Foxsat HDR not working

Pish

New Member
First, please note I am not tech-savvy:(

I don't know if there is a model number but it is a Foxsat HDR box which is several years old.
Software Version HPRSFCI 1.00.21
Loader Version U 7.52
Update date 27 July 2012

A week ago, watching a recording, I noticed a green screen flickering into the recording. When I went back to the HDR box, the remote was unresponsive and also the buttons on the box were unresponsive. There was a banner on the TV screen showing the programme details.

None of the cables have been moved since the box was installed. We also have a DVD and Surround Sound.

Playing around with it, husband removed the arial from the back and hey presto, the remote has started to respond. Nothing on the TV of course (because the arial is out). We can now get to the Humax menu, but of course can't try a software download (no arial).

The TV works OK in it's own right.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
 
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I noticed a green screen flickering into the recording.
The FOXSAT-HD is not a recorder. Do you mean FOXSAT-HDR?

The first thing I would try is a complete power-off (at the wall) and then turn on again.
 
Sorry, yes it is HDR. It has been unplugged and rebooted many times.

It has to be something to do with the Ariel. We don't have anything else to test it on, the TV doesn't seem to need one.
 
That's because the TV uses the ordinary TV aerial, whereas the FOXSAT-HDR (a satellite receiver/recorder) uses a connection to the satellite dish (not usually called an aerial).

I'm not terribly familiar with the faults that may occur if there is something wrong with the link to the dish, but the receiver sends power and other control signals to the LNB on the dish up the cable (as well as the signal coming back down). It is not impossible that a fault on the cable could result in misoperation at the receiver.

However, if you are getting defective playback of recordings, particularly if they are not repeatable (ie could have been present at the time of recording), it doesn't sound like the hard drive is in a healthy state.
 
Thank you Black Hole, I will show your reply to husband in the morning.

When the "Ariel" is taken out of the HDR box, then the remote responds and it is possible to change channels and use the menus. There is no picture of course, so you can't watch TV or play back recordings.
 
I don't understand. If you can operate the menus it should be possible to watch recordings. Removing the feed from the dish should only knock out live TV.

If the box operates normally (except live TV) with the dish disconnected, the obvious answer is that there is a fault with your dish installation.
 
But it doesn't. The OP said she cannot play back recordings with no dish either. Does this not point in the direction of an HDD problem somehow now we seem to have established that it is an HDR? But what do I know?
 
I'm trying to avoid postulating the simultaneous occurrence of two problems (obviously not impossible, but less likely). If the OP confirms recordings really won't play, then maybe... but I'm probing to see if this is actually misreported (like it being a -HDR rather than a -HD).

I don't have direct experience of FOXSAT-HDR (or -HD), but this is basic fault-finding: begin by assuming one fault and look for the common point of failure that explains all the symptoms. The major symptoms appear to be correlated with the antenna feed, unless anyone knows a reason to connect the symptoms with a faulty HDD. Even if there is a faulty HDD as a second issue, nothing much can be done until the antenna feed problem is sorted out.
 
I will try to clarify. The remote and the buttons on the box only respond when the "ariel" is taken out of the back. When you switch the box on, it will come on with (say) BBC News 24, there is a banner at the bottom of the screen as though you have pressed the i button. With the "ariel" in, there is a picture on the screen but the buttons on the remote and on the front of the box do not work. Therefore, you cannot bring up the guide, recordings or anything else.

Take the "ariel" (there are actually 2 ariels or antenna) out of the back, no picture, but now the remote works and you can bring up Humax menus.

The wires come straight through the wall, so I can't unplug them and nip to Maplins for a replacement. I think we are going to have to get someone in.
 
Take the "ariel" (there are actually 2 ariels or antenna) out of the back, no picture, but now the remote works and you can bring up Humax menus.
Yes, but can you play recordings?

Regarding the "aerials" (as you keep saying): these are two cables from the same LNB on the dish. You need a dual-LNB in order to have a completely free choice of channels for recording two programmes at once. It is possible to get away with one cable, and then you link across the connectors on the back of the box so that you can record any one channel and then a second channel from a restricted choice. For an explanation of "LNB" see my Glossary (click). "Antenna" rather than "aerial" is a better term for a satellite dish.

You could try only plugging in one cable at a time, see if that changes things.

The next thing I would do is a complete reset and reinstall of the FOXSAT. There will be something on the installation menu for "restore factory defaults" (or something like that). You're going to be wasting money calling somebody out if that's all it takes (but it will mean setting up your recording schedule again).
 
I was looking at the aspect that an HDD fault can cause a lockup if the box cannot access the timeshift biffer and if it has no signal connection it doesn't have to as there is no signal to buffer. This coupled to the fact that the OP said she could not play recordings.
If she is getting a picture when it is switched on, then it seems to me that the LNBs are prob OK.
Disconnect the HDD and see if you now have control. It obviously won't record or playback.
Like BH said, don't get a man in yet.
 
Thank you for the glossary, that is really helpful.

If either antenna are in, there is no response from the buttons on the remote or the box. No I cannot play recordings or see the guide. If the antenna are out, then we can get to the Humax menus for stuff like Language and Factory Reset.

Waiting for husband to return, will show him these posts and perhaps to a Reset.

Many thanks to all.
 
Further information. You CAN watch recordings, I did not know this!!! This is with both antenna out of the box. You can't bring up the current programme information of course.

Sorry to mislead you regarding the recordings. Husband thinks it must be the satellite cables, so we will need a man in.
 
I don't disagree with the reset. As it's the easiest thing to do to start with.:) Although I'm not so much in agreement about the cables and LNB, as the OP can get a picture on it, which I assume is the currently broadcast programme. She didn't say, other than "it will come on with (say) BBC News 24".

Can you change channels to (say) 101 with the cables disconnected, then it "comes up with BBC1" when the cables are re-connected?
But don't get a man in yet.
 
We can change channels with the cables disconnected. When the cables are reattached, the chosen channel comes up. Haven't tried to connect to an HD channel yet. Will be able to try that in an hour or so.
 
Bit more info. We can watch a live HD channels. We intend to do a factory reset, but first we want to go through the recordings to see if there is anything we want to watch first. Somebody has also mentioned that it might be a poorly screened TV aerial lead.
 
OK tried the Factory Reset. Started it off, cables out (in order to use the buttons) when we came to the satellite detection had to put the cables in. It said it could not find a signal, carried on and finished listing all the channels and our post code etc.

Result is now although the banner from the TV screen has gone, there is no response from the remote whether the cables are plugged in or not. So we can't try anything further so far as I can see. :(
 
OK tried the Factory Reset. Started it off, cables out (in order to use the buttons) when we came to the satellite detection had to put the cables in. It said it could not find a signal, carried on and finished listing all the channels and our post code etc.

Result is now although the banner from the TV screen has gone, there is no response from the remote whether the cables are plugged in or not. So we can't try anything further so far as I can see. :(

The fact that there is no signal found could well be a dish/lnb and/or cabling issues. Ideally try your box on a known working dish (A sky one will do just fine). Alternatively a know working digital satellite TV box (of any type) could be tried on your existing dish. I hope you turned off the box before messing with the lnb connections. As these carry 12/18V DC power for the lnb it's possible (but unlikely) to damage the box or the lnb itself.
It has been known for Humax remote controls to switch operating mode by themselves (see the pinned post at the top of this thread). In this case the buttons on the box should work OK.
 
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Somebody has also mentioned that it might be a poorly screened TV aerial lead.
That applies to a (typically) 1080p HDMI signal causing interference on the UHF aerial feed to a Freeview recorder. It could apply to satellite, but I don't know that the down-converted satellite feed uses the same frequency band as HDMI, and the cables tend to be screened better (less prone to interference). In any case, that does not explain why the FOXSAT won't respond to commands.
 
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