[Fix] “No Signal” Issue on Tata Play DTH Service in India

UPDATE: This article was created in year 2015 and the problem and solution given in this article were applicable at that time. If you are facing “No Signal” issue on your Tata Play (formerly known as Tata Sky) Set Top Box, it might be a dish antenna alignment problem or some other hardware problem and you should contact Tata Sky customer care at 18002086633 which is their toll free helpline number and register a complain. Contacting them at social networking websites such as Twitter may help you in fixing the issue faster.

This topic has been specially created for our Indian readers. Our readers who live in India and use Tata Sky DTH (Direct-To-Home) service to watch TV channels will definitely find this topic useful.

Now-a-days many Tata Sky customers are facing signal related issues with their connection. Many Tata Sky DTH users can’t receive any signal on their set top boxes. On the other hand some users are receiving very few signals.

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Your_Box_Not_Receiving_Signal_Problem_Tata_Sky_DTH_India.png

The problem started suddenly. Nothing was changed or moved but suddenly people started getting “No Signal” or “Your box is not receiving signal” message on their television screens.

If they check signal strength and quality using signal test screen, it shows the bars empty i.e. zero signals.

No_Signal_Tata_Sky_DTH.png

After getting frequent emails and comments from various AskVG readers regarding this problem, today I decided to create this article. In this article, we’ll try to address this annoying issue and will find out the treason behind this problem as well as a fix for it.

PROBLEM REASON:

According to Tata Sky, they are upgrading their systems which is causing this signal issue to many customers. Tata Sky users can get this information on Tata Sky home channels Ch. 100 Gold (LCN 100) and Ch. 100 (LCN 101) which are continuously showing programs related to the issue.

But just saying ‘we are upgrading’ is not a satisfactory answer to many people. Don’t worry! We’ll tell you the truth behind this issue.

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Actually Tata Sky is using Insat 4A satellite to provide signals to its customers but the satellite is going to expire soon and Tata Sky needs a new satellite for migration. Also the satellite doesn’t contain enough TP space to add new channels that’s why Tata Sky is using high compression technology to get some extra free space on TPs to add demanded channels.

Now Tata Sky has decided to move to a new satellite GSAT 10. Tata Sky has already moved all channels to it and has also completed the required testing.

This is the reason behind signal issues currently being faced by several Tata Sky customers. Tata Sky has released an updated firmware for SD and HD set top boxes which automatically adds GSAT 10 settings and parameters to STB and also sets GSAT 10 as default satellite. Since the dish antenna has not aligned to new satellite position but the parameters in STB have changed, many TS customers are having signal issues.

This is also the reason only SD and HD connection users are facing this issue because Tata Sky installed the new firmware in those set top boxes automatically via satellite. HD+ connection users are not facing this issue because Tata Sky has not released updated firmware for HD+ STBs yet.

Now you can ask why Tata Sky released the new firmware and applied new satellite settings if they knew the customers will not receive signals on new settings? Actually its not Tata Sky fault. The dish antennas didn’t need any extra alignment if they had been properly aligned by the technician at the time of installation. There is very slight difference between both satellites position and all Tata Sky dish antennas should be able to receive signals from both satellites at same alignment. But many Tata Sky technicians don’t align the dish antenna properly. They just align it in a way so that STB starts receiving signals. They don’t align it for best signal quality and strength.

That’s why now many dish antennas require proper alignment to receive signals from new satellite.

PROBLEM SOLUTION:

Now all customers who are facing signal problems, should contact Tata Sky customer care and register their complaints so that they can arrange a technician visit at your home and the technician fixes your problem.

You can also SMS NS to 56633 or give a missed call on 08899888998 number to schedule a site visit by Tata Sky technician to rectify your signal problem.

It might take some time in technician visit as they are getting several similar complaint requests from other Tata Sky customers.

Another possible solution to fix this problem might be restoring set top box to factory settings. You can select Master Reset option from set top box Settings to reset set top box to default settings. It might help you in receiving signals again.

You can also try to align the dish antenna yourself. You just need to move the LNB a little to catch signals.

If you are an advanced user and have sufficient knowledge about satellite parameters, transponders, etc, you can also try to manually edit satellite settings in your Tata Sky set top box and apply previous Insat 4A settings using hidden secret service menu as mentioned in following tutorial:

Revealing Hidden Secret Service Menu in Tata Sky DTH Set Top Box

It may also help you in getting signals again in your set top box. But I’ll advise not to touch these advanced settings and wait for technician visit. He’ll align the dish antenna properly and your signal problem will get fixed immediately.

That’s all I can tell you about current Tata Sky signal problem. According to Tata Sky, all these problems will be fixed in coming 2-3 days. I hope all Tata Sky customers will be able to enjoy IPL (Indian Premier League) Cricket Match series which is going to start soon on Sony Max and Sony Six HD channels…

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Published in: Mobiles and Internet

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

Comments

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

  1. Ah, so it’s because of the new satellites. Thanks for informing us! I’ve already called a technician, so I hope the TV will get fixed soon.

  2. Thanks for this info. I was facing the same issue. I just got an update from Tata Sky that my somebody will visit my home and fix the problem in next couple of days.

  3. at last my tata sky complaint got sorted out by paying 200 rs. Just changed the angle of the receiver to ur left side and its done. its like olden days to adjust your antenna according to the signal, just took 2 minutess for me and everything back on track now, its worth trying and let me know the feedbacks please

  4. Had same problem with Tatasky HD. Signal strength (195) was good but signal quality was poor (nearly 6 db) . And only few channel was running and maximum other was showing signal problem inspite of having clear weather. But main problem was with the dish which now I have resolved just by adjusting dish and that too very slightly.