What to Check Before You Call About No Signal in Stellenbosch
A “no signal” message is the most common reason people phone us in Stellenbosch, and
a fair share of those calls end without any work being needed. Before you book a
callout, it is worth spending five minutes on the checks below.
1. Read the error code on screen
DSTV decoders tell you more than people realise. E48-32 usually
means the decoder cannot see the dish at all, which points at a cable, a connector
or the LNB. E48-34 and similar codes more often mean the dish is
receiving something but not enough of it, which points at alignment or weather.
2. Check whether it is raining hard
Heavy rain absorbs satellite signal. This is called rain fade and it affects
every installer’s work equally, because the problem is in the sky rather than on
your wall. If the picture returns when the weather clears, nothing is broken.
If your signal drops in light drizzle, though, your margin is too low and the
dish is worth realigning.
3. Look at the cable where it enters the wall
Around the Cape Winelands, the majority of faults we find are at a connector rather than
in the dish itself. Look at the point where the coax enters the building. If the
outer sheath is cracked, the connector is green or crusty, or the cable has been
pinched by a window frame, that is very likely your fault.
4. Reboot the decoder properly
Switch the decoder off at the plug, wait a full thirty seconds, and switch it
back on. Thirty seconds matters: it lets the power supply discharge. Give it two
or three minutes to reacquire the signal before deciding it has not worked.
5. Check the dish has not moved
Stand back and look at the dish. A dish that has been knocked by a ladder,
a branch or a strong gust near the Stellenbosch mountains can lose alignment by a degree or two,
which is enough to drop the signal. You will not be able to see a small shift by
eye, but an obvious tilt is worth reporting when you call.
When to call us
If you have been through all five and the picture is still missing, the fault
is likely in the LNB, the cable run or the alignment, and it needs a meter to
diagnose properly. Guessing at alignment by watching the signal bar on screen is
slow and usually ends with a worse result than when you started.
Call or WhatsApp 072 237 6363 and describe what you are seeing
on screen. The error code alone often tells us which parts to bring, which is the
difference between one visit and two.
Need a DSTV installer in Stellenbosch? Tell us what your screen is showing and we will give you a price before we drive out.
Call 072 237 6363