# Five US only once a week?



## johnscott99 (Sep 23, 2002)

I rather enjoyed the pilot of Californication. Lot's of ladybumkps and funny talk.  


So I set a season pass. 

Every one has recorded the SKy blue screen "No signal is being received"

Every one exept the Saturday night. During the week it's blue screen all the way

Anyone else got problems with Five US?

It's not a groundbreaking TV show or anything, but it has funny bits - like when he was shagging a woman he met 10 minutes earlier on his ex-partners bed as his ex walks in with he new fiance to find him vomitting onto artwork  (strategically place over his throbbing parts). Did I mention it's David Dutch-over-sky? :up:


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

I don't record much off that channel (ie no SPs) and am on cable not Sky, but not had any problems with the channel.


----------



## verses (Nov 6, 2002)

I'm on Freeview, not Sky, but have in the past recorded the US "Whose line is it Anyway" from Five US and it successfully recorded at all days and times.

Cheers,

Ian


----------



## AMc (Mar 22, 2002)

What time are the failed recordings? It sounds like someone/something has put your Sky box into standby to me.
BTW no problem with FiveUS on Freeview - regular recordings of CSI.


----------



## speedyrite (May 18, 2002)

Sounds like you are getting the "No satellite signal being received" problem as per this thread on skyuser forums

http://www.skyuser.co.uk/forum/sky-tv/17226-five.html

I think I read somewhere that Five channels have recently moved to a transponder that is prone to weak reception (disruption due to interference or poor installation?) but don't quote me



johnscott99 said:


> I rather enjoyed the pilot of Californication. Lot's of ladybumkps and funny talk.
> 
> So I set a season pass.
> 
> ...


----------



## Verne (Nov 21, 2000)

I have had some problems with that channel. Recordings of Dawson's Creek were not recording for some reason. I was getting the same "No signal is being received" error. It has only happened for the ones that are broadcast at lunchtime at weekends. The ones that are shown on weekdays in the evening have been fine.


----------



## speedyrite (May 18, 2002)

Correction: the Five channels moved to Astra 2C two or three weeks ago:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=676785&highlight=five

Again, maybe that is related to the problem, maybe it isn't...

On my own Sky *Multi-room) installation, the downstairs box (furthest from the dish diplexed into the aerial cable embedded in the walls!)) has terrible breakup on all the channels from one particular transponder, whereas the upstairs box (quit near the dish so shortish cable run with no nasty bends) has no breakup at all. Thankfully the channels are mostly (possibly all?) trivial and of no interest to me.



speedyrite said:


> Sounds like you are getting the "No satellite signal being received" problem as per this thread on skyuser forums
> 
> http://www.skyuser.co.uk/forum/sky-tv/17226-five.html
> 
> I think I read somewhere that Five channels have recently moved to a transponder that is prone to weak reception (disruption due to interference or poor installation?) but don't quote me


----------



## aerialplug (Oct 20, 2000)

I very occasionally get the "technical fault" banner. Invariably it's with a channel that has some form of interactive content (red button etc.).

It happens both on the Sky+ and Sky box when changing to a live channel, though it's worse on the Sky+ as the banner doesn't go away for the entire recording. On the Sky box it almost always goes away after exactly 2 minutes (which is just before the programme starts with 2 minutes of padding!)


----------



## gazter (Aug 1, 2001)

johnscott99 said:


> I rather enjoyed the pilot of Californication. Lot's of ladybumkps and funny talk.
> 
> So I set a season pass.
> 
> ...


I had exactly the same problem (with the same show on the same channel), a quick reboot of the sky box sorted the problem


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

I suggest putting your Sky box on a mains timer that shuts it off once a day at 5am for 2 minutes as at least a partial solution.

Once the No Signal Is Being Received message appears it has a habit of not going away in some circumstances.


----------



## afrokiwi (Oct 6, 2001)

I have had no problems recording it on my Sky / Tivo setup .... and i am in Den Haag so wouldn't think it is a signal issue ....


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

afrokiwi said:


> I have had no problems recording it on my Sky / Tivo setup .... and i am in Den Haag so wouldn't think it is a signal issue ....


No its more of a software glitch on the Sky box in my view.


----------



## Ashley (Apr 20, 2002)

I lost all ch5 programmes on my Sky box.

Removing the mains for a few seconds fixed it.


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

Ashley said:


> I lost all ch5 programmes on my Sky box.
> 
> Removing the mains for a few seconds fixed it.


As I say when used with a Tivo having the Sky box on a timer that shuts it down for 2 minutes every morning at 5am is a useful ploy as it tends to ensure any hangs or channel update failures are not long lasting and are resolved. As I have also experienced the odd Tivo freeze at a menu once in say 4 or 5 months I also now have the Tivo on the same timer shutting it odd for 2 minuts per day as a result of noting that this is how mikerr runs things as a belt and braces style approach. This also has the advantage that in the rare event the Tivo was doing a scheduled recording at this time of day the recording restarts again which did not happen when the Sky box alone was shut down once per day.

Although some will claims shutting Tivo down daily on a power switch is heresy and shortens the hard disk life etc in my view it is the only way you can ensure 99%+ Tivo recording reliability if you go away for the odd week or two now again. Like it or not even Tivos do have hangs from time to time although no doubt the fact that I run Tivoweb, Endpad and several other significant hacks is probably the primary reason for this. Tivos may be totally stable in their unadulterated state although memory suggests to me that they were not.


----------



## martink0646 (Feb 8, 2005)

Ashley said:


> I lost all ch5 programmes on my Sky box.
> 
> Removing the mains for a few seconds fixed it.


Hi Ashley,

I have been losing CH4, CH4+1 & 5 on a regular basis for the last fortnight. Rebooting normally seems to work but this morning it didn't bring back CH4 +1 & 5, it only bought back CH4. I rang SKY & they informed me that the card was failing & that they only last 3-5 years. When I explained that it was only 18 months old she said she would send me a new one.......just give me your bank details or CC details for the £20 payment! Maybe your card is 'failing' too?

I think I would rather buy a Freeview box with that £20 & bin my SKY+ box. BTW, does anyone want a SKY+ box......v.cheap.

Martin


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

martink0646 said:


> I think I would rather buy a Freeview box with that £20 & bin my SKY+ box. BTW, does anyone want a SKY+ box......v.cheap.


You might not still think that if you turn out to be in a lousy reception quality area for Freeview and as long as you don't want CNN, Euronews, Reality TV, Bloomberg, Men & Motors etc, Performance Channel, TrueMovies, Zone Horror, Playboy Channel etc, etc.

I agree its crap that they charge for a new card after you have had the old one this much time. But can I assume you are a Freesatter? I can't believe Sky would actually charge a subscribing customers of any kind for a new card. If that is what they are doing then threaten to cancel your subscription and I'm sure they will change their mind and send you a new one and probably install a new box too at the same time.


----------



## johnscott99 (Sep 23, 2002)

Turning the sky box on and off seems to make no difference.

Looking through my recording "we" only record "The L Word" on Living via the Sky box. 

I getting rid of sky again (third time). 

They ring me up a month later and offer me at £7.5 for 3 to 6 months. I usually take them up on it. 

Thinking about it: would I pay someone £7.50 a month for anything that I don't use? 

Would you pay £7.50 for a mobile that is turned off and not used?

I have a freeview box (Wharfedale) which we use in the kitchen which can be moved. 

The freeview box picks up Five channels perfectly all the time. 


Thanks chaps for the advice


----------



## martink0646 (Feb 8, 2005)

I didn't think turning the box off would do it because it's the card. How old is your card? They said to me they fail between 3 & 5 years but if yours has failed well before that like mine this might be a sales drive. I wonder, can they remotely zap the card?

I'm honestly not seeing conspiracies...just interested.

Martin


----------



## speedyrite (May 18, 2002)

It could be due to a problem with the LNB, or it could be due to a problem with the digibox - either of these things can go on the blink and yet not give a *total* system failure.


----------



## b166er (Oct 24, 2003)

Lost my 5 "extra" channels too. Five US and Five Life (if that's what it's called) all give the no satellite signal received message. I took them out of my received channel line up, gave up on 'em.


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

johnscott99 said:


> They ring me up a month later and offer me at £7.5 for 3 to 6 months. I usually take them up on it.
> 
> Thinking about it: would I pay someone £7.50 a month for anything that I don't use?
> 
> Would you pay £7.50 for a mobile that is turned off and not used?


Nice of them to only charge what the service is worth for 6 months but a shame it will then cost you £17 per month at the end of it for another 6 to 12months when you are too busy to cancel.

Take courage in both hands and tell Sky to stick it for good. As Five US and Five Life along with Five, Ch4 and Sky Three are FTV channels you will get them with your viewing card even if you do not pay Sky a current monthly subscription. Only people who don't get these on a Sky box are those who do not have a Sky viewing (Yellow House) card.

If you desubscribe you get the same list of channels as at www.freesatfromsky.co.uk You can rejoin Sky at any time for a minimum of one month should you feel the need.


----------

