Problems with Ultra: slow channel change, pic interference

[flybird74]

I have the following two issues with lifetime ultra:

1: changing channel is slow even if I stay on the same satellite

2: there are black lines running from bottom left to top right of the TV screen, so the picture was not very good. With my previous receiver, this did not happen

Please help.

[flybird74]

could bobkat, dtsexpert or vj9999 provide some insight?

[dtsexpert]

I can't confirm this since I don't have Ultra. One of my receiver is Lifetime, which is almost indentical to the Ultra. I have no problem as you described, changing channels is pretty fast.
About the blacklines, go to the settings to make sure you set the picture ration as 4x3.
Michael

Originally Posted by flybird74

I have the following two issues with lifetime ultra:

1: changing channel is slow even if I stay on the same satellite

2: there are black lines running from bottom left to top right of the TV screen, so the picture was not very good. With my previous receiver, this did not happen

Please help.

[bobkat]

Sorry flybird; I have never had the pleasure of trying out a Fortec receiver of any model. Those lines you talk about sound like RF interference possibly. Are you using the RF OUT connected to your TV? Try using channel 4 instead of 3. Perhaps the cable between the receiver and TV or receiver and VCR (if you have one in the loop) is bad -- I see crappy cables all the time. Try the audio/video output instead. Just a thought.

kat

[flybird74]

bobkat, dtsexpert,

thanks a lot for the replies. I did tried a couple of things. Using different cable does not make things any better. With audio/video (red white yellow) cable, the interference when away.

I guess this could be because on Untral, they had TV out and LNB in next to each other.

[paults2]

I have an Ultra and haven't noticed these problems. I have only used the composite and S-video outputs and the video looks clear. I have never used the RF output.

Changing a channel on the same satellite takes about one second.

There is a slight horizontal bend in the on-screen graphics at one place, but it is barely noticeable and it changes a little depending on what type of program video is on the screen behind the graphics. The type of monitor or TV may have something to do with this.

Cheap coax cable can cause problems if the two cables are near each other. It's best to use high quality coax with double braid and double foil shielding. Really cheap coax only has a single braid and no aluminum foil. RF can easily leak through the braid at LNB frequencies.

Make sure the coax connectors are mounted properly to the coax. The shielded part should extend right to the end of the connector. If it doesn't, some of the RF may radiate out.

High quality doubly-shielded video and audio cables are also worth using.

[wejones]

Re the interferrence, I find it unlikely that it has anything to do with LNB signal getting into the RF output. I'd sooner beleive that the coax used for the ch3/4 output to the TV either has a bad connection to the shield or perhaps has a broken or short center conductor. You might test the coax with an ohm-meter. If the rf cable is defective, or if you are going through any kind of "t" or switch, and if you have a local channel in that area ch-2,3,4or 5, you could get interferrence in there. You might also try changing the modulator setting from ch3 to ch4, or visa-versa to see if that helps.
Re the channel changing slow, slow is a relative term, so you might describe what you mean more, in seconds perhaps.
Does it change slow when pushing buttons on the front panel too? Ie it might be a remote problem. There have been a lot of complaints re the remote control on these things. I've found that my lifetime is VERY sensitive to IR interferrence, and it will behave strangely if there are computers or other IR devices around, and/or a lot of sunlight coming in the window, etc. You might try shading the receiver to shield it from other light, and then try using the remote. Also, the fortec remote control has a tendency to have the buttons stick. Make sure that none of the buttons are sticking on, or you will get strange behavior.

[flybird74]

Thank you all for the help. The problem with interference is resolved. What I did was switch to ch 4 everything else is the same, receiver, TV, cable etc.

To define what it means "slow", it takes about 2-3 sec to change channels that are on the same sat.