USB SkyTV Ultimate 8, not picking up all DVB-S stations

[mivilleb]

I have the SkyTV Ultimate 8 USB stick connected to a Linux computer with the latest Debian distribution. The system is finding the device and I install the media client using the provided URL to download the code.

Code: [Auswählen]

mivilleb@SatTV:~$ /opt/bin/mediaclient -e
**** List of Media Hardware Devices ****
device 0: [              eLight]  DVB-S/S2, REMOTE-CONTROL
  [INFO]:
     STATUS: ACTIVE
  [BUS]:
     ID: 1-1
  [SERIAL]:
     ID: U190124005213
  [DVB-S/S2]:
     FESTATUS: ACTIVE
     LNBVOLTAGE: ENABLED
     LNBSUPPLY: USBPOWER
     LNBSTATUS: OK
     FRONTEND: /dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0
     DVR: /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0
     DMX: /dev/dvb/adapter0/demux0
  [REMOTECONTROL]:
     INPUT0: /dev/mediainput0

mivilleb@\SatTV:~$

Using w_scan, the stick can only pickup the SkyNZ TV channels but not the NZ Freeview ones.

These are the 2, I am trying to pick up:

Code: [Auswählen]

        new transponder: (S  f = 12456 kHz H SR = 22500  3/4 0,35  QPSK  (47:169:21)) 0x4043
        new transponder: (S  f = 12483 kHz H SR = 22500  3/4 0,35  QPSK  (47:169:22)) 0x4043

https://www.lyngsat.com/Optus-D2.html

Using the same sat dish connected to a GTMedia Nova 8 satellite receiver and a PCI DVB-S card, all channels are picked up. Only with the Sundtek USB stick can not pick up all the channels. Also tried with TVHEADEND and no services are picked up at all but works with the PCI card.

Anybody with the same issue in New Zealand?

Any idea what I can do to debug this?

Thanks

[Sundtek]

What do following commands show up?

/opt/bin/mediaclient -m DVBS -f 12456000 -M QPSK -S 22500000 -E 2/3 -V H

/opt/bin/mediaclient -m DVBS -f 12483000 -M QPSK -S 22500000 -E 2/3 -V H


also is the powersupply connected and the LED green when tuning?

[mivilleb]

Original power supply connected and the led is green on stick.

Code: [Auswählen]


mivilleb@SatTV:~/Downloads$ /opt/bin/mediaclient -m DVBS -f 12456000 -M QPSK -S 22500000 -E 3/4 -V H
Using device: /dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0
Setting DVB-S/S2 tune Parameters
using HI/LO Band frequency: 12456000
Modulation: QPSK (DVB-S)
Symbolrate: 22500000
Voltage: 18 Volt (Horizontal)
FEC: 3/4
Tone ON
Frequency: 1856000
Syntax OK
Checking for lock:
..........
mivilleb@SatTV:~/Downloads$ /opt/bin/mediaclient -m DVBS -f 12483000 -M QPSK -S 22500000 -E 3/4 -V H
Using device: /dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0
Setting DVB-S/S2 tune Parameters
using HI/LO Band frequency: 12483000
Modulation: QPSK (DVB-S)
Symbolrate: 22500000
Voltage: 18 Volt (Horizontal)
FEC: 3/4
Tone ON
Frequency: 1883000
Syntax OK
Checking for lock:
..........
mivilleb@SatTV:~/Downloads$



[mivilleb]

For one service that gets listed with w_scan I get this:

Code: [Auswählen]

mivilleb@SatTV:~/Downloads$ /opt/bin/mediaclient -m DVBS2 -f 12268000 -M QPSK -S 22500000 -E 2/3 -V H
Using device: /dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0
Setting DVB-S/S2 tune Parameters
using HI/LO Band frequency: 12268000
Modulation: QPSK (DVB-S)
Symbolrate: 22500000
Voltage: 18 Volt (Horizontal)
FEC: 2/3
Tone ON
Frequency: 1668000
Syntax OK
Checking for lock:
. [LOCKED]
mivilleb@SatTV:~/Downloads$


[Sundtek]

what's the signal statistic after you tune to those transponders? (please tune to the transponders one by one and after every tune run the readsignal command)

/opt/bin/mediaclient --readsignal=0 -d /dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0 --band universal


I do not see anything special with those transponders, so I guess it might have something to do with the LNB or the cable down the line. Another thing could be the oscillator in the LNB if that one is slightly off the tuners might not pick up the transponders. We're using a highly integrated tuner IC which has a search window of +/- ~3mhz; I know some chipsets have search windows of +/- 6mhz but when a transponder is >3mhz off the actual frequency the LNB can be considered to be defect (LNB frequency drifting). A temporary fix for this could be to add those +/- 3mhz during the tune requests (this is just one possible issue I could think about)

Are you able to double check those transponders with a different SAT installation?

[mivilleb]

For the working channel I get this:

Code: [Auswählen]

SIGNAL: [..............................   ] ( 91%) SATQUALITY:  83%  SNR:  14  BER:      0 FREQ: 12268000   Hz LOCKED: YES SYS: DVB-S2 SYM: 22500000 FEC: FEC_2_3 MOD: QPSK VOLTAGE: H(18V) TONE: ON

For the non-working ones I get this:

Code: [Auswählen]

SIGNAL: [                                 ] (  0%) SATQUALITY:   0%  SNR:   0  BER:      0 FREQ: 12483000   Hz LOCKED:  NO SYS: DVB-S SYM: 22500000 FEC: FEC_3_4 MOD: QPSK VOLTAGE: H(18V) TONE: ON

SIGNAL: [                                 ] (  0%) SATQUALITY:   1%  SNR:   0  BER:      0 FREQ: 12456000   Hz LOCKED:  NO SYS: DVB-S SYM: 22500000 FEC: FEC_3_4 MOD: QPSK VOLTAGE: H(18V) TONE: ON



Like I mentioned before, these transponders work fine with my GTMedia Nova 8 receiver and a PCI DVB-S card.

[Sundtek]

Remember different Receiver chipsets have different behaviours as I wrote. Possibly the chipset on your other device might be better for your existing environment but that doesn't mean that your environment complies with the official DVB-S standard.

Drifting LNBs, poor cables are a problem out there, we have seen it all in the past with our customers.

Try to add/decrease a few MHz to the frequency and run the readsignal command after tuning.

Do you get any result with the following commands:
for ((i=70;i<90;i++)); do /opt/bin/mediaclient -m DVBS -f 124${i}000 -M QPSK -S 22500000 -E 3/4 -V H; /opt/bin/mediaclient --readsignal=10 --band universal -d /dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0; done

it could also be that the symbol rate is a little bit off for real.. there are several possibilities. I ran those frequencies and parameters with the signal generator - they have no problem so there's a problem outside of the actual standard.

[mivilleb]

None of them returned a Yes for the LOCKED.

I will test with a new dish over the next few weeks and see if that works.

Thanks for your help.

[Sundtek]

Can you just test with another installation / eg. neighbour?
I think this would be the quickest way of ruling out that there's a problem with your installation itself.
Next I would try would be to adjust the symbol rate.

[Sundtek]

You can also try to run a blindscan

/opt/bin/mediaclient --blindscan /dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=83&topicid=283941

I just went through this seems like he changed the LNB and things went okay for him.