Humax Digital box not working

[David Schweizer]

I have just bought a second hand Humax F2-Fox T digital box for the TV on the boat, but it does not work. The screen on the front of the box shows which channel is selected, and this can be changed with the remote control + - buttons, but there is nothing on the screen.

 

I have been told by the person who sold it that the Factory settings need to be restored, but according to the manual this involves selecting options on the TV screen, which I do not have because there is no picture.

 

Does anyone have any ideas on what I should be doing, or have I been sold a piece of rubbish?

Edited July 25, 2009 by David Schweizer

[Iain_S]

I have just bought a second hand Humax F2-Fox T digital box for the TV on the boat, but it does not work. The screen on the front of the box shows which channel is selected, and this can be changed with the remote control + - buttons, but there is nothing on the screen.

 

I have been told by the person who sold it that the Factory settings need to be restored, but according to the manual this involves selecting options on the TV screen, which I do not have because there is no picture.

 

Does anyone have any ideas on what I should be doing, or have I been sold a piece of rubbish?

 

I assume the TV is on the correct input, and there is a SCART or HDMI cable between digbox and TV?

 

Iain

[David Schweizer]

I assume the TV is on the correct input, and there is a SCART or HDMI cable between digbox and TV?

 

Iain

The TV on the boat does not have a Scart connector, however the Humak Box has an RF modulator, and can therefore be connected from the RF output to the TV with a length of standard arial cable (one end male, other end female)

 

I specificly bought a Humax box because it will work (according to the email I got from Humax) with any TV through the arial connector. Except that this one does not!!!

[alan_fincher]

If it has an RF modulator, then I'm assuming it is a bit like when you used to plug an old Video Recorder or BBC Micro in to a TV, and it effectively gave an output into the TV that simulated a TV channel coming down the aerial.

 

If so, you need to nominate a channel on the TV that is the RF input from the Humax box, and will then need to tune the TV on that channel until you "find" the Humax box's frequency. Many things used to have a switch on the back somewhere that would put out a fixed pattern (say vertical stripes) that made this tuning process more accurate - I have never seen a FreeView box connected other than by SCART though, so can't be certain how they might work.

 

(I hope I'm not misinterpreting the problem you have, though.....)

[Iain_S]

If it has an RF modulator, then I'm assuming it is a bit like when you used to plug an old Video Recorder or BBC Micro in to a TV, and it effectively gave an output into the TV that simulated a TV channel coming down the aerial.

 

If so, you need to nominate a channel on the TV that is the RF input from the Humax box, and will then need to tune the TV on that channel until you "find" the Humax box's frequency. Many things used to have a switch on the back somewhere that would put out a fixed pattern (say vertical stripes) that made this tuning process more accurate - I have never seen a FreeView box connected other than by SCART though, so can't be certain how they might work.

 

(I hope I'm not misinterpreting the problem you have, though.....)

 

It's also easier to tune the TV to the box with the aerial disconnected, leaving co-ax between box and TV. That way, the only signal the TV gets is the digibox. The RF modulator MAY be on an analogue TV channel.

Iain

[twocvbloke]

I think you'll find that on most modern freeview boxes, the RF out is actually a Loop-through, and not actually a modulator, so no matter how hard you try, you aren't going to get a picture through the RF socket...

 

The only way to get a picture is through SCART/Phono or HDMI on these boxes, a pain I know, but it's how freeview boxes are so cheap, cos they skimp on the components you'd expect to be fitted...

 

If your TV is old enough so that it has no A/V input facility, then you can get an AV-to-RF modulator, though that probably about £20-30 more (see ebay clicky...), I've never used one, but thought of getting one myself cos I have a small portable that's useful for sat-catching...

 

Hope this helps...

[Chris J W]

This may help ...

 

Humax download site clicky

[WotEver]

I think you'll find that on most modern freeview boxes, the RF out is actually a Loop-through, and not actually a modulator, so no matter how hard you try, you aren't going to get a picture through the RF socket...

 

Unfortunately for you David, twocv's absolutely rightt.

 

T.

[Chris J W]

Unfortunately for you David, twocv's absolutely rightt.

 

T.

 

Wow!! That means that the Humax F2-Fox-T that I used to have was MAGIC then because that used to work on a TV that didn't have a SCART and had via the RF socket. Damn it. I knew I shouldn't have sold it.

 

Oh, hang on, Page 43 of the manual tells you how to set the RF range for TV output. The default is Ch 26 judging by the manual.

[WotEver]

Wow!! That means that the Humax F2-Fox-T that I used to have was MAGIC then because that used to work on a TV that didn't have a SCART and had via the RF socket. Damn it. I knew I shouldn't have sold it.

 

Oh, hang on, Page 43 of the manual tells you how to set the RF range for TV output. The default is Ch 26 judging by the manual.

 

I stand corrected

 

Many apologies for the incorrect info.

 

T

[Chris J W]

I stand corrected

 

Many apologies for the incorrect info.

 

T

 

[David Schweizer]

Wow!! That means that the Humax F2-Fox-T that I used to have was MAGIC then because that used to work on a TV that didn't have a SCART and had via the RF socket. Damn it. I knew I shouldn't have sold it.

 

Oh, hang on, Page 43 of the manual tells you how to set the RF range for TV output. The default is Ch 26 judging by the manual.

There is nothing about that on page 43 in the download manual that I have got, but I will try setting channel 26 to see if it works.

 

The main problem is that there is nothing on the screen at all just the analogue picture, and setting the TV to RV just produces a blank screen.

[Chris J W]

Sorry - it's Page 42. My mistake. (I was thinking of the 43rd page of the PDF, if you see what I mean)

 

Assuming you do get the TV tuned to it, you may find that you'll need to re-scan the channels if it's now on a different transmitter.

 

Edit to add - my assumption of the default Ch 26 was based on the graphic of the screen - but I've just checked my Humax 9200 PVR and it's default is 36.

Edited July 26, 2009 by Chris J W

[WotEver]

There is nothing about that on page 43 in the download manual that I have got, but I will try setting channel 26 to see if it works.

 

The main problem is that there is nothing on the screen at all just the analogue picture, and setting the TV to RV just produces a blank screen.

 

Hi David,

 

If you pull the aerial connection into the Humax, so all you have is the Humax's aerial output connected to the TV input, can you then auto-tune the TV and find anything? You should get some kind of blank screen from the Humax saying something like "Can't find any channels".

 

Alternatively, if you have the manual and there's nothing in there whatsoever about 'tuning the TV to the receiver' then it could be that twocv was correct about your particular receiver after all.

 

Regards,

Tone

[Chris J W]

EDIT - deleted as it was no help what so ever.

Edited July 26, 2009 by Chris J W

[David Schweizer]

Well thanks to your suggestions we are getting somewhere (thanks for the PM Chris)

 

I tuned the TV to channel 36 and then restored the factory settings with code 0000 (given to me by the seller) I ran an automatic search and saved all the found channels, so far so good.

 

When select any channel, I get the logo in the bottom of the screen telling me which channel has been selected but the screen, displays a "no or bad signal" message, which is odd because my other TV which is connected to the same aerial and a cheapo digi box from Argos works fine.

 

Any more suggestions would be gratefully received.

Edited:- to correct wrong spelling of Aeial because my wife insisted it was spelt "Ariel"

Edited July 26, 2009 by David Schweizer

[Chris J W]

Check the signal strength under the 'System Information' menu (Pg 52) - you may need to tweek the aerial direction.

[David Schweizer]

Check the signal strength under the 'System Information' menu (Pg 52) - you may need to tweek the aerial direction.

Thanks Chris, I will try that, but I do know from my other Digi box, which automaticly displays signal strength, that the strength is usually less than 50%.

 

The aerial is inside the loft (mainly because it got struck by lightening, some years ago, when mounted on the chimney) and we sometimes loose digital altogether when it is raining.

[twocvbloke]

Edited:- to correct wrong spelling of Aeial because my wife insisted it was spelt "Ariel"

 

Well she would, that's the name of the washing powder...

 

Aerial - Device used to receive radio signals,

Ariel - Washing soap for cleaning clothes, also the name of the main character from Disney's "The little mermaid".

 

[Chris J W]

Thanks Chris, I will try that, but I do know from my other Digi box, which automaticly displays signal strength, that the strength is usually less than 50%.

 

The aerial is inside the loft (mainly because it got struck by lightening, some years ago, when mounted on the chimney) and we sometimes loose digital altogether when it is raining.

 

Is it an amplified aerial, btw? My current Humax PVR is far happier with one, and if memory serves so was the Fox box.

[nb Innisfree]

Is it an amplified aerial, btw? My current Humax PVR is far happier with one, and if memory serves so was the Fox box.

 

My Humax PVR has an 'antenna power on' setting for powering antennas without their own power supply. My aerial has it's own inbuilt amplifier supplied by a power supply via coax, so I have to disable antenna power in Humax settings.

[David Schweizer]

I have a masthead amplifier on the boat like this one :- http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Electrical...0/sd3084/p61182 Is that what you are referring to?

 

I do not use it often, but it does seem to make an improvement sometimes. I did try it at home but there was no significant improvement.

Edited July 26, 2009 by David Schweizer

[nb Innisfree]

I have a masthead amplifier on the boat like this one :- http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Electrical...0/sd3084/p61182 Is that what you are referring to?

 

I do not use it often, but it does seem to make an imoprvement sometimes. I did try it at hme but there was no significant improvement.

 

That is a picture of a power supply for a masthead amp, not an actual amp. My power supply is a similar sort of thing

[Chris J W]

My Humax PVR has an 'antenna power on' setting for powering antennas without their own power supply. My aerial has it's own inbuilt amplifier supplied by a power supply via coax, so I have to disable antenna power in Humax settings.

 

Exactly the opposite for me!

[David Schweizer]

That is a picture of a power supply for a masthead amp, not an actual amp. My power supply is a similar sort of thing

Yes I have just checked on my back orders and whilst the equipment I have looks like the one illustrated, the description in the original order states that it is a 1 Way Aerial Amplifier.

 

They now look like this:- http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Electrical...Way/d/sd/p40516

Edited July 26, 2009 by David Schweizer