNB as the other receivers are slaves and only work if the master is in use..

..

 

[mr.crane]

Can you post the Model Number of your Sky receiver, could be the receiver needs
correct settings, does receiver give you options, like a setup menu for a dish?

 

[markofca]

The receivers we've tried are the Thomson and Sky+ receivers shown here:
Equipos y Conexiones

The only options that seem relevant are the LNB frequency and then a 'select a satellite' page which may only be relevant for providing a quality meter on the right transponder frequency. I have matched these settings to the same settings that I have on the FTA when the FTA is receiving channels (and have tried about every combination of other settings with them as well)

The FTA receivers that have allowed me to watch the free channels are neosat ipro 2000 and a SonicView 1000

 

[mr.crane]

From Looking at Iceberg post on finding strong transponders to lock on a satellite. I did noticed Pas9 requires a Universal Lnbf. But, I dont thing it should matter much, you should still be able to get most of the transponders. Do you have the original
sky dish with lnb?

 

[markofca]

Yes. I have the original LNB and dish that came with the system. The Sky receiver allows you to set up a custom satellite for the dish tuning page allowing you to select transponder, data rate, etc. I've set these and the LNB settings to the EXACT same thing as the FTA's where I'm getting 50% quality and still see sub-zero quality on the receiver.

 

[mr.crane]

Yes. I have the original LNB and dish that came with the system. The Sky receiver allows you to set up a custom satellite for the dish tuning page allowing you to select transponder, data rate, etc. I've set these and the LNB settings to the EXACT same thing as the FTA's where I'm getting 50% quality and still see sub-zero quality on the receiver.

Now that is weird, you might want to talk to Brian one of the Sponsors here,
his business is AV/Satellite located in Sacramento. he is here alot, but must
be out of town, you could pm him. He has Sky Mexico setup at his place of business, I think he is using a
geosat 96cm, and I know he is using invacom quad.

 

[mr.crane]

Is your Sky + receiver look like the attachment, if so. you have to run 2
linear feeds to receiver. thats what instructions say.

 

[markofca]

Back of the receiver doesn't look like the one posted, but that reference to Brian sounds like a jackpot! Thanks. He's north of me, so if he can get Sky, then I should be able to as well.

Is his user name 'brian' or is he one of the many other Brians on the site?

Thanks for the pointer to someone with Sky in the area. If he is willing to help, I may have my solution.

 

[mr.crane]

Back of the receiver doesn't look like the one posted, but that reference to Brian sounds like a jackpot! Thanks. He's north of me, so if he can get Sky, then I should be able to as well.

Is his user name 'brian' or is he one of the many other Brians on the site?

Thanks for the pointer to someone with Sky in the area. If he is willing to help, I may have my solution.

go to GloryStar forum, look at some of the post, his name is under satellite av,
highlite his user name and send him a pm

 

[markofca]

Thanks. I sent him a message.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Sky Mexico receivers require an Universal LNBF. If you are using an Invacom QPH-031, you will not lock onto the satellite as the LO frequency is incorrect.

 

[mr.crane]

Sky Mexico receivers require an Universal LNBF. If you are using an Invacom QPH-031, you will not lock onto the satellite as the LO frequency is incorrect.

Thats what I thought too, but I was not sure, thnks for clarification, what is
your qualilty on pas9 with you 90cm?

 

[markofca]

Ok. Thanks. I'll give that a try and report back. Can you recommend an extremely high performance Universal LNB (given my location I need all the help boosting my Q that I can get)?

 

[SatelliteAV]

Ok. Thanks. I'll give that a try and report back. Can you recommend an extremely high performance Universal LNB (given my location I need all the help boosting my Q that I can get)?

Invacom SNL-031

 

[markofca]

One more question:

What is the difference between the H and the F models, for example, SNH-031 and SNF-031? Invacom.net Low Noise Block, converter, Invacom, Universal, DBS LNB, 0.3dB, single, SNH, SNF, twin, TWH, TWF, quad, QDH, QDF, quattro, quatro, QTH, QTF, 40mm Horn, C120, high performance, quality, receive satellite TV and KU Band Transmitter, VSAT PL

I found a reference on one site that seemed to suggest that if I was using a central focus dish (LNB located at the center of the dish) as opposed to an offset-dish (LNB offset toward the bottom of the dish) that I should use the F model. Is this correct?

If so, does the face of the LNB screw directly onto the mounting arms? I'm currently using a bracket, but I have a center focal dish.

Thanks.

 

[mr.crane]

One more question:

What is the difference between the H and the F models, for example, SNH-031 and SNF-031? Invacom.net Low Noise Block, converter, Invacom, Universal, DBS LNB, 0.3dB, single, SNH, SNF, twin, TWH, TWF, quad, QDH, QDF, quattro, quatro, QTH, QTF, 40mm Horn, C120, high performance, quality, receive satellite TV and KU Band Transmitter, VSAT PL

I found a reference on one site that seemed to suggest that if I was using a central focus dish (LNB located at the center of the dish) as opposed to an offset-dish (LNB offset toward the bottom of the dish) that I should use the F model. Is this correct?

If so, does the face of the LNB screw directly onto the mounting arms? I'm currently using a bracket, but I have a center focal dish.

Thanks.

the F is used for primestar dishes or adf 120 feedhorn, or similar. is your 6ft dish offset?

 

[SatelliteAV]

With a prime focus dish you could use the ADF-120 - Fedhorn and either a SNF-031 (single output), TWF-031 (twin output) or QDF-031 (four outputs).

See descriptions at Global Invacom - Product