Read the Manual First

Even though it is hard not to jump right in and try out your new DVB receiver, READ THE MANUAL FIRST. Even a bad manual, although many times misleading, may have a little to offer. Usually, it will have some sort of description/drawing of connections that can be made to the receiver.

Dish Alignment

If you will be using an existing analog C/Ku band big dish system and if you have not checked the alignment of your dish in a while, do it before you add a new DVB receiver. If you have Ku band, check the alignment of the dish with it since it is the most critical. If your Ku tracking is good then your C band will be good. If you have poor analog reception, you may have little or no success at DVB reception.

Connecting the DVB Receiver to the TV and Other Devices

Connection of DVB receiver to your TV (or other device) is usually done in 1of 2 ways (or both). Most receivers have an RF modulator output via an f-connector. Connect a 75 ohm coaxial cable from this output to the f-connector/75 ohm input of the device to which you wish to send the signal (eg. TV, VCR, signal combiner). Some receivers have RF modulators with selectable output to UHF channels while others allow you to select between VHF channels 3 and 4. Hopefully, your manual will cover this issue.

Also, the DVB receiver will probably have RCA type output for video, left (L) and right (R) audio. Some TVs allow this type of connection as an auxiallry input. VCRs also have this kind of input. Some TV and VCRs, however, do not support Stereo (audio Left and Right) and only have a single audio input. You may have to plug in only the left or right audio channel or make other arrangements if you wish to use the RCA type output on these TVs/VCRs.

If you have connected the DVB receiver into your video system you should be able to see the DVB receiver even before you have connected it to your dish/LNB. When you turn it on you will likely see some sort of message that informs you that you have a "bad signal" or "signal not found" or something to that effect. You should now be able to access software functions for the receiver. If you do not see anything from the DVB receiver, keep working with your video system and its connection with the receiver until you can see it.

Connecting/Disconnecting LNBs

Before connecting/disconnecting LNBs from any receiver, unplug the receiver, otherwise damage to LNBs may occur.

Connecting as the Only Receiver in the System

If your MPEG2/DVB receiver is your only receiver and you have a single LNB, then simply
connect the coaxial cable from the LNB directly to the LNB input on the back of the receiver.
There is nothing more to connect if you are using a fixed dish.

If your receiver has a built-in dish positioner, and you will be using the receiver with a moveable dish, then follow the directions in your owner's manual to connect the control wires from your dish to your receiver. If you have both C and Ku bands, then you will need a switch to select between the LNBs. A 0/12V switch that is controlled by the receiver works well for this, provided the receiver supports this type of switching.

To select between multiple fixed dishes, you can use an A/B switch for two inputs, or a Diseqc  switch for up to four inputs, or an A/B switch and two Diseqc switches for up to eight inputs, if your receiver supports it.

Connecting to Analog C/Ku Band System

If your DVB receiver does not have dish positioning or polarity control capability, you must use your existing analog receiver to move your dish and set the polarity for the DVB receiver. In order to "slave" the DVB receiver to your analog receiver you may want to use one of the following methods, depending on the available connections on your DVB and analog receiver.

Receivers with Single LNB Input and Loop Through

Connect the LNB coaxial cable from your dish to the LNB input of the DVB receiver. This may be labled "FROM LNB" or something similar. Connect a coaxial cable from the LOOP output of the DVB receiver to the input for that LNB on your analog receiver. If you have more than 1 LNB feed, leave the other connected like it usually is. Make the necessary software adjustments in the DVB receiver to turn LNB POWER ON.

This is the easiest and most dependable method of connecting your DVB receiver.It is suggested that you initially hook it up like this to eliminate potential problems with more complicated connections while you evaluate the function of your receiver. Only after satisfying yourself that your DVB receiver/system is working properly should you attempt more elaborate connections. Some people choose to split the LNB inputs from 2 separate LNBs using wideband splitters, sending the LNB signals through an A/B switch to the DVB receiver and both signals to the analog receiver. They do not use the loop through ability of the DVB receiver. If you choose to do this, check out your receiver first with the simpler setup described above.

Receivers with Single LNB Input and A/B Switching

This setup may be used for satellite systems with both C and Ku band LNBs. Both signals are passed, via a splitter, to your analog receiver. Using the same splitter each LNB signal is sent to an A/B switch which is used to select the C band LNB or the Ku band LNB. That signal is then sent to the input of the DVB receiver.

Connect each LNB coaxial cable from your dish to the input of a wideband splitter. This requires 2 splitters. Each split coax signal is connected to one of the inputs of an A/B switch. Each split coax signal is also connected to the input for that LNB on your analog receiver. Connect the output of the A/B switch to your DVB receiver input.

Receivers with Dual LNB Input

Connect the LNBs as described for a Single LNB system except do not use an A/B switch. Instead, connect the outputs of each splitter to your DVB receiver and your analog receiver. This sends a copy of the C band LNB and the Ku band LNB to both receivers.

Scanning Your First Digital Signal

First you must use the receiver software to set the LO (Local Oscillator) frequency for your LNB(s). Typically, for C band this is 5150 mHz and Ku band is 10750 mHz. This will probably be under some sort of  "Setup" choice on the main menu.

Choose an MPEG2/DVB digital signal that you are relatively sure will have a FTA (Free to Air) signal available. Check at Lyngsat.comfor a list of these or ask other users which one(s) to try. Before you can receive a digital signal you must first enter parameters that describe the signal. These parameters include Frequency, Symbol Rate (SR), Forward Error Correction (FEC) and; in cases of non-standard signals,  Packet Identifiers (PID). There are 3 PIDs that can be associated with the signals. They are the Video PID (VPID), Audio PID (APID) and the Program Clock Reference PID (PCR PID). Many signals do not require a separate PCR PID and the VPID is entered for that parameter. Most bouquets (collection of channels on 1 frequency) do not require that you enter PIDs.

Your DVB receiver will have some sort of choice available for entering these parameters. After you have entered them, on most receivers, you must "Scan" the signal into the receivers channel memory. Some receivers do not require this scan since they do it every time you tune to a new channel, but that is slower. Most DVB receivers require initial scanning now.

Using your analog receiver, move your dish to the appropriate satellite and switch to a channel of the same polarity as the digital signal that you want to lock/scan. Some DVB receivers/systems can automatically switch polarities for you but many still do not. This will depend on your particular system. Use the DVB receiver's software and initiate a scan of the signal. If there is a compatible MPEG2/DVB signal present your receiver should add new channels to its channel list. Some digital transmissions have only a single channel per carrier (SCPC) while others have multiple channels per carrier (MCPC). Switch to the new channel(s) and hopefully you can watch your first MPEG2/DVB transmission. If a channel is scrambled, usually, you will be able to lock/scan it, but will only get audio (no video). Most receivers have some sort of designator in its channel list that indicates whether the signal is FTA (F) or Scrambled (S). Some channels designated S may still be in the clear and the uplinker has chosen not to impliment scrambling (yet).

If you can lock/scan a channel but there is inadequate signal quality this is usually present as a picture that suddenly looks like a mixed up puzzle with  popping sounds. If the signal is bad enough you may see a message saying "Bad Signal" or "Signal Not Found" or something similar. Now is the time for troubleshooting.

Make sure your satellite dish is properly tracking. If not, as described above in Dish Alignment you may have little or no success at DVB reception. The techniques and procedures for adjusting dish tracking/alignment are beyond the scope of this document.

If a typical analog channel on a particular satellite has obvious "sparklies" you probably will not succeed at acceptable DVB reception on that satellite, nor should you expect to. This may relate to dish size, especially on C band dishes less than about 8 feet. The smaller dishes have a wider beamwidth and tend to see adjacent satellites in addition to the one you want to see. This causes interference with a digital signal and sparklies on analog video. DVB is not forgiving of interference. Once the signal quality falls below a level that forward error correction can handle, the picture/sound breaks up or totally disappears. Unlike analog transmissions, which will gradually lose quality until you can't view/hear it, DVB reception is more or less an all or none situation. With that in mind here are a few suggestions for solving problems that you may have.

Symptoms of a Poor  LNB

A poor LNB may result in broken video images and audio popping on bouquets that you can lock/scan or it can cause the receiver not to lock/scan at all. Instability/noise of an LNB seems to be more critical for bouquets with low SR ratings than it is with high ratings. If you notice that you can lock/scan bouquets with high SR values (>~8.000 mS/s) with no video/audio problems but are having trouble with low SRs you should consider replacing your LNB. However, make sure you have eliminated other possibilities first.

You may need to buy a new "digital ready" LNB to replace LNBs that are older than 3-4 years. This is not likely, but definitely possible. Most DVB receivers can adjust for instability in the Local Oscillator (LO) frequency of the LNB. However, this is usually limited to about +/- 2 mHz. If you replace your LNB you should consider LNBs with LO stabilities of +/- 1 mHz and less. The lower the LO stability rating the better.

Techniques to Aid You in Troubleshooting

Adjusting/optimizing the polarity/dish position can help. Sometimes, digital signals prefer a setting slightly different from analog in order to help reduce interference from adjacent channels/satellites.

If you have a DVB receiver that displays signal quality you can use it to aid you in adjusting polarity and dish position. Start trying to scan the problem channel with the DVB receiver. If you are having trouble with a channel you should see either a signal quality of 0 or a signal quality that goes from a high reading to 0. Using your analog receiver you can now adjust the polarity and/or the dish position and try to optimize the signal quality to an acceptable steady level. Alternatively, if you do not have access to some sort of signal quality reading, you will have to watch the picture while you adjust.

Another thing that may help, with some receivers, is to adjust the reception frequency up or down by a few mHz (1-5) in increments of 1 and scan/re-scan. Also, some receivers can scan a transponder for the frequency and find it for you.

Check with other MPEGers to see if they are also having problems on the channel.  If they are, it is probably not a problem with your system.

You may need a new LNB (see above).

Can't Lock/Scan a Bouquet

1) Doublecheck the parameters you have entered for the bouquet (Freq., SR,FEC, PIDs if needed).
2) Check to see if the analog receiver is on the right satellite and a channel with the correct polarity.
3) Use the troubleshooting techniques described above.

No Channels Found When a Bouquet is Successfully Scanned

1) The transmission does not contain PID information and you need to enter it manually.

No Video and No Audio on a Previously Scanned Channel

1) The channel may be operational but not transmitting programming. If it is really a bad signal or there is no video or audio channel data, most receivers will display a message to that effect. The channel may not be available anymore or is scrambled.
2) A data reception parameter may have changed. Re-scan the bouquet that contains the channel, the changes may automatically be visible to the receiver. If other channels on the bouquet are OK this is probably the cause.
3) Get new values for the bouquet. Lyngsat.com may have the new parameters. Enter them and re-scan.
4) If there are many bouquets that are no longer functional you may have developed dish alignment problems.
5) Use the troubleshooting techniques described earlier to try and correct the problem
6) Houston, we have a problem!

Channel has Bad Video and Bad Audio

1) If all the channels on the bouquet have video/audio but they are bad, re-scan the bouquet.
2) If still bad use the techniques described earlier to try and correct the problem
3) If any channel on the bouquet is OK then there is nothing wrong with your system. It probably is operating as it was designed, but there is something about that channel that causes problems with that receiver.

Channel Audio is OK but Video is Bad

1) The channel's data stream is probably in PAL format and your particular receiver has a problem converting it to NTSC format. This usually appears as distortion in the upper and lower 1/4 of the screen. The picture may also appear too big for the screen since NTSC crops the picture and you do not get the whole thing.

No Audio on a Channel but Video is OK or
Audio does not go with Video

1) The sound may be in a different audio layer. The currently chosen audio layer may not be intended to go with the video that you are seeing. If your receiver has multiple audio layers search them for the right one.
2) If the audio seems to be the right one for the video but out of synchronization, you may need to manually enter a PCR PID for that channel. Sometimes this can not be corrected on some channels with certain receivers except by re-programming of software. (Out of Luck!)

No Video on a Channel but Audio is OK

1) The channel is probably scrambled. ( Bummer!)
2) The channel is a radio transmission. (Oh Duh!)
3) The channel may be operational but not transmitting video programming and the audio is for a separate radio program. Anyway, there is probably nothing wrong. Usually, you can check this by seeing if there is more than one audio source available. One of the other audio choices is probably paired with the blacked out video signal and is silent. Some receivers do not support multiple audio layers and you may not be able to check this.